Members of the public heading to Central for the New Year’s Eve countdown are urged to use public transport, as road closures begin in phases from Wednesday afternoon.

The Transport Department said road closures began progressively from 2pm on streets near Chater Road to accommodate the celebrations.

Public light bus and taxi stands, along with roadside parking spaces in the area, will be suspended.

The department warned of significant congestion in Central and urged drivers to avoid the area if possible.

Police said they may extend closures depending on the actual situation.

Officers said similar measures could be introduced near the West Kowloon Cultural District, where another countdown event will be held.

To help revellers get home safely, public transport operators are boosting services.

The MTR will run eight local railway lines and seven light rail lines overnight, with more frequent trains starting on Wednesday afternoon.

The last train to Lo Wu will depart Admiralty at 12.56am on New Year's Day, while the last train from Lo Wu to Admiralty will leave at 2.30am.

Bus services will also be boosted, with 18 KMB routes, two New Lantao Bus routes and three cross-harbour routes either increasing frequency or extending hours.

Eleven special overnight bus routes will run in the small hours of New Year’s Day.

Eight green minibus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories will also provide extended services.

For cross-border travel, Lo Wu checkpoint will stay open until 2am, and Shenzhen Bay Port will operate around the clock.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Huanggang Port will continue 24-hour operations as usual.