Hong Kong will welcome 223,000 tourists on New Year’s Eve, but thousands will be stranded overnight at train stations on their way back to mainland China

Hong Kong welcomed 223,000 tourists on New Year’s Eve, the highest number of daily arrivals in 2023, but thousands were stranded overnight at train stations trying to return to mainland China.

The tourism board on Monday morning revealed the number of tourists in the city as of 10pm on Sunday, and attributed the influx to the New Year’s Eve fireworks, which it said was the largest in history.

The committee said the 12-minute fireworks display, themed “New Year’s New Legends”, was enjoyed by 479,000 revelers on both sides of Victoria Harbour.

According to the Immigration Department, 195,888 tourists from the mainland visited the city on Sunday, accounting for 87% of the total number of tourists.

Despite MTR train service running all night, service to the border station on the Luohu Line and Lok Ma Chau Branch Line was unavailable overnight, resulting in large crowds waiting for the first train to cross the border on Monday. People gathered at Sheung Shui MTR station. morning.

Some internet users complained on mainland social media platform “Xiaohongshu” that they had to wait five hours at the border before returning home.

“From MTR Tsim Sha Tsui” [station] It took us five hours to get to Huanggang after watching the fireworks and leaving the checkpoint,” an internet user with the account name Coco963 also shared a video of the crowd at 6am. “What a New Year’s celebration!”

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Crowds gathered on the concourse at Sheung Shui Station as MTR operations between Sheung Shui and the Luohu and Lok Ma Chau branch line checkpoints began shortly after 5:30 a.m., spilling into outdoor areas before dawn.

Before train service began, road traffic was congested.

At Sheung Shui MTR Station, people were seen sleeping or sitting on the ground, carrying babies and luggage.

Many people were waiting for the first train to Luohu Control Point. Checkpoints only run between 6:30 a.m. and midnight. Others were trying to catch the first train to the Lok Mazhou branch line, which connects Shenzhen’s Futian, with control points operating from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

At the Lokma Chau Control Point, which connects Shenzhen’s Huanggang and operates 24 hours a day, the overnight shuttle bus service was struggling to accommodate the large number of passengers.

Last month, mainland China’s planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, set up 24-hour land checkpoints to strengthen connectivity with the Greater Bay Area, a new economic zone combining Hong Kong, Macau and Hong Kong. announced that it intends to increase the number of Nine cities in Guangdong province.

Of Hong Kong’s 14 control points, only four are open 24 hours a day: Hong Kong International Airport, Lok Ma Chau Control Point, Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.