(Yicai Global) Aug. 24 -- The Hong Kong sectionoftheGuangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail willgointo use on Sept. 23. The first train will depart from HongKong's West Kowloon Station at 7.00a.m.on that day,withits destination Shenzhen North Station. The shortest travel time is 19 minutes.

TheHong KongSpecial Administrative Region government officially announcedthislatest news Aug. 23.

The opening of this sectionconnectsHong Kongto the mainland high-speed railway network,and thustrains departing fromitwill be able to reach the mainland's 44 stations, includingsixshort-distance stations and 38 long-distance stations, said Chen Fan, director of Hong Kong SAR's Transport and Housing Bureau.

The 38 long-distance stations mainly include large and medium-sized cities such as Shantou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Nanchang, Hangzhou,andShanghai in Southeast China, Changsha, Wuhan, Zhengzhou in China's central region, Guiyang, Guilin, Kunming in Southwest China, and ShijiazhuangandBeijing in North China.

It takes 14 minutes to arrive Shenzhen Futian, the nearest station toHong Kong, and the ticket price is around USD10. The farthest station fromHong Kongis Beijing, which takes 8 hours and 56 minutesto arriveatandcostsUSD156 foraticket.

"The current focus of theHong Kongsection oftheGuangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway is short-distance travel, which benefits the creation of a one-hour living circle and a quality living circle fortheGuangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area. It will also promote the flow of personnelwithintheBay Area and accelerate regional construction," Tan Gang, vice president of Shenzhen'spartyschool,toldYicai Global.

Editor: Ben Armour