Hong Kong's High-Speed Rail Sets Passenger Record, New Facilities Planned

Hong Kong’s cross-border high-speed rail link carried more than 16 million passengers in the first six months of the year – the highest since its debut in 2018 – prompting the introduction of new facilities to meet demand.

The MTR Corporation, which operates the 26km Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, said on Wednesday that patronage rose by more than 10 per cent year on year to over 16 million in the first six months, with average daily trips exceeding 92,000.

The company said demand was driven by the growing number of Hongkongers travelling to Shenzhen and beyond for leisure, with passenger flows generally higher on weekends and public holidays, especially during long breaks.

A single-day all-time high of nearly 150,000 trips was recorded on April 4 this year during the Easter and Qing Ming Festival holiday.

Michael Tien Puk-sun, the former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, said the future of the MTR Corp would have “a lot to do” with cross-border traffic, noting that domestic routes may not necessarily win business away from buses and other competitors because of affordability.

“So, the cross-boundary [business] is most ideal for the MTR – cross-boundary [passengers] are all new customers,” he said, adding that the company had greater growth potential.