Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong/Beijing/Shanghai, June 16 Topic: From the direct train to the high-speed railway mobile sleeper: Mainland and Hong Kong are more convenient "two-way travel"

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Xinyi, Chu Mengmeng and Xu Xintao

The Xifa Chaozhou high-speed railway train to and from Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai opened to traffic on the 15th. Hong Kong tourist Wen Qihua and his family took the first Shanghai Hong Kong D908 train to Shanghai to play. "This arrangement does not delay the children's going to school on Monday, nor does it delay their going to work on Monday. It is said that they will spend the night on the train. The whole family is very excited and the children like it," he said.

At 21:00 on the 15th, in the dining car carriage of the D910 train from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Beijing West Station, the first departure crew members were bringing wonderful Peking Opera and allegro performances to the passengers, and the crowd applauded continuously. Hong Kong passenger Lin Biyu poked her head out of the crowd and held her mobile phone to record the video. After the program, she excitedly shared her experience with friends in the same carriage.

They came from Yuen Long and Kowloon District of Hong Kong, and took the mobile sleeper high-speed railway to Beijing for the first time. "This time we mainly went to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace. The trip was not very tight, and it was very suitable for retired middle-aged and elderly people like us. In particular, the sleeping berth was not so tired. It was novel that four of us could talk at night in a carriage." Lin Biyu said.

On June 15, passengers taking the dynamic sleeper train from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Beijing West D910 took photos on the platform of Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. Photographed by Wang Shen, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

Speaking of the optimization from the past "two places and two checks" of the direct train to the current "one place and two checks", Hong Kong tourist He Yuzhen said: "The convenience of the process saves a lot of time, takes less roads, and is very friendly to middle-aged and elderly people." According to the arrangement, passengers will complete the entry and exit procedures at the West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway first, without having to go through formalities in the mainland again, greatly reducing the customs clearance time. Before the departure of train D910, the reporter learned from the field experience that the whole process of customs clearance, security inspection, etc. will take about 15 minutes to reach the ticket gate, and achieve the integration of people, tickets and certificates.

The newly opened Beijing Hong Kong and Shanghai Hong Kong high-speed trains also opened multiple stations along the line, including Shijiazhuang, Changsha South, Guangzhou, Shenzhen North, Hangzhou East, etc. In addition to serving passengers' cross-border round-trip on weekends, it also provides convenience for passengers along the line.

"The boxes are always equipped with night lights, three in one charging data lines, etc., which are convenient for the elderly to get up at night and for nursing passengers..." On the D910 train bound for Beijing West Railway Station, the purser Ma two-way reporter showed the items in the special service box on the mobile and sleeper trains. It is reported that the train is also equipped with a remote call button. The upper and lower bunks of each compartment are equipped with a soft silicone anti-collision angle, which is pasted on the corner of the pedal to reduce collisions.

The D908/907 train to and from Shanghai and Hong Kong is also full of details: it is equipped with high and low pillows to meet the personalized sleep needs of passengers, and luggage tags to prevent passengers from taking luggage by mistake... The train also has a special high-level soft sleeper, with a top and bottom berth on one side of the box and a comfortable sofa on the other side.

"Today, the first train is nearly full, which is both a pleasure and a challenge for us. We want to do a good job of service, how to improve." Referring to the process of preparing for the opening of the train, Ma Shuang said that the whole preparation process has a tight schedule and heavy tasks. There are a lot of things to remember and consider, such as cross-border ticketing, and "one place, two checks", etc. She and her colleagues have never been on the Hong Kong section before, so they read a lot of information to get familiar with it as soon as possible.

On June 15, passengers displayed souvenirs of the first train they received on the D908 high-speed train from West Kowloon, Hong Kong to Hongqiao, Shanghai. Photographed by Chu Mengmeng, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

At 9:00 on the 16th, passengers arriving in Hong Kong successively got off the first D909 bullet train to Hong Kong, called the M+of the Contemporary International Visual Culture Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum of Culture in Kashi Nine Cultural District nearby, and headed for a different cultural trip. Ye Zhende, Deputy Director General of the Hong Kong Tourism Development Council, said that the cultural atmosphere of West Kowloon can make people feel different Hong Kong and experience the unique charm of Hong Kong's literature and art.

The opening of high-speed rail mobile and sleeping makes the agreement of "having tea at leisure" no longer remote. Mainland tourists go to Hong Kong to climb mountains and hike in Citywalk, and Hong Kong people go north to consume the popular spots of the clock in network, becoming an exciting "two-way rush".

"This is a very important, meaningful and practical arrangement." Shi Ronghuai, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the Hong Kong Beijing Association, told reporters at the West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong that he had been in Beijing on business since 1985 and would go to Beijing almost every month. "The train runs between Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and with the increase of stops, it will also drive the travel between the stops, which is convenient and flexible. This is particularly important for the business that every minute counts, and it is also an advantage that other transportation modes cannot compete with."

Zhang Xinyu, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railway Affairs of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who took the first D908 train to Shanghai, pointed out that the service of arriving at night and arriving at dawn can enrich the travel choices of business people, improve the efficiency of business exchanges between Shanghai and Hong Kong, and help Hong Kong better integrate into the national development situation from the transportation. At the same time, "new markets have been opened, and exchanges between the two places can be completed more conveniently and efficiently".

Song Yitong, a sophomore majoring in data science at the University of Hong Kong, told the reporter that he was very excited to take the first train to Beijing to witness this moment. This is not only the first time to go to Beijing for practical training, but also the first time to sit, move and lie. Next, he and 15 other Hong Kong students will go to Beijing to participate in the artificial intelligence training for about a month, hoping to master more advanced technologies and advanced algorithms. "I hope I can learn something and devote myself to technical exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland in the future," he said.

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