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TRANSPORT
The modernisation and electrification of the KCR required complete rebuilding of the railway, taking out virtually all the old infrastructure and rebuilding in situ a new railway to serve the growing transport needs of the new towns on the northeast axis of the New Territories.
With the greatly improved service, in particular in frequency and journey times, patronage grew steadily from about 80 000 daily at the beginning of the year to 120 000 in early July and to 190 000 by the end of the year. The diesel freight trains carried 2.25 million tonnes of freight and 2.27 million head of livestock during 1983.
Rebuilt stations at University, Tai Po Market, Fanling and Sheung Shui were opened to cope with the electrified service. A temporary station at Tai Wai was commissioned in August to serve the southern part of Sha Tin. All stations are equipped with automatic ticketing machines to facilitate passenger flow. New transport interchange facilities are provided at many stations for the convenience of the public, including bus and maxicab termini, car parks and taxi stands. The express through trains between Kowloon and Guangzhou continued to be popular.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation created in late 1982 assumed responsibility for operating the railway on February 1. It is a public corporation wholly owned by the government and required to operate on normal commercial principles. The railway had been run as a government department since its inception in 1910.
Mass Transit Railway
At year's end, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) was carrying about 1.2 million passengers each weekday, making it the heaviest carrier per track kilometre in the world. It now operates on 26 kilometres of track, with 25 stations. Excluding finance costs, over $10,000 million has been spent on the construction of the Modified Initial System and the Tsuen Wan Extension. Two distinct lines are now in operation: the Kwun Tong to Waterloo and Tsuen Wan to Central lines. As a result, interchange facilities operate at Prince Edward and Argyle Stations.
A record number of passengers, 1.54 million, was carried on December 24. The operating timetable was adjusted during the year and trains now run at two-minute intervals during the morning peak and at 24-minute intervals during the evening peak. The arrival of trains at destinations within two minutes of the scheduled time was main- tained at 99.4 per cent during the year.
An overall fare increase of eight per cent was made in May, resulting in a new adult fare range of $1.50 to $4.00. Discounts continued to be offered to purchasers of stored value tickets, which include a last-ride bonus and an off-peak fare reduction. Half price child/student single journey tickets and child/student stored value tickets also continued to be offered.
During the year, the facilities provided within stations for the convenience of passengers were further expanded. Banks now operate on all concourses, meeting the normal banking needs of passengers and also selling stored value tickets. A variety of shops and kiosks operate on the concourses. A 'tourist ticket' valued at $15 was introduced. This is sold at Hong Kong Tourist Association information counters, a number of hotels and six MTR stations located in the tourist belt.
With a view to improving the operating environment of public transport, particularly at peak hours, the MTR together with other transport operators - the KCR, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company and the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company - jointly launched a courtesy campaign during the year. The aim of the campaign was to demonstrate the