Hong Kong welcomes visitors to controversial express rail terminus ahead of official launch

Record ID: 1354475

  • Title: Hong Kong welcomes visitors to controversial express rail terminus ahead of official launch
  • Date: 1st September 2018
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 1, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VISITORS QUEUING AT THE KOWLOON WEST RAILWAY STATION COUPLE GETTING PHOTO TAKEN VISITORS QUEUING AT THE KOWLOON WEST RAILWAY STATION ANOTHER COUPLE GETTING PHOTO TAKEN HOLDING SIGN (ENGLISH AND CHINESE) "ILOVEHIGHSPEEDRAIL" TICKET SALES BOOTHS AT THE KOWLOON WEST RAILWAY STATION SIGN READING (ENGLISH AND CHINESE) "T
  • Embargoed: 15th September 2018 08:28
  • Keywords: Hong Kong high speed railway controversy visitors
  • Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
  • City: HONG KONG, CHINA
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0018VSNYV9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hong Kong's MTR Corporation held an open day at the West Kowloon Terminus for the controversial Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link on Saturday (September 1) before the train service starts on September 23 connecting Hong Kong with mainland China's 25,000 km. high speed rail network.
    A large crowd of visitors consisting mostly of local residents assembled at Kowloon West Station, taking photographs and looking at the facilities.
    "As a railway fan, I go to a lot of different countries to see the railway projects there. I have been to Japan, England, China and other places. So I am very glad to have received the MTR company's invitation to visit," said Alex So, 34.
    Hong Kong's legislature in June legislated to allow for mainland Chinese laws to apply inside some areas of the high-speed rail station. Critics say the "co-location" arrangement, also known as "one land, two checks" in Chinese, sets a dangerous precedent as they argue it violates the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, in which article 18 explicitly states national laws, with a few exceptions, do not apply in Hong Kong.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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