A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between China Railway Corporation (CR) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, to arrange the key work during the trial operation of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL), cctv.com reported on Jan. 29.

According to the agreement, at the early stage of operation, 127 pairs of trains will run on the section of the rail every day, among which 13 pairs will directly reach Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Guilin, Guiyang, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, and other cities on the Chinese mainland.

The agreement was signed by HKSAR’s Secretary for Transport and Housing Chan Fan and CR’s Director of the General Office Han Jiangping. HKSAR Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and the General Manager of CR Lu Dongfu witnessed the signing ceremony.

Lam said the agreement marks that the two parties have reached consensus in principle on financial and operational matters, laying a sound foundation for the operation of the Hong Kong section of the XRL in the third quarter this year.

Lu said as an important part of the national high-speed railway network, the connection of the XRL to the high-speed rail network of the Chinese mainland is a result of the Central Government’s support for Hong Kong’s prosperity and development.