Hong Kong expands high-speed rail network with 16 new direct mainland destinations

Hong Kong has further expanded its high-speed rail network into the Chinese mainland, launching direct services to 16 new cities including Wuxi, Quanzhou, and Hefei.

This expansion, including Monday's addition of the 16 new railway stops, brings the total number of mainland destinations directly accessible from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station to 110, spanning 19 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

At 14:05 on Monday, the inaugural G386 train departed from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station bound for Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province.

"This is a vivid manifestation of our motherland's development. I am very excited and feel honored to be able to take the inaugural train from Hong Kong to Wuxi," said Tang Ming Chien, honorary advisor of the Hong Kong Wuxi Association, who was also aboard the train.

During the journey, the high-speed train became a moving "cultural salon", featuring live performances of Wuxi Opera, Suzhou Pingtan, and folk music ensembles.

"I believe that with the launch of this direct high-speed rail service, more and more people in Hong Kong will return to Wuxi to visit the city's beautiful landscapes and witness the development of their hometown. Exchanges and cooperation between the two places will reach a new level," said Chan Chik Pun, vice president of the Federation of Hong Kong Jiangsu Community Organizations.

The G386 train arrived at Wuxi East Station around 22:00 after an approximately eight-hour journey.

On Tuesday morning, the G384 train, operating as a through service, departed smoothly from Wuxi East Station. After making scheduled stops at nine stations including Nanjing South and Hefei South, it arrived at Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station at 17:52 that same day.

In addition, Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province has also established its first direct high-speed rail connection to Hong Kong. Passengers no longer need to take transfer in Fuzhou or Xiamen, as was previously required, significantly reducing both travel time and cost.

"With the train's new stop at Quanzhou South Railway Station, travel time from Quanzhou to Hong Kong West Kowloon has been shortened. We have simultaneously updated our directional signage and set up a dedicated inquiry window at the service counter to provide passengers with a smooth cross-border travel experience," said Tong Yapeng, deputy head of Quanzhou South Railway Station.

Hong Kong expands high-speed rail network with 16 new direct mainland destinations

The Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission conducted its last comprehensive practice before launch on Friday, completing function checks of all systems and other preparation work.

The combination of the spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transported to the launch site last Saturday and is scheduled for launch in the coming days, with all facilities and equipment at the launch site in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Carried out by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various control stations under the coordination of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the drill simulated all stages of the launch mission, including pre-launch preparations, liftoff, climb, and the in-orbit phase.

"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection," He said.

The rehearsal validated the reliability of key systems, including the rocket, the spaceship, the launch site, the control and communication equipment, and the coordination between different systems. It also verified the functionality and technical status of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft-rocket combination.

"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved," said Li Zhe, an employee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

With all facilities in good condition, the Jiuquan launch site will later conduct rocket propellant filling and launch operations.

Search and recovery drills are also underway at the landing site, in preparation for the return of the Shenzhou-21 crew.

Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship ready for launch