Transport Secretary Lam Sai-hung said on Thursday that 10,000 high-speed rail tickets per day are now on sale – 5,000 in each direction – with services set to resume from January 15.

Lam noted that the link has been suspended for three years due to the pandemic.

“For the 10,000 tickets… basically, we have to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of the West Kowloon Station, together with [customs and immigration] services, et cetera,” said Lam.

"We will review the operation of the rail services, and then we will take into account the demand, and then we will see how we can increase the number of tickets on a daily basis,” he added.

Trains from Hong Kong will run to Shenzhen north and Guangzhou south, as well as a newly added stop at Guangzhou east – which was previously connected to Hung Hom Station by the inter-city through train service.

The transport chief said officials are still in talks with mainland counterparts on the resumption of long-distance journeys.

The MTR Corporation’s Hong Kong Transport Services Director, Jeny Yeung, said she believes 10,000 tickets per day will be adequate at the beginning of service resumption.

“Of course the number will be closely monitored and we will adjust it when and if appropriate,” she said.

Travellers can buy tickets at West Kowloon Station, the China Railway website, or designated travel agents, but there is no quota arrangement and bookings on the government website for border crossings are not required.

The MTR said it has scrapped paper tickets for the high-speed express, and passengers just have to present their travel document in order to board the train.

The railway company said passengers will have to keep a mask on during their journey, and cannot bring any sanitising gel or spray containing alcohol.