As more citizens explore the feasibility of cross-border work between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, a local office worker's recent commute from Shenzhen to Hong Kong has sparked an online debate.
Sharing his itinerary on social media platform Threads, the poster described his first commuting experiences as “efficient, convenient and fast”.
His day began at 6.45 am, departing from his Shenzhen home to take the Shenzhen Metro.
Upon arrival at Futian Station by 7.12am, he then picked up his breakfast at 7.15am before boarding the high-speed rail scheduled for 7.38am.
Arriving at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station at 7.52am, the poster then completed clearance procedures by 8am and headed to work at Hong Kong Station via MTR.
The poster highlighted that the trip took about 75 minutes, expressing satisfaction with the convenience of the commute.
Observing many mainland white-collar workers commuting to Tsim Sha Tsui, Admiralty, and Central in a similar manner, the poster agreed that it could alleviate living costs in Hong Kong.
Trading time with money: online community
However, several online users expressed reservations about the practicality of his cross-border commute, especially when there is additional cost and time involved.
Some commenters pointed out that the poster spent at least four hours commuting, arguing that his itinerary only trades time for money, let alone daily commuting could be physically exhausting.
Conversely, some online users stated that many people solely focus on commute time and ticket prices, while rent in Shenzhen is cheaper and spaces larger than in Hong Kong, making cross-border commuting a viable option.
According to the MTR, the cheapest one-way ticket from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station to Futian costs HK$73, while the fare from Futian back to West Kowloon Station is 68 yuan (approximately HK$73).
(Phoebe Poon)
