News

Luohu crossings sped up

22 Mar 2009

The new express e-channel at Luohu (also Lowu) has shaved four seconds off the previous 12 seconds it took Hongkong residents to clear the smart channel.

Luohu, the busiest checkpoint between Hongkong and Shenzhen, has been easier to pass through since March 2 when 10 express e-lanes were installed. Instead of inserting a smart identity card into the machine, users, aged 18 and above, need only place it on an optical reader, which confirms their identity with their fingerprint stored on back-end servers.

This service is now available at the arrival and departure hall of the Luohu checkpoint. So far, it has attracted about 20,000 users daily.

“We will conduct a comprehensive review when the trial ends six months from now and decide whether the express service should be extended to other checkpoints,” said Kwan Chan Suet-mui, Hongkong Immigration Department assistant director Kwan Chan Suet-mui. 

Regular commuter Haley Rice, who visits his shoelace factory in Shezhen regularly, was all praise for the streamlined procedures. "I hate crowds of any sort, so when the e-channels were installed, I was ecstatic. I am more so now that technology has made possible an express service.

"I look forward to the time when the Shenzhen side will offer this kind of service as well."

For more details, visit www.immd.gov.hk

Katie Tam


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