Following the largest fireworks display in the history of Victoria Harbour, the crowds of residents and tourists dispersed in the early morning. However, some Mainland tourists could not return home due to transportation issues, leaving them stranded in Hong Kong.
In the early morning of today (Jan. 1), some netizens posted on social media that there were still long waiting queues for trains near Sheung Shui MTR Station, with many stranded passengers inside the station. Some had to transfer to other border checkpoints and wait until morning for them to open before leaving.
At the Prince Edward Mong Kok Bus Station, there were also long queues of people during the early morning hours. Taxi drivers were even offering fares of HKD500 per person to transport passengers to the checkpoints, unaware that the checkpoints were already overcrowded. It was not until after 6 a.m. that the crowds gradually dispersed.
Stations along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and Hennessy Road in Wan Chai also saw queues stretching hundreds of meters, with police officers present to maintain order. Some passengers transferred to the Sheung Shui Station transit buses to return to mainland China.
Some passengers were stranded inside and outside the Sheung Shui Station, and there were even rumors of people setting up tents to spend the night. The situation was the same in Lok Ma Chau, where it was reported that some passengers violated regulations by walking from the restricted area on San Tin Highway to the Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
However, despite enduring numerous difficulties, transit buses at the Shenzhen checkpoint were severely congested and unable to return, leaving passengers with no choice but to walk to the Shenzhen Huanggang checkpoint.
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