Slow restart as high-speed services get back on track

Wallis Wang

High-speed rail trains will resume running on Sunday after almost three years of suspension but with only four services to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, the Transport and Logistic Bureau said last night.

The announcement came after Legislative Council member Michael Tien Puk-sun said passengers will be using electronic tickets for the trains from Sunday.

"At the initial stage, services between West Kowloon station and Futian, Shenzhenbei and Guangzhounan stations will resume, while services to and from Guangzhoudong will be newly introduced," a bureau spokesman said.

"The trains will be calling at Guangmingcheng, Humen, Qingsheng, and the newly added Dongguannan and Dongguan stations."

Opening hours at the West Kowloon station remain the same as before the service suspension, 6.30am to 11.30pm.

"There will be no booking requirement at this control point [West Kowloon]. Passengers who have purchased tickets can travel through the control point with a valid ticket," he said, adding passengers must present a negative PCR test result conducted within 48 hours.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Facebook yesterday he wants SAR officials to maintain close communication with mainland counterparts. Disciplined services officers also rehearsed at the station to ensure a smooth reopening.

"The tickets will be sold online from now and there will be no paper tickets. Travelers can enter the station using their mainland travel permit for Hong Kong and Macau residents," Tien said.

He said the tickets will go on sale today and travelers do not need to secure a quota to cross the border by train.

In the mainland, passengers taking high-speed rail trains can purchase tickets online, scan documents and enter the gate after going through facial recognition.

Tien said there will be 38 short-haul trains from Hong Kong and 38 from the mainland in the initial stage, while long-haul services will resume after the Lunar New Year.

The high-speed rail, he said, will replace intercity through train service.

Legco member Gary Zhang Xinyu said passenger volume could only be 30 to 40 percent of capacity but that the new Guangzhou East station will fuel travel.

The tourism sector is happy as high-speed rail tours made up one fourth of all tour groups to the mainland.

Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said "some short-range tour groups would [take high-speed trains] to Shenzhen North before switching to other forms of transport. For tours further away including Guangdong North or Hunan, tourists could also take the train to Shenzhen North and transfer," he said.

The cross-border quota of the three land ports and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is almost fully booked for January 18 to 21, prompting Federation of Trade Unions' Bill Tang Ka-piu to appeal for a quota increase on the "big days" so that more people can return to the mainland.