Residents in Wuxi will be able to visit Hong Kong by high-speed train in nine hours when the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) is commissioned on Sept 23.

Running from West Kowloon to the border with the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong stretch of the high-speed railway is expected to launch in September this year. The route from Guangzhou South to Futian is already operational.

The commencement will bring passengers a new cross-boundary railway connection with customer-oriented services.

A single trip from Shenzhen to Hong Kong will be reduced to 14 minutes, with the Guangzhou to Hong Kong journey lasting 48 minutes.

The 26-km Hong Kong section of the XRL connects Hong Kong with the more than 25,000 km of the National High-speed Rail Network.

Secretary for Transport and Housing of the HKSAR government Frank Chan Fan said that the first train would depart at 7:00 am on Sept 23, from Hong Kong West Kowloon station (WKS) to Shenzhen North station, with the second-class fare to be 86 Hong Kong dollars (about $11).

Chan said that direct services to 44 Chinese mainland destinations will be on offer, six of which will be short hauls to Shenzhen North, Guangzhou South and four other stations, while 38 will be to places further afield, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and 35 other stations.

Wuxi citizens can choose to transfer from Shanghai or Xiamen North to the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.