Rail transport in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's rail network comprises public transport trains operated by MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC). The MTRC operates the metro network of Hong Kong and the commuter rail network connecting the northeastern and northwestern New Territories with the rest of Hong Kong. Approval has been granted for the merger of the MTRC and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), following discussions to merge the two corporations for economies of scale and cost effectiveness. As at 2014, the Hong Kong Government has an explicit stated transport policy of using railway as its transport backbone.[1]

History

The first mode of rail transport was the Peak Tram, serving The Peak, the Mid-levels and the city centre since 1888. Tram started service along the northern coast of the Hong Kong Island in 1904. The British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (now the KCR East Rail), a conventional railway, was opened in 1910. It was not until 1979 that a rapid transit system, the MTR, was opened. In 1982, the British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway began its transition towards electrification, changing it into a commuter rail, and eventually providing rapid transit-like service. The Light Rail Transit (LRT, now the MTR Light Rail) began its operation in the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long new towns in 1988. The two railway companies, MTR Corporation Limited and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, merged on 2 December 2007, to form a single rapid transit network.

There are several extensions planned or under construction, including the Sha Tin to Central Link and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway.

MTR

Causeway Bay MTR station on the Island Line.
Main article: MTR

The MTR network comprises 10 lines, 84 railway stations and 68 Light Rail stops:

This system makes about $2 billion in profit in 2014 which is mainly generated from its property holding and development business.[2] Its portfolio include two of the city's tallest skyscrapers.[2]

Trams

Hong Kong Tramways map

Note that the KCRC Light Rail system (see above) has many of the attributes of a tramway, including street running.

Cross-border services

Commonly known as Through Train (chi. 直通車), the MTRC and railway companies of mainland China jointly provide cross-border train services from Hung Hom Station, Kowloon, sharing most of the tracks with the East Rail Line, to destinations in mainland China through neighbouring Shenzhen on three Through Train routes, namely Beijing line (to/from Beijing), Shanghai line (to/from Shanghai) and Guangdong line (to/from Zhaoqing and Guangzhou East). They are operated through the rail network in mainland China, including the Guangshen Railway and Jingguang Railway.

Automated People Mover

There is an Automated People Mover (APM),[3] a driverless electric train service, which is located at the basement level of Terminal 1 of Hong Kong International Airport. It travels the length of the 750-metre concourse between the East Hall and West Hall on a circular mode. Running at a speed of 62 km per hour, each APM carries 304 passengers in four cars. The APM operates every 2.5 minutes from 0600 to 0030 hours every day. It transports passengers whose flights are located at the West Hall, Southwest and Northwest concourses.

Rail gauges and power supply

Rail gauges and power supply of Hong Kong rails.

Rail Rail gauge Power supply Remarks Signal system Height of platform (mm) Maximum car width (mm) Height clearance Height of overhead cable
MTR      Island Line,      Kwun Tong Line,     Tseung Kwan O Line,     Tsuen Wan Line,     Tung Chung Line,      Airport Express 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 3⁄8 in)
(Narrow gauge) 		1500 V DC  overhead cable SACEM and SACEM-SICAS for TKL, all lines to be upgraded to SelTrac in the 2020s 3200
MTR      Disneyland Resort Line 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 3⁄8 in)
(Narrow gauge) 		1500 V DC  overhead cable SelTrac CBTC/R UTO 3200
MTR      East Rail Line,      West Rail Line,      Ma On Shan Line (formerly operated by KCR/KCRC) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge)		 25 kV AC overhead cable same as railways in mainland China      East Rail Line GEC-Alsthom TBL,Will be Resignal by Siemens Trainguard MT CBTC
     West Rail Line,      Ma On Shan Line SelTrac CBTC DTO 		3100
MTR      Light Rail (formerly operated by KCR/KCRC)1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge) 		750 V DC overhead cable Siemens Trainguard IMU 100 910 2650 Safety Height 5.3m
Peak Tram 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
(Russian gauge) 		n/a n/a Funicular
Hong Kong Tramways 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 550 V DC overhead cable
Hong Kong International Airport Automated People Mover 3-phase 600V a.c. Third Rail SelTrac
Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad steam-outline
Ocean Park Ocean Express Funicular

List of densely populated places without rail transport

MTR route map

MTR System Map with effect from 23 October 2016

Ended systems

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rail transport in Hong Kong.
  1. ↑ http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/publications/rds2014.pdf
  2. 1 2 Sigalos, MacKenzie. "How Hong Kong's subway turns a $2 billion annual profit". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Hong Kong Airport
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