No government subsidies will be needed to build the long-awaited Pak Shek Kok station on the East Rail line, Hong Kong’s minister has said, after authorities agreed to grant the MTR Corporation development rights at two sites. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the “rail-plus-property” model would fully cover construction costs,…
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two women at the border for allegedly smuggling animals after they were separately found with a dog worth HK$3,000 (US$380) and two endangered birds that could be sold for a total of HK$5,000. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that it had intercepted a 57-year-old mainland Chinese…
A senior Hong Kong official has defended the exclusion of public flats near the proposed site of the Pak Shek Kok rail station, arguing it will not align with the existing private housing already there and that the area lacks the necessary community facilities. Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho Pui-ling stressed on Friday that…
The much-delayed Pak Shek Kok station on the East Rail line is scheduled to open as early as 2033 after Hong Kong authorities revealed plans to require the MTR Corporation to build the project to boost connectivity for a tech hub. The Development Bureau said on Thursday that the project would be financed by allowing…
Thousands of Hongkongers were stuck for hours at multiple land checkpoints in what one traveller called “unprecedented” large crowds on Monday night, as more than 673,000 residents returned to the city from mainland China after the long weekend. Some were also reportedly turned away from the Shenzhen Bay border before its closing time on Monday…
Hong Kong residents flocked to Shenzhen on Friday, drawn by ‘better service’ at restaurants and family-friendly attractions as the Labour Day “golden week” holiday began. Affordability has also lured droves of Hongkongers across the border, with families budgeting about HK$1,000 (US$128) for a full day in the tech hub, covering restaurants, dental clinics, indoor amusement…
Traffic at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge reached peak levels during the first two days of the extended holiday, with checkpoint queues sometimes exceeding an hour, raising concerns about whether clearance arrangements can handle surging demand. Passenger flows exceeded 192,000 over Friday and Saturday, while vehicle numbers surpassed 30,000, marking one of the busiest periods at…
District councillors representing Hong Kong’s outlying islands have opposed a plan to raise selected ferry fares by up to 12.8 per cent, arguing that it will discourage the elderly from travelling and harm the local economy. Members of Islands District Council on Tuesday all raised concerns that another fare increase could be sought in response…
Hong Kong welcomed 10 per cent more visitors on the first day of Lunar New Year against a year ago, with crowds continuing to flock to hiking trails and tourists packing border crossing checkpoints. The latest Immigration Department data showed that 153,383 visitors arrived in the city on Tuesday, representing a 10.4 per cent increase…
About 11.38 million Hong Kong residents and visitors are expected to travel through the city’s border crossings during the Lunar New Year holiday, marking a projected 16 per cent rise from last year. The Immigration Department released the 10-day estimate, covering the period from the 27th day of the last month of the Lunar calendar…