Hong Kong to mainland in a jiffy
THE Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong Express Rail Link is officially operational after the Hong Kong section of the high-speed railway entered into service yesterday.
A bullet train G5736 left Hong Kong West Kowloon Station at 7am yesterday for Shenzhen North Railway Station in Guangdong Province and arrived at the Shenzhen station in 19 minutes. Some 500 passengers, including those from media, came to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to take the first train.
The carriage was quite spacious and the seats could be adjusted, said a passenger surnamed Leung, who is a Hong Kong resident.
The ride “is quite comfortable. In the future, I would like to go to some places further, like Beijing for example. It takes only a few hours after all,” the 70-year-old man said. The rail link could bring more opportunities to Hong Kong and “I feel quite excited to witness such a historic moment,” said Leung.
Earlier in the morning, the high-speed train G5711 left Shenzhen North Railway Station at 6:44am for Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, and arrived in Hong Kong at 7:03am.
At 6:48am, high-speed train G6501 left Guangzhou South Railway Station for Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and reached its destination in 55 minutes.
Hou Ruiting, the captain of train G5711, said the train attendants have been trained on manners and languages. “Our attendants have taken special training and examinations of Cantonese and English to cater to all passengers,” Hou said.
Customs clearance procedures have been simplified, with exit-entry inspections by both sides being conducted at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station.
“The co-location arrangement is very convenient, and I finished all the clearance procedures in a few minutes. Now I can’t wait to try the famous Yum Cha,” a traditional Hong Kong-style dim sum meal with tea, said a resident from Shenzhen, who gave his family name as Tian.
The whole rail line was put into service one day ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival for family reunion. Many passengers took the train to join with their families for festival celebration.
The 141-kilometer Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link has 115km on the Chinese mainland and 26km in Hong Kong.
Being a key part of China’s high-speed rail network, it will offer direct rail services between Hong Kong and 44 destinations on the mainland, including Beijing and Shanghai.
During the initial period, the number of services will vary depending on the demands on weekdays, weekends and peak time. Up to 127 pairs of trains will be in service on a single day during the peak demand.