HK ramps up overnight transport and border clearance for Halloween weekend crowds

Hong Kong authorities and public transport operators have rolled out a comprehensive package of extended border hours and overnight cross-boundary transit services to manage substantial passenger crowds over the Halloween weekend, as celebrations across the city coincide with major international entertainment events.

With Halloween festivities kicking off ahead of the holiday, large crowds of revellers in costume have flocked to nightlife hotspots including Lan Kwai Fong in Central, the ongoing Wine and Dine Festival at the Central Harbourfront and Tamar Park, and Canadian pop star The Weeknd's concert at Kai Tak. Transport officials anticipate that celebrations will extend well past midnight across several urban districts over three consecutive nights.

Cross-boundary services expanded to handle late-night passenger surges

To accommodate cross-border visitors returning north late into the night, passenger clearance operations at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point will be extended until two o'clock in the morning for two consecutive nights.

In response, cross-boundary coach operators will prolong their departure schedules from major urban hubs, including pick-up points in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok, with final departures bound for Shenzhen Bay scheduled at half past twelve in the morning.

Public bus operators will also introduce dedicated late-night express options. Citybus will run special overnight route B13S during the early hours of Saturday and Sunday, connecting Central directly with the round-the-clock Huanggang Control Point. 

The operator has posted directional signage and assigned station staff to manage queues at designated boarding locations on Connaught Road Central outside the Wing Lung Bank Building, near Jubilee Street, and by Wing On Centre, enabling passengers leaving Central venues to quickly access cross-boundary buses.

Transport chief inspects key transit hubs and pledges swift crowd clearance

Commissioner for Transport Winnie Tse Wing-yee inspected multiple transport interchanges to review contingency readiness ahead of the peak travel period. Her tour covered the Wan Chai Exhibition Centre Station Public Transport Interchange, the cross-boundary bus stop opposite Golden Plaza on Arran Street in Prince Edward, and the Austin Road cross-boundary coach terminus in Jordan.

During her inspection, the transport chief noted that transport operators have lined up standby vehicles and relief drivers to ramp up service frequencies at short notice whenever queue lengths build up. 

She reiterated that the administration is adhering to a public-transport-first strategy to ensure that residents and overseas visitors can travel safely and smoothly. Officials also visited local taxi stands to assess waiting times and encouraged on-duty taxi ambassadors to actively provide travel advice and queueing assistance to the public.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