The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today conducted a second cross-boundary stress test at the Huanggang Port in collaboration with relevant Shenzhen units, with over 20,000 civil servants participating.
The drill focused on testing peak carrying capacity by further increasing passenger and vehicular flows. It marked the first test of joint one-stop vehicle lanes for vehicle clearance.
Automobile associations, other associations, and chambers of commerce were invited to assist in recruiting private vehicles permitted to travel between the two places.
The vehicles participated in cyclical trials, with more than 1,000 vehicle trips being made to test the operation of the lane systems and vehicular flow management.
Participating vehicles were instructed to enter the port through the new connecting road in batches. They underwent risk assessment at the customs front kiosk, then entered the joint one-stop vehicle lanes for five-party inspection, completing clearance procedures for the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection and Shenzhen Customs, as well as Hong Kong’s Customs & Excise Department, Department of Health and Immigration Department. This was carried out using integrated information collection devices next to the lanes, and involved the collection of body temperature and travel document data, as well as facial features and fingerprints.
The drill also simulated scenarios such as passengers disembarking and proceeding to the immigration clearance hall, as well as vehicles being selected at the customs front kiosks to proceed to the inspection area for inspections. Vehicles participating in the drill first departed and then returned to the Hong Kong Port Area via the Shenzhen side’s vehicle clearance level.
To assess the port’s capacity under sustained ultra-high passenger flows, over 20,000 civil servants from more than 70 bureaus and departments were mobilised.
Participants were instructed to take various public transport options to arrive at the port. They passed through the collaborative inspection automated channels or manual counters to depart from the Hong Kong Port Area. After returning from the Shenzhen side, they left the port by taking vehicles dispatched by public transport operators, undergoing cyclical trials involving more than 600 departures.
The stress test also advanced the “crowd concentrated-flow test” by releasing large batches of people several times within a short period of time to create greater crowd pressure.
This simulated a situation where a large number of passengers arrive in Hong Kong via the Huanggang Port during peak hours and take different public transport options, including franchised buses, minibuses, cross-boundary coaches, and taxis, at the public transport interchange.
The Fire Services Department also conducted a fire drill, simulating an electric vehicle catching fire. Personnel from the Huanggang Fire Station fought the fire with water jets and used specialised equipment such as high-pressure fog applicators and fire blankets to extinguish the blaze. Ambulance personnel were also on-site to treat the injured.
Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung inspected the drill on-site and held a meeting with participating departments immediately afterwards to review procedures and participants’ feedback.
Meetings will be arranged between the relevant Hong Kong and Shenzhen units to review and identify areas for improvement in the management of passenger and vehicular traffic, emergency response arrangements and collaborative mechanisms, in order to ensure the port’s safe and smooth operation and a positive passenger experience.
To support travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland for Hong Kong residents, both places will implement an arrangement allowing Hong Kong residents who hold both Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, commonly known as the Home Visit Permit, and a Hong Kong identity card, to choose to use either their identity card or Home Visit Permit at the first gate in the collaborative inspection automated channels, in order to complete immigration clearance procedures for both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, regardless of whether they are travelling northbound or southbound.
Representatives from various bureaus, departments and organisations participated in the drill, including the Security Bureau, the Transport & Logistics Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the Police Force, the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Immigration Department, the Customs & Excise Department, the Department of Health, the Fire Services Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department, the Government Property Agency, the Digital Policy Office, the Office of the Communications Authority, the Food& Environmental Hygiene Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, the Civil Aid Service, and the Auxiliary Medical Service. Various public transport operators also participated.