Interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements releases latest information and appeals to public and visitors to plan cross-boundary trips early during Chinese New Year Golden Week of Mainland
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, released the following latest information today (February 13) on the traffic and public transport arrangements during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland (February 15 to 23):
During the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, in anticipation of a large number of members of the public, visitors and cross-boundary vehicles visiting land-based boundary control points (BCPs), the Transport Department (TD) appealed to cross-boundary travellers to use public transport services travelling between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao, plan their trips early and allow sufficient travelling time.
Enhancing services for travel convenience
The TD has been steering local and cross-boundary public transport operators (PTOs) to strengthen their services during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland to accommodate the diverse travelling needs of passengers, including:
- The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the train services of the East Rail Line (ERL) between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau Stations at different times during the above period. Most local railway lines will operate overnight on February 16 (Monday, Lunar New Year's Eve), excluding cross-boundary journeys on the ERL between Sheung Shui and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau Stations, the Airport Express and the Disneyland Resort Line. Services on the relevant railway lines will be strengthened after the Night Parade on February 17 (Lunar New Year's Day) and the Fireworks Display on February 18 (second day of Lunar New Year) for the convenience of residents and visitors;
- Increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) to an average of about one minute during peak hours, if needed;
- Increasing the frequency of the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to an average of about two minutes during peak hours, if needed;
- Increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services;
- The frequency of local franchised bus B routes connecting various land-based BCPs will also be increased to a level higher than that of normal weekends, and the operators concerned will reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet passenger demand; and
- In the early hours from February 17 (Tuesday, Lunar New Year's Day) to February 19 (Thursday, third day of Lunar New Year), after the service hours of the ERL trains to Lo Wu Station, a special bus service on KMB Route No. N73 (MTR Sheung Shui Station to San Tin) will be provided to carry passengers to interchange to the Yellow Bus for their journey to the Mainland via the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, which operates round the clock.
Travel during non-peak hours
It is anticipated that the waiting time for public transport services, including the Gold Bus and the franchised bus B routes, may be longer. Passengers are advised to travel during non-peak hours, maintain order while queuing and heed advice from on-site police and staff of PTOs concerned. Passengers planning to take cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.
Of note, motorists of cross-boundary private cars crossing the border are advised that, subject to actual traffic conditions, special traffic arrangements may be implemented at the Lok Ma Chau and the Shenzhen Bay Ports during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland to secure smooth access for public transport vehicles to the above BCPs. Cross-boundary private cars may experience longer waiting times for crossing the BCPs during peak periods. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the roads. In case of traffic congestion, they should remain patient and follow the instructions of on-site police.
Information dissemination
For the HZMB, to plan their journeys ahead, members of the public can make use of the TD's HKeMobility mobile app or website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access snapshots of traffic conditions at inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They can also check real-time situations of the vehicle clearance plaza of the Zhuhai Port through the WeChat official accounts "hzmbzhport" or "zhuhaifabu" (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/) (Chinese only). Moreover, motorists are reminded to always comply with the traffic control measures implemented by the Zhuhai authority when driving on the HZMB Main Bridge. Vehicles must not occupy the emergency lane unless instructed by the Zhuhai authority.
The public and visitors may visit the one-stop information platform on immigration clearance "Easy Boundary" (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bwt/status.html?type=outbound) of the Security Bureau or HKeMobility for the latest information on various land-based BCPs more conveniently. The TD will provide information on the services and waiting times of the Gold Bus, the Yellow Bus and the MTR. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio and television broadcasts, the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) and HKeMobility.
The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates round the clock to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of various districts, the BCPs and major stations, and to implement contingency measures when necessary to meet service demands.
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements is tasked with holistically co-ordinating and steering the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, as well as strengthening information dissemination to enable the public and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
Photo source: reference image
