HONG KONG, CHINA. The high-speed rail service between Hong Kong and Guangzhou resumed yesterday after an approximate three-year suspension due to the pandemic.
The reopening of the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station follows one week after the operational resumption of seven other crossing points. To coincide with the opening, Dufry reopened its duty free stores trading as Hong Kong Duty Free (we will bring you an on location report in coming weeks).
The timing, just in advance of the Lunar New Year holidays, is optimum, allowing reunions (and duty free shopping opportunities) for thousands of residents on either side of the border.
Railway services provider MTR Corporation said it will first focus on short-haul trips with three new stops in Dongguan, Dongguan South and Guangzhou East, the South China Morning Post reported. Long-haul services to previous destinations, including Beijing, will resume in due course.
MTR Corporation said once service is fully operational, Hong Kong trains could reach 61 stops on the Mainland.
The West Kowloon terminus is the latest Hong Kong land checkpoint to reopen for cross-border traffic. The Lo Wu crossing, currently undergoing repair work, is the only checkpoint that remains closed.
Hong Kong has a 50,000 daily quota for people headed to the Mainland through land checkpoints. Authorities on Saturday increased the quota to 65,000 for the four days before the Lunar New Year break to cope with surging demand, the South China Morning Post reported. ✈
