Since its opening on 23 September 2018, the High-Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section) ("HSR") has ushered in a new era of travel connectivity between Hong Kong and the Mainland, marking five years of service excellence.
With a growing demand for cross-boundary travel, HSR set a record since its commissioning by serving nearly 2.5 million passengers during the August summer holiday period.
Following the launch of the Guangzhoudong and Chengdudong new lines, enhancement in train services, and the introduction of "Flexi-trip" arrangements for passengers traveling between Hong Kong and Futian Station earlier this year, the Corporation announces today (Oct. 3) that HSR will once again enhance its service starting from 11 October 2023, adding a new line linking with five new destinations - Jiangmen, Kaipingnan, Yangjiang, Maoming and Zhanjiangxi. The new service will provide one pair of southbound and northbound trains every day.
In addition, train services between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station (WEK) and Guangzhoudong, as well as Futian Station, will be strengthened starting from the same day. The number of daily train services to Guangzhoudong will increase to 20, while the last southbound train departure time will be extended from the current 6:45 pm to 8:18 pm from Guangzhoudong, offering greater convenience to passengers. The Guangzhoudong Line will also introduce a new train model, ensuring a more comfortable journey. Furthermore, train frequencies between Shenzhen and Hong Kong will also increase from 178 to 184 on the same day, making travel between the two cities more convenient and efficient.
With these service enhancements, the HSR network coverage will be further expanded, including direct access to seven major cities in the Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, and Jiangmen). Daily train services will increase from 182 to 188, further promoting the "one-hour living circle" within the Greater Bay Area. Passengers can purchase tickets for the new destinations and train services starting from Wednesday (Oct. 4).
Since the commissioning of HSR, the Corporation, as the Hong Kong operator, has been continuously striving to improve the station facilities and environment, even when facing the challenges of the pandemic. This effort enabled more convenient and comfortable services to be provided for passengers from Hong Kong and the Mainland after the resumption of HSR earlier this year.
With support from the Government, the Corporation has also been collaborating with relevant Mainland authorities on adding more destinations so that passengers could enjoy the convenient and flexible service of high-speed rail for short, medium and long-distance journeys.
In addition, due to the raising of the permitted speed for the Guiyang-Guangzhou Section starting from 11 October, fares for nine long-haul destinations of HSR, including Chengdudong, Leshan, Yibinxi, Guiyangdong, Chongqingxi, Zunyi, Kunmingnan, Guiyangbei, and Guilinxi, will be adjusted while the travelling time of the corresponding lines will also be shortened by 1 to 1.5 hours.
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