The rebuilt New Huanggang Port (the new joint inspection building) opened at 6:30 a.m. on October 12 (Monday) (RTHK), with 24-hour clearance (TVB, The Standard). Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki and Secretary for Security Chris Tang visited and said operations were smooth. Tang said crowds in the two hours after opening were 60% higher than at the old port over the same period; as of 8:30 a.m., about 5,170 trips in and out had been recorded (Sing Tao Headline, HKEJ, Yahoo News). Chan said that as of 8 a.m. about 1,200 people had gone north and nearly 2,000 south (RTHK). The Shenzhen Port Office expects first-day crowds of about 40,000 to 50,000 trips; this is a forecast, not an actual figure (RTHK). In tests, an RTHK reporter using the self-service channel took about 5 minutes to reach Shenzhen; another test, relayed by Yahoo News, said it was 14 minutes faster. In the trade, taxis must take a queue ticket to pick up passengers and tour coaches must transfer, and some have asked for a review (RTHK).
Huanggang is one of the busiest land crossings between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and whether clearance runs smoothly directly affects commuting, tourism, cross-boundary freight and northbound spending. First-day figures higher than at the old port suggest the new facility is attractive, but holiday and weekend crowds are larger and will be the real stress test; the taxi and tour-coach arrangements also decide whether the “last mile” is convenient.
Before going north or south, check the day’s transport and bus arrangements; taxi passengers should note the queue-ticket rule at the port, and travellers with large luggage can ask the bus company whether there are luggage racks. Holiday peaks are expected to be more crowded, so allow more time.
The view of officials, the first travellers and some drivers: the new building is spacious with self-service channels, clearance takes less time than at the old port, and the first day ran smoothly.
The view of the trade and some travellers: taxi queue tickets may put drivers off, tour coaches must transfer, the building is too large and queues and confusion are still seen; there are no official full-day or holiday crowd figures.
Most of the praise on day one comes from officials and from morning tests, and on a Monday, when crowds are easier to manage. Three things are worth watching: actual crowds and waiting times at the weekend and over the Chung Yeung holiday, whether the taxi queue-ticket rule and tour-coach transfers are adjusted, and when officials publish the full-day clearance figure. Until those figures appear, “running smoothly” is the official account, not a conclusion.
RTHK · Sing Tao Headline · HKEJ · TVB · South China Morning Post · CNA · Yahoo News (Oct. 12)
New Huanggang Port, day one: more than 5,000 trips in and out in the first two hours, Chris Tang says 60% more than the old port; taxi queue tickets and tour-coach transfers draw trade comment
Officials say operations were smooth and tests showed faster clearance than at the old port; no full-day crowd figure has been published, and the weekend and the Chung Yeung holiday will be the real test.
The rebuilt New Huanggang Port (the new joint inspection building) opened at 6:30 a.m. on October 12 (Monday) (RTHK), with 24-hour clearance (TVB, The Standard); a joint announcement by the two governments said the old passenger clearance facilities were suspended at the same time, and the date was chosen after the National Day long holiday so that staff could adjust on a quieter day (The Standard). Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki and Secretary for Security Chris Tang visited and said operations were smooth; HK01 and Jianliao reported that the Hong Kong side opened all customs and immigration counters on the first day. Tang said crowds in the two hours after opening were 60% higher than at the old port over the same period; as of 8:30 a.m., about 5,170 trips in and out had been recorded (Sing Tao Headline, HKEJ, Yahoo News). Mable Chan, Secretary for Transport and Logistics, said that as of 8 a.m. about 1,200 people had gone north and nearly 2,000 south (RTHK). As for the full-day total, the Shenzhen Port Office expects about 40,000 to 50,000 trips on the first day (RTHK); this is only a forecast, and this paper has seen no actual full-day figure. Officials from both sides had earlier said daily clearance capacity rises from about 40,000 trips at the old port to 200,000, but another report gave 50,000 for the old port and 100,000 for initial capacity, so accounts differ (The Standard).
On clearance speed, an RTHK reporter using the self-service channel for the first time took about 5 minutes from Hong Kong to arriving in Shenzhen; another TV station test, relayed by Yahoo News, said clearing the new port was 14 minutes faster than the old one. Cross-boundary drivers said vehicle inspection took about two minutes; the cross-boundary coach trade said traffic from the urban area to the port was smooth that day, and people arriving from Shenzhen also said clearance was convenient and comfortable; a cross-boundary tour-coach company will launch port package tickets to attract passengers (RTHK). Shenzhen tour groups rushed in for one-day trips to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong people praised the convenient MTR link (Yahoo News). The South China Morning Post reported that some travellers praised clearance as “lightning fast”, while others found the building too large, and queues and confusion were also seen. Reactions in the trade were mixed: the taxi trade said that picking up passengers at the new port requires taking a queue ticket first, which may affect drivers’ willingness, and hoped for a review; tour coaches must transfer to other vehicles to reach the port, and Tsui Ting-bong said the trade wants people and vehicles to go direct (RTHK). Chan said she has asked for buses with luggage racks to be deployed (Sing Tao Headline, i-Cable). Chan Kwok-ki said he is confident of coping with the Chung Yeung Festival holiday peak, and described the weekend as the real challenge (Wen Wei Po, i-Cable); he added that the government is studying extending the “one location, two checks” arrangement to other crossings (Wen Wei Po, Ta Kung Wen Wei, same group).