The Hong Kong government announced that following coordinating with the governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen and obtaining approval from the central government, the West Kowloon Port of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) and the Hong Kong section of the XRL will resume services from next Sunday (15th). Initial departures include services between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and stations in Futian, Shenzhen North and Guangzhou South, as well as services to and from Guangzhou East. The Secretary for Transport and Logistics said in a meeting with the media this morning (12th) that the total number of tickets sold at the initial stage is 10,000, including 5,000 for the northbound and 5,000 for the southbound, and no reservation is required. He also mentioned that the demand for railway services between Guangzhou East and Hong Kong has always been high, and it is estimated that they will be very popular. In particular, tourist attractions such as M+ and the Palace Museum near West Kowloon Station will also increase the attractiveness of high-speed rail services.
Lin continued that in terms of through trains, the authorities will continue to review the operation of the high-speed rail at Guangzhou East Station, and review the direction of the existing through train services according to the actual situation. As long-distance buses involve many and long distances, more time is needed to contact the relevant authorities in the Mainland. It is reiterated that depending on the operation of West Kowloon Station, the long-distance bus services will be resumed one following another, but there is currently no timetable for the operation.
Lin Weiqiang, chairman of the Federation of Railway Trade Unions, said in a radio program that the manpower shortage in the early stage of the resumption of operation, the MTR needs to deploy other station staff to assist in support, which will exacerbate the manpower shortage problem at some stations, and the staff may have to be transferred or work overtime to support the station situation , he hopes that the MTR Corporation will recruit more staff as soon as possible. Lin Xu pointed out that it is currently unknown how the long-distance routes will be arranged. The high-speed rail has been in trial operation since this Sunday (8th), with more than 10 trains running every day. The situation is smooth and there is no difference from the previous operation. However, it may take time for Hong Kong citizens to adapt to the prevailing e-tickets in the Mainland.
Councilor Tian Beichen, who was present at the same meeting, believed that the service to Guangzhou East replaced the intercity through train, and the two inspections in one place can save half an hour. If there are no accidents, 38 pairs of trains can be opened every day at the beginning of the resumption of transportation. He also pointed out that he strives to have a Hong Kong-Guangzhou East Express train every day (non-stop at the intermediate station), and the journey only takes 70 to 75 minutes to “get through” with Guangzhou.
