ENG-2007 — Page 291

Transport 239

Disneyland Resort Line (Sunny Bay-Disneyland Resort). There are over 80 stations along the 168-kilometre network. MTRCL also operates a 35.3-kilometre Airport Express. The system carries an average of 3.6 million passengers per weekday.

Apart from the heavy rail systems, MTRCL operates the 36-kilometre Light Rail network with 68 stops in northwest New Territories. The Light Rail carries about 390 000 passengers daily.

To provide rail passengers with a more comprehensive service network, MTRCL also operates the Light Rail feeder bus services.

In addition, MTRCL provides inter-city through train services from Hong Kong to cities in Guangdong as well as to Shanghai and Beijing. Apart from passenger services, MTRCL provides rail freight services to the Mainland.

Tramway

Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. The Hongkong Tramways Limited runs 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.

The company's 164 trams, including two open-balcony trams for tourists and private hire and one special maintenance tram, make up the world's largest fleet of double-deck trams in operation. The tramway records a daily average of 230 000 passenger trips.

Peak Tram

Hong Kong's other tramway is a cable-hauled funicular railway operated by the Peak Tramways Company Limited from Central (Garden Road) to the Peak. The 1.4-kilometre tramway began operation in 1888 and was modernised in 1989. The Peak Tram records an average of 13 000 passenger trips a day, made mostly by tourists and local sightseers.

Other Road-based Passenger Transport

The other road-based passenger transport modes

mainly franchised buses,

public light buses, taxis and residents' services of non-franchised buses 64 per cent of all public transport journeys.

Franchised Buses

account for

Franchised buses are the largest road-based carriers and account for about 34 per cent of the total daily public transport volume. Local bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are largely provided by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB). At year-end, the company operated 383 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories; 22 and 29 cross-harbour routes jointly with Citybus Limited (CTB) and New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) respectively; and 10 cross- harbour routes on its own.

The KMB fleet comprised 4 027 licensed vehicles at year-end; 3 786 were air- conditioned and 1 858 wheelchair-accessible. KMB recorded 1.01 billion passenger