GENERAL SURVEY
THE financial year 1962-63 has been one of many records. The record figures are shown as follows:
(a) Gross railway revenue $10,429,910 was $63,113 more than the
record of $10,366,797 in 1950-51.
(b) Passenger journeys 7,224,371 was 337,522 more than the record
of 6,886,849 in 1961-62.
(c) Goods tonnage 399,107 was 27,318 more than the record of
371,789 in 1950-51.
(d) Goods revenue $3,998,091 was $497,725 more than the record of
$3,500,366 in 1961-62.
(e) Number of live pigs by rail from China 435,721 was 170,993
more than the record of 264,728 in 1958-59.
(f) Passenger journeys for any one day reached a new record of 86,226 (on 27th January, 1963, the third day of the lunar year which was the peak for railway travel during the Chinese New Year period). This was 24,216 more than on the same day in 1961-62 and 666 more than the previous record of 85,560 on Ching Ming Festival Day in 1959-60.
2. The 23 new passenger coaches (7 first class, 11 third class and 5 brake vans) ordered in January, 1961 from the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. arrived from the United Kingdom and were put into service. With the arrival of the new rolling stock it was possible to improve the train service. A new passenger time-table was introduced on 1st January, 1963 and the number of daily passenger trains each way was increased from 12 to 17. Trains now run at approximately half hourly intervals during the morning and evening rush periods, and hourly during the rest of the day.
3. The Department suffered damage amounting to $469,069.43 as a result of typhoon 'Wanda', which swept the Colony on 1st September, 1962. Extensive damage was done to the railway embankment and seawalls between Sha Tin Station and Tai Po Market Station, neces- sitating the temporary suspension of services between these two stations: shuttle train services were run between Kowloon and Sha Tin and
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