Hong Kong’s cross-boundary mobility network received a major upgrade on January 26 when the MTR Corporation inaugurated direct high-speed rail services to 16 additional mainland cities. The new timetable links West Kowloon Station with hubs in eastern China, the Chaoshan region of Guangdong and the coastal cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou, expanding the network to 110 destinations in 19 provinces. (news.rthk.hk)
For corporate travellers, the headline route is the new daily sleeper to Shanghai Hongqiao. Executives can now board in Hong Kong after dinner, arrive downtown Shanghai before breakfast and connect onward to Nanjing, Wuxi or Hefei without changing trains. Travel-management companies say the through-service will shave at least four hours off a typical air-rail itinerary once airport transfers and security are factored in, and eliminates the risk of weather-related flight delays along the busy Pearl River Delta air corridor.
Tour operators have moved quickly: Big Line International rolled out more than a dozen multi-city packages within hours of the launch, reporting strong early demand for Qingyuan and other second-tier leisure stops. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan hailed the expansion as a “double-100-million milestone”, noting that both the bridge-bus network across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the high-speed rail have each carried more than 100 million passenger journeys since opening seven years ago. (news.rthk.hk)
![Hong Kong high-speed rail adds 16 new mainland destinations, boosting cross-border business travel]()
Before hitting the rails, travellers should also remember that entry paperwork still matters. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can fast-track China visas, passport renewals and even invitation letters in as little as 24 hours, allowing HR teams to align documentation with the new train schedules and avoid last-minute snags.
From a mobility-policy perspective, the bigger network strengthens Hong Kong’s role as the preferred entry point for international assignees heading into the Greater Bay Area. HR teams can now book rail + hotel packages that start in Hong Kong for orientation and immigration formalities, then move staff directly to client sites in Fujian or eastern Guangdong without domestic flights. MTR officials hinted that more overnight services and discounted corporate block bookings are under discussion for the spring schedule.
Practical tip for travellers: introductory promotions run until February 29, including a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Futian tickets and a HK$20 discount on Guangzhou South tickets purchased through the MTR mobile app. Companies with frequent-traveller accounts should update their policy matrices to reflect the new destinations and fares.
For corporate travellers, the headline route is the new daily sleeper to Shanghai Hongqiao. Executives can now board in Hong Kong after dinner, arrive downtown Shanghai before breakfast and connect onward to Nanjing, Wuxi or Hefei without changing trains. Travel-management companies say the through-service will shave at least four hours off a typical air-rail itinerary once airport transfers and security are factored in, and eliminates the risk of weather-related flight delays along the busy Pearl River Delta air corridor.
Tour operators have moved quickly: Big Line International rolled out more than a dozen multi-city packages within hours of the launch, reporting strong early demand for Qingyuan and other second-tier leisure stops. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan hailed the expansion as a “double-100-million milestone”, noting that both the bridge-bus network across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the high-speed rail have each carried more than 100 million passenger journeys since opening seven years ago. (news.rthk.hk)
Before hitting the rails, travellers should also remember that entry paperwork still matters. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can fast-track China visas, passport renewals and even invitation letters in as little as 24 hours, allowing HR teams to align documentation with the new train schedules and avoid last-minute snags.
From a mobility-policy perspective, the bigger network strengthens Hong Kong’s role as the preferred entry point for international assignees heading into the Greater Bay Area. HR teams can now book rail + hotel packages that start in Hong Kong for orientation and immigration formalities, then move staff directly to client sites in Fujian or eastern Guangdong without domestic flights. MTR officials hinted that more overnight services and discounted corporate block bookings are under discussion for the spring schedule.
Practical tip for travellers: introductory promotions run until February 29, including a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Futian tickets and a HK$20 discount on Guangzhou South tickets purchased through the MTR mobile app. Companies with frequent-traveller accounts should update their policy matrices to reflect the new destinations and fares.
