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TRANSPORT
of livestock (1984: 2.21 million) were brought into Hong Kong by rail, while exports to China amounted to 554 467 tonnes, compared with the 275 025 tonnes carried in 1984.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has accepted the government's invitation to build and operate the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long Light Rail Transit System which will be completed in three stages. Construction started in late 1985 on the first phase consisting of 23 kilometres of track and 41 stations.
Mass Transit Railway
At year-end, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) was carrying about 1.4 million passengers each weekday, ranking it among the heaviest carriers per route kilometre in the world. The railway passed another milestone in the year with the opening of the Island Line between Chai Wan and Admiralty. The MTR now operates on 37 route kilometres with 36 stations. The overall system has been constructed in three distinct phases, the Modified Initial System from Kwun Tong to Central between 1975 and 1980, the Tsuen Wan Extension from Prince Edward to Tsuen Wan from 1978 to 1982 and the Island Line between 1981 and 1985.
All three lines now operate as an integrated whole with cross-platform interchange facilities at Prince Edward, Mong Kok and Admiralty. With the completion of the final section of the Island Line from Admiralty to Sheung Wan in May 1986, interchange facilities will be further improved.
The MTR carried a record number of 463 million passengers in 1985 with trains running at two-minute intervals during the morning peak and at 2.5-minute intervals during the evening peak. The arrival of trains at destinations within two minutes of the scheduled time was maintained at 99.73 per cent during the year.
An overall fare increase of 3.5 per cent was introduced in May, resulting in a new adult fare range of $2 to $5. A new $200 Common Stored Value Ticket (CSVT) has been introduced and the denomination of the child/student CSVT was increased from $10 to $15. Half-price child/student single journey tickets continued to be offered. Purchasers of CSVTs continue to enjoy discounts, which include a last-ride bonus and an off-peak fare reduction.
A number of promotional activities were devised throughout the year in order to attract additional passengers and to increase awareness of the benefits of stored value tickets. Besides this, retail services for MTR passengers were expanded within the stations.
The corporation, in conjunction with various developers, is developing a number of important sites above or adjacent to Island Line stations. These include Western Fruit Market, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai (Southorn Playground), Tin Hau, Fortress Hill, Kornhill, Shau Kei Wan, Pak Chai Wan (Heng Fa Chuen) and Chai Wan.
By the end of the year, the MTR network was served by 36 feeder bus services. To encourage motorists to make use of the system, multi-storey carparks are provided at MTR stations in Kwai Fong and Tsuen Wan.
Buses
More than 300 bus routes are operated by three private bus companies under franchises granted by the government on a route basis. Together, they carry 3.9 million passengers a day.
The largest, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB), operates 187 daily bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories, and 20 cross-harbour routes jointly with the China Motor Bus Company Limited (CMB). During the year, 174 double-deck