Hong Kong to Macao on the World's Longest Bridge-Tunnel Sea Crossing
Nov 12, 2018, 6:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,506
Hong Kong to Macao on the World's Longest Bridge-Tunnel Sea Crossing
The Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge is the longest bridge and tunnel sea crossing in the world. The idea first surfaced in 1983 from a local businessman. At the time, the bridge was intended to help strengthen Hong Kong port's reach in the Pearl River Delta. China's state planner and the Hong Kong government took notice in 2003, and construction of the 55km project finally began in 2009. Almost USD$7 billion later, the project opened on October 24, 2018.
Just weeks earlier, Hong Kong was connected to China's vast high-speed train network, but poor patronage dampened the excitement. I wasn't sure whether the same fate would befall the bridge, so I went to try it out on a weekend.
The bridge starts on an artificial island just east of the airport where exit immigration takes place. To get there, I could take some airport buses that have been extended to the "port", or a regular city bus from either Sunny Bay or Tung Chung MTR stations.
Half an hour later, the bus pulled into the immigration building, which has a large canopy to shelter passengers from the elements.
The immigration building is spacious and the counters / kiosks are only a short walk away from the entrance. However, food options are quite sparse and there is very little available here for a proper meal.
No lines to exit Hong Kong here.
Bus tickets for Macau or Zhuhai are available after immigration. If buying with Octopus card or Chinese mobile payment apps, there are kiosks that get the job done quickly. However, credit cards are not accepted. A 1-way ticket costs 65 dollars but they don't offer roundtrip tickets.
A short walk away is the exit to the buses. The bridge goes to both Macao and Zhuhai, China. The bus station is perpendicular to the immigration building with a thin canopy that can barely protect you from the sun, let alone a rainstorm.
Unlike the ferries that travel frequently to Macau, bus tickets are not for specific departures so you have to line up and wait patiently.
The first few weekends have seen enormous crowds and confusion as the bus company could not keep up with the demand even with departures every few minutes. This won't be an under-utilized white elephant project like the high-speed train.
No standing room is allowed for the 40-minute journey. The first elevated section runs parallel to the airport before entering the wide mouth of the Pearl River. Views on the right side were decent as the cargo area is usually elusive to the public and not so visible from the terminal's windows.
Just after leaving Hong Kong waters, the bridge section ends and a tunnel begins that is over 6km long.
Traffic on the bridge was very light on the first few days of opening as vehicle numbers were severely restricted. Many roads leading to the bridge on the Hong Kong and Macau sides were not yet ready, while licensing complications required drivers to have permits from all 3 jurisdictions in order to use the link. Lantau's vast emptiness rises in the background.
With so little traffic, the question is whether bus service can be even further ramped up, or they need to fit a rail line on here eventually?
The entire length of the link follows mainland Chinese road rules with vehicles driving on the right, which is opposite that of Hong Kong and Macau. Notice the road signs use mainland route numbering and simplified characters.
After the major bridge sections, Zhuhai's buildings start appearing closer behind the islands.
We pulled into a massive reclaimed island and looped around for a bit before reaching the giant Macao immigration building.
If you have mobility issues, stick with the ferries. There are long walks and several escalator rides from the bus drop-off to the immigration checkpoint. The building was eeringly empty and I completed my formalities at the kiosk in seconds. Did they need that big a space when the buses were spaced out?
Upon exiting, head to the bus stop for the 2 bus routes into the city. Public transport to the checkpoint is a sore point on this side. Unlike the immigration area, this section was crowded as the frequencies could not meet up with demand. Both routes cost MOP/HKD$6. Unfortunately, this would be an awful way to end the journey to Macao.
The bridge has been a major hit over the past few weekends, with tens of thousands of visitors using the crossing, beating initial expectations. Hordes of tourists from China have descended into the sleepy suburb of Tung Chung on recent weekends, straining services that were not built for these day trippers. Allegations of illegal tour groups coming into town have surfaced, and residents have complained of noise, overcrowding, and litter from the sudden deluge of people. While the bridge may seem to make travel to Macao easier for us, the whole process is still a bit messy with multiple transfers and inadequate public transport on the Macao side.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-bridge.htm
Just weeks earlier, Hong Kong was connected to China's vast high-speed train network, but poor patronage dampened the excitement. I wasn't sure whether the same fate would befall the bridge, so I went to try it out on a weekend.
The bridge starts on an artificial island just east of the airport where exit immigration takes place. To get there, I could take some airport buses that have been extended to the "port", or a regular city bus from either Sunny Bay or Tung Chung MTR stations.
Half an hour later, the bus pulled into the immigration building, which has a large canopy to shelter passengers from the elements.
The immigration building is spacious and the counters / kiosks are only a short walk away from the entrance. However, food options are quite sparse and there is very little available here for a proper meal.
No lines to exit Hong Kong here.
Bus tickets for Macau or Zhuhai are available after immigration. If buying with Octopus card or Chinese mobile payment apps, there are kiosks that get the job done quickly. However, credit cards are not accepted. A 1-way ticket costs 65 dollars but they don't offer roundtrip tickets.
