Thousands of Hong Kong passengers were making the most of the resumption of high-speed rail services to the mainland on Sunday, with many planning to reunite with family and friends for the first time in years.

The first Express Rail Link train to Shenzhen North departed shortly after 7am while the first train going to Guangzhou East left West Kowloon at around 8am. The services have been suspended since early 2020 because of the pandemic.

One of those onboard the first train to Shenzhen was Angela Chen, who had arrived in Hong Kong from her home in Singapore only a couple of hours earlier.

"This is the first time we've been back to China in three years," she told RTHK's Wendy Wong. "We can see the family soon, so it's a very exciting time.

"It's very convenient. So, firstly the airline [flights] from Hong Kong to Singapore are very frequent. Every day, I think, there are tickets, and the tickets are also quite cheap. And then taking the high-speed train here to the mainland is also quite convenient."

Another passenger, Bosco, was pleased to get back from Hong Kong, where he works, to see friends in his hometown of Guangzhou.

"I just checked, I have been in Hong Kong for 500 days, so it has been a very long time," he said, putting the exact time at 521 days.

"This is the first time I'm taking this high-speed railway. I'm very excited. I've never tried this rail line before. First of all, it is very convenient. I can get to Guangzhou East directly, and I can see my friends at first when I get off the train."

He plans to return to the SAR later on Sunday.

Another passenger, Mr Ng, said he’s happy he didn’t have to undergo quarantine when going to the mainland this time. He said taking the high speed rail is convenient.

It took passengers 15 to 20 minutes to go through the immigration process and security checks. Passengers are required to show a negative PCR test result and a health declaration form before boarding the trains.

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation said the West Kowloon Station's operation was smooth, with a total of 33 trains having departed for the mainland as of 6pm on Sunday.

Thirty trains arrived in the SAR from the mainland in the same period, according to the MTR's website.

The company’s Chief of Cross Boundary Segment Cheung Chi-keung told reporters that 4,000 Hong Kong-bound tickets and around the same number of mainland-bound tickets were sold on Sunday.

Cheung noted there were a few cases of mainland visitors who were unable to enter Hong Kong due to issues with their PCR tests, but didn't give a specific number.
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Last updated: 2023-01-15 HKT 6:45