New era in rail travel as HK hi
Rail travel between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will enter a new era with the opening of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) on Sept 23.
The Hong Kong section connects Futian Station with the West Kowloon terminus, linking the SAR with the national high-speed rail network, with direct trains to 44 mainland destinations.
The first train from Futian Station to West Kowloon Station will depart at 8:15 am on Sept 23, and the last train will leave at 9:19 pm. The first train from West Kowloon Station to Futian Station will depart at 8:12 a.m. and the last train at 8:23 pm. The interval between each train departure is about 10 to 20 minutes.
Secretary for Transport and Housing of the Hong Kong SAR Government Frank Chan Fan said the first train will depart on Sept 23 from West Kowloon Station for Shenzhen North Station, with the second-class fare fixed at HK$86. The fare between Futian and West Kowloon is 68 yuan (HK$80).
He said direct services to the 44 mainland destinations will cover six short-haul destinations — Futian, Shenzhen North, Guangzhou South and three other stations — and 38 further afield, including Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan.
Tickets went on sale on Sept 10, two weeks ahead of the official launch of the Hong Kong section. Travelers can purchase tickets through www.12306.cn, the official ticket website of China Railway, and www.mtr.com.hk/highspeed, the official ticket website of Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corp, which operates the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link.
Commuters can also buy tickets at 23 counters at the West Kowloon Station using various payment methods, such as Octopus, Alipay and WeChat Pay, according to MTRC Operations Directo Tin-shing.
Passengers can print their ti at machines with travel permi Hong Kong and Macao residen well as second-generation main resident IDs. No more than 10 ets can be bought at a time.
The Hong Kong-Shenzhen has nine stations, and trips West Kowloon to Futian and zhen North stations will be s ened to 14 minutes and 23 min respectively.
A total of 95 pairs of tr including 82 short-haul pairs ning between Guangzhou, S zhen and Hong Kong and 13 of long-distance trains, wi into operation, linking Hong with 44 mainland cities, inclu Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Ch sha, Nanchang, Xiamen, Gu and Guilin.
During peak periods, suc holidays and weekends, 127 pa trains will be in service.
The trip between Futian