Passengers are seen at the waiting hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, on May 5, 2024. China witnessed an increase of passenger trips on the last day of the five-day May Day holiday. Photo: Xinhua

More high-speed trains operating between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be launched on June 15, offering shorter transportation times, which will further facilitate cross-boundary travel and better integrate Hong Kong into China's overall development.

Two pairs of high-speed overnight trains with sleepers - the D909/910 departing from Beijing West Railway Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the D907/908 departing from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to West Kowloon Station - will replace previous express trains, China Railway said in a WeChat post on Tuesday. 

The HKSAR government on Tuesday said in a statement that it welcomed the launch of the high-speed overnight trains. 

"The upgraded train services will further meet the demand of travelers for cross-boundary travel and facilitate exchanges between people of the two places, which is of great significance in promoting people-to-people exchanges between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and facilitating Hong Kong's better integration into the country's overall development," John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the HKSAR, said in the statement. 

The travel time between Beijing and Hong Kong will be shortened from 24 hours 31 minutes to just 12 hours 34 minutes, and it will only take 11 hours 14 minutes to travel from Shanghai to Hong Kong, from the previous 19 hours and 34 minutes. 

The trains from Beijing and Shanghai to HKSAR have more advanced facilities and increased capacity with more than 600 seats.

The customs clearance time will also be greatly reduced as passengers only need to go through the process once in Hong Kong instead of being checked at both ends.

The high-speed overnight trains will stop at more stations along the way. The weekly number of high-speed overnight trains will increase from 14 to 16.

In addition, more trains will be allocated to run on different routes nationwide in a bid to bolster transportation efficiency between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

For instance, a new set of bullet trains will operate from Zhangjiajie, Central China's Hunan Province to Hong Kong starting June 15. The number of trains operating from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong will reach 127 pairs at its peak, covering 16 provinces.

Hong Kong connects to the high-speed railway network comprising 45,000 kilometers across the Chinese mainland.

The number of direct stations will increase to 78 from an initial 44 on June 15 and a minimum of 200 trains per day, providing convenient and efficient cross-boundary services for travelers from the two sides, according to the statement by the HKSAR government.

The National Immigration Administration in April unveiled new policies to facilitate business and people-to-people exchanges among the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.

For instance, Beijing and Shanghai will be included in the policy of multi-entry endorsements with a validity of one to five years for six designated categories of talent to travel to Hong Kong and Macao, allowing a stay of 30 days for each trip.