HONG KONG -- The long-haul services of the Express Rail Link (XRL) Hong Kong Section fully resumed on Saturday, connecting the financial hub with destinations outside the neighboring Guangdong province.

Over 30,000 passengers are expected to take bullet trains to the mainland on Saturday, according to forecast by the MTR Corporation.

Tickets for trains departing early for destinations such as Xiamen and Beijing have already been sold out.

People queued up to purchase cross-border tickets for the next 14 days at the West Kowloon Station, terminus of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong XRL, which connects Hong Kong with the mainland's high-speed rail network.

The XRL operation has been smooth since its resumption of short-haul services on Jan 15.