'Flexible XRL tickets are not what people really want'
Express rail passengers on Monday welcomed the MTR's move to allow more changes to booked tickets to Futian, but a lawmaker called for advance sales to be scrapped altogether. From now on, people can choose a different train to the one they originally booked – beforehand or up to an hour after the departure time – with a maximum of three changes allowed. Previously, ticket holders could only switch trains once, and only before the original train's departure time. Despite the greater flexibility, Roundtable legislator Michael Tien said he is disappointed with the new policy because it is not what people actually want. "The basic market demand now.... is for being able to buy a brand new ticket, on demand, at a very short notice," he told RTHK. "The only way to do that is to offer standing-room tickets right on the spot, no earlier than 45 minutes before departure, and no pre-sales."  DAB councillor Ben Chan, meanwhile, said the new measure offers passengers heading to Futian greater flexibility and he hopes it can be extended to other stations in Guangdong. Express rail traveller Stewart Corbett told RTHK that multiple changes to tickets are good for when people's plans change. "I usually travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong regularly and there are times it's just going to be a weekend trip, there might be some last minute changes that happen. So having that availability, that flexibility to change multiple times before I actually have to leave is definitely beneficial to me," he said.