Tourists arrive at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station during the May Day holiday on May 1, 2023. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's MTR Corporation said on Thursday that the passenger volume of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) reached over 17 million as of Nov 19, which has surpassed the total number of passengers in 2019.

The Hong Kong section of the XRL is about 26 km long, connecting Hong Kong with 73 mainland stations

The Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail resumed service earlier this year. According to its operator the MTR Corporation, the number of passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Shenzhen by the high-speed rail has increased significantly.

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In addition to the growth in Hong Kong passengers, mainland passengers have accounted for more than half of the passenger volume of the Hong Kong section since March.

The Hong Kong section of the XRL is about 26 km long, connecting Hong Kong with 73 mainland stations. It started operation in September 2018.