HONG KONG 2004 - Transport

Cross-boundary vehicular traffic increased by 10 per cent in 2004 over the previous year, averaging 39 300 vehicles a day. Total cross-boundary passenger traffic by rail, road and ferry increased by 17 per cent compared with 2003, reaching 390 400 passengers a day.

Lo Wu, the only rail boundary crossing with the Mainland, operates between 6.30 am and midnight every day. It handled an average of 245 700 passengers daily, and more than 396 500 on festive days. A number of improvement projects at the Lo Wu Control Point, including the expansion of the Departure Hall and the widening of passageways, have been completed.

There are three road crossings between Hong Kong and the Mainland: Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok. The Lok Ma Chau crossing has been operating round-the-clock for goods vehicles since November 1994 and for passenger traffic since January 2003. The Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok crossings are opened daily to both goods and passenger vehicle traffic from 7 am to 10 pm and from 7 am to 8 pm respectively.

At the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, a trial scheme for taxis and GMBs to operate between midnight and 6.30 am was introduced in March 2003. Cross-boundary travellers may take taxis and GMBs directly to and from the Lok Ma Chau Control Point during that period.

Goods vehicles accounted for about 70 per cent of the cross-boundary vehicular traffic through the three road crossings. The daily average number of vehicle trips registered at Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok was 29 600, 7 500 and 2 200 respectively.

The daily average number of cross-boundary travellers that used the Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok crossings was 104 400, 8 100 and 5 700 respectively. More than 2 600 daily coach trips between Hong Kong and the Mainland were operated by some 90 companies.

A shuttle bus service was introduced in March 1997 between Huanggang in Shenzhen and the Public Transport Interchange at San Tin. It carried 39 900 passengers daily. Works to improve the San Tin Public Transport Interchange were nearing completion. Parts of the new terminal building, with air-conditioned passenger waiting facilities, have already been put to use.

With effect from August 16, six fixed-scheduled cross-boundary coach routes were introduced between Huanggang and six locations in Hong Kong: Mong Kok, Yau Tsim, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Tsuen Wan and Kam Sheung West Rail Station. They carried an average of 37 400 passengers daily.

Four additional northbound car kiosks were installed and put to use at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point in October. Works for four additional southbound car kiosks will start in early 2005 for completion by the middle of the year. A second boundary bridge was built alongside the existing one to improve traffic flow and add to the existing capacity in December. It will be opened to traffic in January 2005.

To meet the continuous growth in cross-boundary traffic, new road and rail crossings have been planned in coordination with the Mainland authorities. A fourth road crossing, the HK-SWC will be completed in 2005 to link Hong Kong with Shekou in Shenzhen. The second rail passenger crossing at Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang will be completed, together with the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, by mid-2007. Also, a study is being conducted with the Mainland authorities on an express rail link connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Cross-boundary ferry services to about 20 Mainland ports and Macao are provided by seven operators at the Hong Kong-Macao Ferry Terminal at Sheung Wan and the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. The number of cross-boundary travellers using these services to travel to and from Mainland ports totalled 7.1 million and the number to and from Macao 12 million.