Passengers queue up to buy advance tickets at the West Kowloon terminus. Photo: Sam Tsang
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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3014069/hong-kong-high-speed-rail-link-gets-boost-four Hong Kong economy
Hong Kong high-speed rail link gets a boost with four long-haul routes to Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanning and Zhaoqing
- MTR Corp says new routes will feature 14 destinations, as lawmaker expresses hope the move will also benefit tourism
- Train frequency on East Rail Line to be increased, cutting wait time by 4 per cent
The high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to other parts on the mainland have been underutilised. Photo: Edward Wong
Hong Kong’s underutilised high-speed rail services will receive a boost with four long-haul routes added next month while existing train services will be cut down, according to operator the MTR Corporation.
From July 10, the 26km local stretch of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will offer daily direct services between its West Kowloon terminus and the mainland cities of Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanning and Zhaoqing.
Since the debut of the express link on September 23 last year, some century-old cross-border traditional train services have been cannibalised, with the MTR Corp closing three return trips between Hung Hom station and Guangzhou.
“We believe the enhanced service will attract more passengers to take the high-speed rail to explore these cities,” MTR Corp CEO Jacob Kam Chak-pui said on Monday.
“The 14 new destinations, including Chongqing, Foshan, Nanning, Shantou, Tianjin and Zhaoqing, are all popular cities for travellers.”
Kam added that the move arose from close communication among the mainland’s rail authority, the MTR Corp and the Hong Kong government.
The changes in cross-border services are also part of a revised national rail network on the mainland to meet peak demand in summer.
Travellers at the West Kowloon terminus. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
The high-speed rail link from Hong Kong, which cost HK$84.4 billion (US$10.8 billion), has been underutilised since its launch. Daily passenger numbers have averaged about 48,000 – below the government’s “conservative estimate” of 80,100.
The new services will bring the total number of long-haul routes from 13 to 17, and the number of all destinations connected by the express rail link from 44 to 58.
As a result of the new high-speed lines to Foshan West station in Guangdong, the century-old through-train daily services between Hung Hom Station and Foshan Station will be changed, terminating at Guangzhou East station.
The MTR Corp said it would redeploy rail track space made redundant from the reduced through-train services for the domestic East Rail Line. The line, which uses the same track as the traditional services, will see an increase in train frequency during morning peak hours on weekdays, to cut waiting time by 4 per cent.
The East Rail Line runs between Hung Hom and the border stops of Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau.
On Tuesday, tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing said the new destinations on the express rail would benefit the industry.
He added that he expected tour agencies to come up with more products and packages for outbound travel from Hong Kong to the cities mentioned, which are relatively more developed and affluent compared with others on the mainland.
“Inbound tourists who used to come to Hong Kong by air, will have a rail option, which hopefully will help bring more visitors staying overnight here, allowing them to spend more,” he said.