HK high-speed rail tickets start presales Sept 10

HONG KONG - Passengers can purchase tickets for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Hong Kong section) in advance from Sept 10, the city's sole rail operator – the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation -- announced on Friday, two weeks ahead of the opening of the new cross-boundary infrastructure project on Sept 23.

Passengers can purchase tickets via four channels -- ticketing counters, vending machines at West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong, telephone hotlines and a website, Lau Tin-shing, the MTR Corp operations director said at a media briefing.

On Sept 10, passengers can only buy high-speed railway tickets for the first 10 days of service -- from Sept 23 to Oct 2, according to the MTR.

Service at ticketing counters and machines will start from 8 am on that day, while hotline and online service will start from 12 pm.

From Sept 11 on, passengers will be able to pre-purchase tickets at the station up to 28 days ahead of time. Those who buy online or by hotlines will be able to pre-book seats for the next 30 days, according to Lau.

Each passenger is allowed to buy a maximum of eight tickets, and at least one should belong to the buyer. Original copies of each passenger's identification document have to be presented when picking up tickets at the station, according to Lau.

This new cross-border project will provide direct trains from Hong Kong to 44 stations on the mainland after its official commencement on Sept 23.

Since Sept 4, the designated Mainland Port Area at the West Kowloon Station has begun operating in accordance with the co-location arrangement.