8
Fares from Canton to Kowloon.
1st
2nd
3rd
April 1st, 1948
....... CNC$ 1,851,000
1,482,000
741,000
August 25th, 1948 August 26th, 1948 March 31st, 1949
CNC$27,500,000
22,000,000
11,000,000
GY$19.80
13.20
6.60
GY $56,100.
45,000
22,500
OPERATING.
27. A new timetable was introduced on September 1st, the chief feature being the reduction in travelling time between the Colony and Canton from 4 hours to 4 hours. However, the accident at Pu Kut on September 3rd resulted in the Chinese Section reverting to their previous timings, and another new time- table had to be arranged which commenced on September 15th, 1948.
28. On November 4th bandits de-railed train No. 18 near Nam Kong, about 18 miles from Canton, robbing the passengers and causing considerable damage to the track. This led the Chinese Section authorities to ask for another timetable in order that the last train to Canton would arrive before dark and thereby reduce the possibility of further attacks by bandits.
The new timetable commenced on November 20th, 1948, and continued until January.
29.
About this time, the Chinese Section were negotiating for an extra set of rolling stock in order to run a non-stop train between Canton and Kowloon, and on January 24th, 1949, the first non-stop train between the two cities was inaugurated.
The train obtained from the Kiang-Nan Line was composed of all-steel open-car American mono-class coaches-running time 3 hours 55 minutes. This train is still in operation.
30. A further speeding up of express trains took place on March 25th, 1949, the fastest time now, apart from the non-stop, being 4 hours 21 minutes.
31. All speed restrictions over the British Section have been removed during the year and trains are now operating between Kowloon and Shum Chun at the same speeds as pre-war.
32. Signal lamps have also been installed at all stations, but the double-wire signalling equipment has yet to come from the United Kingdom.
33. There are still a considerable number of passengers joining trains without first obtaining tickets. This is particularly the case with inward passengers from Shum Chun. Nevertheless, these passengers have very little chance of avoiding payment of fare due to the vigilance and supervision of Ticket Inspectors and Ticket Collectors on trains. On the other hand, the percentage of missing tickets in an outward direction increased during the last few months of the year. Collecting of tickets at Shum Chun