A tourist train celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover will leave Shanghai for the administrative region on March 20.

 

Nine other trains will make the return trip to Hong Kong this year, the Shanghai Railway International Travel Service under the Shanghai Railway Administration said on Wednesday. Dates have not yet been decided.

 

Passengers leaving on March 20 will reach Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on the early morning of March 22. After passing through customs there, they will then go to Hong Kong by bus. Tourists will get back on the train on March 25, the agency said.

 

The tour costs 700 yuan (US$90.5).

 

"The trip is suitable for seniors and those who are not willing to travel by air," said an agency official surnamed Zhang.

 

The tourist train has 200 seats for Shanghai people, and 800 for tourists from other provinces in the Yangtze River Delta area. Zhang said tickets for March 20 were almost sold out.

 

The cost of a tour by air to Hong Kong soared to about 3,000 yuan during Christmas and the Spring Festival. It now costs about 1,500 to 2,000 yuan.

 

(Shanghai Daily March 9, 2007)