The Hong Kong Transport Department (TD) has warned of an exceptional surge in cross-border passenger and vehicle traffic on Chung Yeung Festival (29 October 2025). All seven land boundary control points—Lok Ma Chau, Shenzhen Bay, Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok, Heung Yuen Wai, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and the West Kowloon High-Speed Rail Terminus—are expected to experience heavy queues as families observe the traditional grave-sweeping holiday and residents take advantage of the mid-week public break for short trips to neighbouring Guangdong and Macao.
To mitigate congestion, the TD has coordinated with franchised bus operators, cross-boundary coach companies and the HZMB “Gold Bus” shuttle to add vehicles and increase frequencies. Gold Bus headways could be shortened to as little as one minute at peak times, while additional “B-route” franchised buses will serve Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay. Police will implement ad-hoc lane management at control-point approach roads, and variable-message signs will direct private motorists to holding areas when queues form. Travellers are urged to buy coach tickets in advance, travel outside peak morning and evening windows, and use real-time information provided on the “Easy Boundary” platform and the HKeMobility app.
Business travellers should build extra buffer time into itineraries, especially if same-day meetings on the mainland require a return to Hong Kong. Corporations with shuttle services for staff commuting to Shenzhen tech parks have been advised to stagger departure times and to monitor HZMB clearance statistics every 15 minutes. Logistics firms moving high-value goods by bonded truck across the bridge have also been told to expect delays of up to two hours at peak periods and to pre-clear customs documents to avoid additional hold-ups.
The advisory is the latest stress-test for Hong Kong’s post-pandemic border infrastructure. Since full reopening in early 2024, daily cross-boundary passenger volumes have routinely exceeded 700,000 on long weekends. The government sees real-time traffic management and public guidance as critical to maintaining the city’s competitiveness as a regional hub while large-scale infrastructure upgrades—such as the planned second vehicular channel at HZMB—remain years away.
For international assignees and frequent flyers, the TD recommends using the Airport Express plus cross-boundary limousine services where possible, or routing via the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus, which historically handles festival peaks more smoothly than road crossings.
To mitigate congestion, the TD has coordinated with franchised bus operators, cross-boundary coach companies and the HZMB “Gold Bus” shuttle to add vehicles and increase frequencies. Gold Bus headways could be shortened to as little as one minute at peak times, while additional “B-route” franchised buses will serve Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay. Police will implement ad-hoc lane management at control-point approach roads, and variable-message signs will direct private motorists to holding areas when queues form. Travellers are urged to buy coach tickets in advance, travel outside peak morning and evening windows, and use real-time information provided on the “Easy Boundary” platform and the HKeMobility app.
Business travellers should build extra buffer time into itineraries, especially if same-day meetings on the mainland require a return to Hong Kong. Corporations with shuttle services for staff commuting to Shenzhen tech parks have been advised to stagger departure times and to monitor HZMB clearance statistics every 15 minutes. Logistics firms moving high-value goods by bonded truck across the bridge have also been told to expect delays of up to two hours at peak periods and to pre-clear customs documents to avoid additional hold-ups.
The advisory is the latest stress-test for Hong Kong’s post-pandemic border infrastructure. Since full reopening in early 2024, daily cross-boundary passenger volumes have routinely exceeded 700,000 on long weekends. The government sees real-time traffic management and public guidance as critical to maintaining the city’s competitiveness as a regional hub while large-scale infrastructure upgrades—such as the planned second vehicular channel at HZMB—remain years away.
For international assignees and frequent flyers, the TD recommends using the Airport Express plus cross-boundary limousine services where possible, or routing via the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus, which historically handles festival peaks more smoothly than road crossings.
