Govt plans to open Shenzhen Bay port round-the-clock from Feb 9 to 13: Michael Tien

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said he has learned that the government is planning to open the Shenzhen Bay border point 24/7 from February 9 to 13 – the Lunar New Year’s Eve and the first four days of the Year of the Dragon. 

The Lo Wu port will also extend its service hours on February 9 and 11 to 2 am the next day, while the opening hours of the Lok Ma Chau port will not change. 

The SAR government now awaits Beijing’s final approval on the arrangements, Tien said. 

Tien believes the moves can double the capacity to handle the number of Hongkongers traveling up north, with the Huanggang port also opening overnight. 

Yet, he pointed out that railway ports should also open round-the-clock after MTR Corp earlier announced providing overnight services on the Lunar New Year’s Eve. 

Tien suggested extending the opening hours of both Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau ports to midnight on the first and second day of the Lunar New Year (Feb 10 & 11) and explained that the parade and fireworks display will end around 10.30 pm and 8.30 pm on those two days respectively. 

Meanwhile, Starry Lee Wai-king, a Standing Committee member of the National People’s Congress, believes it is more likely for the Shenzhen Bay port to open 24/7 given that it previously implemented a similar 24/7 arrangement for clearance of goods. 

She also thinks authorities have the conditions to extend the opening hours of railway ports before the Lunar New Year. 

Both measures can be implemented simultaneously and the traffic and crowd control will be significantly improved by then, Lee said