Reporter Xu Lifu reports: The long-awaited Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail will open in late September. By then, Guangzhou residents traveling by high-speed train between Guangzhou and Hong Kong will see travel time reduced from the current 100 minutes to 48 minutes.
The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail connects Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, with 7 stations: Guangzhou South Station, Qingsheng Station, Humen Station, Guangmingcheng Station, Shenzhen North Station, Futian Station, and West Kowloon Station. Currently, all sections except the Hong Kong section are already in operation.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan, announced recently that the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail is safe and in good condition, and is ready for passenger service. Chan stated that the Hong Kong section maintains the target of opening in late September. It is understood that the MTR Corporation submitted approved design drawings, test results, and quality monitoring records to relevant government departments for review, confirming that the high-speed rail (Hong Kong section) is safe and in good condition. It also indicated that all statutory inspections have been completed, marking another major step forward for the opening of the high-speed rail (Hong Kong section).
Currently, only the Guangzhou-Shenzhen section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail is in operation. Guangzhou residents traveling to Hong Kong by high-speed rail from Guangzhou South Station can only reach Futian Station at the farthest; after passing through the port, they must transfer to the Hong Kong East Rail Line to reach the city center, taking about 100 minutes in total. After the Hong Kong section is connected next month, Guangzhou residents traveling by Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail between Guangzhou and Hong Kong will take only 48 minutes, and from Shenzhen Futian to Hong Kong West Kowloon will take just 14 minutes. Earlier reports said the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail is planned to hold an opening ceremony at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station on September 22 this year and officially open on September 23. In response, the MTR Corporation stated that it plans to open in late September, but the specific date has not yet been finalized.