Express Rail Yet To Hit Projected Passenger Target

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1482067_1_20190923161034.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1482067-20190923.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1482067-20190923.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2019-09-23 HKT 13:31

Share this story

facebook

  • MTR revealed passenger numbers are nowhere near what officials said the high-speed rail would attract. File Photo: RTHK

    MTR revealed passenger numbers are nowhere near what officials said the high-speed rail would attract. File Photo: RTHK

One year after the express rail link connecting Hong Kong to the mainland came into being, authorities have revealed that passenger numbers have fallen way short of what they initially projected.

The HK$84.4 billion high-speed rail link started operating on September 23 last year, with the SAR government estimating an average patronage of around 80,000 people a day.

But as of August 2019, the average number of passengers taking the link each weekday was just over slightly half that target at 45,000.

It added that the average usage is more on weekends, about 62,000; and the figure was about 2,000 higher in June.

The MTR said there has been a drop in passenger numbers in July and August. But they maintained that the high-speed rail services have been welcomed by tourists and are running smoothly.

In a statement, a spokesperson from the railway giant said while the cross-border link has seen a "steady growth" in passenger numbers, it will continue to boost business by collaborating with the tourism sector to provide discounted tickets and packages to cities like Guangzhou, Huizhou and Guilin.

RECENT NEWS

Binance Pay And TBCASoft Enable QR Payments Across Merchant Networks In Japan

Binance Pay has partnered with TBCASoft to enable QR code payments through the HIVEX Network, starting with a planned r... Read more

OSL Launches AgentPay For AI Agent Stablecoin Payments

OSL Group has launched AgentPay, a stablecoin payment infrastructure designed to enable AI agents to execute autonomous... Read more

The Biggest AI Governance Gap In APAC Lies In Proof And Traceability

AI has outgrown the role of an assistant, now moving money, approving transactions, and carrying out multi-step tasks w... Read more

HSBC Sells Tokyo HQ As It Prepares For 2029 Relocation

HSBC has sold its Tokyo headquarters building to a unit of Mitsubishi HC Capital, according to Bloomberg. The sale come... Read more

Why Multi-Currency Cards Need More Than Card Issuing

Tap a multi-currency card in Tokyo, and the payment looks no different from any other card transaction. Behind the tap,... Read more

China CITIC Bank Names Wang Junwei As CEO

China CITIC Bank International (CNCBI) has appointed Wang Junwei as its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer,... Read more