Large crowds of mainland visitors queued at the Austin Road cross-border bus terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui on Thursday night to return to the mainland after watching the National Day fireworks over Victoria Harbour.
The queue stretched from the terminus's ticketing and waiting area onto Austin Road, with barriers, traffic cones and ropes used to separate the lines. Queues peaked at about 500 people, according to sources.
Many travellers, carrying backpacks, shopping bags and suitcases, queued along signs marked "to Huanggang" to catch cross-border buses to the 24-hour Huanggang port. Some checked their phones while waiting, and families queued together. Police and bus company staff maintained order, and multiple cross-border coaches were on standby.
The Tsim Sha Tsui cross-border express route runs via China Hong Kong City and Jordan to Huanggang, offering another option for travellers rushing back to Shenzhen after the fireworks.
The government earlier estimated that about 7.44 million passenger trips would pass through Hong Kong's sea, land and air control points during the October 1-7 Golden Week, with about 6.31 million using land crossings. About 1.29 million mainland visitors are expected, a daily average increase of more than 5 per cent from last year.
