Long-haul service resumption of Hong Kong section of Express Rail Link in phases
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A Government spokesman said, "In the first phase, services between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station (WKS) and three stations, namely Chaoshan, Shantou and Zhaoqingdong, will resume. By taking long-haul trains on these routes, the public can reach 11 intermediate stations, namely Chaoyang, Foshanxi, Houmen, Huidong, Huizhounan, Kuitan, Lufeng, Puning, Sanshuinan, Shanwei and Shenzhen Pingshan. Starting from April 1, the long-haul services of the XRL Hong Kong Section will fully resume, connecting Hong Kong and long-haul destinations outside Guangdong Province."
In addition, the HKSAR Government and the MTRCL, after co-ordinating with relevant units, will fine-tune and optimise the services of the current short-haul destinations to better cater for the needs of passengers.
"From March 11, the first train of the day travelling from WKS to Guangzhoudong Station will not serve two intermediate stations, namely Futian and Dongguan. The journey time is expected to be shortened by more than 10 minutes. The departure time of the first train from Guangzhounan Station to WKS will be advanced to 7.05am and its arrival time will be advanced to 8.14am accordingly. This will provide greater convenience to visitors travelling between Hong Kong and the Mainland," the spokesman said.
The XRL operation has been smooth since its resumption of short-haul services from January 15. As at end-February, the XRL has an average daily patronage of over 23 000 passenger trips, with the highest single-day patronage at nearly 40 000 passenger trips.
"The HKSAR Government will continue to maintain close liaison and co-ordination with the relevant Mainland authorities and railway operators to ensure the orderly operation of the XRL's services upon its full resumption. The HKSAR Government, together with the MTRCL, is committed to making continuous service improvement of the XRL Hong Kong Section," the spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, March 3, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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