Hong Kong high-speed rail tickets start pre-sales

Commuters queue up in a long line to buy tickets for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway at the West Kowloon railway station in Hong Kong, China, September 10, 2018. [Photo: China Plus/Li Naxin]

Ticket pre-sales kicked off on Monday morning for high-speed trains linking Hong Kong and Chinese mainland.

Chinanews.com. reports that some people started queuing up for the tickets at Hong Kong's West Kowloon railway station from as early as 6 a.m., two hours before the starting of counter sales. Tickets are currently available for the trains running in the first ten days. 

A citizen surnamed Liang (C) who bought the first ticket poses a photo with MTR CEO Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen (R) and MTR Operations Director Adi Lau Tin-shing (L) at the West Kowloon railway station in Hong Kong, China, September 10, 2018. [Photo: China Plus/Li Naxin]

Citizens can also buy through online platforms and a telephone hotline. Each buyer is allowed to purchase up to eight tickets, with valid identification as well as home return permits and passports required.

Citizens in front of counters buy tickets for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway at the West Kowloon railway station in Hong Kong, China, September 10, 2018. [Photo: China Plus/Li Naxin]

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway will officially start operation on September 23. There will be 95 trains running on the first operation day, as the first train from the West Kowloon station will leave at 7 a.m. for Shenzhen North.

A commuter shows his ticket from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Shenzhen North on Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link at the West Kowloon railway station in Hong Kong, China, September 10, 2018. [Photo: IC]

The 141-km railway, including 26-km in Hong Kong, with more than 40 stations, is a key part of the national high-speed railway network. Travel time between Hong Kong to Beijing will take less than 9 hours, with the price of the second-class train ticket to be at 1,077 yuan (about 157 U.S. dollars).