The train G5607 bound for Hong Kong is pictured at the Shenzhen North Railway Station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, Jan 15, 2023. Long-haul high-speed rail services to and from HK will be fully resumed from April, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Long-haul high-speed rail services to and from Hong Kong will be fully resumed from April, with more lines and stations for services between the city and Guangdong province being resumed first, from March 11, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced on Friday.
A government spokesman said in a statement that, starting March 11, Hong Kong passengers will be able to take high-speed long-haul train services to Guangdong’s Chaoshan, Shantou and Zhaoqingdong.
Starting from April 1, long-haul train services will return to full operations, connecting the SAR with destinations outside Guangdong province, the spokesman for the HKSAR government said
Passengers can then reach 11 intermediate stations, namely Chaoyang, Foshanxi (Foshan West), Houmen, Huidong, Huizhounan (Huizhou South), Kuitan, Lufeng, Puning, Sanshuinan (Sanshui South), Shanwei and Shenzhen Pingshan.
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Starting from April 1, long-haul train services will return to full operations, connecting the SAR with destinations outside Guangdong province, the spokesman said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong passengers could take high-speed trains to 58 destinations on the mainland, including Beijing and Shanghai. Once services are fully resumed, it will be possible for them to travel to 61 destinations on the mainland.
The MTR, operator of the high-speed train service in Hong Kong, is also optimizing its short-haul train services to facilitate passenger requirements.
Also from March 11, the first train of the day travelling from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station to Guangzhoudong (Guangzhou East) Railway Station will not stop at two intermediate stations, namely Futian and Dongguan, in order to shorten the journey time by more than 10 minutes.
The first train from Guangzhounan (Guangzhou South) Station to Hong Kong will also leave at 7:05 am and its arrival time will be brought forward to 8:14 am.
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The new arrangement will provide greater convenience for visitors travelling between Hong Kong and the mainland, the spokesman added.
After a three-year hiatus, Hong Kong's high-speed rail services were reopened on Jan 15, a week after the city resumed quarantine-free travel with the mainland.
As of end-February, the high-speed rail has seen a daily average of over 23,000 passenger trips, with the highest single-day number reaching nearly 40,000 passenger trips, according to the government.