1960-1962 — Page 6

GENERAL SURVEY

LOCAL passenger traffic continued to show an upward trend with an increase over the previous year of 5.33% in the number of journeys. The movement of passengers to and from China fluctuates unpredictably and the number of these passengers carried was 775,254, a decrease of 21.71% as compared with the previous year. The total number of passenger journeys was 6,886,849 as against 6,792,282 for the previous year, an increase of 1.39%.

2. On 7th February, 1962, the third day of the lunar year (the peak for railway travel during the Chinese New Year period) the number of passengers carried, in all 62,010, was a record for Chinese New Year travel, an increase of 14% over the 1959 record. This large number was handled with only 47 passenger coaches and 8 diesel-electric locomotives available. Railway services were under sustained pressure and the staff was almost overwhelmed by the record crowd.

3. The import of live pigs from China, which has traditionally been an important feature of incoming goods traffic, declined during the year. The total number imported during the year was 192,590 which was 35,469 less than the previous year and 72,138 below the record figure of 264,728 in 1959-60.

4. The three model G-16 1950 H.P. diesel electric locomotives ordered from General Motors Overseas Operations in the U.S.A. in January 1961 arrived on 26th August, 1961. With the arrival of these locomotives the railway has completed the modernization programme of changing from steam to diesel-electric traction with a total fleet of 8 diesel-electric locomotives.

5. From 18th August, 1961 until 3rd November, 1961, the Chinese Section did not allow any passengers from Hong Kong to enter Sham Chun (the border town) without a valid certificate showing that they had been inoculated against cholera at least six days before.

6. From 16th to 24th August, 1961, a Temporary Isolation Centre was set up in Kowloon Station, Tsim Sha Tsui, by the Urban Services Department as part of the precautionary measures taken against the outbreak of cholera in the Colony.

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