Tickets sell out as Hong Kong adds 16 new high-speed rail routes with mainland China
New destinations include the eastern Chinese cities of Nanjing, Wuxi and Hefei, as Hong Kong’s rail operator also steps up services on established links such as Shanghai.
Travellers at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong on Dec 6, 2024. (Photo: iStock/winhorse)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s high-speed rail expansion has drawn brisk early demand, with some seat classes on several newly added mainland Chinese routes selling out on the first day of sales on Monday (Jan 12).
On Sunday, Hong Kong rail operator MTR said it would introduce 16 new mainland routes, with ticket sales opening the following day and train services set to begin on Jan 26.
New destinations include major eastern Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Wuxi and Hefei, as well as stations across Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian and Guangdong provinces.
Online ticket sales were swift on several of the new routes.
Business class seats for the Jan 26 service departing from Hong Kong’s West Kowloon station - the city’s sole high-speed rail terminus - to Nanjing South were sold out by Monday afternoon, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Tickets for the seven-hour ride were priced at HK$3,136 (US$402), based on listings on Trip.com.
Similarly, both business and first class tickets for the roughly six-hour ride to Hefei South, costing HK$2,915 and HK$1,511 respectively, were sold out by Monday afternoon, SCMP reported. Likewise for business class (HK$484) and first class tickets (HK$239) to Huizhou South in Guangdong.
Checks by CNA on Tuesday found that several business and first class seats on the Nanjing South and Hefei South routes had since been released. Tickets for these categories remained sold out for the Huizhou South route.
The additions will raise the total number of direct-access mainland destinations from Hong Kong to more than 100, marking a “new milestone” and “further strengthening connectivity”, said MTR in a press release on Sunday.
“The latest improvements will further meet the growing demand for business, leisure and family travel between Hong Kong and cities in the Chinese mainland,” it said.
More than 30 million passenger trips were recorded on Hong Kong’s cross-border high-speed rail last year, a record high and a 17 per cent increase from 2024, MTR said in January.
Adding more long-distance destinations is set to boost Hong Kong’s tourism industry as travellers from those places are more likely to stay overnight and spend more, said Sara Leung Fong-yuen, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union.
“Only tourists who stay overnight can bring greater economic value. They will spend more on accommodation, eat more meals and have a bigger appetite to shop,” she said in remarks carried by SCMP.
“It’ll bring the industry closer to achieving business growth similar to pre-pandemic levels.”
DAILY SLEEPER SERVICES TO SHANGHAI
Beyond adding new destinations, Hong Kong’s rail operator is also strengthening existing services by increasing train frequencies on selected routes from Jan 26.
The high-speed rail network already serves a number of major mainland Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The popular overnight sleeper service between Hong Kong and the Hongqiao transport hub in western Shanghai - an eight-hour journey - will be expanded to daily departures. It currently operates from Fridays to Mondays.
“This enhancement responds to strong passenger demand, offering greater flexibility to travellers planning trips to Shanghai,” MTR said.
“Travellers can take advantage of the sleeper train’s ‘depart in the evening, arrive in the morning’ experience and wake up refreshed at their destination.”
An additional pair of round-trip trains will also operate daily between Hong Kong and Shanghai Hongqiao station from Jan 26, stopping at Hefei, Nanjing and Wuxi.
In total, three daily train pairs will link the two financial hubs, further supporting both business and leisure travel, MTR said.
More daily trains serving other routes, including those to Guangzhou and Shantou, will also be added.
Since its launch, the high-speed rail has been widely welcomed by the community, said MTR CEO Jeny Yeung.
“MTR has worked closely with governments of the two sides, as well as the mainland railway authorities, to continuously add new destinations and enhance services, further facilitating cross-boundary travel, unlocking the economic potential of HSR (high-speed rail) and supporting national development,” said Yeung.
