The official 12306 train service app indicated that all classes of tickets from Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Station to 14 of the 16 new mainland stops were fully booked from Friday through next Sunday, just ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday starting on February 17.

Nanjing and Wuxi in Jiangsu province and Hefei in Anhui were among the most sought-after new destinations.

All three classes of seats on the only train departing from Hong Kong and arriving at Nanjing South between Friday and next Sunday were sold out.

The cheapest second-class adult ticket for the seven-hour journey costs HK$1,028 (US$131.54) while the most expensive business-class fare is HK$3,168. The train, which also stops at Wuxi East after around eight hours from Hong Kong, has all seats to that station reserved, with prices ranging from HK$1,132 to HK$3,529.

All seats to Hefei South on the same train were also sold out, with fares ranging between HK$953 and HK$2,944.