TRANSPORT
Public Transport
A safe, geographically comprehensive and efficient network of rail, ferry, bus and other transport services has been developed and maintained, to a greater extent than is achieved in many other big cities. This public transport network offers a good range of choices to commuters at reasonable fares, to match the different levels of comfort, speed and convenience offered.
Railways
There are five rail systems, comprising a heavily-utilised mass transit system, a busy suburban railway, a modern light railway, a traditional street tramway and The Peak funicular railway.
The first three rail systems are operated by public corporations, wholly-owned by the government. The others are owned by private operators.
Mass Transit Railway
The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) operates a three-line metro system, comprising 43 route-kilometres with 38 stations, served by a fleet of 711 cars operating in eight-car trains. The system was opened in stages between October 1979 and August 1989. Patronage increased slightly during the year and by the year's end, the railway was carrying 2.4 million passengers a day. It is one of the busiest underground railways in the world. Adult fares ranged from $3.50 to $10 per trip, according to distances travelled.
Plans for the construction and financing of the airport railway are in hand. The new railway, when built, will consist of two separate rail services: a dedicated express service linking the new airport at Chek Lap Kok to Central, with stations at the airport, Tsing Yi, West Kowloon and Central; and a domestic service between Tung Chung and Central, with stations at Tung Chung, Tsing Yi, Lai King, Tai Kok Tsui, West Kowloon and Central. The domestic service will interchange with the Tsuen Wan line of the existing MTR system at Lai King and with the Island Line at Central, bringing relief to the MTR Nathan Road corridor.
Kowloon-Canton Railway
The Kowloon-Canton Railway was opened in 1910 and was double-tracked and electrified in the early 1980s. Operation of the system, formerly run by a government department, was vested in the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in 1982.
The 34-kilometre railway provides a suburban service to the new towns in the north- eastern New Territories, a freight service to and from China, and passenger services to and from Guangzhou and Foshan. The suburban service has grown substantially since the introduction of electric trains, and in 1994, the railway handled 603 000 passenger journeys daily. Passenger traffic is carried in a fleet of 351 cars, operated in train formations of 12 cars. There are 13 stations along the railway. A major programme to replace old escalators and install additional ones began in 1991 and continued throughout the year. In a 10-year programme, which began in late 1993, the KCRC plans to spend about $600 million to reduce noise levels at major residential developments along the entire line, by constructing covered or semi-covered noise barriers at 18 locations. Adult fares ranged from $3 to $7.50, according to distances travelled.
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