Hong Kong’s control points surged past pre-pandemic volumes on Saturday, 26 September, as residents seized the long Mid-Autumn weekend to head north for family reunions, shopping and short breaks. Immigration Department tallies show 1.19 million passenger movements that day, with 684,000 departures and 561,000 arrivals. A remarkable 488,000 of those outbound trips were taken by Hong Kong ID-card holders, representing a 60 per cent jump in net resident outflow compared with the previous weekend. Lo Wu once again proved the city’s busiest pedestrian crossing, processing 117,000 departures, while the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line fed a further 108,000 travellers into Shenzhen. Road crossings were equally strained: Shenzhen Bay and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge each handled well over 60,000 movements, according to government figures released to local media. The exodus coincided with mainland China’s three-day “mini golden week”, leaving north-bound trains and coaches packed and prompting the MTR Corporation to add late-night services on the East Rail Line. Travel-industry associations reported that same-day package tours to Shenzhen spas and restaurants were sold out by Thursday evening, while hotel occupancy in Dongguan and Huizhou approached 90 per cent. For employers, the numbers underline how fully Hong Kong’s cross-boundary workforce has resumed its pre-2020 commuting rhythm. Human-resources managers were advised to anticipate Monday-morning delays, especially for staff who live on the mainland and rely on Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau to return to work. Companies with time-critical operations, such as trading-floor or data-centre teams, were urged to confirm contingency rosters or arrange overnight accommodation on the Hong Kong side. Travel analysts say the spike also hints at pent-up demand ahead of the National Day “golden week” starting 1 October. “If Mid-Autumn generated a 60 per cent bigger outflow than a normal weekend, National Day could push daily departures beyond 800,000,” warned Ivy Chan, director of Greater Bay Mobility Research. She expects transport operators to announce further capacity boosts in the coming days.
Source: DimSum Daily
