LCQ9: Connection with national high-speed rail network
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Question:
There are views that the integration into the national high-speed rail network is an integral part in accelerating Hong Kong's collaborative development with the Mainland. However, there are still many Mainland cities which cannot be directly accessible via the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following data, to be provided in tabular form, given that the number of Mainland destinations directly accessible by trains departing from the West Kowloon Station (WKS) of XRL has now increased to 110: (i) the number of additional Mainland direct destinations served by the XRL Hong Kong Section over the past three years and the monthly patronage of the relevant train trips; (ii) the top 10 long-haul destinations with the highest patronage, as well as the train trips with a loading rate reaching 90 per cent or above in the past five years; (iii) the respective numbers and percentages of Hong Kong residents and visitors among passengers travelling to and from the additional Mainland direct destinations in each of the past three years;
(2) given that the 2025 Policy Address proposed that Hong Kong would fully integrate into the overall national development, whether the Government knows if the number of Mainland cities that are directly accessible from Hong Kong will be further increased within the XRL network in the future; if so, of the criteria for prioritising the introduction of the relevant destinations; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) given the large number of Hong Kong residents of Fujian origin and some members of the public have relayed that the XRL train trips running between WKS and Quanzhou and Putian are relatively infrequent at present, whether the Government will consider discussing with the relevant Mainland authorities about increasing the frequency of such routes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the Government will consider discussing with the relevant Mainland authorities the introduction of Jinjiang as an intermediate stop along the route between WKS and Fuzhou, so as to meet the demands of clansmen from Jinjiang; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) was commissioned on September 23, 2018. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have been in close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities, and have continued to expand the number of destinations directly connected to the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in line with the development of the national high-speed rail network.
In consultation with the MTRCL, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Stanley Ng is as follows:
(1) From 2023 onwards, the number of Mainland destinations directly connected to West Kowloon Station has nearly doubled from 58 before the pandemic to 110 as of January 2026. The number of short-haul destinations has increased from six to 11 (with the addition of Dongguannan, Changping, Dongguan, Guangzhouxintang and Guangzhoudong stations), whilst the number of long-haul destinations has increased from 52 to 99. Amongst, several new direct long-haul routes have been launched on the XRL Hong Kong Section, including the Chengdudong Line in July 2023 (calling at destinations such as Leshan), the Zhanjiangxi Line in October 2023 (calling at destinations such as Kaiping, Yangjiang, Jiangmen), the Zhangjiajie Line in June 2024 (calling at destinations such as Fenghuanggucheng, Huaihua), and the Xianbei Line in January 2025 (calling at destinations such as Huashan, Luoyang); furthermore, with the upgrade of the Shanghai Hongqiao High-Speed Rail Line in January 2026, a new route calling at Nanjing, Wuxi, Hefei and other destinations have been added.
New destinations introduced in recent years have been very popular among travellers. According to the figures provided by the MTRCL, among the stations introduced in recent years, the 10 long-haul destinations with the highest patronage travelling to/from West Kowloon Station include Quanzhounan, Quanzhoudong, Zhanjiangxi, Chengdudong, Zhangjiajiexi, Meizhouxi, Hangzhouxi, Xingningnan, Kaipingnan and Hefeinan, with a total monthly patronage of about 67 000.
As regards the loading of XRL trains, as each train trip calls at various destinations and travellers may board or alight at various intermediate stations, it is difficult to determine the exact loading of the train. In terms of patronage, among the train trips travelling to/from West Kowloon Station, the patronage of those with Shantou, Shenzhenbei, Guangzhounan, Changshanan or Shanwei as origin or destination, is among the top.
The average daily patronage of short-haul and long-haul destinations to/from West Kowloon Station is tabulated below:
| Year | Average Daily Patronage | |
| Short-haul services | Long-haul services | |
| 2023 | 47 000* | 10 000** |
| 2024 | 60 000 | 13 000 |
| 2025 | 70 000 | 15 000 |
**Starting from the full resumption of long-haul services from April 1, 2023
The MTRCL does not maintain a breakdown of the local and non-local patronage. According to the statistics on passenger traffic of the Immigration Department, the percentage of Hong Kong residents and visitors travelling to/from the West Kowloon Station is tabulated below:
| Year | Passenger Traffic | |
| Hong Kong Residents | Visitors | |
| 2023 | 45% | 55% |
| 2024 | 47% | 53% |
| 2025 | 47% | 53% |
(2) The HKSAR Government and the MTRCL will continue to leverage the adjustment of the national high-speed rail network timetable to strive to introduce more intermediate stations and launch more direct long-haul routes, so as to provide direct access to more tourist destinations and major economic hubs, offering greater choices and convenience for cross-boundary travellers.
(3) and (4) With the service commencement of the Guangzhou-Shanwei and Shantou-Shanwei Railways on the Mainland, trains connecting West Kowloon Station with the areas of Chaoshan, Xiamen and Fuzhou have served more destinations along the routes. Starting from January 2026, there are two XRL train pairs each day running between West Kowloon Station and Fuzhou Station along the Ningbo-Guangzhou Railway, calling at destinations including Quanzhoudong and Quanzhounan. This adjustment also reduced the journey time between West Kowloon Station and Fuzhou Station by approximately 20 minutes, offering greater convenience to passengers travelling between the two destinations. In addition, the trip of one pair of trains running between West Kowloon Station and Xiamen Station has been extended with Fuzhou as the destination, offering more options to travellers.
As for Jinjiang Station on the Hangzhou-Shenzhen Railway, currently it is not an intermediate station served by existing train trips. The HKSAR Government and the MTRCL will continue to closely monitor the development of the Mainland high-speed rail network, and liaise with relevant authorities as and when appropriate, so as to introduce more directly connected destinations and enhance train frequencies on the XRL Hong Kong Section. This will strengthen the connection between Hong Kong and the Mainland's extensive high-speed rail network, thereby fully leveraging the advantages of the high-speed rail interconnectivity.
Ends/Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:38
Issued at HKT 11:38
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