14
greatly expanded in the 1970's and 1980's with the building
of Sıx new towns in the New
populations now total 2 million.
Territories whose combined
28.
Some of the biggest investments
in the territory
have involved transport systems. The first was the Cross
Harbour Tunnel, opened 10 1972, which greatly facilitated
movement between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, previously
possible Only by ferry.
The next was tne largely
underground Mass Transit Railway (MTR), openea in stages
between 1979 and 1986, which now carries around 2 million
passengers a day. The surface Kowloon Canton Railway (KCR)
was also modernised and electrified at the same time. It
now carries some 450,000 passengers a day between the New
Territories and the urban area as well as a growing volume
of freight to and from China.
run from Hong Kong to Guangzhou.
Four through trains a day
The KCR Corporation also
operates a new light rail system within and between the new
towns of Tuen Mun and Yuen Long 10 the North West New
Territories.
There is
vast
network of bus routes,
minibuses, taxis, a tramway system on Hong Kong Island and
a network of ferry services. All are privately owned, but
subject to varying degrees of government regulation.
Together with the railways they provide for more than 10
million passenger journeys a day. Almost HK$2,000 million
a year is being spent on the road construction programme.