Lawmakers blame Huanggang Port queues on confusion, traffic surge and system issues

The revamped Huanggang Port in Hong Kong processed over 152,000 crossings on Sunday, with some travelers experiencing lengthy queues of up to two hours. Lawmakers attributed the congestion to a lack of familiarity with the new clearance procedures, a surge in traffic, and computer system reboots. The Immigration Department reported that the port handled 152,068 crossings, with 77,166 outbound trips and 74,902 inbound journeys.

A majority of the travelers were Hongkongers at 133,265, while mainland visitors made up 16,832 trips. The facility is designed to handle up to 300,000 travelers and 15,000 vehicles daily. The Security Bureau issued a "busy" advisory due to the surge in cross-border travel during the Chung Yeung Festival break. Some mainland visitors reported waiting for more than two hours.

Lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan, chair of the Legislative Council's transport panel, suggested that unfamiliarity with the new "collaborative inspection and joint immigration clearance" model was the main cause of congestion. Computer systems at the immigration counters also slowed after running for extended periods, requiring reboots, which further lengthened queues.

Lawmaker Chong Ho-fung noted that the queues were expected given the high number of travelers during the festival peak, with more than 40,000 people crossing at Huanggang between 10am and 2pm on Sunday. He urged authorities to improve publicity on registration procedures and eligibility requirements for the new automated channels.