The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail will open direct inter-provincial trains to Beijing, Changsha, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan and other cities from April 4, and add five new stations. March 1 is the first day of ticket sales for the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail inter-provincial train. At about 5 a.m. that day, the reporter of the China News Agency saw at Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station that the ticket hall was crowded, and passengers who came to buy tickets lined up for tens of meters. The reporter learned from the on-site staff that passengers who purchase tickets through the manual ticket window need to take the ticket (queue number) on the spot and purchase tickets according to the plan, and passengers can also purchase high-speed rail tickets between Hong Kong and the mainland through the railway 3 website, automatic ticket vending machines and other channels. According to reports, the 23,10 chips of the day had been distributed before 12306:1500 a.m. In order to better serve passengers, the station has been assigned additional manpower at various places.
【Live sound】MTR staff on site
At six o'clock in the morning, you can queue up when the door opens, and you can queue up (at the manual ticket window) to buy tickets when you get it, and today's chips have been dispatched. Tomorrow there will be tomorrow's fundraising.
【Live sound】MTR staff on site
We opened the gates at six o'clock (in the morning) and today there are 1500 (chips). Overall the operation was smooth. You'll see a lot of these pink coworkers who may be answering guests' questions or helping them, and we have colleagues at self-service ticket machines to assist passengers with ticket purchases.
The reporter saw at the scene that many passengers came to the station early, hoping to buy tickets back to mainland cities on the first day of inter-provincial train sales. Some passengers said in interviews that they had not been able to return to the mainland to visit relatives due to the epidemic. With the full "customs clearance" between Hong Kong and the mainland, the reopening of inter-provincial trains on the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail has now made it easier for them to "go north" to reunite with their loved ones.
【During the same period】Hong Kong passenger Mr. Xu
Take a look at the ticket and see if there is a ticket to Shanghai. More than ten years (did not go back). Hope to buy tickets early.
【During the same period】Hong Kong passengers
I haven't been back (in the mainland) for several years, three or four years, from 2019 to now. Today the first day of the opening has tickets to buy, the previous days did not buy, the queue reached more than <> people. In the past, it took several hours, three or four hours, but now the high-speed rail (it takes to go back) more than two hours.
【Contemporaneous】Hong Kong passenger Ms. Ho
I wanted to buy a ticket from Fujian today, and then the family of four went back, because the children hadn't been home for a long time. Grandma missed him too, so she took him back to see Grandma. In the past, the bus may seem like one night, but now it takes five or six hours, and the ticket to get home in seven hours at most. (Taking the high-speed rail) is definitely more convenient, it is much more convenient, that is, it saves a lot of time.
【During the same period】Hong Kong passenger Ms. Zhou
I am very glad that I can now "clear customs" and go back (to the mainland). I have some relatives in Wuhan, so I want to go back to visit my relatives. There is a little hope, and I feel very touched. I have tried to fly before, but now that the high-speed rail is so convenient, I feel that I can go directly to the mainland by high-speed rail. Now it is a good choice to take the high-speed train for a few hours and go back directly.
According to MTR Corporation Limited, the new stations include Changping, Huizhou North, Heyuan East, Ganzhou West and Shengfang, and the network coverage has been expanded to 66 stations across the country, and the daily train frequency will be increased from 102 to 164, roughly returning to the pre-epidemic level. In the next step, the MTR Corporation will continue to strengthen communication and consultation with the railway authorities of the Mainland to optimize and adjust the cross-boundary high-speed rail train operation plan in a timely manner according to the passenger flow situation, so as to better facilitate the travel of passengers from the two places.
Reporting by reporter Fan Siyi and Luo Siyu from Hong Kong
Responsible Editor: [Li Ji]