Mable Chan said immigration and transport connections at the new Huanggang Port were overall smooth and as expected, and the authorities had made contingency preparations for the weekend, Sunday and the Chung Yeung Festival holiday. Large signboards have been put up at the port, with multiple franchised buses and green minibuses connecting 9 MTR stations and 4 bus interchanges, while a notification mechanism has been established with the Shenzhen Municipal Port Office to divert passengers. Ride-hailing arrangements are still being prepared, with specific details to be announced later.
「Guangdong Yachts Heading South」 will make its maiden voyage on Friday. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-ying said the Marine Department and the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration are in close communication and contact to prepare for the maiden voyage. Over the past few months, the government has conducted training and assessments for mainland captains on their knowledge of Hong Kong waters, while the Marine Department has also built a real-time yacht movement monitoring system and set up an electronic business system to provide crew members and visitors with one-stop services. The authorities will step up the issuance of maritime safety reminders, and the Marine Department will strengthen patrols.
Since the renovated Huanggang Port opened, foot traffic has been heavy, with Hong Kong travel agencies and port shops enjoying brisk business, and travel agencies also seizing the opportunity to launch special tour groups. Travel agencies said the port's 24-hour border crossing arrangement could provide a major boost to cross-border tourism, but the crowd control order at the port entrance has put pressure on business in the area.
The new Huanggang Port opened yesterday. A Ming Pao reporter took a ride-hailing car at the underground B3 level on the Shenzhen side and found the mobile app had difficulty locating the pickup point, needing staff guidance to succeed. Ride-hailing drivers said the new port's routes were "so winding they make you dizzy", took time to get familiar with, and worried that entering the underground car park to pick up passengers would easily cause congestion.
The new Huanggang Port opened yesterday morning, with several cross-boundary travellers praising the joint inspection building as impressive, convenient for crossing and with clear signage, while some took photos at the landmark "Eye of Huanggang" and a mainland tour group used early crossing experience as a selling point. A mainland worker who crosses the border for work said it took longer to reach the boarding area, causing them to miss a suitable bus service, so they decided to head back home.
The new Huanggang Port adopts the 'co-operative inspection, single release' customs clearance model. Yesterday, most residents cleared customs self-service within tens of seconds to 1 minute, while some needed border inspection staff assistance to read documents or complete facial recognition at the first gate. In an on-site test by reporters, the self-service channel allowed clearance in under 1 minute even without prior registration by agreeing to the terms on the spot; at the manual counter, border inspection staff checked documents, taking about 1 minute.
A tram derailed and mounted the pavement shortly before 1am yesterday as it left the Shau Kei Wan tram depot, striking a ground-floor shop at Good View Building, 134 Shau Kei Wan East Street, with no one injured. The Transport Department immediately convened an emergency meeting with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the tram company to follow up. Police's preliminary investigation has not ruled out human factors, and the driver involved has been immediately suspended from driving duties.
The rebuilt Huanggang Port opened this morning, and the Transport Department said overall traffic at the port had so far operated largely smoothly. The public transport interchange offers urban taxis, New Territories taxis and fleet taxis, with a dedicated area for fleet taxis with existing bookings to pick up passengers. Members of the public and visitors can take a bus or minibus to various MTR stations to interchange after arriving, or go to the bus interchange to travel to other areas.
Why read this: Outlines taxi, bus and MTR interchange arrangements after arriving at the new Huanggang Port, allowing readers to plan their routes after crossing the border.
A tram derailment occurred on Shau Kei Wan East Street at about 1am. A tram left the tracks, mounted the pavement and crashed into a ground-floor shop of a building, leaving the vehicle tilted with some wheels off the road surface. Shop signs and tents were destroyed in the crash, and no one was injured. The tram involved had left Shau Kei Wan East Street terminus and was heading back to Sai Wan Ho tram depot, and is suspected to have lost control and derailed while turning. The Transport Department has ordered the tram company to thoroughly investigate the incident.
The Transport Department said it was very concerned about a tram derailment on Tong Shui Street in Shau Kei Wan in the early hours, and had convened an urgent meeting with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the tram company to follow up; police are also investigating. Preliminary investigations do not rule out human factors, and the driver involved has been immediately suspended from driving duties. The Transport Department has ordered the tram company to submit an investigation report and improvement recommendations within one month.
Why read this: Sets out the preliminary investigation direction, the immediate disciplinary action against the tram driver, and the Transport Department's one-month deadline for the report, allowing readers to follow the outcome.
The Civil Engineering and Development Department announced today (the 12th) that it will build a road bridge spanning the Tung Chung River for the Tung Chung New Town Extension project using S960 ultra-high-strength steel, which is expected to be another global first. Previously, a pedestrian footbridge on the Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) project in the Northern Metropolis had used domestically produced S960 ultra-high-strength steel, becoming the world's first footbridge to use steel of that grade.
The Transport Department said it has ordered the tram company to conduct an in-depth investigation into the tram derailment that occurred in the early hours on Tong Tai Street, Shau Kei Wan, and has required an investigation report within one month setting out the causes and recommendations for improvement. The Transport Department, together with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the tram company, has convened an emergency meeting, and the police are investigating; the preliminary investigation does not rule out human factors, and the tram driver involved has been immediately suspended from driving duties.
Why read this: The Transport Department has required the tram company to submit an investigation report within one month, and said the preliminary findings do not rule out human factors; it can be verified that the tram driver involved has been suspended from driving duties.
Translation is not available yet. Showing the Traditional Chinese version.
The new Huanggang Port has officially opened, with some cross-border drivers describing the clearance process as smooth, while a cross-border bus operator said the journey was 5 to 10 minutes faster than usual. Members of the public can take cross-border buses to experience the port's new "joint inspection, single clearance" model; Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan visited the port and said she would maintain close communication and coordination with the tourism industry and bus companies.
Why read this: The report highlights that the new Huanggang Port adopts a new model of "joint inspection, single clearance", and an operator gives a figure of 5 to 10 minutes faster for the journey, allowing readers to assess whether crossing the border is more time-saving.
Translation is not available yet. Showing the Traditional Chinese version.
The new Huanggang Port officially opened this morning, with many residents and travellers trying out the new port to cross the border. Our station tested it and completed immigration procedures between the two places via the self-service channels' "three gates" in about one minute. Some residents felt the immigration process was quick and convenient, while cross-border drivers said the lane inspection process was generally smooth.
The new Huanggang Port opened this morning. A reporter tried to take a ride-hailing car at the underground B3 floor on the Shenzhen side, but the mobile app had difficulty locating the pick-up point, and only succeeded with staff guidance. Some travellers said the port connects to Shenzhen Metro Line 7 and multiple bus routes, making transport convenient; ride-hailing drivers said the traffic flow at the new port "goes round and round until you get dizzy" and it takes time to familiarise themselves with the routes.