SHENZHEN Bay Checkpoint in Nanshan District will operate 24 hours a day by the end of next year.

The change was mentioned in the latest policy address delivered by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday.

Earlier in August, Shenzhen Port Office said it had reached an agreement with the Hong Kong side about the 24-hour service at the checkpoint.

According to the office, the checkpoint will start to provide a 24-hour service for vehicles before the end of June 2020 and for travelers before year-end. Currently, the checkpoint operates from 6:30 a.m. to midnight.

The new service is expected to ease passenger congestion at the checkpoint and facilitate the increasing numbers of commuters brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Before the end of 2020, Shenzhen will have three land checkpoints operating round-the-clock, namely Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, the under-construction Liantang Checkpoint in Luohu District,  and Huanggang Checkpoint in Futian District.

In the first half of 2019, Shenzhen checkpoints witnessed 130 million travelers crossing the border, or 726,000 a day.

At present, passengers from Guangzhou and Dongguan make up 21 percent of the mainland travelers who use Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint.

Shenzhen lawmakers have suggested extending an intercity rail to the checkpoint, which they think is strategically important for the regional development of the western part of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The city’s rail construction office is working on the feasibility of linking the Shenzhen-Dongguan-Zengcheng intercity railway with Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, where Metro Line 13 is currently under construction.

The introduction of the intercity rail to the checkpoint will relieve congestion, increase the capacity of the checkpoint and serve passengers from Guangzhou and Dongguan as well as Guangming District in Shenzhen.

Regarding Metro construction, the city has started building Metro Line 13, which links the checkpoint and Guangming District bordering Dongguan.

The operation of Line 13, which will connect with Dongguan Metro in the future, will bring more passengers to the checkpoint.

Shenzhen boasts 15 in-service checkpoints, including six land checkpoints, eight sea checkpoints and one airport checkpoint. Liantang Checkpoint is scheduled to open by the end of this year.

(Han Ximin)