Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang said on 23 October that the newly rebuilt Huanggang (Lok Ma Chau Spur Line) Port handled up to 130,000 passengers per day during the Chung Yeung festival long weekend—double the traffic of the former facility—and acknowledged ‘room for improvement’ in crowd management. The port, which operates a “co-operative inspection, one-time release” model with mainland authorities, now has 60 automated e-Channel gates and 30 manned counters, but throughput slowed when travellers failed to pre-register for e-Channel use and families with children under seven queued for manual processing. Tang revealed that additional frontline staff had been redeployed and shift hours extended to keep all counters open during peak periods. Authorities are also exploring ways to help foreign passport holders complete mainland entry forms while waiting in line, reducing bottlenecks caused by paper documentation requirements. For mobility managers moving talent between Hong Kong and Shenzhen’s tech hubs, the comments signal forthcoming tweaks that may further speed up border crossings. Early feedback from cross-border commuters indicates average clearance times of 20–25 minutes—still below the one-hour peak cited by Tang but longer than the sub-15-minute target set during the planning stage. With Shenzhen hosting November’s APEC meetings, the Security Bureau is stepping up security drills and drone-defence measures that could intermittently close some car lanes. Companies should build extra buffer time into travel schedules and monitor official notices on the “HK Cross-Border” mobile app.
Source: RTHK
