HONG KONG | Mass Transit Railway [Archive] - Page 10

hkskyline

November 3rd, 2010, 07:58 AM

Rail lessons from Hong Kong
Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
31 October 2010
Straits Times

Hong Kong's mass rapid transit system has long been cited as a gold standard.

Folk who have lived and worked in Hong Kong, as well as visitors, have commented that the metro system there is well connected to buildings and attractions, easy to navigate, and on the whole user-friendly.

SMRT boss Saw Phaik Hwa had said so herself in an interview with this paper in 2004, wistfully adding Singapore's network should be as well connected.

What makes Hong Kong's system tick? The successful recipe apparently boils down to a rather unconventional practice.

Hong Kong's MTR Corp, which builds the territory's metro network, is also given rights to develop land around stations. The company - once government-owned but now publicly listed - uses proceeds from its property activities to fund its rail infrastructure projects.

Mr Chew Tai Chong, MTR's projects director, pointed out that the model has meant that the cost of building the rail infrastructure is not borne by the taxpayers alone.

The business model has also facilitated unmatched access for people who live, work and play near train stations because often, the rail builder and the developer of properties near the stations are one and the same.

Mr Chew said the recipe means urban development - and in the case of older districts, redevelopment - and rail projects are planned and executed in unison from start to finish.

This has led to successful implementation of transit-oriented developments - a bit of transport parlance used to describe districts where residential and commercial developments are designed to maximise access to public transport.

'New towns have been developed successfully around stations along the Tseung Kwan O Line,' said Mr Chew, citing an example. 'The population in the area has increased dramatically since the line was opened in 2002.'

Newer stations which are interwoven with major housing estates or shopping complexes include

Tsing Yi station, which is built next to the massive Maritime Square shopping mall and directly underneath the Tierra Verde condo-minium project. Both developments were undertaken by MTR.

Mr Chew, previously a Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) senior director, was speaking at the just-concluded World Urban Transit Conference, which was held in Singapore.

The 58-year-old left the LTA in 2003 to work for a private-sector company in London on a railway modernisation programme. He left to join MTR last year, and now oversees five new rail projects that will be completed in the next 10 years.

In Singapore, the LTA builds MRT lines but leaves the Urban Redevelopment Authority to sell land parcels around stations.

Although the Government eventually recoups what it has invested in the rail infrastructure this way (often more), plots of land next to stations often lay idle for a long time. For instance, the Ion Orchard mall was built some 20 years after Orchard MRT station opened.

And there are still vast empty plots around the Jurong East interchange, which is part of a line built in the late 1980s.

Industry watchers said property developers were also hesitant to build too near completed stations, in case works affected the line.

But things have improved, partly because the LTA now makes provisions for future development near major stations. Serangoon interchange is one case in point. It took only seven years for the Nex mega-mall in Serangoon Central to be up after the North-East Line opened. This is because some underground structural works had already been done when the station was built.

The Sunday Times understands that the Downtown Line now being built will also have provisions to accommodate a massive underground mall; and that it will one day be possible to walk from the Bugis station interchange to the City Hall interchange underground, without having to come above ground.

However, this connectivity may not be ready when the Bugis stretch of the Downtown Line opens in 2013 because the pedestrian link and the mall are unlikely to be built by the LTA.

Hong Kong's way offers many lessons to planners here. As Ms Saw pointed out, Buona Vista station could have had an underground connection to Holland Village or Ghim Moh.

There are other more recent examples of poor integration. The Circle Line's Stadium station is up and running - but the Sports Hub it will serve will be up only in four years' time.

Then there is the case of a fare-gate at the Bishan Circle Line station which leads to a blank wall separating it and Junction 8 mall.

Mr Chew pointed out that the Hong Kong formula that has contributed to the territory's high public transport ridership (close to 90 per cent of all trips) has to do with high community involvement too.

'Communities are consulted about the railway alignment and locations of station entrances,' he noted.

Hong Kong train stations also offer value-added services such as Internet connectivity and Wi-Fi.

Nevertheless, Mr Chew said Singapore's rail development remains the envy of many countries. By 2020, the Republic will have 280km of metro lines. Hong Kong, which is building five new lines now, will also have the same network length by then.

But Hong Kong has eight million people, whereas Singapore has five million.

The Republic's rail network is more dense compared with that of the territory.

Touching on sustainable railway development, Mr Chew said it is becoming increasingly important to examine how rail construction impacts society and the environment as cities rush to build or expand networks.

As rail infrastructure involves using enormous amounts of resources such as concrete and steel, the design, depth and size of stations will have to be considered carefully so as to minimise the carbon footprint.

Station designs should be made flexible so that platforms can be expanded to accommodate longer trains should demand grow.

Trains should be re-used, or be made more recyclable.

Mr Chew noted that these strategies are not only environmentally sound; they are financially prudent too.

Meanwhile, the rail-property business model has also allowed train services in Hong Kong to run without fare increases for more than a decade. The first fare hike in 13 years was granted last year.

EricIsHim

November 4th, 2010, 09:31 PM

^^ The "bad" things HKers whine about are the gems for others, again.

hkskyline

November 8th, 2010, 04:40 PM

Legislators want bonus slap for MTR chiefs
The Standard
Friday, November 05, 2010

Lawmakers unhappy at MTR Corp's handling of a recent service breakdown passed a non-binding motion calling for no bonuses for its chief executive and other senior officials this year.

The passage came yesterday despite a public apology by chief executive Chow Chung-kong at a meeting of the Legislative Council's railways subcommittee and a denial that MTR services are getting worse.

With the government a leading shareholder of the MTRC, Undersecretary for Transport and Housing Yau Shing-mu said no one will be punished or disciplined until the company's final investigative report on the October 21 incident is completed.

"Based on this report, the Executive Council can impose fines on the company, or even rescind its operating license if necessary."

Yau described the incident as serious and said the MTRC failed to handle it properly.

During the three-hour service disruption between Yau Ma Tei and Jordan following a power failure, commuters battled to get onto MTR-arranged feeder buses in the rush not to be late for work.

Many had no idea where to queue for them. About 100,000 passengers were affected, the MTRC told the panel.

While the railway is required to inform the Transport Department of such incidents within eight minutes, it took them 20 minutes that morning.

Subcommittee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee said the final report and a revised contingency plan should be tabled to Legco within three months to ensure such poor arrangements are not repeated.

MTRC deputy operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui pledged to submit the plan and the final report within the time frame.

Legislator Li Fung-ying blasted the railway, saying the number of service delays of at least 15 minutes jumped to 66 last year from 31 in 2007, while delays of more than an hour spiked from one in 2007 to six last year.

"The words we most often hear are `sorry' and `take a serious view.' But the fact is it is getting worse. Is it due to mechanical problems or the MTRC's internal management problems?" she asked.

Chow replied that the rail system is huge. "I can't see it getting worse."

Independent lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said: "The government is too feeble and is conniving with the MTRC as these glitches keep popping up .. . It is making us lose confidence in public transport."

hkskyline

November 14th, 2010, 05:41 PM

Opinion : Real green spaces could vanish under a tide of vinyl banners
12 November 2010
SCMP

We are losing our country parks to landfills while the MTR Corporation continues to expand the size of advertising space along station walls, on station floors and on the carriages of its trains.

Such space is covered in self-adhesive vinyl (often dozens of metres long) that, after a couple of weeks, is removed and sent to landfills.

Using vinyl, which has a huge environmental impact, is totally irresponsible and if the government were serious about waste reduction, it would discourage this form of advertising by imposing a waste disposal tax.

When will the real cost of advertising be calculated?

A waste disposal tax would force advertising agencies to switch to more creative and sustainable techniques.

I do not see anything creative in destroying the planet while trying to make us buy one brand rather than another.

A waste disposal tax would send a strong signal that the government is determined to reduce waste. But just how determined is it? It has not even managed to write a code of conduct for its own departments.

The East Asian Games comes to mind. The number of vinyl banners displayed in our city surpassed by far the number of spectators.

This could hardly be called a successful campaign. Undeterred, the administration continues to hang vinyl banners that add visual clutter to our streets, beaches and parks, and will inevitably end up in landfills.

Surely there are better ways to increase public awareness of the risks of, for example, drink-driving, drug abuse, dengue fever, encephalitis, rodent infestation and pickpockets, than covering the city in huge banners that will only start to decompose in 50 years' time.

Maybe these officials are unaware that vinyl PVC is a durable material that presents environmental concerns, both in its manufacture and disposal, and it should not be used as liberally as officials are doing.

The Urban Renewal Authority, responsible for the makeover of the Central Market, is just as oblivious to the necessity of reducing waste.

Here is an historic Bauhaus-style building that is far more environmentally-friendly in its design than most new buildings, and yet it was completely wrapped in green vinyl to create a "central oasis".

Has anybody ever seen an oasis made of plastic?

A vertical garden would have been a far more appropriate solution, and would have reduced pollution and indoor temperatures instead of adding to them.

Unless someone puts a stop to this vinyl fever soon, there will be no more green oases to escape to, as our country parks make room for waste disposal facilities.

Laura Ruggeri, Lamma

hkskyline

November 26th, 2010, 04:00 PM

Gazettal of Shatin to Central Link
Friday, November 26, 2010
Government Press Release Excerpt

http://www.hyd.gov.hk/eng/major/road/rail/scl/images/eng_scl_popup.jpg

The Government published in the Gazette today (November 26) the railway scheme for the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) in accordance with the Railways Ordinance.

The SCL is one of the major infrastructure projects announced by the Chief Executive in his Policy Address in October 2007.

The SCL will be a 17-kilometre long railway with a total of 10 stations at Tai Wai, Hin Keng, Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, Ho Man Tin, Hung Hom, northern Wan Chai and Admiralty. The railway will run mostly underground and consist of two parts, namely the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section, which is an extension of the existing Ma On Shan Line from Tai Wai to the West Rail Line via East Kowloon, and the Hung Hom to Admiralty Section, which is an extension of the existing East Rail Line from Hung Hom across the Harbour to Hong Kong Island.

The spokesman indicated that the SCL project will not only increase the capacity of the existing railways that carry passengers from Shatin to Kowloon and across the Harbour, but will also provide railway service to the new developments in Southeast Kowloon. The spokesman said, "The proposed railway line will serve the purpose of linking up the existing railway lines through the provision of six interchange stations, thus allowing a faster and more convenient interchange arrangement. Passengers will be able to travel from Tai Wai to Diamond Hill within five minutes and from Hung Hom to Admiralty also in about five minutes, as compared with 17 minutes for either of these journeys by using the existing railway lines."

"The Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have been conducting extensive public consultation since mid 2008. The concerned local stakeholders, including a total of 11 District Councils, were briefed on the proposed railway scheme. Roving exhibitions, public forums, school talks, and other public consultation activities have also been held to collect views and suggestions from the local communities. We have all along been striving to complete the design and statutory consultation process with an aim to commencing the construction works as soon as possible, and estimated at the time that the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section and the Hung Hom to Admiralty Section could be completed in 2015 and 2019 respectively."

The spokesman said, "since the SCL is large in scale and runs through a number of local communities, many issues of public concerns are involved. We have therefore taken a longer time than expected to listen to and consider the views and suggestions of the local communities. We have included, as far as possible, the feasible suggestions of the local communities in the railway scheme gazetted today and expect that the statutory consultation process can be completed by early 2012. We will then make a funding application for the railway proposal at the soonest possibility, targeting for commencement of construction works in 2012. Since underpinning works may need to be carried out for the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section so as to avoid resumption of private buildings, the railway works are expected to take six years to construct for completion in 2018. To dovetail with a series of infrastructural projects such as Wanchai Development Phase II and Central-Wanchai Bypass, the Hung Hom to Admiralty Section is expected to complete by 2020. While complying with the statutory procedures, we will continue to press ahead with the project for early start of construction and completion."

The spokesman said, "based on the current assessment, the estimated cost for the entire SCL project will be over $60 billion, which is higher than that of $38.2 billion announced in 2007. The reasons for the cost increase are multi-fold. In the past few years, the significant rise in construction material prices has caused the construction cost of the SCL project to increase by about 30%. In addition, we have included, where appropriate, suggestions by the public into the proposed railway scheme, thereby resulting in additional works at about $5 billion. Furthermore, in the course of the preliminary design, MTRCL had to revise the design to cope with the actual conditions such as ground investigation information, technical requirements and compliance with the existing fire safety requirements. The estimated cost for these modifications is about $7 billion."

The spokesman continued to say, "there are still a number of uncertainties in the cost for the SCL. As the detailed design of the alignment, site investigations and statutory consultation process are in progress, further changes may be required in the alignment design and facilities of the SCL project, which may result in a further increase in the cost of the works. When the scheme of the SCL project is finalised by early 2012, we will have a more accurate cost estimate. To carefully monitor the cost estimate, we will conduct an independent review on the cost estimate of the SCL project."

Once the proposed railway scheme is gazetted under the Railways Ordinance, the MTRCL will proceed with the detailed design and further planning of the project. The Government will continue to engage the public and will further explain to the District Councils and local communities on details of the proposed railway scheme. Under the Railways Ordinance, members of the public have the right to lodge objections to the railway scheme for the SCL from now until January 25, 2011. Any person who has a compensatable interest can claim compensation under the provisions of the Ordinance.

The scheme and the relevant plans are available for public inspection at the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Southern, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tai Po, and North District offices, and the District Lands Offices of Hong Kong East, Hong Kong West and South, Kowloon East, Kowloon West, Sha Tin, Tai Po, North, and Sai Kung, during office hours.

A copy of the Scheme and the Plans may be purchased from the Railway Development Office of the Highways Department. The electronic version of the Scheme and the Plans are viewable on the Highways Department's website (www.hyd.gov.hk/eng/major/road/rail/index.htm).

hkskyline

November 28th, 2010, 06:14 PM

Austin Station

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2010/1121/IMG_7429.jpg

hkskyline

December 3rd, 2010, 08:45 AM

Executive Council authorises South Island Line (East) Scheme
Government Press Release
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Chief Executive in Council today ( November 30) authorised the South Island Line (SIL) (East) under the Railways Ordinance.

The SIL (East) is a seven-kilometre long railway that will provide domestic passenger services between Admiralty and South Horizons, with three intermediate stations near Ocean Park, and at Wong Chuk Hang and Lei Tung Estate. Passengers will be able to interchange at Admiralty for the existing MTR Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line and the future Shatin to Central Link. The SIL (East) will run in tunnels and viaducts according to topography.

"The SIL (East) will help reduce road traffic in the Southern District, particularly the Aberdeen Tunnel. With the SIL (East), passengers will be able to travel from South Horizons to Admiralty in about 10 minutes, as compared with 25 to 45 minutes by using road-based transport during rush hours," a government spokesman said.

"The SIL (East) will enhance the railway network on Hong Kong Island. It will not only save travelling time for residents of Southern District, facilitating tourism and commercial developments in the district, but also help improve connectivity of the commercial and industrial area in Wong Chuk Hang, thus revitalising and bringing along business opportunities to the area," he added.

"The Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have proactively engaged the local community, including the Southern District Council, extensively in the last few years in formulating the railway scheme of the SIL (East). It has been the common desire of the local residents for the early implementation of this project,"the spokesman said.

The SIL (East) railway scheme was first gazetted on July 24, 2009 and amendments to the scheme were gazetted on June 4, 2010. Following receipt of objections, the Government and the MTRCL carefully studied the grounds of objections, met the objectors to explain the railway scheme and addressed their concerns. Changes to the SIL (East) scheme have been made as far as practicable in response to public views and some of the objections. Hearing sessions were conducted by non-official members of Railway Objections Hearing Panel on those objections not withdrawn. All unwithdrawn objections were submitted to the Executive Council for consideration.

"To continue effective communication with the community, the MTRCL, in the course of implementing the SIL (East), will establish community liaison groups comprising representatives of the concerned and affected parties, including owners' corporations, owners' committees, management offices, local committees and schools in the affected areas. The MTRCL will also have to comply with the conditions to be set out in the Environmental Permit by the Director of Environmental Protection to keep the disturbance to the environment to acceptable levels," he added.

The SIL is one of the major infrastructure projects the Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address in October 2007. Implementation of the SIL (East) will create 2,500 jobs during construction in the next few years and another 2,100 jobs during the operation stage.

"The SIL (East) will be implemented as an MTRCL project under the ownership approach. The cost estimate of the SIL (East) in 2006 prices was over $7 billion and the project was not considered as financially viable. Construction prices have escalated by about 55% from 2006 to 2009 due to the surge in construction material prices. Apart from this, refinement of the project details and amendments in the detailed design in response to public views and technical needs also account for the cost increase. According to the MTRCL's recent assessment in 2009 prices, the estimated construction cost of SIL (East) ranges from $12.3 billion to $12.6 billion.

"The MTRCL is finalising the detailed design of the rail project, which may entail final technical fine-tuning. This may have a minor impact on the project cost. We expect the final cost to be available in the first quarter of 2011. The Administration will continue close monitoring of the project expenditure and ensure MTRCL will exercise due diligence in budget control. We have also engaged an independent consultant to conduct an assessment of the project cost estimate and the funding gap," the spokesman added.

A site at the ex-Wong Chuk Hang Estate has been reserved for rail plus property development for the SIL (East). The proposed development requires rezoning of the ex-Wong Chuk Hang Estate site to "Comprehensive Development Area", which is being processed under the Town Planning Ordinance. The spokesman said that the Administration will carefully consider and scrutinise the MTRCL's development proposal and has engaged an independent consultant for assistance.

"We will give due consideration to ensure that the funding support is fair and reasonable, without affecting the prudent commercial principle in railway operation," the spokesman said.

Construction work for the SIL (East) is expected to commence in mid-2011 for completion in 2015. 　

manrush

December 4th, 2010, 05:15 AM

Is the new rolling stock for the MTR going to appear sometime next year?

Kaitak747

December 12th, 2010, 05:21 PM

T9RIOvmoiBA

hkskyline

December 15th, 2010, 04:57 AM

These are the "made in China" trainsets?

hkskyline

December 17th, 2010, 03:20 PM

Income route urged on transport subsidies
The Standard
Friday, December 17, 2010

Lawmakers want the means test for new transport subsidies to be based on individual rather than household income.

But Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said it is fairer to judge eligibility on the basis of total household income, rather than individual income.

The government Work Incentive Transport Subsidy Scheme will provide HK$600 a month to lower-income families that pass a means test on incomes and assets.

This will replace the Cross-district Transport Allowance, which evaluates applications on an individual basis.

However, the Legislative Council's panel on manpower unanimously passed a non-binding motion yesterday urging the government to accept applications on an individual basis, and to allow applicants working less than 72 hours a month to get the allowance on a pro-rata basis.

Nelson Wong Sing-chi of the Democratic Party said many who now get travel allowances may be left out under the new evaluation mechanism. " The scheme should be made more flexible to allow citizens to choose whether to apply as a family or individual," he said.

Wong Kwok-hing of the Federation of Trade Unions pointed out that a couple earning HK$6,000 a month each can apply for the existing scheme, but not if they are registered as a household, for which the limit is HK$8,500.

But labor chief Cheung said the "new format will benefit all workers, including the self-employed," and also prevent abuse.

"The [individual-based] eligibility criteria would be too loose as one family member can transfer assets to another in order to pass the means test," Cheung said.

He pledged that the Labour Department will keep the procedure simple to boost the scheme's user-friendliness.

Legco will hold a public hearing on the scheme in January. If funding is approved on January 28, workers may start applying for the subsidies in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, a number of concern groups demonstrated outside Legco saying the new conditions are too harsh.

Kaitak747

December 17th, 2010, 06:45 PM

nQmcStsFGG0

oMoxDkSLfYM

Kaitak747

December 18th, 2010, 10:02 AM

Rock Band Rocking on Iphone LIVE on MTR Train! :cheers:

So envious that young people can do everything they want without hesitation, but unfortunately, I'm no longer a teenager.
blWtj2kvxBg

MTR song

cghBO0ebC7w

eX.A.K.R.

