Shenzhen’s transport department and port office expect the cross-boundary passenger flow between Shenzhen and Hong Kong to hit a new high this year during the upcoming National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, driven by strong travel demand amid the festive period.

According to the city’s railway department, cross-boundary travel via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link is expected to remain a popular option throughout the weeklong holiday period, with an estimated 1.067 million cross-boundary trips to be made, representing a 5 percent year-on-year growth.

Oct 1 is expected to see more than 120,000 cross-boundary trips made using the rail link, it said.

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To cope with the surge in transportation demand, Shenzhen Railway has arranged for the daily operation of over 210 cross-boundary high-speed rail services on average over the upcoming holiday, said Lin Qin, head of the passenger transport division of Shenzhen Railway Station.

The Office of Port of Entry and Exit of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government estimates that the average daily number of cross-boundary trips at Shenzhen-Hong Kong land ports could reach 811,600 over the holiday period, with the total passenger flow projected to hit 6.49 million.

Oct 4 is expected to see the peak at land ports between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with cross-boundary trips reaching a projected 950,000 — a new high for single-day passenger flows so far this year.

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Of the ports, Luohu Port, Futian Port and Shenzhen Bay Port will remain the busiest land crossings, with their average daily inbound and outbound passenger flows projected to hit 227,000, 188,000, and 142,000, respectively.