Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has started to road-test self-driving robotaxis in West Kowloon for a shuttle between the West Kowloon high-speed rail hub and the Airport Express station at Kowloon, a service set to debut in the second quarter of the coming year.

In a written statement on Wednesday, the operator said four of Baidu’s sixth‑generation Apollo autonomous vehicles are being used in the trial, which are to operate on designated routes between the two stations.

The cars, built by Beijing-based technology group Baidu, were demonstrated on Lantau Island in July.

Apollo Go, the project’s contractor, reported a smooth first day of on-road testing, with the robotaxis running safely and stably on the trial stretches of the city’s often busy and labyrinthine roads.

The new link, once operational, will provide travelers with a direct, autonomous transfer between the two stations, sparing them the walk through Elements shopping mall, which is among the most frequented routes between the two stations.

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Upon service launch, a dedicated counter will also be set up at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to offer in-town check-in and baggage drop-off services, according to Wednesday’s statement.

Closer integration between the High Speed Rail and Airport Express would help reinforce the synergy of Hong Kong’s rail-air intermodal services and give the city’s long-term prospects a boost, said Wilson Kwong Wing-tsuen, MTR’s Hong Kong Transport Services director, noting that high-speed rail has become a popular cross-border travel option.

“We will collaborate closely with Airport Authority to complete the road trial as scheduled and work towards launching the service upon obtaining the necessary approvals from relevant departments,” he said.

The MTR Corporation said the robotaxis would run without passengers for the opening phase of the trial, though a safety operator will stay in the vehicle to monitor the system and take over manually should anything go awry.

The company added that it will maintain a close partnership with the contractor as the trials unfolded, reviewing results before making a gradual move toward tests with passengers, subject to the Transport Department’s approval.

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MTR said that further operational details, including the target passenger groups, would be announced in due course. The announcement made no reference to fare arrangements.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com