Govt to deploy task force to assist tourist and vehicle flow during border opening hours extension

A joint command center composed of Customs, police and the Immigration Department will be activated during the Lunar New Year holidays to monitor the situation for the upcoming border port open-hours extensions.

To help with the extended opening hours of the Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints over the Lunar New Year, relevant departments have rearranged the holidays for the front-line staff and allocated staffing from other ports.

An inter-departmental joint operation command center will be established to monitor and ease the crowds and vehicular flow, while the Emergency Transport Coordination Centre will also operate round-the-clock to monitor traffic at the ports and major stations.

In addition, the Security Bureau will activate the emergency monitoring and support center promptly to closely monitor and coordinate public order at each port, along with coordinating cross-departmental follow-up actions when necessary.

Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing pointed out that during the three days when the service hours of Lo Wu Port are extended, the last train of the MTR East Rail Line from Admiralty to Lo Wu will leave at 1 am, and cross-boundary buses will also operate more routes. 

He estimated that buses and railways can provide a total transportation capacity of about 80,000 people every night from 9 pm to 1 am during New Year's Eve to the second day of the Lunar New Year, which is enough to divert the flow of people returning to the mainland.

Cheuk added that Lo Wu Port only extended its opening hours but did not operate overnight due to daily repairs and inspections of trains to ensure safe operations.

When asked if extending the border crossing hours will stop tourists from staying overnight in Hong Kong, Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the arrangement is to cope with the needs of tourists. 

He believed the arrangement would also facilitate more mainlanders to visit Hong Kong in the daytime.