Hong Kong has conducted its first test involving Shenzhen authorities of clearance procedures and private car access at the revamped Huanggang border crossing, ahead of a massive exercise next week involving 20,000 people to fully assess the facility’s capacity.
No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki said Saturday’s drill went smoothly and passenger flows were orderly, with speedy pickup by public transport, although a motorist association reported traffic jams along the San Tin Interchange roundabout leading to the crossing.
“We will conduct a further stress test with a continuous peak-level passenger and traffic flow to ensure smooth operations,” Chan said, describing next Saturday’s exercise as a “large-scale cross-border drill”.
Hong Kong authorities have conducted several drills at the Huanggang Port crossing at the mainland Chinese border this month as a part of final preparations before the checkpoint opens, which sources have said could come as early as next month.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said next Saturday’s drill would increase pressure on capacity and feature a full test of 90 clearance channels within the building, as well as assess how private vehicles would use a new clearance machine.
“Through today’s exercise, we have identified further improvement measures, such as how to line up buses and different transport,” Tang added.