December 19th, 2010, 06:17 PM

nQmcStsFGG0

oMoxDkSLfYM

...and I thought Singapore's situation was bad.

Compare:

8933zdyCbi4

hkskyline

December 26th, 2010, 08:17 PM

KONE Press Release
KONE wins an order for Hong Kong metro extension
22/12/2010

KONE has won an order to supply 37 elevators, 41 escalators and five autowalks on the West Island Line railway extension in Hong Kong.

"We are very proud that MTR Corporation has chosen KONE for this key extension to the world-class Hong Kong transport system. KONE has worked with MTR for many years and we are happy to further extend our partnership based on mutual trust and shared values regarding safety, quality, service and environmental awareness," says Noud Veeger, EVP and Area Director of KONE Asia Pacific.

The West Island Line (WIL) is a three-kilometer-long railway extension of the existing MTR Island line encompassing three underground stations on Hong Kong Island. KONE will install the solutions at the WIL stations from 2012 to 2014. KONE currently maintains 900 elevators and escalators in the existing MTR network.

xeror

December 29th, 2010, 11:55 AM

hkskyline

December 31st, 2010, 03:07 AM

End of the line nears for MTRC `driver' Chow
30 December 2010
The Standard

MTR Corp chief executive Chow Chung-kong said yesterday he will retire when his contract expires at the end of next year.

``I have been working non-stop for 38 years and have missed some of life's wonderful times ... it's time for me to decelerate and enjoy life,'' Chow, 60, said.

He said the major milestones in his seven-year tenure were the MTRC merger with the other half of the Hong Kong rail duopoly _ the Kowloon- Canton Railway Corporation _ and the start of construction on five new lines.

Chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo- fung described Chow as a ``world-class CEO'' for transforming the company into a much bigger corporation with significant presence in the mainland and overseas.

``[Chow] has led the company to expand outside Hong Kong to operating metro lines in Beijing and Shenzhen, with other rail franchise operations in Melbourne, London and Stockholm,'' Ch'ien said.

Since Chow took over, MTRC shares have risen more than 170 percent, compared with an 84 percent increase in the Hang Seng Index.

The market capitalization of the railway operator - 76 percent owned by the government - was HK$165 billion last month, almost three times the figure in 2007, Ch'ien said.

The company has yet to name a replacement.

There has been speculation that finance and business development director Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen may be the next chief. Leung steps down as Octopus Cards' non-executive chairman at the end of the year.

But a spokesman for the subway operator said it will immediately commence a worldwide search to identify the right candidate.

Chow's retirement gratuity will be released in the company's annual report in the coming year.

A chartered engineer born in Hong Kong, he was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 2000 for his contribution to the industry.

Chow, who is also a non-executive director of the AIA Group and mining company Anglo American, said he plans to spend more time on matters of both companies and also in public service next year.

He is a board member of the Community Chest and a member of the council at Chinese University.

hkskyline

January 16th, 2011, 05:59 PM

MTR pushes new safety door plan: but who pays?
14 January 2011
SCMP

The MTR Corp wants to install safety doors on its East Rail line and the new Sha Tin to Central link at the same time, saying this will save money and help overcome technical difficulties.

But it says it will try not to charge passengers a levy for the work, as was done on other parts of the network, and will not use any of the budget for the HK$60 billion new line to pay for it, leaving questions about where the money will come from.

Lawmakers reacted angrily to suggestions the government should pay, saying the MTR was earning enough to pay for its own work.

In a paper prepared for legislators - backed by the Transport and Housing Bureau - the MTR suggested the installation could be done in tandem with the Central line, which will link to East Rail and use the same doors and related equipment.

MTR chief operations officer for engineering Morris Cheung Siu-wa said yesterday this option would cost a lot less, but he did not know yet what the actual cost would be.

Cheung said technical issues related to fitting the East Rail doors as a stand-alone project could take 10 years to overcome. The project would require a new signalling system, new trains, new ways to fill the platform gaps, and redesigns of the platforms' structure and ventilation systems, he told a media briefing.

As a separate project, the work would overlap at the sites for the two projects, causing delays to one or the other, and creating waste. But as the new line would use the same equipment, working on the two projects together would save a lot of money.

In a reply to the paper, the bureau said doing the two jobs in tandem was a sensible and cost-effective approach. Cheung said the corporation would discuss the cost of the East Rail work with the government.

Independent lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said platform screen doors were an important part of the MTR's services, but he did not think the MTR should take money from the government. "They earned a lot last year and are still try to get money from us," he said. "This is awful. We are already paying for the existing doors until 2017."

MTR began charging 10 HK cents from each Octopus card user in July 2000 to fund the construction of platform screen doors at 30 underground stations and eight above-ground stations. By the middle of last year it had collected HK$775 million and, based on its patronage figures, it is expected the collection will last until 2017.

In 2008, it spent HK$300 million on platform screen doors at eight above-ground stations, at an average cost of HK$32.5 million per station.

Democrat lawmaker Wong Sing-chi said the MTR was using the East Rail line to threaten Legco and gain support for the Sha Tin Central line. "This is unethical," he said. "Screen doors must be covered by the MTR totally. Also, this is a way for them to show passengers they care. They should do it as soon as possible, and do it separately."

Greg Wong Chak-yan, a veteran civil engineer who helped build the urban line some 30 years ago, said a large part of the cost went on the alteration and building of signalling, mechanical and pressure loading systems.

"If such systems were to be built one way or another, adding a platform screen door should add just a tiny portion of extra costs," he said.

The Sha Tin-Central link - the city's fourth cross-harbour railway - will connect the people of East Kowloon and the Northeast New Territories to Hong Kong Island. Work on the line will begin in 2012 at an estimated cost of more than HK$60 billion, rather than the HK$38.1 billion projected in 2007.

That would make the 17km line almost as expensive as the HK$66.9 billion, 26km high-speed railway from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. And the cost could go higher.

Last week, lawmakers from across the political spectrum voted to delay funding for the link, saying it was too expensive. Some also objected to taxpayers being asked to foot the bill for the line's construction when the MTR Corporation would reap the revenue.

But Wong said the funding was likely be passed late this month or early February.

hkskyline

January 17th, 2011, 06:53 PM

Disabled take aim at MTR, buses
The Standard
Monday, January 17, 2011

Equality chief Lam Woon-kwong has accused MTR Corp and franchised bus companies of tardiness in upgrading facilities for the handicapped.

A number of MTR stations are yet to be equipped with lifts or wide gates, Lam noted, and urged bus operators to quickly replace old vehicles with wheelchair-accessible low-floor ones.

"MTR Corp plans to spend more than HK$60 billion on constructing its Sha Tin to Central link but has not put any priority on improving accessibility for the disabled," he said.

Such facilities are important not only for the disabled but also the elderly who need step-free access, he said yesterday at an event for Community Development Initiative, which urges a friendlier transport service for the territory's 438,300 mobility- disabled people.

Wheelchair users often have to reserve trips on the government-subsidized specially adapted vehicle Rehabus, which has a waiting list of at least three months.

A spokesman for MTR Corp said the absence of facilities at some stations is due to technical constraints.

The company will be improving access at eight stations in a renovation project due to begin soon.

hkskyline

January 18th, 2011, 05:41 PM

Mainland set for urban rail building frenzy
17 January 2011
SCMP

The central government has budgeted 1.2 trillion yuan (HK$1.41 trillion) to build metro rail systems from 2011 to 2015, but there are fears the huge cost could blow out amid efforts to relocate residents for the works.

Sun Ning, deputy general manager of the China Academy of Railway Sciences Engineering Consulting, said the money would be spent building 2,200 kilometres of rail lines in 16 cities, almost tripling the existing 1,400 kilometres of urban rail. The cities include Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changsha, Kunming, Harbin and Changchun.

"China has become the largest railway market in the world," Sun said. Analysts predict China will overtake the US to have the world's biggest urban rail network by 2012.

The spending is a huge leap from the mainland's investment in urban railway from 1995 to 2008 of about 140 billion yuan, according to Beijing Huaxinjie Investment (BHI) Consulting, a transport consultancy firm.

Speaking at the China RailWorld Summit in Beijing last week, Sun said the 1.2 trillion yuan budget would be entirely borne by the local governments of the 16 cities.

The budget included money earmarked for compensation for residents who would have to move to make way for the new rail lines, Sun added.

But a mainland official said the cost was likely to rise mainly because of bargaining with local officials over the compensation and partly due to corruption.

Money allocated for compensation for residents is entrusted to local officials, the official said. "Corruption exists in China, and some local officials may keep some of the money for themselves. I realise there are problems moving people. This is a systemic problem," the official said.

In some cities, attempts to move residents for construction have resulted in demonstrations and political activism. In Shanghai in 2007, residents fearing eviction went so far as to write to German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel asking for her support in their fight to stop the extension of the magnetic levitation (maglev) train.

Sun said inflation, as well as rising labour and material costs would contribute to a bigger budget. "But this is not a worry because returns will also increase," Sun said.

Local governments financed metro rail networks from their fiscal revenues, which largely depended on land sales and property development, Sun said.

"Urban rail will bring business opportunities to the cities and their property markets will rise. This is a virtuous cycle."

He said that building a rail line would increase the value of the property in the surrounding area, which would boost local government revenues. Sun cited a study of Beijing's Line 13, which found the value of the surrounding property rose from 3,000 yuan per square metre when the line started operation in 2003 to 7,000 yuan in 2010.

Sun said that while the 1.2 trillion yuan investment looked huge, it was manageable for the 16 cities when spread over a five-year period, because it meant an average budget of 15 billion yuan for each city every year. That figure was on average equivalent to roughly 10 per cent of a city's GDP, Sun said.

Most of the 16 cities can afford to build the metro rail systems, but Sun admitted that some of the poorer centres could have problems financing their rail works.

"There may be funding difficulties for some local governments. In that case, construction may slow down."

Lee Kang-kuen, the head of Hangzhou projects at MTR Corp, Hong Kong's metro rail operator, said third-tier cities might not have enough funds to finance the rail networks on their own.

Lee said that amid rapid rollout of urban rail systems the mainland was facing a challenge obtaining engineering expertise, financing and people to operate the rail services. "In these three respects, smaller cities need outside help. I don't know how they can get outside help."

The MTR Corp's resources were too limited to allow it take part in many cities' rail projects, Lee said. "We like to focus on a few cities."

The MTR Corp operates Line 4 and the Daxing line in Beijing, as well as Line 4 in Shenzhen. It hoped to win a 20-year concession to operate Line 1 in Hangzhou through a joint venture, Lee said. The venture, which is awaiting approval from the central government, is 51 per cent owned by the Hangzhou government and 49 per cent by the MTR Corp.

"At the moment, in most mainland cities, the market share of railways is not enough," Fred Brown, from the Hong Kong branch of MVA, a British transport consultancy, said. He said rail accounted for five to 10 per cent of the transport in some mainland cities, far below levels in developed cities like London, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Kaitak747

January 20th, 2011, 12:38 PM

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hkskyline

January 20th, 2011, 05:46 PM

Tung Chung Line services hit by crack in track
The Standard
Thursday, January 20, 2011

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MTR services on the Tung Chung Line were disrupted for almost two hours by a hairline crack in the track.

Officials believe damage to the rail may have been caused by the recent cold spell.

Management were alerted after a signaling system showed "something erratic" along the tracks between Sunny Bay and Tsing Yi stations at about 6.45am yesterday.

Technicians checked the track and found the crack near Sunny Bay station. Drivers were instructed to slow to 5 kilometers per hour until temporary repairs were carried out by 8.40am.

The damaged section of the track was due to be replaced last night.

During the disruption, train frequencies from Tsing Yi to Tung Chung stations were reduced to 12 minutes from the normal eight minutes, an MTR spokeswoman said.

She added the crack was not discovered during visual and ultrasonic testing that took place on Sunday and at the end of last month, respectively.

Persistent cold weather in recent weeks may have led to the damage, said the chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers registration board, Peter Wong Yiu-sun.

The crack may have emerged during thermal expansion or contraction, Wong added.

"The crack may have been too small to be discovered during the ultrasonic testing, but recent weeks of persistent cold weather may have caused it to enlarge."

He did not think it would have posed a serious danger to train services.

"Usually, such defects can be found before becoming a safety threat since the signal system will issue an alert if something's wrong with the track."

Democratic Party transport spokesman Wong Sing-chi said: "MTR Corp should review its maintenance system to gain customers' confidence. Such incidents will damage the image of the MTR."

Undersecretary for Transport and Housing Yau Shing-mu said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will investigate the incident and MTR Corp has been told to submit a report.

hkskyline

January 22nd, 2011, 05:41 AM

Watchdog backs MTR carriages for women
22 January 2011
South China Morning Post

The equal opportunity watchdog has given qualified backing to women-only carriages on the MTR as the number of groping incidents continues to rise.

Police figures show that complaints regarding groping are on the rise. The number of reports went up from 98 in 2006 to 110 in 2009, and there were 126 such reports in the first 10 months of last year. The number of reports of people taking upskirt photos also rose from 67 in 2006 to 80 in 2009, and 75 for the first 10 months of 2010.

The MTR Corporation has resisted the idea of women-only carriages, citing possible service delays, difficulties in enforcement, and concerns that the move could breach sex discrimination laws which protect men and women.

In a paper presented at yesterday's Legislative Council transport panel subcommittee meeting, the rail operator said: "Questions such as why would male passengers be refused the equal services offered to female passengers and should male-only compartments be provided so as to ensure both sexes are treated equally would arise."

Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui, the MTR's operations director, also told the subcommittee that women-only carriages were not common on most of the world's major railways.

Legislators called the corporation inconsiderate. Lau Kong-wah, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said he appreciated there could be problems, "but why do we not give it a try first and see what problems actually arise? We should not give up the idea just because of some possible operational issues."

The subcommittee passed a non-binding motion calling on the MTR to operate women-only compartments on a trial basis.

A spokesman for the Equal Opportunities Commission said: "Our initial view is that if the MTR can justify this - say, if it is for the prevention of crimes - then it should not be regarded as an infringement of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance."

Some other big cities have adopted women-only carriages. Japan has a long history of them, and they are being adopted in India, Indonesia, Dubai, Brazil, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Egypt.

The subcommittee also endorsed a motion calling on the MTR to build platform screen doors as soon as possible at stations on the East Rail and Ma On Shan lines. The MTR, however, argued that technical limitations, especially in the signalling system, would make the installation of such safety doors cost-ineffective.

The company wants to build screen doors on the platforms of stations of its East Rail Line and the future Sha Tin to Central Link at the same time in order to save money and help overcome technical difficulties.

Silly_Walks

January 22nd, 2011, 11:03 AM

Maybe they should have undercover police or security to catch pervs in the act. Then pervs will never know when they are safe to be pervy, and most of the behaviour might stop?

What if a women goes in a mixed train? Is she then free to be groped? "Well, you should have went on a woman-only train, if you didn't want to be fondled!"

hkskyline

January 23rd, 2011, 04:52 PM

hkskyline

January 30th, 2011, 05:04 PM

More gropers stalk the MTR
27 January 2011
The Standard

More women fell victim to gropers on crowded MTR trains last year, police said yesterday.

There had also been a rapid rise in the number of predators who are classmates or relatives of the sex-crime victims.

The victims are often underage, with 35 percent of 1,448 victims of indecent assaults being under the age of 15, according to figures released yesterday. Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung said making trains less crowded is one way to tackle the increasing number of sex crimes on public transport.

There have been calls for some compartments to be designated for women only. However, the MTR said yesterday that female compartments may affect the mobility of passengers during emergencies.

Tsang, who was speaking at the police crime statistics review, said there were 148 indecent assaults on trains last year compared with 112 in 2009.

Overall, the crime rate dropped 2.1 percent to 75,965 cases, with a detection rate of 42.8 percent.

But police are concerned about a 9.9 percent rise in indecent assaults.

Deputy commissioner Xavier Tang Kam-moon said the majority of the predators do not know the victims, but that there was a significant increase in the number of such crimes involving schoolmates and relatives.

Among the 1,448 cases last year, 113 involved schoolmates, compared with 82 in 2009. The number of cases involving relatives also increased by some 50 percent, from 65 to 98.

Meanwhile, Tsang said his priority this year is to ensure public safety.

He added that the way protests are handled had been reviewed following the clash between protesters and construction workers in Choi Yuen Tsuen last Thursday.

But he stressed police will be impartial in dealing with protesters regardless of the location of the protesters.

hkskyline

February 6th, 2011, 06:27 AM

By 3ASV196 from a Hong Kong discussion forum :

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hkskyline

February 27th, 2011, 05:39 AM

MTR Corp blames faulty tracks and materials for half of cracks
22 February 2011
South China Morning Post

Half of the 14 cracks which have appeared on MTR tracks recently were caused by manufacturing flaws or defective materials, lawmakers at a special meeting were told.

The Legislative Council's railway subcommittee met yesterday after a series of incidents over the past few months involving the rail network.

The Transport Bureau and the MTR Corporation gave details of the 14 cases since 2008.

Four were related to manufacturing flaws or sub-standard workmanship and involved tracks that were six months to eight years old.

Three incidents were caused by excessive impurities or unmolten material being introduced in the welding process. Four other cases were put down to corrosion and metal fatigue.

The remaining three cases are still being investigated.

The faulty tracks and materials - which were provided by five companies - were replaced.

Raymond Ho Chung-tai, the lawmaker representing engineers, said the MTR Corp should issue warning letters to manufacturers whose performance is unsatisfactory.

"If you don't give warnings, I'm afraid the lesson of the Ngong Ping 360 is going to be repeated," Ho said, referring to an empty Lantau cable car falling off the ropeway in 2007.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, echoing Ho's views, asked the MTR Corp if it kept a blacklist of manufacturers.

Morris Cheung Siu-wa, the MTR Corp's head of operations engineering, said in some of the cases the tracks were old and issuing warnings might not help. He said the company conducted regular checks in compliance with international standards, with the tracks undergoing ultrasonic testing every two to six weeks and visual checks every three days.

The company is investigating two recent incidents on the Tung Chung and Tsuen Wan lines.

A small crack in a railway track between Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui disrupted services for four hours on February 10. And on January 19, a crack near Sunny Bay station disrupted services for four hours.

The tracks were sent to City University and a laboratory in the United States for analysis. The results will be available in four months.

The MTR Corp will also hire a team of experts to conduct a review of, and make recommendations to improve, its rail inspection and maintenance regime, with a particular focus on cracks, procurement and quality control.

