Under new rules, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) offers more convenient arrangements for cross-boundary travel, enabling passengers leaving Hong Kong to purchase their tickets at least 30 minutes before their train departs.

On Wednesday, the XRL began implementing new rules for cross-boundary passenger transport. Compared with the previous rules released in 2023, the adjustments cover a wide range of areas, including ticket purchases, discounted tickets, ticket refunds and changes, lost items, and travel documents.

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Following the introduction of the amendments, tickets for departures from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station are available online at least 30 minutes before departure, a reduction from the previous requirement of at least 45 minutes.

Student tickets, which were previously only available for second-class seats, now also cover first-class seats and sleeper tickets, with all fares calculated at 75 percent of the full price.

Child fares, which were fixed at 50 percent of the full fare, are now calculated by seat class and range from 50 percent to 80 percent of the full fare.

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For most journeys, the deadline for ticket changes and refunds has been extended from 30 minutes before departure to up to the train’s scheduled departure time. For passengers with tickets for departure from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the cut-off time for ticket changes and refunds has been revised from 45 minutes before departure to 30 minutes.

The XRL carried over 8 million passengers in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 17.5 percent. Shenzhen railway authorities expect that from April 3 to 7, during the Easter and Qingming holidays, the rail link will transport more than 600,000 cross-boundary passengers — a year-on-year rise of 10.6 percent — with inbound and outbound flows remaining broadly balanced.

Contact the writer at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com