Flow management measures enforced at checkpoints as travelers stranded
Hong Kong customs officers patrol a busy Lo Wu checkpoint on March 29, 2024, the first day of the four-day Easter holiday. (PHOTO / HONG KONG CUSTOMS)
More than 1 million cross-border movements were recorded between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland — with 762,000 departing from Hong Kong — by 9 pm on Friday, the first day of the four-day Easter holiday.
As the region recorded the highest immigration flow since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, major transit hubs and border checkpoints were overwhelmed.
The Hong Kong Transport Department anticipated another spike in outbound travel on Saturday and appealed to outbound travelers to reserve sufficient commuting time and avoid the morning peak.
The city’s Immigration Department urged travelers to stay informed of the immigration clearance status at the boundary control points via the HK Immigration Department app.
The busiest border crossings were the Lo Wu and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoints, which are linked by the city’s metro system, handling 160,000 and 150,000 outbound passengers respectively.
By 9 am, the Sheung Shui station — the last stop before the two checkpoints — was already at full capacity. The Lo Wu Station implemented crowd control measures at one point to address congestion.
Earlier, the Immigration Department had estimated over 11 million cross-border passenger trips during the Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays
Around 99,000 travelers left Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The HZMB experienced a rare traffic jam, while its bridge port made public announcements repeatedly to urge patience among stranded travelers.
The rush followed a count of 640,000 outbound trips on Thursday, with 81.25 percent being Hong Kong residents.
Li Yifan, a Hong Kong resident who works in the media sector, was delayed for a long time at the Lo Wu checkpoint, where a flow restriction was in place, causing him to miss his train from Shenzhen to Jiangsu province.
“This is the first time I have ever encountered such a situation. ... It is such a frustrating trip,” Li said.
Xu Fei, a finance professional, attempted to bypass the morning peak by crossing the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point around noon. However, Xu and her family still encountered congestion that disturbed their leisure plans in Shenzhen.
“The entire process was extremely crowded,” Xu said.
Within Hong Kong, Ocean Park’s Water World also exercised crowd control management following an influx of visitors.
Earlier, the Immigration Department had estimated over 11 million cross-border passenger trips during the Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays. The Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on Thursday and is a three-day public holiday on the Chinese mainland.
The expected travel figures exceed the 7.5 million passenger trips recorded during the eight-day Chinese Lunar New Year period from Feb 10-17.