EricIsHim

February 27th, 2011, 06:12 PM

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hkskyline

March 3rd, 2011, 04:13 PM

LCQ15: Platform safety of MTR stations
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Kam Nai-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 2):

Question:

Regarding platform safety in railway stations of the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows, in each of the past three years, the number of staff deployed by MTRCL at station platforms during train service hours to assist in regulating passenger flows and advise passengers not to bump into or charge the train doors, with a breakdown by rail line, name of station, whether or not platform screen doors ("PSDs") or automatic platform gates ("APGs") are installed, as well as the place and time periods of such staff deployment; whether additional staff are deployed by MTRCL during peak hours to maintain order at station platforms; if so, of the details (including the number of additional staff so deployed and the criteria and time periods for such deployment); if not, the reasons for that; whether MTRCL has reviewed the adequacy of its existing manpower and the effectiveness of deploying staff to maintain order at platforms; if it has, of the details, if not, the reasons for that;

(b) whether it knows, in each of the past three years, the number of MTRCL staff falling onto rail tracks while maintaining order, with a breakdown by rail line, name of station, whether or not PSDs or APGs are installed and the working hours of the staff; whether there are means to prevent staff working at platforms without PSDs or APGs from falling onto the tracks, and whether the effectiveness of such means has been reviewed; if so, of the details, if not, the reasons for that;

(c) whether it knows if MTRCL had compiled statistics in each of the past five years on delays in train service and other consequences caused by passengers falling onto rail tracks due to various reasons; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(d) given that in his reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on June 9, 2010, the Secretary for Transport and Housing indicated that a number of measures (such as installing platform gap fillers and yellow tactile strips in the gaps and along the edges of the platforms, installing illumination and flashing lights under the platforms and at the edge of the platforms respectively, installing CCTV systems at platforms, broadcasting announcements at platforms and in train compartments, as well as conducting education activities, etc.) had been taken by MTRCL in order to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks in stations where PSDs or APGs had not been installed, whether it knows:

(i) if MTRCL had reviewed the effectiveness of those measures and explored other more effective options in the past three years; if it had reviewed and explored, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(ii) if MTRCL has put in place a mechanism to inspect and maintain such facilities on a regular basis; if it has, of the details and the resources (including the amount of expenditure) put in; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

For the various parts of the question, our reply is set out below:

(a) All platforms of the various railway lines of the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) are always manned by station staff during operating hours of the day. In general, during the morning and evening peak hours and at stations with busier traffic (Note 1) , the passenger flow is heavier and MTRCL will arrange more staff and platform assistants to assist with crowd control and maintain order. For the Light Rail, MTR staff patrol Light Rail stops regularly and maintain close communication with the operation control centre in order to provide assistance to passengers. During peak hours, MTRCL also arranges platform assistants at Light Rail stops with high passenger flow (Note 2) to assist passengers in boarding and alighting Light Rail vehicles.

The major duties of station staff and platform assistants include: (i) reminding passengers to queue up and maintain order of waiting passengers before arrival of trains; (ii) reminding passengers to queue up if they are not standing in the waiting queue; (iii) preventing passengers from walking through queues, and making sure that they stand behind the yellow line; (iv) monitoring whether there is congestion of passengers and taking necessary actions to ease the congestion; and (v) assisting passengers in boarding and alighting trains, and preventing passengers from rushing into trains when train doors are closing.

MTRCL will arrange station staff and platform assistants to assist with crowd control at platforms considering the needs of different railway lines and stations. Instead of being assigned to perform duty at a designated station, these station staff and platform assistants will be deployed according to the needs of different stations and time periods. In fact, MTRCL has strengthened related manpower according to the overall need so as to provide better service to passengers. According to information provided by MTRCL, over the past three years, the number of station staff and platform assistants performing duties at heavy and light rail platforms increased from 1,073 in 2008 to 1,118 in 2009 and 1,172 in 2010. MTRCL conducts review on related staff establishment regularly and makes appropriate adjustments whenever necessary.

MTRCL introduces new measures from time to time in order to strengthen passenger safety awareness when they travel on the MTR, and appeals to passengers to maintain good order. For example, since July 2010, during peak hours at MTR interchange stations (Note 3), platform assistants will hold up the "Stop" sign and activate the electronic whistle when train doors are about to close, in order to urge passengers not to attempt entering train compartments when train doors are closing. This measure will gradually be introduced to other stations of the MTR system, with a view to reminding passengers more effectively not to rush into train compartments when train doors are closing.

(b) Over the past three years, no MTR staff fell onto track when performing crowd control duties. In fact, all station staff or platform assistants performing platform duties are required to attend the related training before carrying out platform duties. They also need to attend refresher courses every year. Contents of the courses emphasise that, when performing duties at platform without platform screen doors or automatic platform gates, station staff and platform assistants must stand behind the yellow line, and that ensuring the safety of passengers and that of their own is the first priority.

(c) and (d) Passengers fall onto the track for various reasons, including: (i) falling onto the track by accident (e.g. under the influence of alcohol or medicine, due to sickness etc); (ii) suicides and attempted suicides; and (iii) trespasses onto the track (e.g. passengers trying to retrieve items fallen onto the track, crossing the track to the platform on the other side, etc).

In the past five years, there were 61 cases of train service delay of eight minutes or more as a result of passenger(s) fallen onto the track.

The design of platforms at stations of the existing railway system is safe. MTR is a railway system carrying 1.5 billion passenger trips annually. In the past three years, the number of reportable events (Note 4) per million passengers carried is about 1.1 cases yearly. To raise the safety awareness of the passengers, MTRCL has been organising promotional campaigns from time to time. MTRCL also reviews and makes new plans for such promotional campaigns every year. Regarding trespassing cases in the East Rail Line, MTRCL installed additional notices indicating that entering tracks is forbidden at platforms of the East Rail Line in recent years.

As regards the relevant platform facilities, station staff inspect the related facilities on a daily basis to make sure that they are in good condition. MTRCL also conducts regular maintenance of such facilities. Since the expenses for the maintenance works concerned are part of the overall maintenance expenses of stations, MTRCL does not have breakdown for this individual item.

Note 1: Of the 84 MTR stations, platform assistants are already arranged for 73 busy stations, except Kwai Hing, Tai Wo Hau, Che Kung Temple, Shek Mun, Wu Kai Sha, Tung Chung, Asia World-Expo, Sai Wan Ho, Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan and LOHAS Park Stations.

Note 2: Including Town Centre, Tuen Mun, Ming Kum, Shek Pai, Choy Yee Bridge, Tai Hing (North), Tai Hing (South), Ngan Wai, Prime View, Affluence, Tuen Mun Hospital, Siu Hong, Lam Tei, Leung King, San Wai, Hung Shui Kiu, Hang Mei Tsuen, Tin Yiu, Locwood, Tin Shui, Chung Fu, Chestwood, Tin Heng, Tin Sau, Tin Yuet, Tin Wing, Ginza, Tin Tsz, Tin Shui Wai, Tai Tong Road and Yuen Long stops.

Note 3: Including Tsim Sha Tsui, East Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Prince Edward, Mei Foo, Lai King, Central, Admiralty, North Point, Quarry Bay, Yau Tong, Tiu Keng Leng, Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, Hung Hom, Kowloon Tong, Tai Wai, Nam Cheong, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, Siu Hong and Tuen Mun stations.

Note 4: Reportable events refer to the accidents and occurrences that are to be reported to the Government under the Mass Transit Railway Regulations (Cap. 556A).

EricIsHim

March 3rd, 2011, 06:34 PM

LCQ15: Platform safety of MTR stations
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Government Press Release

These are some very random questions.

hkskyline

March 4th, 2011, 03:24 AM

Can't believe they even dare to consider another fare hike this year ...

MTR profit up on home sales, higher traffic
The Standard
Friday, March 04, 2011

Net profit of MTR Corp (0066) jumped 25.1 percent to HK$12.06 billion - beating market forecasts of about HK$9 billion - thanks to robust home sales, high local patronage growth and fare adjustments.

Underlying profit, excluding a HK$4.07 billion revaluation gain from investment properties and deferred tax, rose 18.5 percent to HK$8.66 billion.

Earnings per share were HK$2.10. The company recommended a final dividend of 59 HK cents.

Profit from local rail operations jumped 31.65 percent to HK$2.8 billion, making it the largest contributor to earnings.

Net profit of local station commercial activities rose 8.4 percent to HK$2.53 billion.

Revenue surged 57 percent to HK$29.5 billion last year from HK$18.8 billion. Total fare revenue, comprising rail, light rail and bus services, grew 8.4 percent to HK$12.56 billion, with total patronage increasing by 6.8 percent to HK$1.608 billion in 2010.

Any rail fare adjustment will depend on a mechanism based on the consumer price index and wage index of transport services, of which the latter will be announced by the end of March, MTRC chief executive Chow Chung-kong said.

The average fare per passenger in Hong Kong rose 1.9 percent to HK$6.67 on the fare rise in June 2010 and longer trips after more openings of rail lines.

Net income of property rental and management rose 13.7 percent to HK$2.29 billion.

One-third of retail stores in railway stations renewed contracts and the rental growth of renewed contracts was 14 percent last year, Chow said.

Property development generated a net profit of HK$4.03 billion, up 13.5 percent from HK$3.55 billion.

The net profit of railway operations outside Hong Kong soared 47 times to HK$241 million from HK$5 million.

Diluted by the low-margin overseas franchise, margin of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of MTRC was 37 percent.

The Ebitda margin, excluding the railway subsidiaries outside of Hong Kong, was 54.9 percent.

The Beijing Metro Line operation is expected to turn profitable this year, but the Shenzhen Metro Line 4 may not contribute any profit to the company in the near term, MTR finance and business development director Lincoln Leung Kwok-kuen said.

MTRC shares closed down 0.52 percent to HK$28.65 yesterday.

hkskyline

March 10th, 2011, 03:44 PM

Taken for a ride
22 January 2011
The Age

The state of Melbourne's train service helped bring down the previous government. But as Royce Millar and Clay Lucas reveal, Metro inherited a flawed — and protected — system.

PEOPLE love trains in Hong Kong. Not surprising, really, given they tend to be fast, frequent, clean, safe, almost totally reliable, and dirt cheap. This week, the majority government-owned company that runs the Hong Kong system, MTR, had a malfunction that hit the front pages of a local newspaper. One line was disrupted for two hours, meaning trains would run every 12 minutes instead of every eight.

If only the news could be so bad in Melbourne each morning.

On a recent Asian visit by The Age, MTR executive Jaocb Kam stood in a boardroom in Hong Kong overlooking a set of shiny new tracks traversed by sparkling trains, 99.9 per cent of which will run on time. "On average," he said with pride, "people will have to take our system for two years before they experience a delay."

When MTR successfully bid to run Melbourne's trains in 2009, it used its home town as the inspiration for rebuilding this city's crumbling system. Under the name of Metro Trains Melbourne, the company's vision stirred former premier John Brumby to boast that it would deliver improved punctuality, reliability, safety, first-rate customer service and cleanliness. "Passengers will notice changes from day one."

Thirteen months after Labor scrubbed the tarnished Connex brand from Melbourne's history, Metro's performance record is even worse. This, despite the newcomer costing Victorians many millions more in its first year than Connex in its last. The Brumby government is no more and ALP state secretary Nick Reece has pointed to disruption in train services before the November poll as a key factor in his party's demise.

While it is early days for Metro in its eight-year contract, there is a widely held view among rail industry insiders and commentators that the company has hit a wall in Melbourne; that an entrenched inertia and old boys' network in the state bureaucracy and unions has made reform in Melbourne public transport impossible.

Expert observers such as University of Queensland urban economist Chris Hale are baffled by Metro's experience in Victoria. "MTR are really among the leading mass transit operators worldwide. If Melbourne can't make mass transit work with MTR at the helm, then something is seriously wrong," he says.

What happened to Metro under Labor and can it salvage its position here and transform the city's rail system as it promised? Will the Baillieu government really "fix the problems" in public transport, as it has vowed?

A bookshelf of colourful folders has pride of place in Metro chief executive Andrew Lezala's Spring Street office overlooking the former Jolimont rail yards. The folders contain a confidential blueprint for rail renaissance in Melbourne. Lezala insists he is on track to deliver this "step change" for the city's public transport, despite early teething problems. He points to a graph indicating improved performance towards the end of 2010 and says his trains are now more than twice as reliable as a year ago.

"We're here to professionalise this railway," he says. "Our vision is for a proud railway for everyone every day."

Whatever that means, Melburnians have good reason to be doubtful. Since Jeff Kennett privatised the metropolitan system in 1999, commercial train operators and their government champions have repeatedly promised more than they could deliver. Kennett vowed that his multi-operator private model would lead to improved services and patronage increases, while the level of public subsidies would plummet. Implicit was that franchisees would initiate and pay for maintenance and the system upgrades to attract and keep customers. Taxpayers could sit back and enjoy the ride, courtesy of the market.

Within two years, Kennett's privatised model was in tatters. The Bracks government reworked the contracts, signed Connex in 2004 as a single operator, paid it more in subsidies, and made the same promise of a new dawn for Melbourne transport.

By 2009, Labor was desperate to get rid of Connex, whose performance had become a political liability, and turned to Metro instead. Again, the subsidies increased. But Metro's first year was disappointing, with the company failing to meet punctuality targets in 10 of 12 months.

The company certainly faces obstacles. Some, such as the antiquated complexity of the network and extent of maintenance neglect, were not fully apparent. "If you look at standards, what we have got is a Third World railway in a First World country," says a former Metro executive and rail industry insider. "Metro did not understand how difficult it was to operate such a complex system."

After all, Hong Kong's network had been built largely since the 1970s. It is a new and simple rail system, subject to ongoing preventative maintenance. When Metro chiefs visited Melbourne in 2008 and 2009 they could have been forgiven for looking at the architecturally celebrated Southern Cross Station and concluding that Victoria shared their enthusiasm for public transport.

So Tuesday, July 27, 2010, was sobering for Metro, by then in its eighth month as the city's rail operator. It was the day the entire train network was thrown into disarray after an overhead power line broke near Southern Cross. Obscured by the extravagant station shell was the fact that the old electric wiring had been left to deteriorate to the point that it could snap.

A former senior Transport Department director told The Age that Metro had been given written reports that depicted the network as "robust but requiring some maintenance". "What they were not told was that it was entirely dilapidated and waiting to collapse at the wink of an eye. They've inherited a dog."

Lezala says he was generally aware of the state of the network. What was missing, he says, was the sort of data and research that underpins MTR's slick operation in Hong Kong. "The thing that really shocked me was there wasn't the management data you need to understand where to apply your efforts."

If the true physical conditions of Melbourne's network were elusive to Metro, then the political conditions of its operation were positively mysterious. When Metro arrived in Melbourne it was led by a mixture of Asian and English executives. They were new and challenging to a rail industry, bureaucracy and union leadership renowned for their clubby camaraderie.

Within weeks, those executives were facing the reality that a Hong Kong transport culture and Victorian politics did not mix. By year's end, only Lezala remained of the original management team; all the others had quit, been fired, or demoted.

Even Lezala's authority is questioned by sources within government and among his own former staff. Soon after taking over the company last year, he announced a change of duties for its CEO. He would devote his time to "external issues" — that is, media. A new chief operating officer, Simon Lane, was recruited from the government's Transport Department to run Metro's trains.

Lane, who was with the Public Transport Corporation of the pre-Kennett era, was managing director of the old Met trains, and in 1997 was named by Jeff Kennett as the head of doomed privatisation pioneer Bayside Trains.

Lezala insists he headhunted Lane. Others, including former Metro managers and former government insiders, say Lane was foisted on the company by the department. Either way, the dramatic change in senior personnel signalled to those familiar with the industry and bureaucracy that Metro was no longer in charge.

Says a former senior Brumby government adviser: "Metro got beaten up initially when Andrew Lezala brought in a new management team. They [Metro] came in and said, 'There are all these problems, we are starting again,' and he got beaten around the head by DOT [Department of Transport] and by ministers."

On the government side, the large Transport Department is headed by bureaucrats who date back to the Kennett era and beyond, including Transport Department secretary Jim Betts and public transport division chief Hector McKenzie.

Their ongoing influence in transport policy and management, and their ability to outlive premiers, ministers and rail franchisees, lends weight to the criticism of a Yes Minister-style old guard that never lets go in Melbourne.

The relationship between the bureaucracy and rail union is a long and complex one, and was especially so under Labor. Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Trevor Dobbyn is Victorian president of the ALP.

Several of the most senior current and past Metro staff have told The Age that they believe Mr Dobbyn is more influential than either Metro itself or the government's transport bureaucracy.

When Metro human resources manager Bill Armstrong sought to challenge long-standing work practices including union control of rosters and who tests new trains, he found he had taken on a bigger opponent that he had realised. Armstrong was one of a string of senior figures moved out of Metro last year. He would not comment when contacted by The Age. However, a former senior colleague observes: "Metro was prepared to back Bill up, but he was not able to implement his strategy because the government did not want to take on people like Trevor. So the consequence was that nothing happened."

Metro had also committed to a streamlined operation with fewer staff than its predecessor, Connex, including a cut of administrative staff from 160 to 90. The figure is now about 200. Wider staff numbers have ballooned from 3200 at the time of the takeover to almost 3780 now.

Other changes flagged but not delivered were a major overhaul of safety, including mandatory drug and alcohol testing of all staff, and passenger management strategies to minimise the delays caused by the growing number of people getting on and off the trains.

IN HIS office, Lezala is uncomfortable on the question of the political culture his company encountered in Melbourne, especially in relation to unions. So much so, he is reluctant to identify work practices he would like to change. When pressed, he acknowledges that some of his senior staff had struggled with a "social culture" different to that of Hong Kong.

"It's about getting the right leaders in an Australian environment, which is why I brought Simon [Lane] in. We needed a leadership team that is compatible with how Melburnians work."

Still, Metro and Labor did agree that upgrading work was needed across the antiquated network. Metro last year persuaded the government to bring forward maintenance spending for projects including fixing train faults, notably breaks, and replacing old signalling and wood sleepers with concrete.

Inevitably, such belated upgrading of the system caused delays and frustration for passengers. The political timing was bad; in fact it was lethal. Before the November election, voters were getting grumpy about disruptions and service alterations along the lines through south and eastern suburbs.

Labor's response was to stop talking about public transport altogether — even the maintenance initiatives — in a bid to minimise attention on its public transport record. The strategy backfired. On November 27, Labor's seats fell like dominoes along and in between the Frankston and Lilydale lines. It was a cruel irony, maybe, that Labor should pay such a price for belatedly recognising that rail upgrades were needed.

Yet, as one senior consultant close to Metro puts it: "The main problem was that the government was 10 years behind on infrastructure. The more they did, the more Metro missed targets because they had to stop trains running to fix things up. These things go to a lack of long-term planning and support."

As the November poll showed, political risk for transport cannot be transferred. Governments, not companies such as Metro, are ultimately held responsible for train and tram services.

Having won government in part on the back of Labor's transport quandary, the Coalition now faces the same conundrum.

Asked about his view of Melbourne's train franchise model, Transport Minister Terry Mulder is quick to criticise the Bracks/Brumby approach: "What Labor did was to think, 'We will hand this to private operators and then it's their problem. We can go off and do what we like.' "

Nonetheless, the Coalition has decided to persevere with the eight-year Metro contracts, while having a bob each way by repeatedly pointing out they were inherited from Labor.

In opposition, Mulder was merciless in his criticism of the system operated by Metro, if not of the company itself, and he had flagged he would have trouble working with Lezala. Now he calls for patience. "They haven't been there long. There has been a considerable amount of [public] investment made for maintenance and asset renewal for this operator and they have got to be given an opportunity to prove themselves."

The Coalition has given itself the additional political pressure of promising a multibillion-dollar extension of the network, including a Doncaster line promised by the Liberals in the 1960s but never delivered. It has also promised an independent public transport development authority charged with driving improvements in train, tram and bus services, although details are sketchy. How this body works with the minister, the existing Transport Department and Metro is also hazy.

What is apparent is that if Melbourne's trains are run by the old guard of bureaucrats, former departmental consultants and unions, there is no obvious reason to think things are soon to change.

The Coalition government has promised to not cut public service levels or wield the axe at senior bureaucrats. Ted Baillieu has made it clear he has no appetite for a stoush with the transport unions.

Meanwhile, at Flinders Street Station there is an enduring Melbourne mystery — the frustratingly long stop every train makes on arrival. The delays are due to an old industrial agreement that requires that drivers change trains after every trip, lest they get bored. Such a practice would be laughable in Hong Kong. When asked what he intends to do about it, Mr Mulder is cautious. "It would be an issue that Metro would be dealing with or talking to their train drivers about."

geoking66

March 10th, 2011, 05:20 PM

The MTR is so cheap compared to European and American rapid transport…

EricIsHim

March 10th, 2011, 05:25 PM

Taken for a ride
22 January 2011
The Age
PEOPLE love trains in Hong Kong. Not surprising, really, given they tend to be fast, frequent, clean, safe, almost totally reliable, and dirt [/B]cheap. This week, the majority government-owned company that runs the Hong Kong system, MTR, had a malfunction that hit the front pages of a local newspaper. One line was disrupted for two hours, meaning trains would run every 12 minutes instead of every eight.

