Rail chiefs have admitted that the super speedy time, less than half the current journey, could take up to 30 minutes longer if the train is scheduled to stop at Futian, Shenzhenbei and Humen.
Travellers keen to zip the 142km from Hong Kong to Guangzhou on the US$10.7billion (HK$84.4 billion) high-speed rail line in just 48 minutes will have to choose the direct, express train.
Rail chiefs have admitted that the super speedy time, less than half the current journey, could take up to 30 minutes longer if the train is scheduled to stop at Futian, Shenzhenbei and Humen.
Opening in the third quarter of 2018, recent trials took an hour and 18 minutes according to Chinese media.
Francis Li, chief of operations for MTR Corporation, emphasised the need for customer care over speed.
“We need to take care of passengers’ actual needs,” he explained. “If a train stops at one or two stations and takes one or two more minutes, which provides greater convenience for passengers, do we still need to haggle over these longer journeys taking one or two more minutes?”
However, Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai has said it is estimated that 90% of the journeys will not be direct, and he emphasised the high price of the tickets – US$33 (HK$260) compared with the current U$26.75 (HK$210).
“It is obvious that the MTR Corp deliberately misleads the public and gives this rosy picture about the high-speed rail. I believe that Hongkongers will have to pay a heavy price over its operation because its service can’t attract enough demand to make it sustainable for the long term.”