More high-speed trains planned between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong starting June 15

Passengers are seen at the waiting hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, on May 5, 2024. China witnessed an increase of passenger trips on the last day of the five-day May Day holiday. (Photo: Xinhua)

More high-speed trains operating between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be launched starting June 15, 2024, with shortened transportation time which will further facilitate cross-boundary travel and better integrate Hong Kong into China’s overall development.

Two sets of high-speed overnight trains - D909/910 departing from Beijing West Railway Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and D907/909 trains departing from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to West Kowloon Station – will start operating, replacing the previous express trains, China Railway said in a WeChat post on Tuesday.

The travel time between Beijing and Hong Kong will be shortened from 24 hours 31 minutes to just 12 hours 34 minutes, and it will only take 11 hours 14 minutes to travel from Shanghai to Hong Kong from the previous 19 hours and 34 minutes.

The high-speed overnight trains traveling from Beijing and Shanghai to Hong Kong are equipped with more advanced facilities and increased capacity with more than 600 seats now.

The customs clearance time will also be greatly reduced as passengers only need to go through the process once in Hong Kong instead of being checked twice upon departure. Meanwhile, the high-speed overnight trains will stop at more stations in between. The weekly number of the operating high-speed overnight trains will increase from 14 to 16.

In addition, more trains will be allocated to run on different routes nationwide in a bid to bolster transportation efficiency between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. For instance, a new set of bullet train will operate from Zhangjiajie city in Central China’s Hunan Province to Hong Kong for the first time starting June 15. The number of trains operating from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong will reach 127 at its peak, covering 16 provinces.

Rail authorities have ramped up efforts to facilitate transportation between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and the cross-boundary passenger flow has maintained a strong growth momentum. From January to May this year, 10.74 million cross-boundary passenger trips were made through the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link since it resumed operation in January 2023, a yearly increase of 79.9 percent.

China's National Immigration Administration in Aprilhas unveiled a number of new policies to facilitate business, and people-to-people exchanges between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao.

For instance, Beijing and Shanghai will be included in the policy of multi-entry endorsements with a validity of one to five years for six designated categories of talent to travel to Hong Kong and Macao, allowing a stay of 30 days for each trip.