Hong Kong to launch high-speed sleeper train services to Beijing, Shanghai on June 15
Hong Kong Free Press
High-speed sleeper train services will begin operating between Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai from June 15, with Chief Executive John Lee urging all sectors of society to “seize the opportunities” that stemmed from enhanced connectivity with mainland China.
Lee announced the new high-speed routes from West Kowloon during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday morning, saying they would replace the normal-speed trains that ran between Hung Hom and the mainland Chinese cities before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The trains will depart at night, starting from the 15th of June, from Friday to Monday, plying between West Kowloon and Shanghai, as well as Beijing West,” Lee said, speaking through an interpreter.
“Normal speed will be upgraded to high-speed rail, the number of seats will be increased to 600, facilities will be newer and more modern, and travelling time will be shortened by half,” he added.
According to Lee, the time it takes to travel between Hong Kong and Beijing by rail will be cut from 24 hours and 30 minutes to 12 hours and 34 minutes, while the journey time to Shanghai will go from 19 hours and 34 minutes to 11 hours and 14 minutes.
“You also save on hotel accommodation,” Lee added.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the city’s leader was quoted as saying that the upgraded services would carry “great significance in facilitating the cross-boundary flow of people, solidifying the people-to-people bonds between the mainland and Hong Kong, and enabling Hong Kong to better integrate into the national development.”
The news came as Hong Kong seeks to re-establish its reputation as a desirable tourist destination after it made international headlines for large-scale protests and unrest in 2019, stringent Covid-19 travel curbs, and national security laws that have seen dozens of activists detained. Countries including the US and Canada recently warned travellers about “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” following the enactment of further security legislation.
Visitor arrivals have risen since the city fully reopened its borders to travellers last February following three years of anti-epidemic isolation, however numbers still lag behind pre-pandemic levels. The majority of arrivals hail from mainland China, followed by short-haul markets. Long-haul travellers, historically those who spend the most, have been much slower to resume.
Visitor spending has fallen, too, with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau predicting a 16 per cent decrease in tourists’ expenditure from last year.
Provisional retail sales for April were at their lowest since the full border reopening, indicating a year-on-year decline of 14.7 per cent. A government spokesperson pointed to an increase in outbound trips over the Easter holidays as a way of explaining that downturn.
“When residents made outbound trips, it not only affected their local consumption during their time away but also could have reduced consumption in the days before and after the trips,” they said. “In addition, in the initial period of normal travel resumption, the length of stay of inbound visitors was longer and their per capita spending was also higher.”
They added that consumption sentiment had been “rather buoyant” last April “as Hong Kong just returned to normalcy after the pandemic and with the Government’s disbursement of consumption vouchers.”
There have been a number of local media reports in recent months about Hongkongers heading “north” to Shenzhen and other mainland Chinese cities, where their spending money goes much further than in the city. Residents have also been making the most of opportunities to travel further afield, leaving some local businesses in the lurch.
“We should make good use of the opportunities of the enhanced connection of transportation services between Hong Kong and the mainland,” Lee said on Tuesday. “Different sectors, say for example tourism, retail, transportation, hotels, catering, and service industries should seize the opportunities, enhance their services, and create special and new products.”
The chief executive has previously dismissed concerns over weaker-than-expected domestic consumption, urging businesses to adapt to changing spending habits.
Hospitality push
Hong Kong officials on Monday launched a new hospitality drive “to jointly promote hospitality and reinforce Hong Kong’s brand as the best tourism destination,” according to a government statement.
Speaking at the campaign launch event, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said: “I hope that all sectors in the community can work together to display the spirit of hospitality and warmly receive visitors to Hong Kong with a view to strengthening Hong Kong’s position as the best tourist destination.”
Hong Kong actor and singer Louis Koo is among several local celebrities starring in the campaign, which is called “Let’s Go the Extra Mile.”
Lee on Tuesday reference the drive. “The government is advocating hospitality, I ask you all to take part, to enhance visitors’ experience,” Lee said. “We should be more courteous, we should be more helpful, we should smile more, we should take the extra mile to promote Hong Kong’s hospitality so that Hong Kong will become a well-known place where visitors are welcome.”
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