If only the news could be so bad in Melbourne each morning.

On a recent Asian visit by The Age, MTR executive Jaocb Kam stood in a boardroom in Hong Kong overlooking a set of shiny new tracks traversed by sparkling trains, 99.9 per cent of which will run on time. "On average," he said with pride, "people will have to take our system for two years before they experience a delay."

Was that a joke? Or was that a shame?

I guess MTR should start education people how poor are similar rail service around the world are.

Svartmetall

March 11th, 2011, 03:31 AM

Was that a joke? Or was that a shame?

I guess MTR should start education people how poor are similar rail service around the world are.

Well no, that's not fair. A lot of metro systems worldwide are also very good and MTR (which now runs the Stockholm Tunnelbana too) inherited a good system there and runs it well.

Melbourne is a complex commuter rail system with extensive interlining meaning that it isn't comparable to the MTR in Hong Kong with its simple "one line one train" approach to a great deal of its network. Compare apples with apples please. It was unfair of the government in Victoria to turn round and say "look MTR delivers 99% on time services in Hong Kong" because it simply isn't possible to offer that level of efficiency with a complicated system like Melbourne's. You can't compare commuter rail to a metro.

The MTR is so cheap compared to European and American rapid transport…

Single fares are, yes. But how about multiple fares? I noticed very quickly in Hong Kong that if you make a lot of trips the cost goes up markedly especially when you add on the bus on top. In Europe you often have very cost-effective monthly tickets that cover the entire PT network and that I actually prefer as you can make unlimited trips.

EricIsHim

March 11th, 2011, 03:35 AM

Hong Kong Mass Transit Operator MTR Chooses Verizon to Fast Track Information-Asset Protection

5 MARCH 2011

HONG KONG – The MTR Corporation, which carries 4 million passengers every weekday in Hong Kong, wanted to bolster its security capabilities to better protect corporate and customer information.

Verizon Business professional services experts helped the mass transit operator update its existing security and data classification policies and implemented a comprehensive Information Rights Management program. To build a security framework, Verizon conducted a series of stringent process assessments and workshops for employees with access to sensitive and classified information. As a result, MTR’s 14,000 employees are now able to quickly and consistently identify, classify and encrypt sensitive company information. And the new security framework has greatly helped to reduce the risk of unauthorized and inadvertent disclosure of such information.

Daniel Lai, MTR Corporation’s head of information technology, said: “Our business uses significant amounts of information in different forms. And since our employees and external partners are increasingly mobile, we wanted to ensure that all sensitive information was properly protected. With the help of Verizon Business, the entire MTR team is now well-equipped to safeguard customer data – and protect the underlying qualities of the MTR brand.”

Verizon Business offers managed security services; governance, risk and compliance solutions; data loss and prevention solutions; and identity management solutions, all delivered by the company’s more than 1,200 security professionals around the globe. More information is available by visiting http://www.verizonbusiness.com/products/security. The company also provides ongoing security insight and analysis via the Verizon Security Blog.

Verizon is a global leader in driving better business outcomes for mid-sized and large enterprises and government agencies. Verizon combines integrated communications and IT solutions, professional services expertise with high-IQ global IP and mobility networks to enable businesses to securely access information, share content and communicate. Verizon is rapidly transforming to a cloud-based “everything-as-a-service” delivery model that will put the power of enterprise-grade solutions within the reach of every business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving 94.1 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

EricIsHim

March 11th, 2011, 03:53 AM

MTR Hong Kong introduces new passenger communication measures

BY A. SAMUEL · FEBRUARY 25, 2011 ·

The MTR Corporation, Hong Kong has introduced a series of new measures to improve communication with passengers in the event of a train service suspension.

On 25 February a joint exercise took place at Yau Ma Tei Station held with the Fire Services Department and Railway District Police. The exercise re-enacted last October’s Tsuen Wan Line broken overhead line incident when train service had to be temporarily suspended between Yau Ma Tei and Jordan stations.

“Many passengers were delayed that day and I would once again like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused. We agree our handling of the situation could be improved, especially in information dissemination, shuttle bus arrangement and timely communication with the Transport Department,” said Dr Jacob Kam, Operations Director of MTR Corporation.

“We have done a comprehensive review, and introduced a series of improvement initiatives which we took the opportunity to try out.“

For high visibility, the Corporation has colour-coded communication materials for train service suspension in pink. The new measures include:

• Enhanced public announcements with service suspension details and advice on alternative transport choices

• Giant pull-down maps showing franchise bus routes, bus stop locations and Free MTR Shuttle Bus pick-up points

• Signs displayed from concourse ceilings and at street level to mark routes to Free MTR Shuttle Bus pick-up points

• LCD screens to be gradually installed at MTR station entry gates to provide information on service suspension

• Station-specific Rail Service Suspension Passenger Guide available at each station and on the MTR website

In addition, a 60-member, dedicated Customer Service Rapid Response Unit (CSRRU) is being set up to provide assistance to passengers and maintain order at stations and Free MTR Shuttle Bus pick-up points. Individual teams will be deployed to affected stations during a train service suspension and members will be easily identifiable in their hot pink vests.

“When a service suspension occurs, we need time to ascertain the situation and make assessment on the impact. As a result, it could take 30 to 45 minutes before the relevant arrangements are put into place, extra manpower deployed and Free MTR Shuttle Buses arrive,” said Mr TT Choi, Head of Operating of MTR Corporation. “We thank passengers for their understanding and advise that they should first consider taking alternative MTR routes or other public transport.”

The joint exercise is also aimed at verifying established emergency procedures and communication between the MTR and emergency services. Five hundred members of the public volunteered to play the role of “passengers”.

“The exercise confirms the seamless cooperation among the MTR, Fire Services and Police in urgent situations as well as meets the objective of testing the effectiveness of our new communication initiatives,” added Mr Choi.

MTR passengers can familiarise themselves with arrangements during a train service suspension by obtaining a Rail Service Suspension Passenger Guide at a nearby station or downloading it from the MTR website.

http://www.rail.co/2011/02/25/mtr-hong-kong-introduces-new-passenger-communication-measures/

EricIsHim

March 11th, 2011, 04:03 AM

Well no, that's not fair. A lot of metro systems worldwide are also very good and MTR (which now runs the Stockholm Tunnelbana too) inherited a good system there and runs it well.

Melbourne is a complex commuter rail system with extensive interlining meaning that it isn't comparable to the MTR in Hong Kong with its simple "one line one train" approach to a great deal of its network. Compare apples with apples please. It was unfair of the government in Victoria to turn round and say "look MTR delivers 99% on time services in Hong Kong" because it simply isn't possible to offer that level of efficiency with a complicated system like Melbourne's. You can't compare commuter rail to a metro.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to look down on other systems.
The thing is, locally in Hong Kong, politicians and media are making very big deal about any service disruption of the system, which is one of the best in the world.
As the article described, it were like end of the world if the service is only delayed by a few minutes for a very short period of time, and would make it to the newspaper headline the next day.
I was just trying to say those complain our ultra efficient MTR should learn about how other similar system performs, and be thankful we have such a reliable and efficient system rather than whining any small gossip that happens.

EricIsHim

March 11th, 2011, 04:06 AM

MTR jam calls for longer trains

Friday, March 11, 2011

Traffic has always been a problem for Hong Kong, and car dealers do not believe raising first registration tax as proposed in the budget will deter buyers. Meanwhile, both pedestrian and vehicular traffic seem to have increased lately.

There are crowds everywhere, and this is probably because more mainlanders are visiting, and more people are shopping, helped by the robust economy.
Even MTR trains are always full, and passengers often have to wait for the next one.

The long-term solution would be for the train company to build more lines, but that does not help relieve the immediate passenger pressure, which is quite a headache.

Some suggest increasing train frequencies, but a friend with MTR Corp said this is not possible because the system is almost at full capacity.

Another option would be to increase the length of each train. Would that not increase the capacity of each train, which has up to nine carriages now?

Adding a 10th could work at new platforms, but may present a problem for the older ones, which are shorter. Despite the hitch, this is one possibility the company is exploring.

One way to overcome the problem is not to open the doors of the additional carriage. Passengers would use the doors of the ninth carriage to board and exit.

But they might be reluctant to move into the 10th carriage, staying close to the exit, causing delays.

Higher patronage is, of course, good for the company, but it also presents a problem, albeit a happy one.

As the economy improves further, this kind of problem may spill over to other establishments.

It is up to the managers to do some brainstorming to find innovative solutions.

Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=5&art_id=108976&sid=31584211&con_type=3&d_str=20110311&fc=7

hkskyline

March 11th, 2011, 04:10 AM

Shorten the announcements, so trains can depart quicker.

hkskyline

March 18th, 2011, 04:34 AM

MTR Corp told to derail fare rises
The Standard
Friday, March 18, 2011

Most people feel MTR fares are already too high, and three-quarters of the population oppose further increases.
That's the claim of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, which is calling on MTR Corp to shoulder its social responsibility and offer discounts, in view of its huge profits last year.

"With such a big profit, MTR should be socially responsible, and abandon its plan to increase fares in June, since the masses are already facing high inflation," lawmaker Gary Chan Hak-kan said yesterday.

The DAB surveyed 921 people, aged 18 and above, from March 3 to March 14, with 77.6 percent of respondents objecting to fare rises this year.

Earlier, MTRC chief executive Chow Chung-kong announced the subway operator posted a net profit of HK$12.06 billion last year, up 25 percent.

Profit from local rail operations jumped 31.65 percent to HK$2.8 billion, as total fare revenues from rail, light rail and bus services grew 8.4 percent to HK$12.56 billion.

The company plans to adjust fares in June under the "fare-adjustment mechanism," which is based on the previous year's inflation and wage rates.

Chan said rather than propose increases, the rail operator should offer fare concessions, as suggested by 35 percent of poll respondents.

On the subject of service delays, Chan said there should be a demerit system. He said one-third of respondents claim constant MTR incidents have affected their confidence in the company, while the same percentage is not satisfied with the contingency arrangements.

"A demerit system should be linked to the fare-adjustment mechanism, so that the higher the frequency of incidents, the lower the proportion of allowed fare increase," Chan said.

Such a demerit system will help compensate passengers for time and money lost due to rail incidents, he said.

In February, the company said it has found 14 serious cracks on rail tracks since 2008.

A five-millimeter crack in January delayed services between Sunny Bay and Central for almost two hours.

Last month, a one-millimeter vertical crack in a rail between Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui disrupted morning train services for up to four hours.

EricIsHim

March 18th, 2011, 04:24 PM

^^ This is absolutely nonsense!

hkskyline

March 19th, 2011, 05:54 PM

Tuen Mun to Tsuen Wan rail bid gains speed
15 March 2011
South China Morning Post

A decades-old plan to build a second railway connecting Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan is gathering speed.

District representatives released a feasibility study yesterday and said residents needed a faster rail link in the area northwest of Kowloon.

The proposed 18-kilometre railway would run along the coast between Tsuen Wan West and Tuen Mun, passing through Sham Tseng, Tsing Lung Tau and Sam Shing. It would be a more direct link than the existing 35.4-kilometre West Rail Line, which goes north to Yuen Long before getting to Tuen Mun.

The district councils also suggested the railway be extended to a new station in western Tuen Mun.

A feasibility study commissioned by the two district councils estimated the proposed railway would carry 237,600 passengers daily in 2021, and that the whole journey would take about 20 minutes. The HK$600,000 study was made by Ho Wang SPB.

Most passengers would be taking medium-to-long trips and would need to change at Tsuen Wan West for the West Rail Line, the report said.

Costs and other details of the construction were not known yet, but Joseph Wong Chung-chuen, executive director of the company, estimated tickets on the proposed line would cost less than the West Rail Line's charge of HK$11 one-way for adults from Tsuen Wan West to Tuen Mun.

"Ticket prices on the MTR are usually based on the length of the journey. The proposed railway is shorter than the West Rail Line by 20 to 30 per cent, so prices will also be cheaper," Wong said.

Travel time between the two areas would also be shortened by at least 15 minutes, he said. "Commuting time for residents in Tuen Mun West will further be reduced, because the rail network will become more accessible to them," he said.

Wong said the cheaper costs and quicker commuting time would encourage residents to look for jobs outside the immediate area and encourage tourists to visit Tuen Mun.

It could also ease the passenger load on the West Rail Line, which was likely to increase with more residential projects developing along it, he said.

The railway could even connect with a cross-border railway, such as the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, Wong said, although further studies would be needed.

The two district councils proposed the railway to the government in 2009. It is now being considered under the Transport and Housing Bureau's updated railway development strategy.

Tuen Mun District Council chairman Lau Wong-fat said the two councils sent the report to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen yesterday and hoped the railway could be built as soon as possible.

EricIsHim

March 24th, 2011, 06:33 PM

:ohno::ohno:

After MTRC got a $2.8 billion of profit, 32% hike, from local rail operation last year, we get a 2.3% fare raise in June! Bravo.

Time to fill up that Octopus Card.

MTR fares set to rise
25-03-2011

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation has announced it will raise fares by 2.3 percent from June. Passengers will have to pay 10 to 20 cents more for each journey.
The increase has been calculated under a fare adjustment mechanism linked to rises in the consumer price index and wage indices.

A spokesman for the Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities, Richard Tsoi, opposed the move, saying it would add to the already high cost of living. He said it could not be justified financially because the Corporation posted a big profit last year.

http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?hightlight&20110325&56&743641

Silly_Walks

March 25th, 2011, 05:01 AM

hkskyline

March 25th, 2011, 05:16 AM

What measures can the Hong Kong government take to stop fare hikes by a monopolist company, even though the company is doing well financially and can't really justify the fare hike?

Just wondering what kind of sticks they have to hit with.

Well, they're closing the fare gap with buses. I still think with the hike the city fares are still cheaper than before the merger though.

hkskyline

March 25th, 2011, 05:17 PM

By 淮海陳 from a Chinese photography forum (http://photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=69&threadyear=2011&threadid=73&action=&word=&searchusername=&page=4) :

http://photofans.cn/uploads2011/02/userid98765time20110207064232.jpg

http://photofans.cn/uploads2011/02/userid98765time20110207064311.jpg

http://photofans.cn/uploads2011/02/userid98765time20110207064402.jpg

http://photofans.cn/uploads2011/02/userid98765time20110207064507.jpg

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Rachmaninov

March 25th, 2011, 07:26 PM

EricIsHim

March 25th, 2011, 07:55 PM

Is that a $2.8 billion profit or revenue from rail operations?

Yes, $2.8 billion profit from rail operation alone, I quoted it from the article in post 2342 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=74481923&postcount=2342).

Rachmaninov

March 25th, 2011, 08:02 PM

No excuses for them really then... :(

dinoaizuddin

March 26th, 2011, 05:20 AM

one of the most modern metro in the world ...

StanleyJ

March 26th, 2011, 10:13 AM

When was the last MTR price rise (ie: since when were the current ptices in effect)? I've got a hunch if the fares were in Renminbi... they'd have actually fallen?

hkskyline

March 26th, 2011, 11:38 AM

When was the last MTR price rise (ie: since when were the current ptices in effect)? I've got a hunch if the fares were in Renminbi... they'd have actually fallen?

There was a fare hike last year, although fares did drop following the KCR merger.

StanleyJ

March 26th, 2011, 10:07 PM

There was a fare hike last year, although fares did drop following the KCR merger.

Hmmm. So with the Renminbi going from 1:1 with the HK Dollar (Jan 2007) to 0.88 CNY = 1.00 HKD where it plateaued for most of the 2008-current Financial Crisis, at least till mid-2010 where it started appreciating again and is now at ~0.84 CNY = 1.00 HKD... Yup, MTR fares have actually gotten cheaper if fares were denominated in Renminbi... :lol::banana:

EricIsHim

March 26th, 2011, 11:57 PM

Hmmm. So with the Renminbi going from 1:1 with the HK Dollar (Jan 2007) to 0.88 CNY = 1.00 HKD where it plateaued for most of the 2008-current Financial Crisis, at least till mid-2010 where it started appreciating again and is now at ~0.84 CNY = 1.00 HKD... Yup, MTR fares have actually gotten cheaper if fares were denominated in Renminbi... :lol::banana:

I don't think the fare has a whole lot to do with the raise on CNY.
The raise CNY does contribute the inflation locally in HK in food, and other import, but I just can't think of how it can directly change the operation of MTRC besides the company may have to raise the salary to catch the inflation.
Don't forget MTRC is doing a lot of consultant works in China, as well as operation a few lines in the mainland, which mean MTRC is making money in CNY at the same time as the currency raise its value over HKD.

The fall of USD in the last few years has probably done a lot more harm to the MTRC with import of tracks, parts and other materials from overseas which are probably paid in USD, which the HKD pegs into.

Bottomline, I think the company is just looking for more profit as allowed by law at this point.

sterlinglush

March 27th, 2011, 06:53 AM

Inflation is a big part of the reason this is such a sensitive issue here. HK is an expensive place to live, and local salaries are lower than you'd expect, considering the cost of real estate. The price of housing has gone crazy in the last couple of years. Food is getting noticeably more expensive, too. What this means is that the people most affected will be the ones on the lower end of the income scale, the ones who have longer commutes because they can only afford to live farther away from the employment centers. In light of the large profit the MTRC has reported, the proposed fare increase is very hard for a lot of people to accept.

hkskyline

March 27th, 2011, 07:26 AM

hkskyline

March 30th, 2011, 10:34 AM

Mickey magic halted in tracks
The Standard
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20110330/photo/0330-00407-040b2.jpg

A breakdown on the Disneyland Resort Line hit MTR services for nearly three hours yesterday.
It was the first disruption on the line since it opened five years ago.

More than 2,000 people were affected after one of the Mickey Mouse-themed trains broke down just before 8am at Sunny Bay station.

Many of those on the problem train were Disneyland employees on their way to work.

The MTR arranged shuttle buses for taking passengers between Sunny Bay and Disneyland until full service was resumed. Thirty buses made 53 trips during the three hours, carrying 2,170 passengers. Forty-three of the trips were to Disneyland.

While bus services went into action, an engine towed the problem train to a siding away from the main line where it awaited inspection to determine what brought it to a halt.

Partial train services resumed at 9.30am, with the frequency between trains nine minutes instead of the usual five.

It was only at 11am that the Disney trains were running to their usual schedule.

MTR executives pledged to pull out all the stops to prevent another disruption on the line, which is a dedicated link and therefore carries only tourists, local visitors and workers.

But a Disneyland spokeswoman said overall operations had not been affected, and the park opened as usual at 10.30am.

hkskyline

April 14th, 2011, 02:50 PM

Japanese solution to assaults rejected in HK
7 April 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

When the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation officially declined the Legislative Council's (LegCo) proposal to installing women-only carriages in January 2011, there was almost no objection - not among women.

"Implementing women-only carriages does not mean an end to lewd conduct in general," said Amy Yeung, executive secretary of the Association for the Advancement of Feminism, adding that education and enforcement of stricter law is much more effective.

"I am much more prone to the idea of creating an environment in public transportation where women learn to protect themselves," said Linda Wong of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence against Women, referring to special training of MTR staff members about how to deal with urgent cases of sexual assault, and posting signs reminding passengers of paying attention to potential assaults.

"I think that the idea of women-only carriage signals a presumption that women are on the weak side," she said.

Stephen Robert Nagy, assistant professor of Department of Japanese Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, examined the idea.

"It's definitely an initiative to deal with lewd conduct, and women in Japan generally appreciate it," he said, referring to the women-only carriages in Japan, which were first adopted in 2001.

