High-speed rail to Shanghai, Beijing back on track soon

Long-distance high-speed rail services from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai will resume fully as early as April 1.

And services are expected to be increased from Saturday next week for more Guangdong destinations.

Currently, only trips to Shenzhen and Guangzhou are available after cross-border rail services restarted on January 15.

Also from March 11 it appears more Guangdong destinations such as Chaoshan and Shantou will start, while all long journeys to places outside Guangdong including Beijing and Shanghai resume on April 1.

Thirty-nine trains travel from Hong Kong to the mainland per day and 38 from mainland cities to the SAR.

It is understood the number of trains will be increased to 51 trips in each direction daily from March 11, including six long-distance trips.

The number of trains will rise further to 82 trips in each direction daily starting on April 1 when high-speed service resume fully.

Still, the mainland's official train ticket-selling website, 12306, has not shown information of long trips. And the MTR Corp said it will announce any changes in high-speed services in due course.

"The high-speed rail operation remains smooth since the service resumption on January 15, and there is a huge demand from cross-border travelers," it noted.

A railway service union said most of the long trains are operated by mainland staff, so resumptions will not have a major impact on local manpower.

Roundtable legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun said he had heard about a full service resumption on April 1.

And as high-speed trains to Guangzhou and Shenzhen have resumed, Tien said he expects more cities in Guangdong will be reconnected soon, including Chaoshan. Tickets will be available as early as next week.

Trains to more cities outside Guangdong, including Beijing and Shanghai, resume next month, he said, and people can buy tickets in mid-April.

Tien said Guangzhou East station has been included in the high-speed rail network to make it easier for cross-border travelers.

He hopes authorities can increase the number of earlier trips between Hong Kong and Guangzhou East and also reduce the number of stops for late-night trains to shorten the travel time for passengers.

Ricky Tse Kam-ting, founding president of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association, told The Standard that the resumption of long-distance high-speed rail services is good news for the local tourism sector as it will make travel easier to remote mainland provinces.

"It will be easier for Hongkongers to travel to various places in the mainland and more mainland tourists will also come to the SAR as each high-speed rail train can carry more than 1,000 passengers," Tse said.

"The resumption will give a boost to the tourism sector."

Tse also believes more tourists from Beijing and Shanghai will come to Hong Kong on trains, especially since the capacity for aviation services has not yet resumed fully as pandemic restrictions are eased.

"Hong Kong will be the most popular city among tourists in China," he added. "I have full confidence in the SAR's attractiveness."

But Tse said the administration has to enhance Hong Kong's ability to receive visitors, including the training of tour guides and increasing the number of coaches.

"The tourism sector in Hong Kong is like a person who has stayed in an intensive care unit for three years," he said. "It is impossible to get up immediately and run."

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com