The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (February 5) chaired a co-ordination meeting on cross-boundary transport arrangements for large-scale events to holistically review and co-ordinate the work of relevant bureaux and departments on special boundary-crossing and relevant transport arrangements during the Lunar New Year holidays, with a view to ensuring adequate preparation for and orderly implementation of different measures. The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, and representatives of the Security Bureau, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Transport Department (TD), the Customs and Excise Department (Customs), the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and the Information Services Department attended the meeting.
Mr Chan said, "A series of events will be held in Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year holidays and is expected to attract a large number of citizens and tourists from the Mainland, as well as from around the world at large, to join. Relevant bureaux and departments, together with stakeholders of transport, tourism and other sectors, have been engaging in close communication and co-ordination. They have steadfastly made comprehensive planning and mobilisation arrangements to ensure the orderly implementation of special boundary-crossing and relevant transport arrangements, especially the diversion of people and vehicular movements after large-scale events, during the Lunar New Year holidays, thereby providing citizens and tourists with a pleasantly festive experience."
At the meeting, Mr Chan instructed relevant departments to enhance the dissemination of information on special boundary-crossing and relevant transport arrangements to the public and visitors by various online and offline means, including social media platforms, press releases and a press conference. In particular, the HKPF, the TD and the Marine Department will hold a joint press conference on February 7 to explain the details of the special boundary-crossing and transport arrangements regarding celebration activities during the Lunar New Year. The Government encourages visitors to carefully plan their itinerary, which includes considering an overnight stay in Hong Kong and avoiding departure via land boundary control points in the small hours, to enjoy a more diversified travel experience in Hong Kong.
Mr Chan also instructed all relevant bureaux and departments to adopt bottom-line thinking and make adequate preparation, with prompt actions taken, in response to different emergency situations. The Security Bureau will activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre in a timely manner to closely monitor and co-ordinate the public order situation at various boundary control points, and facilitate interdepartmental follow-up actions when necessary. At the departmental level, Customs, the HKPF, the ImmD and other departments will set up an Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre to monitor the situation at each land boundary control point, maintain close liaison with Mainland counterparts, and take contingency actions where necessary. The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate 24 hours as usual to monitor the traffic conditions across districts, especially at the ports and major stations, and implement contingency measures when necessary. The latest traffic information will also be disseminated through various channels. Moreover, the TD will maintain close communication with public transport operators, including those of franchised buses and cross-boundary coaches, to enhance services during the Lunar New Year holidays to meet the demand.
The Government has earlier announced that in order to effectively facilitate the diversion of cross-boundary passenger and vehicular movements during the Lunar New Year holidays, a consensus was reached with the Governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipality to make special boundary-crossing arrangements in two key areas:
(1) Passenger and passenger vehicle clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port, which usually close at midnight, will operate overnight to provide round-the-clock services from February 9 to 13. For more effective diversion of cross-boundary private cars during the five-day implementation of round-the-clock clearance at the Shenzhen Bay Port, only cross-boundary private cars issued with a permit for the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang (LMC/HG) Control Point are allowed to cross the LMC/HG Control Point during the early-morning hours. For cross-boundary private cars issued with a permit for the ports at LMC/HG, Shenzhen Bay, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok, they can use the Shenzhen Bay Port during the early-morning hours; and
(2) Passenger clearance service at the Lo Wu Control Point, which usually closes at midnight, will be extended to 2am the next day on February 9 and 11. The operating hours of the MTR East Rail Line will be extended accordingly.
