Express Rail To Start Trial Run Next Month

The MTR Corporation said on Friday that trial runs of the express rail link to the mainland will begin next month.

The 26-kilometre link to Guangzhou which cost HK$85 billion has been named “Vibrant Express” and is slated to open in the later part of this year.

The name was chosen from 16,000 entries it received from naming contest conducted in January.

Speaking at a ceremony to announce the trial commencement, the rail company chairman Frederick Ma said some 700 workers will be involved in the trial.

The tests will involve the station's control system, ticketing system as well as the signalling system.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who also attended the event, urged legislators to approve the joint-immigration checkpoint as soon as possible. She said a nod from Legco is the last step needed for the project to start.

The opposition lawmakers object to the government plan to locate mainland officials at the West Kowloon station, saying it is against the Basic Law.