"It's 100 percent effective in the women-only carriages," said Nagy, adding that there was no case of sexual assault reported in these carriages. Nor has there been any situation in which male passengers have proven unwilling to move out of the women-only carriages when mistakenly enter.

However, women-only carriages are not on every train line of every city in Japan. According to Nagy, whether the installment is necessary varies from different districts, factoring in the different population sizes and how prosperous the district is. Besides, some women-only carriages are effective only during rush hours.

In November 2010, China Daily reported that an online and telephone poll showed 81 percent of the cases of indecent assaults took place on the subway.

The MTR Corporation however disputed the findings, arguing that crimes involving sexual assaults only made up 1.3 percent of the total number of crimes in Hong Kong in 2010.

Online public opinions in Hong Kong almost converged on disapproving women-only carriages. Many questioned associated problems, such as bringing inconvenience to the male travelers during peak hours.

The same concern also exists in Tokyo, where the subway sees an average of eight million passengers every day, the second highest in the world, according to reports. By comparison, the MTR in Hong Kong carries about four million passengers a day, according to the company.

Skeptics also contended that sexual assaults on public transportation is not as severe as it is in Japan.

"In Japan, there had been prominent cases when men were conducting sexual assaults in the public area in various sophisticated ways which caught the media and people's attention," said Nagy, explaining the situation in Japan before the installment.

hkskyline

April 15th, 2011, 05:30 PM

HK to review MTR fare mechanism

HONG KONG, Apr. 15 (Xinhua) -- The review on the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) Corporation's fare-adjustment mechanism will be conducted next year, and the government will encourage the corporation to provide fare concession to passengers, the Secretary for Transport and Housing Department in Hong Kong Eva Cheng said Friday.

Speaking to legislators, Cheng said the rate of increase under the fare-adjustment mechanism this year is 2.3 percent and the new fares will take effect in June.

It is estimated the fare increase will lift the Composite Consumer Price Index by 0.018 of a percentage point this year and another 0.015 of a percentage point next year.

Following the set procedures, MTR Corporation (MTRC) must provide the government with two independent third-party certificates certifying the fare adjustments are in compliance with the mechanism and formally notify the Legislative Council and the Transport Advisory Committee three weeks prior to implementation of the new fares.

The fare-adjustment mechanism was implemented in 2009 and fares were first increased under it last year.

hkskyline

April 26th, 2011, 04:48 PM

HK to receive 1st mainland-made subway train
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-25 20:19

CHANGCHUN - Hong Kong's metro system will receive its first train from a Chinese mainland manufacturer Thursday, according to a source with the manufacturer.

The 8-car train was designed and developed by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of the China CNR Corporation Limited, said the source.

The lightweight train is capable of speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. It is made out of stainless steel and has a service life of 40 years, 10 years longer than that of subway trains currently being used by metro systems in the mainland, according to the Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd..

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) signed a procurement agreement with the China CNR Corporation Limited in December 2008. In accordance with the agreement, Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, Ltd is tasked to develop, manufacture and provide 10 trains to the MTR Corporation of Hong Kong before 2012.

The cooperation between Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, Ltd and the HKSAR is an indication that mass transit vehicle manufacturers in the Chinese mainland are ready to penetrate the Hong Kong market, which has been dominated by suppliers from the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

superchan7

April 29th, 2011, 04:04 AM

EricIsHim

April 29th, 2011, 04:16 PM

As usual, the Bombardier JV is conveniently omitted. Still looking forward to the actual product; I heard it's not exactly cheap even though it's manufactured in the mainland.

Edit: Just saw loading photos from Liaoning on another forum. It looks quite good from the outside.

Here is an article in Ming Pao a few days ago about the new train with the price tag.

國產港鐵列車後天抵港
(明報)2011年4月26日星期二 05:15
【明報專訊】港鐵斥資11億元，向內地訂購的10列共80卡車，首列8卡車將於本周四運抵本港。港鐵表示，該組列車抵港後需接受測試，預計到年底才可投入服務。

內地新華網報道，由中國北車集團長春軌道客車股份有限公司自主研製的1列共8卡地鐵列車，已於上周六從遼寧營口港起運，預計本周四抵港。該批列車亦是內地企業首度出口香港的地鐵列車。

年內投入服務可駛40年

製造商去年底曾表示，該公司為港鐵製造的列車，將於2014年通車的西港島線行駛。但港鐵發言人昨表示，本周抵港的列車，將於今年底前投入服務，但無進一步透露行駛的路線。

製造商指出，該批地鐵列車是不鏽鋼輕量化列車，採用「6動2拖」共8輛編組結構，最高運營時速80公里，強調該批列車的車體強度、噪音控制、防火性能等，均達到世界級水平，可使用40年。新列車車廂將採用22吋彩色液晶體顯示屏，取代現有的電子二極管顯示器，為乘客提供車務資料、新聞資訊等。

防火噪音控制世界級

港鐵於2008年斥資11億元，首次向內地訂購10列新車，平均每卡1360萬元，預計今年至明年間全部付運到港，以加強服務及應付未來西港島線、觀塘線、荃灣線及將軍澳線客量增長。港鐵目前沿用的列車主要購自韓國和英國，2002年港鐵前身地鐵斥資9億元向南韓公司Rotem購入13列共104卡列車，平均每卡860萬元，換言之，該批向內地購買的新車較韓製列車貴59％，約500萬元。

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/110425/4/nzfd.html

hkskyline

May 18th, 2011, 05:41 PM

By 飞雪寒冰 from a Chinese photography forum (http://www.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=40&threadyear=2011&threadid=52464&action=&word=&searchusername=&page=2) :

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/05/userid164142time20110501050258at77.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/05/userid164142time20110501050129.jpg

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/05/userid164142time20110501045107at59.jpg

SydneyCity

May 21st, 2011, 08:41 AM

Those Disney trains look awesome.

hkskyline

May 24th, 2011, 12:04 PM

Protesters rail against MTR fare increases
The Standard
Monday, May 23, 2011

Commuters joined members of the Democratic Party to hand in a petition to MTR Corp urging it to abandon fare increases set for next month.

Fares are due to rise 10-20 HK cents a trip under a system based on the previous year's inflation and wage rates.

Carrying banners, petitioners from Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories East and Kowloon marched from Kowloon Bay station through Telford Plaza to MTRC headquarters chanting slogans about "shameful" action by the company.

There, they covered the MTRC logo with a train bearing a devilish face and horns.

Democratic Party member and protest organizer Wu Chi-wai complained the company made a huge profit last year yet is adding to the financial burden of the masses.

MTRC chief executive Chow Chung-kong announced that the operator had a profit of HK$12 billion last year, up 25 percent on 2009.

"It is unreasonable to raise the fare," said Wu, adding: "Scores of citizens have joined the protest regardless of the bad weather, which means public anger is growing."

The government, which holds 76 percent of the MTRC, should balance interests of shareholders and the grassroots, he added. The Democrats want the company to offer concessions, such as monthly tickets and a HK$2 fare for the elderly to be daily rather than on specific days.

Wu also criticized the government for giving the company two plots of land worth HK$7.88 billion to offset the HK$17.7 billion cost of two new rail projects.

A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said public transport is operated by private organizations "based on business principles so as to provide cost- effective services."

And the government "ensures a reasonable level of fares based on affordability of the public."

sasalove

May 27th, 2011, 04:30 AM

港式服務引進深圳
DsfyfzFph_A

hkskyline

May 27th, 2011, 10:00 AM

Transport unions want 7pc pay rise
27 May 2011
South China Morning Post

As Hong Kong's 160,000 civil servants move a step closer to securing a pay rise of between 5.15 and 7.24 per cent, workers at Kowloon Motor Bus and the MTR Corp are battling for a wage increase of no less than 7 per cent.

Seven MTR unions, representing more than half of the rail operator's 12,000 staff, said yesterday a pay rise of at least 7 per cent should be given due to soaring inflation, which stood at 4.6 per cent last month, the highest in 21/2 years.

"Last year, the company offered us a pay rise of 2.5 per cent. We need a bigger pay rise this year to try to catch up with inflation," Rainbow Lau Choy-hung, chairwoman of the KCR officers union said. The unions also want higher allowances and annual payroll increments.

"Industrial action may be taken if our demand is not answered by July," Lau said.

KMB's 10,000 workers also want a 7.5 per cent increase in July.

Chung Kin-wa, of the Motor Transport Workers General Union, said the demands had nothing to do with the civil servants' pay rise, just increasing inflation.

urgel23

May 31st, 2011, 10:29 PM

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r161/cityrailtransit/hongkongmetro.gif
http://www.cityrailtransit.com/maps/hong_kong_map.htm

Silly_Walks

May 31st, 2011, 10:49 PM

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r161/cityrailtransit/hongkongmetro.gif
http://www.cityrailtransit.com/maps/hong_kong_map.htm

That map is missing it's top.

hkskyline

June 2nd, 2011, 11:02 AM

LCQ2: MTR passengers' safety and accident compensation
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-hing and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, in the Legislative Council today (June 1):

Question:

A number of members of the public have approached me for assistance, indicating that they had sustained injuries in accidents in MTR stations, train compartments and controlled areas, and when they requested for compensation from the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), it had unreasonably delayed its response and rejected their requests; they also feel very helpless and dissatisfied because they are unlike victims of ordinary traffic accidents who are able to receive assistance under the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme ("TAVAS") regardless of whether the accidents concerned were caused by their faults. I have also learnt that government departments have not assisted the injured persons in recovering the compensation in question. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows the total number of accidents which occurred in the MTR network involving casualties among MTR passengers since the rail merger; the number of persons involved; whether MTRCL and its appointed insurance providers have paid damages or made different kinds of compensation under various categories to such injured persons; if yes, the amount involved; if not, the reasons for that;

(b) whether it knows if MTRCL has taken out adequate accident insurance to safeguard passengers' interests; if yes, of the details of the protection coverage for passengers and the sum insured, and among the compensation cases in (a), the number of cases involving insurance compensation and the amount involved; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) whether TAVAS of the Social Welfare Department covers any accident which occurred in the MTR network; if yes, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities will extend the coverage of the scheme, e.g. by amending the Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance to also cover passengers or members of the public injured in accidents which occurred in the MTR network, or whether MTRCL will establish a similar fund to make up for the deficiencies of TAVAS; if yes, of the details; if not, what measures the authorities have to protect passengers who were injured in railway incidents but have not received any damages or different kinds of compensation?

Reply:

President,

(a) and (b) The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) attaches great importance to passengers' safety. The railway system meets stringent safety standards in its design and operation. Various facilities have been installed for the prevention of accidents. The major facilities and measures include:

- installing platform gap fillers to narrow the gap between the platform and the train doors;
- installing yellow tactile strips along platform edges to remind passengers not to stand beyond the yellow line;
- broadcasting door chimes before train doors close to remind passengers not to charge doors;
- making public announcements on platforms and in train compartments to remind passengers to mind the platform gap;
- installing illumination and flashing lights under the platforms where the platform gaps are relatively wide to remind passengers to mind the gap;
- arranging platform assistants to assist passengers in boarding and alighting from the trains during peak hours;
- displaying notices at escalators in the MTR network to remind passengers how to use the escalators safely;
- displaying notices in conspicuous positions at entrances/exits of concourses of stations (if the floor has become wet and slippery in rainy days) to remind passengers to mind the wet or slippery floor so as to prevent falls; and
- conducting passenger education activities from time to time to raise the safety awareness of the public.

Although MTRCL has already taken the above measures, it is difficult to prevent the occurrences of accidents completely. MTRCL indicates that it takes each and every accident very seriously and takes follow-up action accordingly.

Information on accidents involving injuries or fatalities of passengers in the past 3 years as provided by MTRCL is set out in Annex 1 (http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201106/01/P201106010161_0161_79728.pdf).

To protect the interests of both MTRCL and the passengers, MTRCL has taken out the Third Party Liability Insurance covering MTRCL’s legal liability and compensation payable to any third parties arising from accidents or incidents related to the operation and business of MTRCL. The amount of such indemnity for each and every occurrence is no less than HK$100 million.

MTRCL has established procedures for passengers to make claims for compensation. Passengers who wish to apply for compensation have to write to MTRCL specifying the particulars of the accident (such as date, time and place of its occurrence), the circumstances of the case and the amount of the claim, supported by the relevant documents such as medical report, payment receipt etc. Hotline and frontline customer service staff of MTRCL are also able to explain the relevant procedures to passengers.

After a passenger has submitted an application for compensation, MTRCL will process the application in accordance with established procedures. After seeking the advice of its legal aadviserwith regard to the application, MTRCL will decide whether to handle the application on its own or refer the application to its insurer for follow-up or investigation.

If the legal adviser of MTRCL considers that MTRCL should have liability to the third party and offer compensation in a case, and the amount of claim is below the deductibles (commonly known as "policy excess") under the insurance policy, MTRCL will directly handle the application to facilitate a prompt provision of compensation to the claimant. If the legal aadviserof MTRCL considers that MTRCL has no liability to the third party in a case, MTRCL will also promptly notify the claimant.

Other than the above scenarios, MTRCL will refer the application to its insurer and the appointed loss adjuster of its insurer for consideration having regard to the individual circumstances, including whether the accident or incident was attributed to any fault on the part of MTRCL, and whether MTRCL should be liable and offer compensation to the third party in relation to the accident or incident. Upon the completion of the investigation, the loss adjuster will notify the applicant of the result as soon as possible.

The amount of compensation paid in relation to accidents that occurred within the MTR premises in the past three years and the number of accidents concerned are set out in Annex 2 (http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201106/01/P201106010161_0161_79729.pdf).

MTRCL will continue to take the aforementioned measures to prevent the occurrence of accidents, and at the same time organise campaigns from time to time to raise the safety awareness of passengers. These activities are kept under review and planning every year.

(c) The Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Scheme was established under the Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance (the Ordinance), Cap. 229 of the Laws of Hong Kong. The TAVA Scheme aims to provide speedy financial assistance to road traffic accident victims or to their surviving dependents on a non-means-tested basis, regardless of the element of fault leading to the occurrence of the accident.

The Ordinance requires that the traffic accident must involve vehicle(s) (including trams and Light Rail vehicles) and occur on the road (including tramway tracks and railway of the Light Rail) or a private road. The accident must also cause death or injury to any person. Road or private road, as interpreted under the Ordinance, does not include railways other than the Light Rail.

Railways other than the Light Rail do not connect with roads and are not affected by other road-based transport. The public is also prohibited from trespassing onto the tracks of railways. Since the operation of and chance of accidents involving railways (excluding the Light Rail) are different from those of road-based transport in general, the Labour and Welfare Bureau has no plan to extend the TAVA Scheme to cover railways other than the Light Rail.

hkskyline

July 5th, 2011, 04:29 PM

ARailSystemsEngineer

July 5th, 2011, 06:09 PM

Further to the post on accident compensation: Why do rail corporations insure against individual accidents? Surely these are within the corporation's routine operating events, and the cost of transferring out the risk will just be reflected in next year's premiums. To say "we spent 10 million on insurance" puts far less emphasis on safety than to say "we paid 8 million in compensation". And then they have to pay for the insurance administration as well... I would expect them only to insure against major accidents that they could not afford to cover, and which they did not expect to occur from time to time...

Rse

Blackraven

July 5th, 2011, 06:52 PM

Heavy luggage weighs on MTR escalator safety
The Standard
Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Nearly one in every five escalator accidents at MTR stations this year was due to passengers carrying bulky luggage. What's more, most happened in busy stations such as Hung Hom, Kowloon Tong and Central.

MTR head of operations Ivan Lai Ching-kai said the sad aspect is that since 2008, 60 percent of those involved are either elderly or young children.

Overall, there were 307 escalator accidents from January to May this year, a fall of 10 percent compared with the same period last year.

However, the number of accidents involving bulky luggage increased from 39 to 58, a rise of 49 percent.

"This is because those carrying heavy luggage are unable to hold the handrail," Lai said.

The elderly are apt to lose their balance while children under 10 often misjudge their footing.

The MTR will deploy 130 safety ambassadors in 50 stations to remind passengers how to use escalators until July 31. Fifty free single-journey tickets will be given away every day to those who use escalators correctly.

This is why I would rather a taxi going to Sheung Wan Ferry Terminal (instead of CWB->Sheung Wan by train). Imagine this, you are carrying heavy luggage from Park Lane Hotel (yeah, worst hotel in CWB) all the way to the near entry/exit of Causeway Bay station........which AFAIK is the one that doesn't not have escalators.

Furthermore, you do not wanna contend with carrying heavy luggage/baggage when there is presence of overcrowding during peaks and rush hours. This is regular line (not like Airport Express Line which always has space).

So yeah. It just doesn't make sense IMHO to carry our luggage from our hotel in CWB, bring it down CWB station, travel with it all the way to Sheung Wan station and then get it up to Shun Tak Centre.

Save yourself the inconvenience and get a taxi instead. :)

Svartmetall

July 6th, 2011, 05:37 AM

I coped okay getting to Jordan all by the MTR with luggage and I was carrying my Mothers too (as she didn't want to walk up and down stairs with it).

DanielFigFoz

July 7th, 2011, 06:10 PM

港式服務引進深圳
DsfyfzFph_A

I noticed something very sad at 0:20

Edit: Oh its on the other side of the border, its okay then :lol:

hkskyline

July 11th, 2011, 04:54 PM

Unions rail against MTR `unfair' pay rises of up to 6.8pc
The Standard
Thursday, July 07, 2011

Unions representing about 4,000 MTR workers are unhappy with "unfair" pay rises - up to 6.8 percent plus bonus has been offered - and are looking for more.

The railway company offered rises ranging from 2.3 percent to 6.8 percent plus special and discretionary awards depending on performance.

Representatives of seven unions, however, said they will accept nothing less than 7 percent.

According to the MTR, about 50 percent of its 7,000 staff got grade three in a five-point performance exercise and will get rises of 4.5 percent.

The 35 percent who scored grade four will get a rise of 5.4 percent while the 10 percent graded at five will get 6.8 percent.

The other 5 percent were at grade two and will get 2.3 percent.

In addition, those with grade three or above will receive a one-off special award equivalent to 20 percent of their monthly salary and a one-off discretionary award equivalent to 85 percent of their monthly salary.

This means an MTR train captain with little or no relevant working experience on HK$10,000 a month would get a rise of HK$230 if graded at two.

On the other hand, if a captain was graded at five, the monthly income would be increased by HK$680. The captain would also receive a special award of HK$2,000 and a discretionary award of HK$8,500.

However, unionists concerned about inflation said the increases fall short of union demands for 7 percent.

"We are very disappointed with this salary adjustment. It is unfair that they [the MTR] made a huge profit last year but half of the staff can only get a 4.5 percent pay increase," Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Staff General Association chairman Lam Wai-keung said.

Lam said last year's pay rises ranged from 0.3 to 3.3 percent.

KCR Operating Staff Association chairwoman Rainbow Lau Choi-hung described the salary change mechanism as "unfair" as it is based on only 28 companies whereas the civil service pay rise is based on more than 100.

The unionists said the MTR is not doing enough to share its profits with its staff and warned they may take industrial action.

The unions plan to hold meetings to discuss what action to take.

An MTR spokesman said the salary adjustment is based on factors including the economy, state of the company's business and the staff's contribution.

hkskyline

July 22nd, 2011, 05:11 PM

MTR errs on side of caution over Sheung Wan closure
The Standard
Friday, July 22, 2011

http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20110722/photo/0722-00407-045b1.jpg

Giant posters are going up and videos being shown in an attempt to minimize the likelihood of any commuter chaos ahead of a 54-hour total shutdown of the Sheung Wan MTR station early next month.

Between 40,000 and 50,000 passengers are expected to be affected each day when the station is closed between 11.30pm on August 5 and 6.05am on August 8 to allow work to proceed on the construction of the West Island Line extension.

