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TRANSPORT

The KCRC is wholly owned by the Government. The MTRCL was formerly wholly owned by the Government but was privatised in 2000 to become a listed 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 was commissioned in 1910. It is the first and oldest railway system in Hong Kong. The railway was formerly operated by the Government until the KCRC was established in 1982. The KCRC now runs both the East Rail and the West Rail as well as a Light Rail System. The East Rail runs from Hung Hom to Lo Wu at the boundary. There are 13 stations along the 34-kilometre route and the railway carried an average of 763 000 passengers daily in 2003. In recent years, the KCRC has made rapid progress in a number of capital projects on the East Rail, including the train refurbishment project, commissioning of new trains, noise reduction project and upgrading the signalling system. The newly commissioned West Rail runs from West Kowloon to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. There are nine stations along the 30.5- kilometre route and the railway has been serving approximately 100 000 passengers daily since its opening on December 20. The KCRC also operates inter-city through train services from Hong Kong to cities in Guangdong as well as to Shanghai and Beijing. Apart from passenger services, the KCRC provides rail freight transportation and intermodal services, covering some 60 cities in the Mainland. The corporation has also made significant progress on projects designed to expand its railway network, including the East Rail Extensions, the Kowloon Southern Link and the Shatin to Central Link.

The KCRC operates the Light Rail (LR), which started operation in the north- western New Territories in 1988. The LR carried an average of 291 000 passengers daily in 2003. To enable the Light Rail to be effectively integrated with the West Rail, three stops were upgraded and a new one was built to provide convenient interchanges with the West Rail. An extension of the Light Rail to the newly developed Tin Shui Wai Reserve Zone went into operation on December 7. The Light Rail was also grade- separated on Pui To Road in Tuen Mun to facilitate traffic flow.

The former Mass Transit Railway Corporation was established by statute in 1975 to operate the MTR. The first passenger train service on the Kwun Tong Line of the MTR began in 1979. The MTR was subsequently expanded to include the Tsuen Wan Line (1982), the Island Line (1985), the Eastern Harbour Crossing rail tunnel connecting Kwun Tong Line to Quarry Bay (1989), the Tung Chung Line (1998) and the Tseung Kwan O Line (2002). The MTR carried a weekday average of about 2.2 million passengers in 2003. The company also operates the Airport Express Line, a dedicated rail link between the airport and the city centre. The Airport Express Line carried a daily average of about 19 000 passengers in 2003.

In February 2000, the Legislative Council passed legislation to privatise a portion of the Government's shares in the company. The MTR Corporation Limited was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in October that year.

Tramway

Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. The Hong Kong Tramways Limited operates six routes on 13 kilometres of double track along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, and about three kilometres of single track around Happy Valley.