Shenzhen has no plans to extend the MTR’s East Rail Line into Luohu District and Lo Wu Port will not implement a “co-location arrangement” after renovation works are completed, Hong Kong’s security chief said on Wednesday.
Shenzhen Municipal Government is planning to redevelop Shenzhen’s boundary checkpoint. It had been reported that Shenzhen also hopes to collaborate with Hong Kong to extend the MTR’s East Rail Line into Luohu district and is considering adopting a “co-location arrangement” at the port.
The renovation project in Shenzhen includes improving the port’s functions and upgrading inspection facilities, with a view to further enhancing the port’s clearance capability and efficiency
In a written reply to a lawmaker’s enquiry, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that the port modification work is limited to the Shenzhen side. It does not include extending the East Rail Line into Luohu district.
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Currently, the rail line only connects to Lo Wu Port at the boundary and does not reach other areas of Luohu district.
The renovation project in Shenzhen includes improving the port’s functions and upgrading inspection facilities, with a view to further enhancing the port’s clearance capability and efficiency.
Yet Tang said the the project will not entail changes in the overall facilities layout and passenger clearance route. Therefore, the current clearance mode will continue after renovation, instead of adopting a “co-location arrangement”.
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At Lo Wu Port, travelers are currently required to get their travel documents checked separately by officers at Shenzhen and Hong Kong control points, which are located in two different terminal buildings, connected by a pedestrian bridge.
If the co-location arrangement was adopted, they could get their documents checked in just one terminus. Such arrangements have been implemented at Shenzhen Bay Port and West Kowloon Station Port.
Lo Wu Port has connected Hong Kong and Shenzhen since the early 1900s. In 2023, the daily average of passengers’ trips recorded at the port nearly reached 138,000.
Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com
