Tickets sale starts for high-speed rail connecting Hong Kong, mainland

Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2023 shows a sign advertising the resumption of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in south China's Hong Kong.(Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tickets for the high-speed rail connecting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the mainland were available for sale on Thursday as the services are set to resume on Sunday.

A total of 10,000 tickets for short-distance travel will be available each day at the initial stage of service resumption, said Lam Sai-hung, secretary for transport and logistics of the HKSAR government, adding that the number of tickets will be increased after the authorities review passenger demand and operation of the train station.

Passengers can purchase tickets online through train ticket booking platform "12306", via travel agencies, or in person at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. They will not be required to register for a border-crossing quota in advance if they have bought a ticket.

After nearly three years of service suspension, the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will restart operation on Jan. 15, the HKSAR government said Wednesday.

At the initial stage, services between the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Futian, Shenzhenbei and Guangzhounan Stations will be resumed, while services to and from Guangzhoudong will be newly introduced, an HKSAR government spokesperson said.

Passengers buy tickets at Guangzhoudong Station in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province on Jan. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

At the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, people lined up early Thursday to get a ticket to the mainland. For many, it would be the first trip in three years to reunite with their family members, and it would be a perfect timing as the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 22 this year.

At the initial stage of operation, it takes around an hour and half for passengers to travel from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to the newly added Guangzhoudong station by the high-speed trains.