MTR Corp has paid out HK$2.25 billion (about US$288 million) in connection with construction delays to Hong Kong's high-speed rail line, the South China Morning Post reports.

The payment addresses the financial consequences of the late completion of the cross-border rail project linking Hong Kong to the mainland Chinese network. The line, which connects West Kowloon terminus with Shenzhen and Guangzhou, ranks among the largest infrastructure investments in the territory's history.

Construction fell behind its original schedule, forcing the Hong Kong government and MTR — which operates the city's rail network and managed the project's construction — to negotiate compensation and revised cost arrangements. The HK$2.25 billion figure represents the amount MTR has now handed over in settlement of obligations arising from those delays.

The payout closes a chapter in one of the most scrutinised infrastructure projects in Hong Kong's recent history. Cost overruns and schedule slippages drew sustained criticism from lawmakers and auditors, who pressed both the rail operator and the government for accountability over how a flagship transport scheme could run years late.

For passengers, the completed link cut journey times between Hong Kong and Guangzhou and provided direct high-speed connections across the mainland network from West Kowloon. The financial settlement, by contrast, addresses the construction phase rather than operations, and the line's service performance since opening stands separate from the delay-related payments.

The agreement over the HK$2.25 billion payment signals that MTR and the government have resolved the outstanding financial questions tied to the delay, allowing both parties to move past a dispute that has shadowed the operator's project-delivery record.