ENG-2016 — Page 256

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Transport

In 2016, the government continued to carry out the Public Transport Strategy Study to review the role and positioning of non-railway public transport services and the way they complement one another, with the aim of ensuring a balanced, efficient and sustainable public transport network.

Rail Transport

MTR

Railways are safe, efficient, reliable, comfortable and environment-friendly mass carriers. They are the backbone of the public transport system, and are essential to Hong Kong's continued economic, social and land development. They account for about 41 per cent of daily public transport passenger travel and about 54 per cent of land-based cross-boundary passenger trips to the Mainland.

The railways are run by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), a publicly listed company of which the government is the majority shareholder.

The MTR system comprises:

• the Kwun Tong Line (Tiu Keng Leng-Whampoa),

• the Tsuen Wan Line (Tsuen Wan-Central),

⚫ the Island Line (Chai Wan-Kennedy Town),

• the Tung Chung Line (Hong Kong-Tung Chung),

• the Tseung Kwan O Line (Po Lam/Lohas Park-North Point),

⚫ the East Rail Line (Hung Hom-Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau),

⚫ the West Rail Line (Tuen Mun-Hung Hom),

⚫ the Ma On Shan Line (Wu Kai Sha-Tai Wai),

⚫ the Disneyland Resort Line (Sunny Bay-Disneyland Resort), and

⚫ the South Island Line (South Horizons-Admiralty).

The 230km network comprises 93 heavy rail stations, including a 35.2km Airport Express connecting the urban areas to Hong Kong International Airport and AsiaWorld-Expo. There is also a 36.2km Light Rail network, which has 68 stops in the northwest New Territories. Light Rail feeder bus services provide rail passengers with a more comprehensive service network. The entire system carries an average of about 5.2 million passengers each day.

In addition, the MTRCL provides intercity through-train services from Hong Kong to Beijing, Shanghai and cities in Guangdong. It carried a daily average of 10,200 travellers in 2016.

There are two rail-based crossing points, at the Hong Kong-Mainland boundary at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line control points, which are connected by the East Rail Line.

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