The posters will be going up in Admiralty, Sheung Wan and Central, while a short video will be replayed, starting from today, to remind commuters of the changes they have to make to their customary transport arrangements to facilitate the construction work.

Passengers will need an extra 10 to 15 minutes to travel between Sheung Wan station and Admiralty station during the closure, said Choi Tak-tsan, head of operations at MTR Corp.

"We planned for the works to take place on a weekend to minimize the inconvenience to students and office workers," Choi said.

During the closure, westbound Island Line passengers wanting to get to Central will have to switch over to the Tsuen Wan train at Admiralty.

Service frequency for the Tsuen Wan line will be increased to three minutes from four during normal hours.

Free shuttle bus services will also be provided between Admiralty and Sheung Wan, with stops for the former near exit C1 at Queensway Plaza and for the latter near exit E4 at Infinitus Plaza.

hkskyline

August 8th, 2011, 04:57 AM

Rail riders just hope for the best
The Standard
Monday, August 08, 2011

Sheung Wan, the station at one end of the MTR's busy Island Line, was set to be back to business as usual today after a 54-hour closure.

There were fears last night that work on reconfiguration to open the way for the West Island Line, including installation of a crossing and other track-related jobs, would not be completed in time for today's rush hour.

But the MTR Corp said that by 10pm work had gone smoothly and tests on the new track, power and signaling systems were under way.

"If all goes well, Sheung Wan Station is expected to reopen at 5.55am as scheduled," an MTR spokesman said, adding that there would be a public announcement immediately if anything unexpected occurred.

Passengers are advised to listen to radio and TV news broadcasts before leaving their homes. They can also call the MTR hotline (2881-8888).

"We would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding during the 54-hour closure of Sheung Wan Station to facilitate important track reconfiguration work for the West Island Line project," MTRC head of operations Choi Tak-tsan said. "This will allow us to extend the rail service to Kennedy Town by 2014."

The station was closed at 11.30pm on Friday. By 8pm last night more than 68,000 people had been on 2,300 runs of free shuttle buses operating at two-to-four-minute intervals between Admiralty and Sheung Wan stations.

Directions were displayed in Central Station to help passengers who preferred to walk to Sheung Wan, with MTR "ambassadors" offering guidance.

The West Island Line is to be a three-kilometer extension linking Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town stations. There will be stops at Sai Ying Pun and University. Work began after HK$12.2 billion in funding was approved by by the Legislative Council in 2009.

hkskyline

August 17th, 2011, 05:07 PM

MTR net spurs first rise in dividend in four years
The Standard
Friday, August 12, 2011

First-half net profit for MTR Corp (0066) rose 21.25 percent year on year to HK$8.05 billion.

An interim dividend of 25 HK cents was declared, after 14 HK cents over the past four years.

But fewer flat sales meant underlying profit - net profit excluding revaluation gains from property investment - dropped 23.6 percent to HK$4.37 billion.

Total revenue rose 14.7 percent to HK$16.17 billion, with earnings per share at HK$1.39.

Total number of passengers rose 5.4 percent to 815.4 million during the first six months, with fare revenue up 7.7 percent to HK$6.39 billion.

Earlier this month, a power cut disrupted train services between Admiralty and Causeway Bay during the morning rush hour.

About 2,000 passengers on two trains were affected and thousands of others packed the platforms during the 20-minute disruption last Thursday.

Operations engineering head Jacob Kam Chak-pui stressed the focus on safety.

The many parts in the railway system meant there was great potential for disruptions. Safety was priority. "We'd rather go for safety than speed," he said.

Property development profit during the six months slumped 61 percent from a year ago.

But that came on a higher base effect after significant profits from flat sales a year ago.

"Sales of flats in Festival City, Tai Wai, went well," chief executive Chow Chung-kong said.

"Property development profit came mainly from our share of a shopping mall in Tseung Kwan O, and the guaranteed receipt from the Festival City developer [Cheung Kong (0001)]."

In June, MTR issued bonds worth 1 billion yuan (HK$1.22 billion) for financing its Shenzhen underground rail project.

Shares soared 4.46 percent to HK$24.60 yesterday.

StanleyJ

September 17th, 2011, 08:52 AM

Has really nothing happened in a whole month on Hong Kong's MTR? :P

EricIsHim

September 20th, 2011, 04:03 AM

Has really nothing happened in a whole month on Hong Kong's MTR? :P

Nah... there are plenty of small things here and there with a few minute delays. But just like everything else, when it happens too often, it's no longer news and media don't make a big deal out of it anymore.

ad50939

September 20th, 2011, 02:35 PM

aznichiro115

September 22nd, 2011, 12:00 AM

http://www.railgallery.info/photo_showcase/v/hongkong/mtr_stock/c-stock/

some pictures of a mock up of the new trains

Fan Railer

September 24th, 2011, 07:40 AM

Any close up videos yet?

hkskyline

October 12th, 2011, 05:28 PM

Focus on safer, quieter trips for new MTR trains
The Standard
Tuesday, October 11, 2011

http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20111011/photo/1011-00407-070b1.jpg
Mainland-made train on the right

http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20111011/photo/1011-00407-070b2.jpg

MTR Corp will shortly put into service mainland-made trains which it bought from the Changchun Railway Vehicles Company for HK$1.1 billion.

Out of the 10 trains ordered, four have already arrived in the SAR and are undergoing tests.

Chief of operations Morris Cheung Siu- wa said: "For the first time closed-circuit TVs will be installed in compartments to assist captains in providing help to passengers."

Four CCTV cameras will monitor each compartment and video recordings will be kept for a week.

Asked if this amounts to an invasion of privacy, Cheung said the system is aimed at ensuring passenger safety and not controlling commuters.

ADVERTISEMENT

The trains boast many new features such as three LCD monitors in each compartment to provide passengers with audio-visual infotainment.

The floor is designed to reduce noise from under the train and rubber seals have been installed around door frames to ensure journeys are even quieter. Ventilation in all compartments has also been improved.

Cheung said night testing of the first train began last week on the Kwun Tong Line.

Trains will undergo thorough scrutiny of braking and electrical systems.

They will then be put into service subject to them passing a 4,000-kilometer trouble-free run and being approved by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. "I hope passengers will understand there may be teething problems as with all new equipment. The new trains are no exception," Cheung said.

Their signaling systems are made in France and the brakes are German.

Cheung said the model of the new trains is not the same as that of the two metro trains that collided in Shanghai last month, injuring at least 271 people.

They will be put into service on the Kwun Tong Line by year-end.

Fan Railer

October 17th, 2011, 02:39 AM

Some new videos of the MTR C Stock Train making station stops during night time testing. Enjoy =) The propulsion is MAD awesome in my opinion:

2iMz05m0JLE
b27QqLpeLaQ
7yGHpgZH44g
pyd9pce_Hxk
a5B9NkzT7h0

Fan Railer

October 17th, 2011, 08:46 PM

Another two:
M02taoJpP0U
u7qnhNA9siE
For the second one, skip to 1:20

Manila-X

October 18th, 2011, 06:25 AM

The design / color layout of MTR C-Train reminds me of Singapore's MRT.

herenthere

October 19th, 2011, 03:42 AM

The design / color layout of MTR C-Train reminds me of Singapore's MRT.

Could be more colorful on the outside, imo. Unless the inside is strikingly different, there isn't not too much that's worthy of note, aesthetically.

Manila-X

October 19th, 2011, 04:11 AM

Could be more colorful on the outside, imo. Unless the inside is strikingly different, there isn't not too much that's worthy of note, aesthetically.

True with MTR rolling stock running underground, there should have a wide variety of colors besides light silver.

hkskyline

October 19th, 2011, 08:22 AM

I've seen colourful full-body ads now and then.

Think light colours are the best in our tropical climate since they repel heat (given we have a lot of open-air sections).

Manila-X

October 19th, 2011, 11:33 AM

I've seen colourful full-body ads now and then.

Think light colours are the best in our tropical climate since they repel heat (given we have a lot of open-air sections).

The only thing is HK get cooler during the winters.

Sopomon

October 19th, 2011, 12:34 PM

I'm not sure I like the C-stock very much, for some reason it just doesn't seem to have that "MTR feel" that I've grown up so used to

anonymous_filipino

October 19th, 2011, 02:51 PM

I want to see the LCD screens inside the C-stock trains.

hkskyline

October 19th, 2011, 04:58 PM

The only thing is HK get cooler during the winters.

It's hot most of the year. The light colours are crucial to reduce the A/C costs. That's also why many buildings are light-coloured. It's the same underlying concept.

It's actually easier to heat a train. The mass of people inside already warms up the compartment. Then add some fresh air in to improve circulation.

Kaitak747

October 19th, 2011, 06:56 PM

The new TVC of MTR and Airport Express

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Manila-X

October 20th, 2011, 06:57 AM

I'm not sure I like the C-stock very much, for some reason it just doesn't seem to have that "MTR feel" that I've grown up so used to

It is just a rolling stock.

Even when The Tung Chung Line and Airport Express were built and even when both MTR and KCR merged it still has that MTR feel except the system is much larger than the typical red, blue and green lines.

And it is still MTR, you get the same efficiency, service and of course the "please mind the platform gap" announcement in Cantonese, Mandarin and in English.

Manila-X

October 20th, 2011, 06:59 AM

It's hot most of the year. The light colours are crucial to reduce the A/C costs. That's also why many buildings are light-coloured. It's the same underlying concept.

It's actually easier to heat a train. The mass of people inside already warms up the compartment. Then add some fresh air in to improve circulation.

It would be weird for concrete buildings to be coloured in mid or dark tones.

Anyway, The MTR is great as it is now. The only thing left is to expand.

hkskyline

October 20th, 2011, 08:17 AM

It would be weird for concrete buildings to be coloured in mid or dark tones.

Anyway, The MTR is great as it is now. The only thing left is to expand.

In other countries, bricks are used. Even in Hong Kong, most buildings do not have a concrete surface finish, but rather an additional tile layer on top, which is light-coloured to repel sunlight.

hkskyline

November 4th, 2011, 02:39 PM

Government Press Release Excerpt
LCQ2: Fare concession of public transport
Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Following is a question by the Hon Starry Lee Wai-king and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (November 2):

Question:

A research centre published its report on the Study on Travel Cost Reduction Schemes in September this year. The report pointed out that 73% of the respondents considered long distance transport fares expensive, while 71% of those who used public transport considered it necessary to introduce monthly passes. The average amount of monthly travelling expenses of the respondents was around $740, and the amount of expenses acceptable to them was $620. The research centre was of the view that public money should be used to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on the public. As the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and franchised bus companies reap profits every year, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows if MTRCL will consider implementing a monthly pass scheme for all MTR lines; if MTRCL will do so, the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(b) whether it will reconsider allocating the dividends received from MTRCL, or part of the dividends collected, to fund its measures to stabilise MTR fares; if it will, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and

******************************

Reply:

President,

The Government has all along been encouraging public transport operators, including the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and franchised bus companies, to provide various fare concession schemes as far as possible, taking into account their respective operating and financial conditions, market condition and passenger needs, etc., so as to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on the public. The details of such schemes are, however, commercial decisions of individual operators.

(a) On fare concessions, according to the MTRCL, various fare promotional initiatives are launched every year to thank passengers for their support and encourage different passenger groups to patronise rail services. The revenue forgone by the MTRCL in 2011 amounts to about $1.7 billion as a result of the introduction of fare concessions.

On monthly pass concessionary schemes:

* For the West Rail Line, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) introduced the West Rail One-Month Pass in August 2004. To tie in with the opening of the Kowloon Southern Link in mid-August 2009, the West Rail One-Month Pass was renamed the Tuen Mun-Nam Cheong Monthly Pass. The MTRCL also launched the Tuen Mun-Hung Hom Monthly Pass in late August 2009 for travels between all stations along the West Rail Line.

* Regarding the East Rail Line, the KCRC introduced the East Rail One-Month Pass in April 2005 for travels between Sheung Shui and East Tsim Sha Tsui Stations, excluding cross-boundary and first class services. To tie in with the commissioning of the Kowloon Southern Link, the East Rail One-Month Pass was renamed the Sheung Shui-East Tsim Sha Tsui Monthly Pass from September 2009 onwards.

Other fare concessions:

* half-fare concessions to senior citizens aged 65 and over, and $2 concessionary elderly fare on Wednesdays, Saturdays and non-Sunday public holidays;

* around half-fare concessions to children and around 540 000 full-time students aged between 12 and 25;

* around half-fare concessions to recipients aged between 12 and 64 of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance with 100% disability and Disability Allowance;

* Ride $100 for Free Ticket promotional scheme: from July 4 to December 30, 2011, adult Octopus cardholders can redeem a free single journey ticket for one domestic ride for every $100 of MTR's fares deducted from the same Octopus card from Monday to Friday of each week. Child and Elder Octopus cardholders, as well as holders of Personalised Octopus cards encoded with "Student" or "Persons with Disabilities" status will be able to redeem a free concessionary single journey ticket for every $50 deducted;

* passengers can enjoy $1 to $3 discount on their next MTR rides at designated stations after waving their Adult Octopus cards over the Octopus readers at the existing 29 MTR Fare Savers; and

* interchange discounts jointly offered with green minibuses, franchised buses and operators of outlying island ferry routes. For example, from the end of July 2011 for six months, passengers taking outlying island ferry routes to and from Sok Kwu Wan, Yung Shue Wan, Peng Chau, Cheung Chau and Mui Wo can enjoy $1.5 discount in their MTR rides by waving their adult Octopus cards on the Octopus readers of the MTR Fare Discount Processors newly installed at ferry piers; and from July 1, 2011 for six months, passengers using the same adult Octopus cards interchanging between various New Lantao Bus routes and the MTR services or vice versa at Tung Chung Station within an hour can enjoy an interchange discount of $1.5.

With their extensive coverage, the above fare concession schemes benefit different passenger groups.

According to MTRCL, monthly pass concessionary schemes are introduced mainly for encouraging more passengers using the rail services and attracting new sources of passengers. In June 2011, the MTRCL announced that the promotional period of these monthly pass schemes would be extended to June 30, 2012. In considering the extension of the monthly pass concessionary schemes, it will take into account a basket of factors, including market situation, the existing patronage, expected additional growth in patronage after the launch of the monthly pass, as well as the competitiveness of MTRCL in the respective routes, etc. The company has no plan to launch other monthly schemes for the time being.

We understand the public's concerns on the impact of increasing travelling expenses, especially those living in remote areas, and will urge the MTRCL to consider extending the monthly pass concessionary schemes to cover other railway lines, apart from the East and West Rail Lines. However, if the monthly pass concessionary schemes are to be extended to all MTRCL lines, including short-haul journeys in urban areas, the whole fare structure may be affected.

(b) Pursuant to section 3 of the Public Finance Ordinance (Cap.2), the dividends that the Government receives from the MTRCL form part of the general revenue. The Government will give holistic consideration to and conduct policy planning on the utilisation of resources, and compile the annual Estimates for submission to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for deliberation. Upon approval of the Estimates by the LegCo, individual policy bureaux will make funding applications to the LegCo Finance Committee on expenditure items under their jurisdiction for implementing the policies concerned. In other words, financial resources of the Government will be spent on the public at large via appropriate deployment under the above established procedures in response to different policies and priorities, with a view to ensuring that public money is put to the best use for the benefit of the community in general.

******************************

hkskyline

November 16th, 2011, 07:22 AM

港鐵故障乘客逼爆月台
2011年11月15日(二)
http://the-sun.on.cc/img/v2/logo_tsn.png

Summary : Hong Kong Station experienced signal problems on Monday morning at 9:55am. Services on both the Tung Chung Line and Airport Express between Hong Kong and Kowloon were disrupted for 35 minutes. Special buses were called to take about 300 passengers to the airport.

【本報訊】港鐵又發生事故！香港站昨晨因訊號故障，引致機場快線及東涌線、來往香港站及九龍站的列車停駛，數百乘客逼爆月台，要改乘荃灣線往荔景站，再轉車繼續行程，又派出接駁巴士接載三百乘客往機場趕搭飛機，乘客怨聲載道，列車服務於三十五分鐘後恢復正常。

昨日上午九時五十五分，香港站突發生訊號故障，因機場快線及東涌線使用同一條路軌，令兩線列車同樣不能來往香港站及九龍站，需要停駛。至於九龍站往機場及東涌沿線各站則維持正常服務。

事故期間，香港站月台擠滿數百名乘客，港鐵派出客務快速應變隊到香港站及九龍站協助，又透過廣播通知乘客改乘荃灣線往荔景站，再轉回東涌線繼續行程。與此同時，港鐵派出接駁巴士到香港站，接載要趕搭飛機的旅客前往機場。

工程人員經搶修後，列車服務於上午十時三十分恢復正常，調查後證實是香港站訊號系統有一張電子卡損壞引致事故。

指示不清惹不滿

乘客對事故引致行程受阻表示不滿，其中一名姓韓女乘客指，故障時她滯留在九龍站，但站內指示不清，職員只叫乘客自行安排交通工具，完全沒有提供協助，希望港鐵作出改善。另外，來自廈門的姓周女遊客稱，很多趕乘飛機的旅客需轉乘接駁巴士，她因提早時間往機場，故雖然遲了二十分鐘才到機場，但仍可依時上機。

立法會議員王國興強烈指摘港鐵再發生事故，並指是政府欠缺監管的後果。他說，港鐵有責任維持正常服務，保障市民不受影響，希望不再發生今年七月至九月期間，幾乎每日一事故的情況。根據資料，在該三個月期間，港鐵列車服務延誤八分鐘或以上的事故有八十六宗。

hkskyline

November 24th, 2011, 04:15 PM

By ATE123LF6005 from a Hong Kong discussion forum :

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss241/ATE123LF6005/DSC_1327.jpg

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss241/ATE123LF6005/DSC_1325.jpg

hkskyline

November 26th, 2011, 03:12 PM

Cameras top list in fight against MTR sex pests
The Standard
Friday, November 25, 2011

A women's rights group has urged MTR Corp to install CCTV cameras on its trains and to increase patrols to protect travelers from indecent assaults and sexual harassment.

The call is in response to a survey of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, which asked 2,168 respondents over the past two months on how indecent assaults may be prevented in stations and train compartments.

The installation of more CCTVs in compartments topped the list with 329 votes.

It was followed by a call to make the prevention of sexual assault part of MTR corporate social responsibility, with 252 votes.

Other measures that were strongly supported include increasing staff patrols, more plainclothes police on trains and greater frequency of services so as to prevent the overcrowding of compartments.

Linda Wong Sau-yung, executive director of the rights group, said a monitoring system has only been installed on the West Rail, Ma On Shan and Disneyland lines.

There are no CCTVs on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines.

"About four million passengers use the MTR every day. The company has a responsibility to protect women from being assaulted or have pictures taken from under their skirts," Wong said.

According to police, there were 105 reports of indecent assault and 55 of under-the-skirt photos taken on the MTR in the first eight months of the year.

In 2010, there were 151 cases of indecent assault and 94 of indecent photo- taking.

Wong said such reports represent only a fraction of cases because most victims are too embarrassed or afraid to tell the police.

"These complaints are only the tip of the iceberg. Many victims may not not know how to react."

She said it is important for passengers to go to the aid of victims if they witness any incidents.

Member Tan Kong-sau cited a case in which a 30-year-old woman screamed for help after being assaulted, but was ignored by other passengers.

Tan said this happened six months ago when the victim was traveling from Prince Edward to Kwai Fong.

"Since no one offered to help her she felt disgusted and left the train at Kwai Fong station."

An MTR spokesman said it has taken measures to address the problem, such as strengthening patrols at crime blackspots. The MTR also displays posters, saying "Don't be a Silent Victim, Report Indecent Assault," to encourage victims and witnesses to report to the authorities.

