THE redeveloped Huanggang Port will open at 6:30 a.m. today, offering 24-hour clearance for passengers and passenger vehicles.

Passenger clearance at Shenzhen’s temporary Huanggang Port inspection building and Hong Kong’s Lok Ma Chau Control Point will be suspended when the new port begins operations.

Top officials from Hong Kong and Shenzhen attended an opening ceremony at the port yesterday.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said at the ceremony that the port’s opening would promote institutional innovation and facilitate cross-boundary travel.

Located in Shenzhen’s Futian District, the new port has four underground floors and five aboveground floors, with a total floor area of 689,700 sqm. It is billed as the world’s largest single-building land port and is the only 24-hour passenger crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The port has 134 self-service inspection channels and 68 staffed counters. It is designed to handle 200,000 passenger trips a day, with peak capacity of 300,000, and 15,000 vehicle crossings.

Under the “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” system, travelers will present their documents once to complete immigration procedures for both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Passenger clearance is expected to take about five minutes, down from 30 minutes, while processing at automated channels could take as little as 20 seconds.

The port will also separate passenger and vehicle processing. Passengers in cross-boundary private cars must get out at designated drop-off points and go through immigration on foot with their belongings. Drivers will complete vehicle procedures separately, using integrated devices that collect travel documents and biometric and temperature data.

The port is near the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone and will connect directly to Metro Line 7. According to Hong Kong’s Transport Department, the port is served by seven franchised bus routes, six green minibus routes and five short-haul cross-border coach routes operating around the clock.

(SD News)