Hongkongers rush to buy high-speed rail tickets to mainland China ahead of Sunday’s service launch, Lunar New Year holiday
- Three hundred people line up outside West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus before in-person ticket sales begin at 2pm
- Only 5,000 tickets going each way available each day, with many travellers anxious to secure bookings in run-up to Lunar New Year holiday
Hundreds of Hongkongers queued to buy tickets at the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus on Thursday afternoon ahead of the cross-border train service’s resumption over the weekend and the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday later this month.
A long-winding queue of 300 people stood outside the terminus at 1pm, an hour before it reopened for ticketing, with many more prospective passengers dashing to join the group.
Authorities in the morning announced up to 5,000 tickets per day, going either way, would be available. Passengers can mainly travel to Shenzhen and Guangzhou during the preliminary stage of resumption, with longer-haul routes to start at a later date.
Some of those lining up told the Post they had not travelled to mainland China since the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 and felt crossing by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link was more convenient than going through the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint.
Connie Lam, a 41-year-old trader who was first in line, said she had started queuing up at around 8am and planned to buy four tickets so her family could travel to Futian, a district in Shenzhen, on January 18.
