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utility companies are required to carry out work to a required standard and within a time limit.
To co-ordinate and monitor road opening works more effectively and to minimise traffic disruption, the Highways Department has established a three-tier communication system with participants ranging from high level management to working level staff of utility companies and relevant government departments. A computerised utility management system has been used since 1997 to further improve co-ordination and minimise disturbance to road users.
Public Transport
Rail, bus, ferry and other public transport services offer Hong Kong commuters a good choice of different transport modes at reasonable fares and different levels of comfort, speed and convenience.
Railways
Railways account for some 30 per cent of the total daily public transport volume. The railways are built and operated by the two railway corporations, the Kowloon- Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL). KCRC is wholly owned by the Government. MTRCL was formerly wholly owned by the Government but was privatised in 2000 to become a public limited company with the Government remaining as a major shareholder. Both corporations operate on prudent commercial principles providing efficient, reliable and safe passenger rail services to the public.
The KCR East Rail (formerly known as the KCR) was introduced in 1910. It is the first and oldest railway system in Hong Kong. The railway was formerly operated by the Government until the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) was established in 1982. The KCR East Rail runs from Hung Hom in urban Kowloon to Lo Wu at the Mainland boundary. There are 13 stations along the 34-kilometre route and the railway carried an average of 791 000 passengers daily in 2000. In recent years, East Rail has made rapid progress in a number of capital projects, including the Train Refurbishment Project, station improvement projects and the upgrading of the signalling system. East Rail also operates Intercity through train services from Hong Kong to the Guangdong cities of Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan and Zhaoqing as well as to Shanghai and Beijing. Apart from passenger services, East Rail carries containers, general cargo and livestock between HKSAR and the Mainland and provides intermodal services covering major cities in the Mainland and more than 15 other international cities in the world. The KCRC has also made significant progress on new railway projects, including the West Rail (Phase I), the MOS Rail and the TST Extension, while the Spur Line is undergoing the statutory processes.
The KCRC also operates the Light Rail Transit (LRT), which started operation in the north-western New Territories in 1988. The system carried an average of 322 700 passengers daily in 2000. To enable the LRT to be effectively integrated with the West Rail (Phase I), which will be commissioned at the end of 2003, the KCRC will upgrade and modify four LRT stops to provide convenient interchanges with the West Rail (Phase I), and build two new extensions to the rapidly developed Tin Shui Wai area.
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