Fan Railer

December 7th, 2011, 11:36 PM

The C Train has officially entered revenue service as of 8 hours ago.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-11-108-E.pdf

Fan Railer

December 11th, 2011, 02:23 AM

DNPi9vrL5dk
an6v2Y_FFPY
fAFc-NwHN84

hkskyline

December 11th, 2011, 04:31 AM

Silly_Walks

December 11th, 2011, 02:57 PM

Mainland-made train taken out of service due to height discrepancy with the station platform (http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20111210/00176_031.html?pubdate=20111210). The train was taken out of service Saturday night, the 3rd day of operations.

http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20111209/photo/1209-00176-030b1.jpg

Haha i love Google Translate:

Passengers criticism "on the new fast train Han bad, good ghost child's play."

Failure of domestic trains, was officially opened this week with God.

hkskyline

December 11th, 2011, 07:08 PM

Haha i love Google Translate:

Passengers criticism "on the new fast train Han bad, good ghost child's play."

Failure of domestic trains, was officially opened this week with God.

I like my translation better. :)

Silly_Walks

December 11th, 2011, 08:03 PM

I like my translation better. :)

Your translation had no ghosts, nor God! :lol:

Fan Railer

December 12th, 2011, 04:18 AM

deasine

December 13th, 2011, 04:42 AM

Well I don't think labeling it because of "Mainland" construction is fair. Obviously a problem that can be avoided.

Anyway, new train introductions on the MTR seem to always have some platform problems. Remember the introduction of the ROTEM trains on the Tung Chung line? That required some reconstruction work on all platforms!

One thing I'm surprised is that the trains seem pretty loud (in the videos) when they accelerate. Anyone been on them to tell?

anonymous_filipino

December 15th, 2011, 06:35 AM

I read in the Hong Kong forums that the C-Stock trains have signalling problems as well. How come?

sfgadv02

December 16th, 2011, 05:22 AM

I read in the Hong Kong forums that the C-Stock trains have signalling problems as well. How come?

When the trains were in testing, they overshot one of the station in which the computer failed to recognize the signal.

gladisimo

December 16th, 2011, 09:43 AM

Glad they haven't cluttered the station announcement with simplified Chinese. Don't like the acceleration noise though, seems less smooth than the old M-trains.

hkskyline

December 19th, 2011, 07:34 AM

Rail chief awaits next stop
The Standard
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Prominent members of the community attended a farewell party for MTR Corp chief executive Chow Chung-kong, who is retiring by the end of the month.

Chow took the stage to introduce his successor, Jay Herbert Walder, before going down memory lane on his days with the corporation.

During his tenure - he was appointed CEO in December 2003 - he spearheaded many projects, including the extension of the Island Line.

But the most important must be completing the merger of the two railway operators, a formidable mission involving multiple parties with diverse interests.

The road to the merger was a battle of wits and skills that saw the government defending public revenues, politicians fighting for the traveling public, and MTRC management speaking up for its interests.

As a business, a railway isn't at all easy to run as it takes a long time to get return on investment, and fares affect the public directly.

One of the trickiest issues in the merger was how the MTRC could absorb the humungous asset base of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. In the end, ownership vested with the government, and the MTRC pays a leasing fee.

Even so, the issues of leasing cost and splitting returns still led to protracted negotiations between the MTRC and the government.

The two sides entered into a tug-of-war just over the fine detail of whether earnings before interest, tax and amortization should be used as the basis for calculation.

An official at the negotiating table said Chow drove a hard bargain.

The merger was a mammoth endeavor - whether you look at it from the political, financial, people management, or public issue angle.

But its successful completion has greatly enhanced the cost-effectiveness of our rail transport system.

Recalling tough dealings with the MTRC, the official said with a smile: "Luckily, the government was the majority shareholder, with a 75 percent stake in the company."

Some suggest Chow, 61, is well qualified to be Hong Kong's next financial secretary, but given the current political climate, it would be advisable for him to think carefully if he receives such an offer.

It seems the Hong Kong Jockey Club is the fastest mover in getting Chow, as it has invited him to join its board, even before he completes his term at the MTRC.

And someone who had previous dealings with Chow said if he ever indicates an intention to start a new chapter in his career, companies will queue up to make him an offer. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily

anonymous_filipino

December 25th, 2011, 06:12 PM

C-Stock trains back in service per the latest youtube video of it dated december 18, 2011

hkskyline

January 10th, 2012, 04:31 PM

New MTR boss refuses to be drawn on size of hikes
The Standard
Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The MTR Corp has yet to make a decision on the size of its planned fare increases, according to its new chief executive Jay Walder.

When asked what the railway operator has in mind, Walder replied yesterday: "We do not have a percentage yet for the increase. There is a fare adjustment mechanism under which the MTR operates. That mechanism is an open and transparent one."

It allows adjustments for inflation and increases in wages.

He said the MTR already has concessions for children, students and the elderly.

It will continue to look at promotions to increase passenger numbers, because this is something helpful to both the company and public.

Walder, 52, was former chairman and chief executive of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority before resigning in July. He has 30 years' experience in the railway business.

After becoming head of the MTA in 2009, he laid off 3,500 staff and reformed the company.

He managed to save US$520 million (HK$4.06 billion) in operating costs within two years.

However, Walder said the layoffs were down to the MTA not having enough money to operate, and denies he will do the same with the MTRC.

"The assets were not renewed and the infrastructures were in terrible condition," he said.

Walder, who became the head of the MTRC on Sunday with a term of 30 months, said he will focus on three things.

He said he will make sure the five new rail lines are constructed in a "seamless and effective" way.

The new routes include the West Island and South Island lines.

He will look at further expansion and also strengthen MTRC commitment to the community.

Walder said he arrived in Hong Kong in November to get familiar with the railway system.

He met operations staff, went to different stations and looked at MTRC property developments.

His annual salary is HK$7.2 million, which is about 1.6 times his MTA pay.

But this is still far short of the annual salary of HK$13.9 million of former MTRC head Chow Chung-kong.

"I am here to stay," Walder said.

Silly_Walks

January 10th, 2012, 08:10 PM

He said he will make sure the five new rail lines are constructed in a "seamless and effective" way.

The new routes include the West Island and South Island lines.

Which are the other 3 lines? I think the MTR is also constructing the HK part of the HSR to Guangzhou, so if that is one, then that leaves two.

Are they talking about the East Rail line extension, etc?

hkskyline

January 11th, 2012, 03:02 AM

Which are the other 3 lines? I think the MTR is also constructing the HK part of the HSR to Guangzhou, so if that is one, then that leaves two.

Are they talking about the East Rail line extension, etc?

My guesses :

- Shatin Central Link
- Kai Tak monorail
- Whampoa spur line

hkskyline

January 12th, 2012, 03:04 AM

Airport line on track with more trains
The Standard
Friday, January 06, 2012

The frequency of Airport Express trains will be increased to 10-minute intervals - from the current 12 minutes - from January 15 to meet growing demand.

"We have seen a steady growth in demand for the Airport Express service, which provides fast and seamless connections to the airport and AsiaWorld- Expo," said MTR Corp operations head Ivan Lai Ching-kai.

The extra trains will boost capacity by 20 percent.

"The service enhancement is being introduced just ahead of the busy Lunar New Year period when Hong Kong people often take advantage of the long holiday to travel overseas," Lai said.

Airport Express capacity rose from nine million passengers in 2009 to 12 million last year.

Over the peak travel days of the Lunar New Year, January 20 to 22, the service will also start earlier with the first train departing Hong Kong Station at 5am, or 50 minutes earlier than normal.

The Tung Chung line, the Airport Express' sister commuter service, will also increase train frequency from the current 10 minutes to eight minutes on Saturdays from January 21 between noon and 10pm.

The enhancement is expected to boost the line's capacity by 25 percent.

Lai also addressed recent incidents on the Light Rail and West Rail, saying human factors were involved but denied that the drivers lacked appropriate rest. He said both the drivers involved are undergoing retraining.

On January 1, passengers on a Light Rail train were unable to get on or off at the Tuen Mun Hospital stop. Passengers had to get off at the next stop.

A week earlier, passengers also had problems getting on and off a train on the West Rail line. At 2am on December 25, a train stopped at Long Ping station, but while the train doors opened, the platform screen doors stayed shut.

The driver failed to notice this and was only alerted to the problem by station staff as he began pulling away. He then had to reverse the train to the correct position at the platform.

hkskyline

January 15th, 2012, 01:45 PM

LCQ12: Installation of CCTV cameras in public transport vehicles
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Sing-chi and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (January 11):

Question:

It has been reported that the first mainland-assembled train of the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) came into service at the end of 2011, which is equipped with a closed circuit television (CCTV) monitoring system with four cameras on each train car and a total of 32 cameras in the whole train. According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), it has not received any written enquiry about the use of CCTVs from MTRCL. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

(a) whether MTRCL has informed PCPD of and made enquiry about the CCTV monitoring system in its first mainland-assembled train or other trains in service in the past or at present; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether at present there is any procedure or guideline regulating the installation and use of CCTVs on public transport vehicles (e.g. whether the relevant government departments or PCPD must be notified);

(b) from 2007 onwards, the number of trains in service on each MTR rail line in each year and among them, the number and percentage of trains with CCTV monitoring system installed (list by year and rail line); whether MTRCL has any plan to install CCTV monitoring system on train cars which are not yet equipped with such system; if it has, the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(c) the selection mechanism adopted and the conditions taken into account by MTRCL in acquiring trains; if CCTV is a necessary condition;

(d) given that MTRCL has indicated that the CCTV monitoring system is mainly used for coping with emergency incidents, and the recorded images will be erased weekly according to the usual practice, while access to these images is restricted to certain categories of staff, yet according to PCPD, organisations which plan to use CCTVs should first consider other less privacy-intrusive alternatives, post clear notices near CCTV cameras to inform the public of the CCTV monitoring and the reasons for such monitoring, as well as erase the recorded images according to a schedule and ensure safe custody of the records, how MTRCL defines the use for coping with emergency incidents; what mechanism has been put in place by the Government and MTRCL to ensure that the CCTV monitoring systems will not be used beyond the original scope and extent, and to prevent any misuse or abuse of the CCTV monitoring systems; whether MTRCL has considered alternative means, and whether it has posted notices;

(e) as it has been reported that according to the results of an online survey conducted earlier by a concern group for sex crimes occurred on public transport vehicles to collect public views on MTRCL's measures against sexual violence, most respondents consider that MTRCL should step up monitoring measures such as installing CCTVs in train compartments, whether MTRCL will use the CCTV monitoring system to curb sex crimes; and

(f) whether CCTVs are installed in the train cars or compartments of various kinds of public transport vehicles in Hong Kong; if so, of the details, together with the respective numbers of compartments in various categories of public transport vehicles which are equipped with CCTVs and the percentages of such numbers in the total number of train cars or compartments of the respective categories; whether the operators of these public transport vehicles have enquired PCPD in respect of the installation of CCTVs; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether public transport operators which have not installed CCTVs on their vehicles have any plan to install such devices?

Reply:

President,

The replies to various parts of the question are as follows:

(a) According to the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) does not require public transport service providers which intend to install closed circuit television (CCTV) system in their facilities to submit their proposal to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) for consideration.

Where the use of a CCTV system involves compilation of personal data, the data user would be required to comply with requirements under the PDPO. In this connection, PCPD has issued "Guidance on CCTV in Surveillance Practices" to organisations of various sectors in July 2010, which provides practical guidance on matters such as proper consideration to be given in deciding whether or not to install CCTV system, how it may be installed to minimise intrusion into personal data privacy, and the proper handling of images recorded.

The main purpose for MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to install CCTV system in MTR train compartments is to enable the train captain to immediately understand the situation in the train compartment through the CCTV system and provide prompt assistance, when passengers activate the in-train intercom where necessary. Notices have been put up in train compartments to inform passengers that the CCTV system has been installed on trains.

According to MTRCL, the relevant principles for compilation of personal data under the PDPO have been taken into consideration when installing CCTV in train compartments. At the same time, MTRCL has stringent regulatory procedures in place allowing only authorised persons to review CCTV recordings when necessary.

(b) The existing number of trains in service on each MTR line and the number of trains installed with CCTV system are set out in the Annex.

MTRCL does not have plan to install CCTV system in trains currently without CCTV.

(c) The new trains purchased by MTRCL have been designed according to international safety standards and MTRCL's usual stringent requirements for performance and safety. All of the trains' systems and their integrated operation are professionally designed to ensure compatibility with the fail-safe operation of the existing MTR system. The Corporation will also introduce appropriate facilities with the advancement of technology when purchasing new trains to enhance operational efficiency and service quality.

Currently, CCTV equipment is installed on all new trains purchased by MTRCL. As a matter of fact, other international railway operators also include CCTV as a standard technical specification when purchasing new trains for urban railway systems.

(d) and (e) Under emergency circumstances, train captains can immediately understand the situation inside train compartments to provide assistance should passengers activate the in-train intercom system.

If recording function is available in the CCTV system installed in train compartments, recordings are made in a continuous loop, with old images automatically being covered up by new recordings after a certain number of days, and old images are automatically removed.

At the same time, MTRCL has in place stringent regulatory procedures to ensure only authorised persons can review the CCTV images when necessary. Under special circumstances, such as cases involving crime or personal safety of passenger, MTRCL will provide video clips on request from the Police or other law enforcement agencies for investigation purposes. At present, notices are put up in train compartments to inform passengers that CCTV system has been installed.

(f) At present, there are around 5,800 franchised buses in Hong Kong, of which around 1,580 buses (i.e. about 27%) have been installed with CCTVs in their compartments to facilitate bus captains to monitor the safety and alighting of passengers. As long as the CCTVs installed will not affect the structure or safety of the franchised buses, franchised bus companies may install such devices without the need to make prior application to the Transport Department (TD). TD will inspect the CCTV installation during the routine vehicle examination, so as to ensure that the installation will not affect driving safety.

As for taxis, the taxi trade may, subject to their own operating conditions, decide whether to install CCTV system inside the taxi compartments without making prior application to TD. According to TD, the trade's installation of CCTVs in taxi compartments is not common. However, the taxi trade has to ensure that such installation will not obstruct or easily cause injuries to both drivers and passengers. TD will inspect the CCTV installation during the routine vehicle examination, so as to ensure that the installation will not affect driving safety.

Besides, all of the existing 163 trams are installed with CCTV system in the tram compartments to facilitate motormen to monitor passengers' boarding at the rear gate. The public light bus (PLB) trade in general has not installed CCTV system in PLBs and does not have any plan at present to install such devices.

TD has reminded public transport trades to observe the relevant requirements under the privacy legislation and make reference to the guidelines provided by PCPD in their daily use of CCTV systems.

hkskyline

January 28th, 2012, 03:01 AM

MTR on nature trail with revamp
The Standard
Friday, January 27, 2012

Four MTR stations are being given a new look to make them more accessible to the public at a cost of HK$160 million. While work at Mong Kok East is now complete, renovations at Sha Tin, Fan Ling and Sheung Shui stations are ongoing, and should be completed by the middle of next year.

Chief architect Wilfred Yeung Sze-wai said the aim of the work is to improve the appearance of stations and make them more accessible.

Increasing shop space is not a consideration, Yeung said.

"`In Touch with Nature' was the main theme adopted when renovating the four stations," he said.

"In Mong Kok East station, natural materials and colors have been used to give it a brighter, more spacious and comfortable look, and to provide a natural atmosphere for passengers to get closer to nature."

For Sheung Shui and Fan Ling stations, Yeung was inspired by the River Beas, which flows across the northern New Territories.

In all of the stations ticket machines are being removed from the center of concourses and mounted on walls to create more space for larger flows of passengers.

Customer service centers are also being revamped to make them more accessible to all passengers, including the disabled, and will be placed in the center of concourses, closer to the entry and exit gates.

Passengers have welcomed the work being carried out but are concerned at the cost of up to HK$40 million for each station.

Clara Cheuk said the renovations are far too expensive. "It would be fine just to improve the facilities, but I do not think it is worth spending on artifacts just to brighten up a station."

However, Cheuk is worried the cost will result in higher ticket prices.

Yeung said MTR Corp will set aside HK$4 billion each year to upgrade, revitalize and maintain facilities at stations.

hkskyline

February 12th, 2012, 01:56 PM

Source : http://www.fotop.net/camus

http://images4.fotop.net/albums/camus/camus245/DSC_0662A.jpg

hkskyline

March 2nd, 2012, 04:25 PM

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2012/0219/IMG_1007.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2012/0219/IMG_1014.jpg

hkskyline

March 7th, 2012, 02:40 AM

Fare rises on line to raise MTRC earnings
The Standard
Wednesday, March 07, 2012

MTR Corp (0066) core profit is expected to have risen 11percent last year, driven by fare increases and the improved performance of overseas operations.

But long-term profits may be curbed by the government policy shift to sell more land itself, which threatens to erode earnings from property development.

MTRC reports its 2011 results tomorrow.

According to a survey of four analysts, net income excluding property revaluation gains averaged HK$9.63 billion, as compared with HK$8.66 billion a year ago.

Growth in domestic railway patronage last year was about 5percent, analysts say. The turnaround of other rail operations, such as those in Beijing and Stockholm, is said ro have lifted earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation to 11percent from 9percent.

Analysts also expect MTRC to have booked profits from property projects.

As for fares, Morgan Stanley forecasts another 4percent rise in June, the third consecutive year of increases, according to the agreed fare adjustment mechanism because staff costs and inflation remain high.

The US-based brokerage raised its target price to HK$31 from HK$28.

hkskyline

March 9th, 2012, 04:14 PM

Fares hike hint even as MTRC profit soars
The Standard
Friday, March 09, 2012

MTR Corp (0066) has hinted at another fare hike, despite booking record high profits last year.

In his first press conference as chief executive officer, Jay Walder said fare adjustments will take place later in the year.

He did not specify whether prices will go up or down, but fares will be reviewed "according to the fare adjustment mechanism" by which fares are set by inflation and wages.

The MTRC announced record high underlying profit, excluding property re-evaluation, of HK$10.47 billion, up 20.9 percent for the year ended December 31 and beating market estimates of HK$9.63 billion. Net income was up 22 percent to HK$14.72 billion, or HK$2.55 per share. Total revenue rose 13.2 percent to HK$33.4 billion.

Fare revenue in Hong Kong from rail and bus services was HK$13.35 billion, up 7.2 percent from 2010. MTRC carried 1.68 billion rail and bus passengers, up 5.1 percent year on year.

The company will spend HK$1 billion to improve station facilities. Walder said four trains will also be purchased.

He also plans to expand the MTRC's presence overseas, including tendering to operate two railways in the UK.

Profit from property development was HK$4.93 billion, mainly from sales at Festival City and rentals from Popcorn, a shopping mall in Tseung Kwan O.

As of December, 73 percent of the 4,264 units in the three phases of Festival City had been sold. Another 42 units in Palazzo in Fo Tan and 34 units in Lake Silver at Wu Kai Sha had also been sold.

Festival City was jointly developed with Cheung Kong (Holdings) (0001), while Sino Land (0083) is the partner for Palazzo and Lake Silver. This year, MTRC plans to sell four residential projects in Tai Wai, Tin Shui Wai, Long Ping West and Long Ping East through public tenders. The tender for the Bayside project in Tsuen Wan, withdrawn earlier this year, will be relaunched in the second half.

A final dividend of 51 HK cents was proposed. The shares rose 0.74 percent to HK$27.45 yesterday.

hkskyline

March 14th, 2012, 07:51 AM

More trains to take strain from travelers
The Standard
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Peak-hour congestion on MTR lines is expected to ease later this month when five more trains are introduced.

