ENG-1961 — Page 296

248

COMMUNICATIONS

The volume of air traffic continued to increase steadily, and passenger and freight figures showed increases of some 25.6% and 14.9% respectively over the preceding year.

KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY

The British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway runs from the southern end of the Kowloon Peninsula to the Chinese frontier at Sham Chun where it joins the Chinese railway system. The northern bank of the Sham Chun River forms part of the inter- national boundary. Since 1949 passengers travelling to and fro have had to change trains at the border between the Colony and China, and to walk the 300 yards between the two termini. Mail and goods traffic in wagon loads, however, travel through without transhipment.

At present, there are twelve daily passenger trains and a daily average of one goods train each way on the British section. Passenger traffic is normally heavy at week-ends and on public holidays, especially in winter time. Special trains are often run between the Kowloon terminus and Sha Tin station which is a popular picnic resort. The running time, including stops, between the terminal station in Kowloon and the border station at Lo Wu

is about an hour.

The greatest number of passengers ever carried in a single day during the year was 76,650. This occurred on 5th April (the Ching Ming Festival) when many passengers went to visit their ancestors' graves in Wo Hop Shek Cemetery at Fanling and Sandy Ridge at Lo Wu.

The fares are very reasonable. Third class from Kowloon to Sha Tin, a distance of 7.14 miles, is only fifty cents; children under 12 years of age pay half; the second class fare is 50% more than the third and the first class is double. Quarterly and monthly tickets at cheap rates are available at all stations. For a quarterly ticket, the fare is the sum of 75 ordinary single fares and for a monthly ticket, 30 ordinary single fares. The holders may use their tickets on any train and as many times as they like on any day.

Passengers carried within the Colony during 1961 were 5,966,183 or 87.30% of the total. Passengers to and from the frontier station of Lo Wu numbered 868,298, and the majority of these travelled