A short walk away is the exit to the buses. The bridge goes to both Macao and Zhuhai, China. The bus station is perpendicular to the immigration building with a thin canopy that can barely protect you from the sun, let alone a rainstorm.
Unlike the ferries that travel frequently to Macau, bus tickets are not for specific departures so you have to line up and wait patiently.
The first few weekends have seen enormous crowds and confusion as the bus company could not keep up with the demand even with departures every few minutes. This won't be an under-utilized white elephant project like the high-speed train.
No standing room is allowed for the 40-minute journey. The first elevated section runs parallel to the airport before entering the wide mouth of the Pearl River. Views on the right side were decent as the cargo area is usually elusive to the public and not so visible from the terminal's windows.
Just after leaving Hong Kong waters, the bridge section ends and a tunnel begins that is over 6km long.
Traffic on the bridge was very light on the first few days of opening as vehicle numbers were severely restricted. Many roads leading to the bridge on the Hong Kong and Macau sides were not yet ready, while licensing complications required drivers to have permits from all 3 jurisdictions in order to use the link. Lantau's vast emptiness rises in the background.
With so little traffic, the question is whether bus service can be even further ramped up, or they need to fit a rail line on here eventually?
The entire length of the link follows mainland Chinese road rules with vehicles driving on the right, which is opposite that of Hong Kong and Macau. Notice the road signs use mainland route numbering and simplified characters.
After the major bridge sections, Zhuhai's buildings start appearing closer behind the islands.
We pulled into a massive reclaimed island and looped around for a bit before reaching the giant Macao immigration building.
If you have mobility issues, stick with the ferries. There are long walks and several escalator rides from the bus drop-off to the immigration checkpoint. The building was eeringly empty and I completed my formalities at the kiosk in seconds. Did they need that big a space when the buses were spaced out?
Upon exiting, head to the bus stop for the 2 bus routes into the city. Public transport to the checkpoint is a sore point on this side. Unlike the immigration area, this section was crowded as the frequencies could not meet up with demand. Both routes cost MOP/HKD$6. Unfortunately, this would be an awful way to end the journey to Macao.
The bridge has been a major hit over the past few weekends, with tens of thousands of visitors using the crossing, beating initial expectations. Hordes of tourists from China have descended into the sleepy suburb of Tung Chung on recent weekends, straining services that were not built for these day trippers. Allegations of illegal tour groups coming into town have surfaced, and residents have complained of noise, overcrowding, and litter from the sudden deluge of people. While the bridge may seem to make travel to Macao easier for us, the whole process is still a bit messy with multiple transfers and inadequate public transport on the Macao side.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-bridge.htm
Nov 13, 2018, 4:55 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,506
HKD - cheaper than the ferries by a wide margin
It was initially conceived as an economic project, although the recent political climate got some speculation going on the integration of Hong Kong with neighbouring Chinese regions. In the past year, all the government talk on the "Greater Bay Area" paraded on this bridge and how it would make commuting easier, yet studies have shown locals have little interest in doing that.
Private vehicles are allowed but they need to do some paperwork to obtain approvals from Hong Kong, Chinese, and Macao authorities. The government is intentionally limiting the numbers initially as construction of the lead-up roads is still not complete. Local bus companies have been caught off guard by the short notice opening date, which was entirely controlled by the Chinese side.
Private vehicles are allowed but they need to do some paperwork to obtain approvals from Hong Kong, Chinese, and Macao authorities. The government is intentionally limiting the numbers initially as construction of the lead-up roads is still not complete. Local bus companies have been caught off guard by the short notice opening date, which was entirely controlled by the Chinese side.
Nov 13, 2018, 1:33 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 2,350
Excellent, detailed & useful report, thanks! I had wanted to try this journey but am not so keen now, given the lengthy duration and multiple transfers required. From Sheung Wan or Central, it would seem the hydrofoil is still the faster and easier way to go.
Nov 14, 2018, 12:17 am
#12
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Here today gone tomorrow
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Posts: 2,865
On the other hand, this may kill the HK ferry from airport to Macau entirely--it's about 1/3 the price and that ferry was limited in terms of departures, required almost as many transfers and annoyances as the bus looks to have. Bus is probably way faster although requires entry and exit from HK (not a problem for most nationalities anyway). I would certainly try it if I were coming into HKIA and going to Macau right away--nowadays I mostly go to Sheung Wan because of the time limitations of the HKIA direct ferry.
Nov 14, 2018, 5:32 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,506
The whole bridge follows mainland China's driving standard, so there is no crossover at all. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, entering buses are directed downstairs while departing buses leave from upstairs, so there is no switchover either.
Nov 15, 2018, 10:51 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,576
Thanks for the info!
Nov 15, 2018, 11:46 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: ORD (formerly SAN)
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Posts: 1,929
On the other hand, this may kill the HK ferry from airport to Macau entirely--it's about 1/3 the price and that ferry was limited in terms of departures, required almost as many transfers and annoyances as the bus looks to have. Bus is probably way faster although requires entry and exit from HK (not a problem for most nationalities anyway). I would certainly try it if I were coming into HKIA and going to Macau right away--nowadays I mostly go to Sheung Wan because of the time limitations of the HKIA direct ferry.