Passenger trips on the high-speed rail link between Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have topped 20 million so far this year, representing a 16.2 percent year-on-year increase, according to official figures reported by Guangdong provincial media.
Between 1 January and 21 August, the line carried 20.09 million passengers. Of these, more than five million traveled during the peak summer season (1 July to 21 August), averaging nearly 100,000 journeys a day – up 15.9 percent year-on-year.
The railway recorded 59 days this year with more than 100,000 passengers, mostly on weekends and public holidays. Authorities said leisure travel, family visits, and short-distance trips were the main drivers of growth.
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Of the total, 9.76 million passengers traveled from Hong Kong to the mainland – up 15 percent year-on-year – while 10.33 million journeys were made to Hong Kong, a 17.3 percent increase.
Travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen continued to dominate cross-border flows. Journeys from Hong Kong to Shenzhen made up 38.4 percent of all Hong Kong to mainland trips, while travel from Shenzhen to Hong Kong accounted for 38.8 percent of all mainland to Hong Kong journeys.
Passenger traffic peaked at 134,000 on 17 August, when major concerts in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen triggered a surge in cross-border travel.
