HONG KONG, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- A transport official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Thursday that the Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway will start operation on Sept. 23.

Secretary for Transport and Housing of the HKSAR government Frank Chan told a press conference that the cross-border high-speed railway will offer direct services to 44 mainland destinations, among which 38 to be long-haul destinations.

According to Chan, the first train will depart at 7 a.m. local time on Sept. 23 from Hong Kong's West Kowloon station to Shenzhenbei station, with the price of the second-class train ticket to be at 86 Hong Kong dollars (about 10.96 U.S. dollars) for the 26-km section.