[ad_1]
Stacy Shi
Super typhoon Saola did not deter many Hongkongers from crossing the border, including those ready to splash cash.
Immigration Department figures showed about 70,000 Hongkongers crossed the border on Saturday when hurricane signal No 8 was up, compared to the 200,000 that usually cross on Saturdays.
Nearly 30,000 people traveled through Lo Wu port, another 23,000 through Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and 7,154 through Heung Yuen Wai control point.
The Shenzhen government announced on Friday that people should “stop work and [shut down] businesses and markets” from 4pm, the same time as malls and supermarkets. Transport was suspended from 7pm.
While staff at the border said all control points continued service except for Shenzhen Bay, merchants at the ports closed only after 4pm before reopening on Saturday.
Some shopkeepers at Heung Yuen Wai said customer flow was 60 percent less than before and many of them were Hong Kong people.
A couple said they drove through Heung Yuen Wai when No 8 was still in effect and went shopping in Luohu.
Some parents also grabbed the chance before the start of the new school year to bring their children to the mainland for a last holiday.
Meanwhile, nearly half of the long-haul high-speed rail trains were canceled yesterday, including trips to Chaoshan and Shanghai. A few trains to Shenzhen and Guangzhou were also canceled.
Affected passengers queued at West Kowloon Station to change or refund their tickets.
A passenger surnamed Kwan said he did not receive any early notice before arriving at the station and saw the cancellation from the display board, but luckily was able to change the ticket and caught the next train.
A mainland tourist named Fang changed tickets twice and spent HK$2,000 more on accommodation to stay two more nights in Hong Kong.
”We are here for fun and it doesn’t matter if we spend more,” he said, adding he understood the canceling of trains for the sake of safety.
MTR Corp yesterday said some train services between West Kowloon Station and the mainland had been adjusted and asked passengers to check the latest information through official website 12306 or the high-speed rail website before their journey.
It also suggested people allow more time for travel as clusters of passengers were expected after service resumption and to process refunds through 12306 platforms to avoid rushing to West Kowloon Station.
A train from Guangzhounan Station to Hong Kong will be canceled today and another train originally from Hong Kong to Tianjin will start service at Guangzhounan Station instead of West Kowloon Station.
Flights gradually resumed yesterday after the Airport Authority said it had reallocated the flights and expected that about 480 flights could be handled in a day. Two runways were in operation overnight.
The authority urged travelers to check with their airlines for the latest flight status before departing for the airport. Additional staff will be deployed at the terminal buildings to assist passengers and ensure smooth operations.
stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com
[ad_2]
Source link