In-town check-in services at Hong Kong Station will resume tomorrow after more than three years of the pandemic – but only for Cathay Pacific flights for now.
Announcing the news yesterday, the MTRC said staff check-in counters would be open from 6am to 3pm daily. Self-check-in devices will also be installed at Hong Kong Stations, enabling passengers to self-check-in at counters.
Passengers can check-in and collect boarding passes between 90 minutes and 24 hours before flight departure, during service hours.
However, city check-in services at Kowloon stations will remain closed.
MTRC transportation services director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said they would communicate with other airlines to provide in-city check-in.
The Airport Express will also resume service to pre-Covid levels from tomorrow, with trains running every 10 minutes instead of 10 to 15 minutes.
Marking the 25th anniversary of the Airport Express, a total of 75,000 free one-way Airport Express tickets will be given out on July 11, 18 and 25, with 25,000 tickets on each of the three Tuesdays. Another HK$10 25,000 MTR voucher will also be offered on August 1.
One has to register an account on the MTR mobile app to claim the prizes which will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.
Special trains will also serve passengers from tomorrow to December 31, stations are decorated from July 6 to August 31.
The Airport Express 25th Anniversary theme song featuring singer-songwriter Ivana Wong Yuen-chi as lead singer will be released today along with a music video. Wong will appear in a flash mob event at Hong Kong Station on Thursday. Airport Express mascot KT Chai will also visit various stations during the period.
Meanwhile, the MTRC apologized for the disruption of high-speed rail services at West Kowloon station on Saturday.
Thousands of passengers were stranded at the station for nearly four hours due to signal interruption. Four trains had to be canceled and 10 trains postponed.
Cross-border segment head Cheung Chi-keung said the High Speed Rail operating system is different from the local one and they have to work with the mainland to maintain train service in the event of an incident at one of the signaling stations.
Cheung explained that the cause was due to a failure at a signal station near West Kowloon Station and the MTR had initiated a thorough investigation into the incident.
“Our team is currently investigating the causes as well as potential actions we can take to prevent such incidents from recurring,” Cheung said.
He added that his party was also reviewing the handling of the incident, including announcements to passengers and assistance given to affected passengers.
