ENG-2020 — Page 251

14

Transport

The 263-kilometre system is made up of 96 heavy rail stations, including a 35.2-km Airport Express connecting the urban areas to Hong Kong International Airport and AsiaWorld-Expo, and 68 light rail stops spread across a 36.2-km network in the northwestern New Territories.

All three types of the MTRCL's cross-boundary train services were impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Intercity through-train services, which operate from Hong Kong's Hung Hom Station to Beijing, Shanghai and cities in Guangdong, were suspended from 30 January, but carried a daily average of 3,500 passengers before that. The Hong Kong Section of the XRL was also suspended from 30 January, but had carried a daily average of 36,300 passengers before that. It is a 26-km long underground rail corridor running from West Kowloon to Shenzhen, where it connects to the Mainland section of the XRL. It provides direct high-speed rail travel between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and 58 Mainland destinations (six short-haul and 52 long- haul). The Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations, which are connected by the East Rail Line and allow travellers to reach the Shenzhen control points, were temporarily closed from 4 February, but by then had together handled a daily average of 212,000 cross-boundary travellers.

Map of Railway Network and Railway Project under Construction

Shekou

N

Tuen Mun

'

Shenzhen

Lo Wu

Lok Ma Chau

Legend:

Sheung Shui

Existing railway

Express Rail Link

Rail project under construction

Yuen Long

Hong Kong Section of

Guangzhou-Shenzhen-

Hong Kong Express Rail Link

Tsuen Wan

Tai Po

New Territories

Ma On Shan

Sha Tin

Tsing Yi

Kowloon

Shatin to Central Link

AsiaWorld-Expo

Disneyland Resort

Tseung Kwan O

Tung Chung

Lantau Island

Hong Kong

West Kowloon Station-

199

Kennedy Town

Hong Kong Island

Chai Wan

Ap Lei Chau