The Hong Kong section of the XRL
Infrastructure is indispensable for the realization of the Greater Bay Area project.
The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2018. Once finished, the rail line will connect Hong Kong to the country's national high-speed rail network, allowing passengers to travel directly between Hong Kong and 16 major mainland cities, while significantly reducing the travel time.
Joint rail checkpoint
In order for passengers to conveniently exit or enter Hong Kong through the XRL, a joint checkpoint arrangement is going to be applied at the West Kowloon Terminus of the rail link.
The practice, more widely referred to as “co-location” of exit-entry control facilities, would enable passengers to undergo inspections for both mainland and Hong Kong in the same location.
While the launch of the Hong Kong section of the XRL was well received in Hong Kong, the joint checkpoint arrangement was not.
Some worry that the co-location arrangement would compromise the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, as under the Basic Law, Hong Kong operates its own entry-exit control, but under the co-location arrangement, mainland laws will be enforced in Hong Kong for the first time.
To address this concern, the HKSAR government under Carrie Lam's leadership agreed to implement the plan through a "three-step process" with the mainland.
On June 15, Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link co-location bill after months of deliberation, finishing the last step toward the final goal – commencing operations of the Hong Kong section of XRL in September this year.
Upon the passage of the bill, Lam, who visited the Hong Kong section of the XRL three times as chief executive, said this will help maximize the rail link's transport, economic and social benefits.
