China's high-speed rail launches direct route between Chengdu and Hong Kong
On July 1st, China’s high-speed railway launched a direct route between Chengdu and Hong Kong.
The train departs from the Chengdudong Railway Station at 8:48 am, passes through Leshan, Yibin, Guiyang, Guilin, Foshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places, and then arrives at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station at 18:55 pm, with the whole journey lasting approximately 10 hours and 7 minutes.
In terms of the other direction, the departure time from Hong Kong is 10:08 am, and the arrival time in Chengdu is 19:53 pm, with the duration of the entire journey lasting about 9 hours and 45 minutes.
According to China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co., Ltd., in order to ensure smooth transition of operation, Chengdudong Railway Station has optimized semi-self-service ticket gates and other equipment in the complex to ensure the normal use of the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents.
Passenger service attendants of the Chengdu section of the Chengdu-Hong Kong high-speed railway route have undergone special Cantonese training, so that the crew members can quickly master basic Cantonese. Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily reported that the train will facilitate the exchange of people traveling between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Located in western China, Chengdu is well-known as a sanctuary of the endangered species of the giant panda. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is home to the world’s largest captive-bred giant panda population.
As a core city of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, a national-level urban agglomeration, Chengdu has a permanent population of over 21 million, and has succeeded into one of the fastest-growing cities in China in recent years.
Chengdu and Hong Kong have fostered long-standing and in-depth cooperation in various fields such as finance, culture and tourism, and urban construction. In 2022, there were 1,520 Hong Kong enterprises in Chengdu, and injected 1.259 billion U.S. dollars in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Chengdu.
From January to April 2023, 73 new Hong Kong enterprises have established in Chengdu, with a foreign direct investment of 453 million U.S. dollars.
Direct boarding and customs clearance in Hong Kong, and the opening of the high-speed rail line provide passengers traveling between Chengdu and Hong Kong with yet another travel option. At the same time, this linkage further advances the flow of people as well as economic and trade exchanges between the two sides, reinvigorating the rapid development of the regional economy.
On July 28th, the 31st FISU Summer World University Games will be held in Chengdu, which is the first time for a city in western China to host a world comprehensive event. The opening of the “Chengdu-Hong Kong” high-speed rail line may provide a new path for people to participate in this sports festival.
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