30th March 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail will resume long-distance train services starting from this Saturday, April 1st. The Hong Kong MTR Corporation has reported that passenger volumes on the high-speed rail are steadily increasing, with an average of approximately 20,000 passengers departing from Hong Kong every day. The service has been operating smoothly since the resumption of short-distance and Guangdong Province long-distance train services in January and March.
As the Ching Ming Festival and Easter holidays approach, the MTR Corporation has indicated that there has been a surge in demand for high-speed rail services. From this Saturday to Friday, 7th April, there will be popular routes departing from West Kowloon Station to Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Chaoshan, and Zhaoqing East Station, with an estimated 30,000 passengers expected to depart on Saturday alone.
The Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail network has expanded to 66 stations across the country, with a total of 164 train services running each day, roughly returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. To cope with the high demand for train tickets during the holiday period, the MTR Corporation has arranged for over 100 staff members to be stationed at West Kowloon Station this Saturday, with strengthened station signage and announcements to assist passengers. They also remind passengers to allow sufficient time for immigration procedures and to fill in the electronic health declaration required by the mainland authorities before departure.
Since the middle of January and 11th March, the high-speed rail service has gradually resumed short-distance and long-distance train services in Guangdong Province. As the high-speed rail is set to fully resume services, West Kowloon Station has been enhancing its service arrangements in recent days, including adding staff members and opening all ticket counters in Hong Kong to assist passengers with ticket purchases.