Passengers to Macau can now use Hong Kong’s other two terminals or travel by road, says the government

The government is repossessing Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal after ferry operator TurboJet quit its Macau-Tuen Mun route

Ferry operator TurboJet has abandoned the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, planning to hand the keys back to the government on 8 June when it formally shutters the Macau-Tuen Mun ferry route.

The terminal has lain idle since January 2020 when ferry services between Macau and Tuen Mun were suspended under Covid-19 laws.

The government says existing infrastructure will be able to cope with cross-boundary passengers in the meantime.

“China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan have sufficient capacity to cope with the need of cross-boundary ferry passengers. Upon resumption of cross-boundary passenger ferry services, the public can use these two terminals for ferry services between Hong Kong and Macao. In addition, the newly commissioned Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Tunnel together with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge also provide an alternative for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Macau,” says a government spokesperson.

The future of the Tuen Mun terminal is uncertain for now – the government says it will assess “any public demand for water transport services and requests from ferry service operators, so as to put [the pier] into gainful us where possible.”

It is thought the adjacent Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, which serves Fortune Ferry’s Tuen Mun – Tung Chung – Sha Lo Wan – Tai O route, will remain in service.

Last October, campaigners floated the idea of a Tuen Mun/Central ferry route, 20 years after that service last ran. Benny Ho Siu-kin, with think tank 香港公共交通智庫 (Public Transport Think Tank of Hong Kong), says the commute from Tuen Mun has become unbearable, with daily traffic accidents, congestion, illegal parking and roadworks. A ferry, taking 40 minutes flat, might be a better option, Ho told Transit Jam.

Last year, campaigners proposed a new ferry service using the now-idle ferry terminal