The commencement of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Raillink (XRL) in September will bring passengers a new cross-boundary railway connection to the Chinese mainland 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 National High-speed Rail Network, with more than 25,000 km of track.

Passengers can navigate the 400,000-square-meter Hong Kong West Kowloon Station with the help of 1,500 signs that have been installed to help customers find their way, while passengers also can see real-time train service information and boarding status from the 170 passenger information display screens.

A wide range of facilities will be available in the station to serve passengers with diverse needs, including 12 baby care rooms, 15 toilets for people with disabilities and barrier-free access points.

The high-speed rail will further secure Hong Kong's position as a regional transportation hub and is expected to bring about more economic opportunities.

Hong Kong's cooperation with the Chinese mainland has reached new heights, with the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area projects underway.

As a flagship infrastructure project, the new rail also will play an instrumental part in facilitating people-to-people exchanges, and the Bay Area could bring about equal treatment for Hong Kong and Macao residents living and working in the Bay Area.