TRANSPORT
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Yuen Long area was delayed early in 1983 when the company with which the government had been negotiating for some years to build and operate the proposed railway decided it could not proceed. Work, however, continued and several international consortia sub- mitted broad proposals for construction of the system. The decision whether or not to proceed with the project or to adopt a bus-based transport system for the area was due to be taken in late 1983.
During 1983, it was decided to proceed with the limited development of Ma On Shan (an extension of Sha Tin New Town) and of Junk Bay. Full development of these areas depends on rail links. Further decisions regarding these developments will be made when studies of strategic land use and transport, producing alternative development strategies for the territory as a whole, have been completed.
Although the volume of traffic indicates the need for railway systems serving the new towns, bus services will retain an important role throughout the territory, complementing rail systems by providing feeder services and catering for demand outside the railway corridors. Ferry services will play a significant role in the further development of Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun, and the proposed new town at Junk Bay. A new permanent ferry pier and associated interchange facilities on the Tsuen Wan Bay reclamation were partially opened in late 1983 and a similar facility at Tuen Mun will open in 1985.
Improvement and Expansion of Public Transport
Expanding and improving public transport is a principal objective in improving the mobility of the population. The intensity, cost-effectiveness and diversity of Hong Kong's public transport services is probably unsurpassed, with a significant proportion of Hong Kong's 5.3 million people making over eight million passenger journeys per day. The range of services includes the Mass Transit Railway which runs through the most densely populated parts of the urban area, and the suburban Kowloon-Canton Railway operating between Kowloon and the eastern New Territories; a relatively slow but high capacity tram service; more than 300 bus routes, operated by three private franchised bus companies; ferry services provided by two major companies and a number of small operators; 14-seater 'public light buses'; and a fleet of taxis. Of interest to tourists is an aerial ropeway, and a funicular railway climbing one of the world's steepest gradients to Victoria Peak.
Kowloon-Canton Railway
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The year saw the virtual completion of the five-year, $3,500 million modernisation and electrification project of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR). On July 15, the Governor, Sir Edward Youde, performed the ceremony to mark the provision of electric train services over the whole 34-kilometre route, also marking the end of 21 years of diesel passenger trains. The electric train service had been extended from Sha Tin to Tai Po Market on May 2, following the introduction of the 10.5-kilometre inner suburban section between Kowloon and Sha Tin in May 1982.
Trains operate from 6 a.m. to midnight. During the morning and evening peak periods they run at 33-minute intervals between Kowloon and Sha Tin, five-minute intervals to Tai Po Market, 74-minute intervals to Sheung Shui, and 15-minute intervals to Lo Wu. Outside the peak hours there are nine trains an hour each way between Kowloon and Tai Po Market, six trains an hour between Kowloon and Sheung Shui, and three trains an hour between Kowloon and Lo Wu. The 70-minute journey time by diesel train from Kowloon to Lo Wu has been reduced to 36 minutes by electric train.
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