'HK-Shenzhen Transport' ↓

At the moment, Lo Wu Control Point is the most used and crowded border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. To lessen the crowd using Lo Wu Control Point, a new control point, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point 落馬洲分綫管制站 at Hong Kong side (or, Fu Tian Port Control Point 福田口岸管制站 at Shenzhen side) has been in operation since August 2007.

　Fu Tian Port Control Point

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line /Fu Tian Port Control Point is the second control point that has connection with railway, after Lo Wu. Passengers coming from Hong Kong can connect to the HuangGang station, the last stop on the No.4 line of Shenzhen underground railway system. The Station is situated on the ground floor of the border control building. So it is convenient for passengers.

But since the opening of the new Control Point, not as many passengers as expected are using it. This is because the area around Fu Tian Port Control Point is not as much developed as Lo Wu and there is not much choice in terms of transportation. So most of the passengers still prefer Lo Wu border crossing.

But as a traveler, if you want to go to Shenzhen from Hong Kong, and avoid the crowd, do consider Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Fu Tian Port Control Point. It will be less crowded, and the border control building is very spacious and bright.

 (Lok Ma Chau station)

The easiest way to reach the Control Point from Hong Kong is take the Hong Kong MTR East Rail line to the Shueng Shui station and transfer from there to Lok Ma Chau station, just one station away.

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point at Hong Kong side is connected to the Fu Tian Port Control Point by a footbridge.

The Control Point operates 16 hours a day from 6.30am to 10.30pm.

Following my previous posting about the express direct bus service between Kowloon Station, Hong Kong and Shenzhen Airport, here’s more detail:

Bus company name: Chinalink Bus Company Limited

Website: http://www.chinalink.hk/co_service_routes17.html (in Chinese only)

Hotline (Hong Kong): (852) 2230 3030

Whole journey time: 75 minutes - fast

Through: Shenzhen Hong Kong West Corridor, with Hong Kong/mainland China checkpoints under one roof – convenient

Cost: HK$100

Departing from Hong Kong:

7:15 – 19:15 daily; two buses departing hourly; at :15 and at :45 (7:15, 7;45, 8:15, 8:45, 9:15, etc)

Ticketing office: 1/F, Elements Shopping Mall, at Kowloon Station (Exit C, Kowloon Station of Hong Kong MTR)

Departing from Shenzhen Airport:

9:30 – 21:00 daily; two buses departing hourly; at :30 and at :00 (09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, etc)

Ticketing office: A08, B04 counters, Arrival Hall, Shenzhen Airport

If you leave for Hong Kong from Shenzhen airport (or vice versa), you have three choices:

1) Take direct bus

There is an old and existing way of bus transport, as described here. But the new direct bus service departing from /to Hong Kong’s Airport Express station Kowloon Station is especially convenient and fast. See my post on the service here and here.

2) take the bus K568 from Shenzhen airport to Lowu, Shenzhen

The bus journey is 45 minutes,  about every 15 minutes, costing about RMB20. But some part of the road is bumpy and traffic jam is common. So be prepared that the journey takes longer than specified. The bus stops at the Lowu Commercial City Building. The border crossing/passport control building is just next door and there are signs around to indicate the direction. So you won’t have problem finding your way.

 (the building upfront is the port of entry building; at the left of the photo is the Lowu Commercial City Building)

Once you are done with first, China side’s passport control, and then Hong Kong side’s passport control, you land right away at the Hong Kong railway station Lowu, from where the train will take you to almost all parts of the city, including hotspots such as Central, Mongkok and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Note that before, Hong Kong had two rail systems, one KCRC, over the railway system, another MTR, over the underground system. But since 2 December 2007, the two companies/systems have merged and now all the railway/MTR services come under control of one company - MTR Corporation Limited. Click here to view its website for Hong Kong’s whole range of train services.

3) take the ferry

Take the shuttle bus from Shenzhen airport to Shenzhen’s Fu Yong pier (only a couple of minutes drive), from where there is ferry to China Hong Kong City Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, or to Macau Ferry in Sheung Wan (near Central), or to Sky Pier at Hong Kong International Airport. The sea journey takes about 1 hour.

See here for schedule and price. The ticket price covers both the shuttle bus and the ferry.

I mentioned in my previous post about the direct bus service between Hong Kong and Shenzhen Airport via the Hong Kong - Shenzhen Western Corridor. This bus service departing from the Kowloon Station of Hong Kong Airport Express has the advantage of passport control under one roof, i.e. convenience. The whole journey takes about 75 minutes only.

Actually there has been another bus service running between Hong Kong and Shenzhen Airport for some years via Huanggang checkpoint, which takes about 3 hours and the passport control is inconveniently under two roofs. That means when the bus arrives at Huanggang, the bus passengers must get off and go for Hong Kong side’s passport control. They then get on the bus, and be driven to the Shenzhen side’s passport control building. They get off the bus again, and get on the bus again after the passport control is finished.

The new bus service for Shenzhen Airport is obviously a lot more convenient and quicker. But the old bus service can provide an alternative in terms of departing time and departing locations. You can take the bus from the Hong Kong International Airport, Prince Edward of Kowloon, or Hong Kong Disney Land. It costs differently, ranging from HK$90 to HK$180, depending on the departing location.

If you come from Shenzhen Airport to arrive at Hong Kong, you can be dropped off at Prince Edward MTR station or Wanchai Ferry Pier.

The bus company is called Trans-Islands Chinalink. Its service and ticket centre in Hong Kong is at
 
G/F., 364 D Portland Street, Prince Edward, Kowloon
Tel：(852) 2336-1111

You can also buy bus tickets at:
-Hong Kong International Airport (Kiosk A09, Arrival Hall HK International Airport, opposite to Exit A)
-Shenzhen Airport (Kiosk A and Kiosk B, Arrival Hall Shenzhen Bao An Airport)
-Branches of Wing On Travel, Hong Kong
-MTR Travel Service Centre at Hong Kong Station 
-Branches of Gray Line Tours, Hong Kong
-Branches of China Travel Services, Hong Kong

For the bus timetable, check out here.

Hong Kong is the gateway to China and understandably there are many flights each day from Hong Kong to major China cities. But flying is not cheap. A sure way to save money is go to Hong Kong ’s neighboring city Shenzhen and fly from there. As it now becomes the domestic flight, the flight ticket will cost a lot less.

The good news is, you can now check-in in Hong Kong for flights from Shenzhen Airport. The Shenzhen Airport authority has set up a flight waiting room in the shopping mall right above the Kowloon Station of Hong Kong Airport Express. After check-in, you can just take the direct bus to Shenzhen Airport from Kowloon Station via the newly opened Hong Kong-Shenzhen Wesetern Corridor port of entry (this entry is convenient as the passport control of Hong Kong and China sides is carried out under one roof - in the same building. See picture below of the facade of the building).

The aforementioned through-bus is a new service, the first of its kind, launched at the same time as the Kowloon Station check-in service. Buses depart almost every half an hour, running from 7:30am to 5pm at Hong Kong side, and from 10am to 9pm at Shenzhen side. The whole journey costs HK$90 and takes about 75 minutes.