New Huanggang Port, which opened on 12 October, experienced congestion during the Chung Yeung holiday period. Conditions were reported to have improved in the days afterwards.
Customs Commissioner Chan Tsz-tat said the bottleneck was not in the Customs hall. He attributed the longer crossing times to travellers who had not registered in advance for the co-inspection channel and had to complete permit procedures on site. Families travelling with children also took longer to cross, he said.
Customs had moved staff from other ports, reduced frontline staff leave and rehired a small number of retired personnel. Chan said he believed the crossing experience would improve as travellers adapted to the new arrangements.
For vehicles using the five-in-one lane, clearance usually took about one to two minutes. Private-car passengers must leave the vehicle for inspection in a separate hall, so at busy times a car may clear before its passengers, or wait for them.
In an on-site report on 24 October, Star Headline described orderly movement and clear routes at the port. One frequent user of the old port told the outlet that completing the crossing took about 15 minutes from arrival.