THE Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) will be put into operation Sept. 23, after a nearly six-month trial operation, according to www.sznews.com yesterday, quoting reports from Hong Kong media.

A commencement ceremony will be held at West Kowloon Station on Sept. 22, and the train service will officially start Sept. 23, the report said.

The rail has nine stations, and the trips from Kowloon to the Futian high-speed train station and Shenzhen North Railway Station will be shortened to 14 minutes and 23 minutes, respectively.

During the initial stage, a total of 127 pairs of trains, including 13 long-distance trains to 15 major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming and Guilin, will be put into operation.

Tickets will be priced at HK$80 (US$10), HK$90, HK$210 and HK$260 to travel from Hong Kong to the Futian high-speed train station, Shenzhen North Railway Station, Dongguan’s Humen Railway Station, and Guangzhou South Railway Station, respectively.

The 26-kilometer section connects Hong Kong to the 25,000-kilometer national high-speed rail network.

(Han Ximin)