No Light At End Of The Tunnel In MTR Ticket Saga

The MTR Corporation announced on Monday that it is setting up a dedicated website and hotline to sell express rail tickets – but it was still unclear as to which destinations on the mainland will be included.

With four months to go before the much hyped start of the new link to Guangzhou, the rail company said it still hasn't cut a deal to ensure that passengers can buy tickets to all cities on the mainland's high-speed network at the West Kowloon terminus.

It also added that, even if they do manage to come to an agreement, it has no idea how high ticket surcharges will be.

The MTR said although it is still working on how to allow local passengers to buy tickets for more mainland destinations, it is saving five out of 28 ticketing counters at the terminus for mainland operators to sell tickets – assuming a deal can be cut in time.

But the MTR's chief of operating, Francis Li, said the corporation still hopes to provide a one-stop service for passengers when the line opens in September, saying they are in discussions with mainland authorities.

The rail company – which will operate just the local section of the high-speed line – said counters and machines at the West Kowloon terminus will sell tickets to Guangzhou and 14 other major mainland cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Kunming.

Passengers can also purchase the high-speed rail tickets through local travel agencies or mainland websites. Passengers will have to provide identity documents, and the tickets will have their names and document numbers printed on them for verification purposes.

Li also responded to mainland media reports that the train took longer than the 48 minutes that MTR ads touted to travel between West Kowloon and Guangzhou during trial runs.

He said details like the number of stations served by trains, and how long the stops will be, will be different when the line opens for real; and discussions with mainland authorities on the details are still ongoing.