Rail link co-location kicks off on Sept 4

The special administrative region government will officially commence the implementation of the co-location arrangement at the West Kowloon Station of the high-speed rail on Sept 4, according to a statement released by the SAR’s Transport and Housing Bureau on Thursday.

This marks the fruition of the joint-checkpoint arrangement for the Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong Express Rail Link after years of discussion.

According to the statement, the commencement notice of the Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Ordinance (Cap 632) will be gazetted today (Friday), stipulating the ordinance will come into operation at midnight on Sept 4.

Some 20 days earlier than the launch of the XRL services, the arrangement is to dovetail with the mainland counterparts’ preparatory works for the implementation of co-location, including delivering materials to the designated Mainland Port Area at the West Kowloon Station and familiarizing relevant mainland officers with the operational procedures, according to the statement.

Such practice has been stipulated in the ordinance. According to Section 1(2) of the ordinance, the SAR government needs to consider whether it would be necessary for the ordinance to come into operation in a short period of time before the commissioning of the Hong Kong section of the XRL, so as to ensure that the MPA can operate smoothly after the launch.

Starting from the same day, the Hong Kong Port Area within the station will also be declared, in accordance with the provisions of the cooperation arrangement, as a crossboundary restricted area, according to the statement. Thus personnel from both Hong Kong and the mainland will work in the station to make final preparations.

As stated in the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Dec 27, 2017, mainland personnel shall not enforce the law in any area outside the MPA at the station.

Meanwhile, to enhance understanding of the co-location arrangement, the SAR government has produced a booklet to inform the public on various matters worth attention as high-speed rail passengers or staff working within the MPA. The booklet is available at the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department and can be downloaded from the Transport and Housing Bureau’s website (www.thb.gov.hk), according to the statement.

The co-location arrangement, which the SAR government proposed in July last year, aims to speed up the immigration process and maximize the efficiency of the high-speed rail system. One-fourth of the West Kowloon Station will be designated as the MPA, with mainland laws applied.