Nearly 1 Million HK Residents Crossed Border Over Weekend as Bridge Faces Severe Congestion
HK01 · 4 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong's cross-border travel hit a new high this weekend as the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday drew to a close on Sunday (September 27, 2026). The Transport Department issued alerts that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Zhuhai Port's vehicle clearance area was experiencing heavy congestion, with queues extending beyond 500 metres and processing times exceeding 40 minutes. Data from the Immigration Department showed that over the Friday and Saturday period, nearly 970,000 Hong Kong residents left the city while approximately 610,000 returned, creating a net population outflow of about 360,000 — a significant 60 percent surge compared to the previous weekend's 224,000 net outflow.
Key Points
- The Immigration Department recorded approximately 1.245 million cross-border passenger movements on Saturday alone, with 561,000 inbound and 684,000 outbound trips
- A total of 488,000 Hong Kong residents departed over the weekend, with over 80 percent — nearly 400,000 — using land and water crossings rather than air routes
- The Lo Wu (Luohu) Border Gate recorded the highest number of departures at 117,000, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Shenzhen-Futian) at 108,000
- The bridge's Zhuhai Port small passenger vehicle lanes were classified as "extremely peak" status, with vehicle queues over 500 metres and wait times reaching 40 minutes
- Returning Hong Kong residents numbered 368,000 on Saturday, a figure consistent with previous weekends
Why It Matters
The substantial 60 percent increase in net population outflow demonstrates the growing preference among Hong Kong residents for cross-border travel during extended holidays, placing significant pressure on border infrastructure. As the city processes this influx of returning residents, the congestion highlights the need for expanded capacity at major crossing points and improved real-time traffic management systems to handle peak-period demand more effectively .
The substantial 60 percent increase in net population outflow demonstrates the growing preference among Hong Kong residents for cross-border travel during extended holidays, placing significant pressure on border infrastructure. As the city processes this influx of returning residents, the congestion highlights the need for expanded capacity at major crossing points and improved real-time traffic management systems to handle peak-period demand more effectively .