MTR Corp said yesterday there will be an additional 368 trips on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines, while waiting times during evening peak hours on the Tsuen Wan Line will be 10 to 20 seconds shorter.

The extra trains and increased frequency will boost carrying capacity by 800,000-passenger trips per week.

The changes will come into force from March 24-26.

"We believe the enhancements will allow passengers to enjoy an even more efficient train service and a more comfortable traveling environment that is less crowded," MTR Corp chief executive Jay Walder said.

The improvements are part of the company's listening-responding program for which it has set aside more than HK$1 billion.

Operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said services will be improved where demand is heaviest, such as the "peak of the peak" periods on the Tsuen Wan Line and during weekends on all three lines. Waiting times for morning peak services on the Tsuen Wan Line will be shortened to two minutes, an improvement of eight seconds.

The stepped-up evening peak services will begin earlier at 5pm to ease passenger buildup on platforms.

Waiting times for weekend services will also be shortened on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines, but only on Sundays for the Island Line.

The Sunday wait for Kwun Tong trains from 8.45am to 8.30pm, for example, will be shortened to 3.5 to four minutes, from the current five minutes.

Half a minute will be shaved off the waiting times for trains on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines during meal times on Saturdays.

Kam said there will be no fare increases despite the changes.

More than 500 new staff will be recruited to assist at stations and ensure smooth passenger flows.

Orders for four more trains have been placed, to be delivered in two years.

The company conducted a trial a week ago by increasing train frequency on the Tsuen Wan Line during the evening rush hour.

Footage from Admiralty station at 5.50pm showed congestion had eased by about a third, compared with the same time the previous evening.

hkskyline

March 15th, 2012, 03:40 PM

Octopus whiz-kid held over $430,000 machine scam
The Standard
Thursday, March 08, 2012

In the first case of its kind, a technician and his family have been arrested in connection with a scam that milked the MTR Corporation of HK$430,000 through a home-made Octopus card add-value machine.

Police said the 26-year-old technician previously worked for an MTR outsourcing company and was responsible for maintaining the Octopus add-value devices. He was with the company for around one year from 2010.

It was alleged that he stole authentic parts from the storeroom of the Nam Cheong MTR station, where he worked, in September and subsequently reassembled the device in his Yuen Long home two months later.

He allegedly used the device to add value to 61 cards used in a HK$430,000 spending spree that brought in, among other things, more than 100 cans of baby milk powder.

Some of the milk powder was then sold through the internet to buy gold ornaments.

Officers seized the device from his home as well as many tins of the milk powder from his father's company warehouse in Kwai Chung.

The technician's wife, elder sister and parents were also arrested.

Senior inspector Collins Li Ka-wai said police were alerted when the MTRC and Octopus Holdings detected unusual activity.

Because the homemade machine used by the suspect was not connected to Octopus servers, the information in the cards used in the scam did not match records in the network. Li said this is the first time Octopus cards have been topped up illegally.

According to the police, Octopus users top up their cards by slotting in banknotes through add-value machines at MTR stations that are connected to the subway operator's servers.

The amount is then registered as being paid into the MTRC accounts, and the information is also shared with Octopus Holdings.

The suspect employed the same means to top up his cards, using banknotes of various denominations to suit his needs and targeted purchases.

The discrepancies became obvious when the MTRC compared details in its accounts with those of Octopus Holdings.

The police said retailers did not suffer any losses, only the MTRC.

Lo Kwok-kwong of Hong Kong Polytechnic University's mechanical engineering department believes the average mechanic cannot build the add-value maching without authentic parts.

shree711

March 16th, 2012, 04:48 AM

^^

Greed really gets one mad! I cannot believe this.

Blackraven

March 16th, 2012, 07:51 PM

Haha that's hardcore.

Imba hacking :nuts::lol:

:cheers:

Btw, for those who do not know:
It takes EXTREMELY high level of skill and knowledge to even break through Sony Felica encryption technology.

The crytography and cypher encryption of Sony Felica devices is unbelievably strong..............so anyone who can break through it is beyond your mere amateur computer programmers.

Silly_Walks

March 16th, 2012, 08:08 PM

hkskyline

March 20th, 2012, 04:56 PM

MTR splashes out with toilets
The Standard
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Public toilets at three of the busiest MTR interchange stations will be installed as part of a HK$1 billion investment to improve services.

The toilets will be in place at Mong Kok, Prince Edward and Admiralty stations by 2015, with the remaining seven interchange stations earmarked to receive similar facilities by 2020.

At present only 10 of the 20 interchange stations have toilets.

The company will also install new external lifts at 13 stations to connect concourses with street levels.

Lifts at four of the stations are slated to be completed by the end of the year, while the rest will have them within three years.

"The initiatives are directly related to what customers are asking us to do more of, which includes easing crowding, improving access to stations, adding public toilet facilities and speeding up the installation of automatic platform gates," MTR Corp chief executive Jay Walder said yesterday.

Chief of operations engineering David Leung Chuen-choi said the company's new direction on public toilets follows the success of installing facilities at Sheung Wan station when it was modified as part of the West Island Line works.

The facilities will make journeys more convenient and comfortable for the elderly, wheelchair-bound commuters and those traveling with prams or large items, Leung said.

He added it will be difficult to put toilets in all MTR stations owing to technical difficulties with plumbing and sewage lines.

Other initiatives include installing 52 more wide gates in 30 stations by mid-2013, and the addition of 231 platform seats in 50 stations by the end of this year.

The company has boosted train frequency with an additional 368 trips on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines.

Commuters have welcomed the new initiatives.

Retiree Chan Kin-hung likes the external elevator plan because after taking the lift to the station concourse at Shau Kei Wan he still has to walk some distance to get out of the building.

But others, like student Derek Kwok Yu- fan, are unhappy that commuters will have to wait until 2020 for toilets at all interchange stations. "I wonder why it takes eight years to build a simple toilet," Kwok said.

Kaitak747

March 25th, 2012, 05:43 PM

6GW78AVJYew

hkskyline

April 10th, 2012, 02:59 PM

Source : http://johnblog.phychembio.com/

http://johnblog.phychembio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IMG_9084.jpg

Silly_Walks

April 11th, 2012, 12:51 AM

^^^

What station is that? Is it on the West Rail Line?

hkskyline

April 11th, 2012, 04:20 AM

^^^

What station is that? Is it on the West Rail Line?

My guess is it is Yuen Long on the West Rail Line.

StanleyJ

April 11th, 2012, 06:59 PM

My guess is it is Yuen Long on the West Rail Line.

It's Tin Shui Wai, actually... http://g.co/maps/fhe96

Yuen Long has the massive Yoho/New Yuen Long Centre complex above it.

hkskyline

April 13th, 2012, 02:42 PM

Return of $900m divi urged in rail fares row
The Standard
Friday, April 13, 2012

Authorities have been urged to return HK$900 million paid as dividend by the MTR Corp to offset the latest proposed fare hikes.

The call yesterday came in the form of a nonbinding motion by members of the Legislative Council transport panel.

The panel also passed a motion calling on the company not to raise fares in the wake of last year's HK$14.7 billion profit.

MTR chief executive Jay Walder pledged the company will consider launching a new round of fare promotions.

"I would like to assure you here today that based on the views we have heard, we will be looking even harder at the promotions we offer in 2012," Walder told legislators. "We are listening to the views of our passengers and working to come up with a package of promotions that they will find attractive."

He said fare discounts and concessions cost the company HK$1.7 billion last year. From June, rail fares will go up by 5.4 percent - the third and largest increase since a fare- adjustment formula came into effect in 2007.

The hike will amount to an average of 39 HK cents extra for each journey based on an average ticket price of HK$7.40.

The adjustment formula was supposed to allow for fare increases during periods of inflation and reductions in times of recession. So far, it has only resulted in fares going up.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yu-wah said the fare adjustment mechanism will be reviewed by an independent consultant in the second half of the year.

"It will take the MTR's profitability as well as people's affordability into account," Cheng added.

The consultant will investigate whether factors other than the composite consumer price index and wage indices for the transport sector, such as MTR Corp earnings and costs, should be taken into account, Cheng said.

The government would not say if it would return the dividend. "Dividends received by the government from the MTR Corp is considered part of the general revenue," a spokesman said.

phoenixboi08

April 16th, 2012, 03:34 AM

The Shanghai metro looks so similar?! Is it operated by the same company?

hkskyline

April 16th, 2012, 12:16 PM

Many mainland Chinese metros are designed after Hong Kong's MTR, and MTR does a lot of consultancy work for metro works in China as well.

phoenixboi08

April 16th, 2012, 05:14 PM

Many mainland Chinese metros are designed after Hong Kong's MTR, and MTR does a lot of consultancy work for metro works in China as well.

What I mean is, the stations (coloring, fonts, design) are practically identical...haha Just wondering if it's the same company; hence using the same designs...I've ridden Beijing's and Nanjing's and they don't resemble this style very much (granted I only took the old lines - and older ones in Shanghai are also different).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Xintiandi_Station_Line_10_Platform.jpg/800px-Xintiandi_Station_Line_10_Platform.jpg

deasine

April 17th, 2012, 01:30 AM

Here's a list of all of MTR's China Metro Consulting: http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/consultancy/clientlist.html

Notice Shanghai is on the list.

hkskyline

April 17th, 2012, 03:43 AM

Unmanned trains on track for new line
The Standard
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Island South Line (East) will be served by unmanned trains when completed in 2015, the MTR Corp said.

The rail operator revealed it has ordered 10 French-designed trains for the seven-kilometer line, terminating at Admiralty - an interchange station for the Island and Tsuen Wan lines.

MTR chief architect Wilfred Yeung Sze-wai said yesterday South Island commuters may look forward to a reliable and flexible service with the introduction of the Fully Automatic Operation system.

He said the system is a well-proven and mature technology commonly adopted in cities with top-notch rail systems, such as Paris, Singapore and Seoul.

Staff may take manual control of the trains in times of emergencies, allowing for the remote reset and system recovery via the central control center.

In addition, Yeung said the new system will lead to a more flexible deployment of trains, which can be mobilized remotely to build up service frequency to meet any surge in passenger demand.

This will free up more train service staff to offer assistance to passengers.

Yeung soothed public concerns that an unmanned operating system is unsafe, saying a successful precedent has already been set by the smooth running of the Disneyland Resort Line, which employs an automatic control system.

Security will also be enhanced on the new line, with the installation of four CCTV cameras in each compartment.

Sensors embedded in the air-conditioning system will alert control staff when smoke is detected.

Each three-car train will have a streamlined design and comes equipped with a slew of innovative features such as underseat theatrical lighting and suspended flooring to reduce noise from train equipment.

The HK$12.4 billion line will connect the southern end of Hong Kong Island, which is not serviced at present by any rail transport.

The southern terminus will be at South Horizons on Ap Lei Chau, passing through stops at Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang, and Ocean Park before terminating at Admiralty.

The company estimates it will take commuters 10 minutes to travel from South Horizons to the urban district.

Fan Railer

April 17th, 2012, 07:26 AM

hkskyline

April 17th, 2012, 08:12 AM

French design? Which companies are associated with this? Last news we had was that the three car sets were an extension to the order from CRC Bombardier.

The Chinese-language media in HK is reporting the vehicles will be made in China but the signalling system is from France's Alstom.

http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20120417/00407_075.html

Silly_Walks

April 17th, 2012, 05:14 PM

Will they be steel-on-steel, or will they have rubber tyres the French like so much?

Fan Railer

April 18th, 2012, 12:13 AM

Will they be steel-on-steel, or will they have rubber tyres the French like so much?

conventional steel track.... if it was going to be a rubber tire metro, it would have been ALL over the news and web by now.

hkskyline

April 23rd, 2012, 02:56 PM

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6945674893_6e6bd01bf4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhuang/6945674893/)
IMG_5391 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhuang/6945674893/) by JDHuang (http://www.flickr.com/people/jdhuang/), on Flickr

hkskyline

April 29th, 2012, 06:52 AM

LCQ3: MTR fares and the Fare Adjustment Mechanism
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, in the Legislative Council today (April 25):

Question:

The MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") recorded a surplus of $14.7 billion last year, but it announced in March this year that it will increase MTR fares by as high as 5.4% in June this year in accordance with the Fare Adjustment Mechanism ("FAM") which provides for both upward and downward adjustments, and it will at the same time provide some fare concessions. This is the third consecutive year that MTR fares are being increased and the rate of increase this year is the highest since the implementation of FAM in 2009, resulting in an increase in passengers’ travel expenses. Yet, MTR incidents occur frequently; according to the figures provided to this Council by the Transport and Housing Bureau, 839 railway related incidents which have to be reported to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in accordance with the Mass Transit Railway Regulations occurred last year, representing an increase of 9% over the figure of 2010. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows the fare concessions that MTRCL offered to passengers in the past three years, and the respective numbers of passengers who benefitted from such concessions as well as the expenditures incurred, and set out the figures in table form;

(b) of the current review procedures of FAM; whether it will review FAM earlier and consider including in FAM the authority of the Government to vet and approve fare adjustments to prevent MTRCL from effectuating fare increases automatically according to FAM; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) whether it will in the future consider linking the rate of increase in MTR fares to the number of the aforesaid railway related incidents as a penalty system, and to monitor the performance of MTR; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and how the Government will ensure that such incidents of MTR will not occur persistently, and timely and quality services will be provided?

Reply:

President,

Since the rail merger in December 2007, fare adjustment of the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") has been subject to an objective and transparent Fare Adjustment Mechanism ("FAM"). The FAM, formulated after extensive discussion in the community and by the Legislative Council ("LegCo"), has replaced the pre-merger fare autonomy of the MTRCL.

Under the current FAM, the fare adjustment rate for the prevailing year is determined in accordance with a direct-drive formula linked to the year-on-year percentage changes in both the Composite Consumer Price Index ("CCPI") and the Nominal Wage Index (Transportation Section) ("Wage Index") in December of the previous year, as well as a productivity factor.

The MTRCL reduced its fares immediately after the merger. Such reductions included (1) a minimum of 10% decrease in Octopus fares for long-haul trips; (2) a minimum of 5% decrease in Octopus fares for mid-haul trips; and (3) a commitment to freeze its fares in the first two years following the merger until June 30, 2009. The FAM was not introduced until 2009 after the merger and the first fare increase was implemented in 2010.

The Census and Statistics Department published the CCPI and Wage Index for December 2011 on January 20 and March 26, 2012 respectively. With reference to these indices, the computation results of the FAM indicate an adjustment rate of +5.4% in the overall MTR fares for 2012.

According to the FAM procedures laid down in the Operating Agreement ("OA") signed between the Government and the MTRCL in August 2007, the MTRCL is required to provide the Government with two certificates issued by an independent third party to certify that its fare adjustment is in compliance with the FAM. It is also required to formally notify the Panel on Transport of the LegCo and the Transport Advisory Committee three weeks prior to the implementation of the new fares. As the OA is a legally binding document, the Government will act in accordance with the mechanism and ensure that the MTRCL complies with the relevant accounting and notification requirements.

Railway is the backbone of the public transport system in Hong Kong and forms the core of our transport strategy. The MTR network currently covers the residential areas occupied by 70% of our population. With an average daily patronage of over 4 million passenger trips, the MTR has become the most popular mode of public transport in Hong Kong.

Given the relatively high inflation rate at present and thus a heavy financial burden on the local community, the Government shares the view of the public that the MTRCL should, apart from considering its commercial operations, give due regard to its corporate social responsibility. While providing safe and efficient railway services, the MTRCL should also strive to help the public reduce fare expenses. Therefore, the Government has urged the MTRCL to take into account the overall macro-economic environment and implement more and various effective fare concessions so as to address the needs of passengers and alleviate their burden of travelling expenses.

My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:

(a) Over the past three years, major fare promotions and concessions provided by the MTRCL include fare concession for children; Student Travel Scheme; fare concession and $2 fare promotion for the elderly; fare concession for Persons with Disabilities; Monthly Pass and Day Pass; free interchange offer and Light Rail Personalised Octopus Frequent User Bonus Scheme; "Ride $100 Get $5 MTR Shop Coupon" promotion scheme; and "Ride $100 Get 1 Free" promotion scheme; etc. MTRCL's major fare promotions and concessions, as well as the number of passengers benefitted and the amount involved, are at Annex.

(b) Regarding the review of the FAM for the MTR fares, the OA stipulates that the Government or the MTRCL may request a review on the FAM in the fifth year after the merger or every fifth year thereafter. We shall initiate the review in the second half of 2012 and discuss with the MTRCL, with a view to completing the exercise by late 2012 or early 2013.

At the time of the rail merger, the establishment of the FAM and the elements contained in its formula were thoroughly discussed and considered by the community and the LegCo. The CCPI adopted by the current mechanism reflects to a certain extent the macro-economic environment of Hong Kong whereas the Wage Index reflects the staff cost of the MTRCL. As such, it may be said that the economy and wage precede the activation of any fare adjustment.

It will be five years in December 2012 following the rail merger. To better prepare for the FAM review to be carried out in the second half of the year, we have engaged a consultant to conduct a study. The consultant will examine the relevant issues objectively and comprehensively. The study will include whether and how new elements in addition to the data linked with the economic performance, wage index and productivity factor should be introduced in the FAM so as to reflect the operating costs, profit level, efficiency of operation and service performance of the MTRCL as well as the affordability of general public, etc., thereby improving the mechanism. Recommendations made therein will serve as our reference in the upcoming review.

As to whether approving procedures should be introduced to the mechanism, we are open-minded at this stage. Of course, we expect the future mechanism would be a transparent and simple one based on objective indicators. The consultancy study is still underway. We shall take into consideration the findings of the consultancy study upon its completion, as well as consult and listen to the views of various sectors.

(c) The MTRCL has a grave responsibility of providing safe railway services to the community. The Government has all along required the MTRCL to offer safe, reliable and efficient railway services at all times. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department ("EMSD") is responsible for monitoring the safety of railway systems. It will conduct post-incident investigations to ensure that the MTRCL will take appropriate follow-up and improvement measures. The EMSD will also conduct regular inspections to check whether the MTRCL has carried out railway system maintenance works as scheduled to ensure railway safety.

Under the Mass Transit Railway Regulations, the MTRCL has to notify the EMSD of any incident that occurred at any part of the entire railway premises which has a direct bearing on the safe operation of the railway. The figures mentioned by the Honourable Chan are the number of railway incidents along various MTR railway lines that were caused by railway equipment failure, staff behaviour, passenger/public behaviour as well as other external factors and that were notifiable to the EMSD in accordance with the Regulations. The EMSD stated that, among the railway incidents in 2011, over 90% were caused by passenger/public behaviour and other external factors such as passengers being nipped by train doors when dashing into the compartments, trespassing and fallen trees under tropical typhoons, etc. Less than 10% were caused by railway equipment failure and staff behaviour. Subsequent to an analysis of the incidents concerned, the EMSD found no systemic safety concerns in the MTR services.

In our opinion, the most important task after the occurrence of a railway incident is to identify the contributory cause and resume normal train services as soon as possible so that the impact to the public can be minimised.

As for how to apportion blame for the incidents or setting up a demerit system, we are also open-minded. We should however bear in mind that any suggestion should not unnecessarily incur additional pressure on frontline railway staff, so that it would not bring about any adverse impact on railway safety checks and emergency repairs in their attempt to avoid points being deducted when carrying out repair works within tight timeframes.

Separately, given the lengthy operational hours and high utilisation of the territory-wide railway network, with hundreds of thousands of systems and components operating non-stop, it is practically impossible to achieve a scenario of "zero incident". Notwithstanding, we have all along demanded the MTRCL to give safety the highest priority, as under no circumstances should safety be compromised. As to how MTRCL's service performance may be assessed comprehensively and objectively, and linked to the FAM, it is a complicated issue which will be examined in the upcoming review.

Annex : http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201204/25/P201204250277_0277_92919.pdf