The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link handled 86,000 passenger trips from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Chinese mainland on Friday, setting a new single-day record amid a surge of northbound travel during the Qingming Festival holiday, according to the China Railway Guangzhou Group.

The railway operated 239 passenger trains that day, carrying a total of 119,000 passengers.

The railway line is expected to transport more than 600,000 passengers from Friday to Tuesday, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent and highlighting the strong momentum of mobility.

The strong passenger flow reflects robust enthusiasm among Hong Kong residents for tomb-sweeping, sightseeing and shopping during the Qingming Festival holiday, with the high-speed rail emerging as their preferred mode of travel.

Popular destinations for Hong Kong travelers have expanded beyond Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chaoshan to inland cities such as Chongqing and Guilin.

From morning tea in Shenzhen to concerts in Guangzhou and culinary tours in Chaozhou, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong “one-hour living circle” has evolved from simple shopping trips into a comprehensive experience encompassing catering, accommodation, culture, sports and entertainment, accelerating economic integration between the two regions.

To cope with surging passenger flows, Shenzhen railway authorities have implemented a "daily-adjusted train diagram" scheduling mechanism, operating an average of more than 230 cross-border passenger trains daily to maximize capacity and meet travel demand.