Introduction

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation is a public corporation charged with the task of operating and developing domestic, cross-boundary and intercity railway services.

The Corporation currently provides three domestic passenger rail services: East Rail, a suburban mass transit service operating between Hung Hom and the boundary at Lo Wu; West Rail, which opened in December 2003, is a mass transit service running between the North West New Territories and urban Kowloon; and Light Rail, formerly a stand-alone transit service and now also a feeder service for West Rail. All of these networks are supported by feeder buses.

In addition to its domestic service, East Rail operates intercity passenger services to Guangzhou on its own train and provides access for other intercity trains running to and from cities in the Mainland including Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. East Rail also carries freight, mainly to and from the interior of the Mainland. Furthermore, the Corporation develops property projects with joint-venture partners along its railway networks.

To meet the future transport needs of Hong Kong people, KCRC is constructing and planning new railway lines that will more than double the size of its existing network. These are the East Rail Extensions, the Sha Tin to Central Link and the Kowloon Southern Link. Two other projects are in the planning stages - the Northern Link and the Regional Express Line.

http://www.kcr.com.hk/eng/services/routemap/images/e_map.jpg

Feature - Ma On Shan Railway

KCRC is constructing Ma On Shan Rail to serve the fast growing Ma On Shan new town, whose population is expected to double in the next 20 years. The railway will be built primarily on a viaduct with a small section in the middle running at grade along the central divider of Tate's Cairn Highway. This will minimise land take and disruption to road traffic.

The 11.4 kilometre railway will have a maintenance centre at Tai Wai and nine stations located within easy walking distance of large residential developments.

Construction began on 12 February 2001. When it opens in 2004, Ma On Shan Rail will run a four-car train every 2.5 minutes during peak hours. As demand grows, longer trains of up to eight cars will be deployed at two-minute intervals.

Along with West Rail, Ma On Shan Rail will be one of the quietest railways in the world when it goes into service, as it will make use of the same multi-plenum noise attenuation system.

Source : http://www.pbase.com/leira/progress&page=all

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Great pics, even if you didn't take them. They seem to spend little time getting major construction projects okayed and built in HK. Seeing that the train goes all the way to the border of the SAR and to Shenzhen, do you think that when HK returns to full mainland Chinese control that HK and Shenzhen will become one big city?

It's highly unlikely the border will disappear, since there is still a lot of economic differences between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. However, liberalisation is well under way, such as the new individual travel scheme that lets many Guangdong residents to visit Hong Kong on personal and not tour visas.

Hong Kong is on a major railway-building spree right now. The focus is to concentrate development around railway hubs and have railways be the primary transit backbone.

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those pictures need updating!! most of the rail has been liad out already with the overhead wires nearly completed now!

What type of trains will they be using? There seems to be a lot of noise reduction walls along the rail, one bad thing though...less view.

What type of trains will they be using? There seems to be a lot of noise reduction walls along the rail, one bad thing though...less view.

SP-1900. Same as those used in West Rail.

What type of trains will they be using? There seems to be a lot of noise reduction walls along the rail, one bad thing though...less view.
http://www.ushb.net/broadcast/WR.jpg

These construction photos are not very recent :

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When is this project going to be completed?

It's highly unlikely the border will disappear, since there is still a lot of economic differences between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

I thought that after fifty years of the SAR treatment that HK will be just another part of mainland China. Do you think that Beijing will still keep it separated in 2047?

Well, even though the border is a political separation, it actually serves a much broader economic purpose. In fact, the economic differences between Hong Kong and the mainland is a major force behind the present border. However, as the mainland cities in Guangdong province get wealthier and the gap narrows, border restrictions will loosen. As to whether the border will disappear or not in 2047, it's hard to say at this point.

Liberalisation is already taking place. While Hong Kongers have unrestricted access to China, it wasn't until last year that tourist visa restrictions were relaxed for mainlanders. They still need a visa to enter Hong Kong, but it's a lot easier to get one now.

To cope with the increased traffic, a second railway crossing will be built at Lok Ma Chau, which is west of the present Lo Wu railway terminus. Hong Kong commuter trains stop right at the Lo Wu checkpoint while through-trains to Guangzhou and Beijing continue heading north from this point.

another differnence is that hk is democratic and mainland is communist, but it is likey that china will be captalist soon!

another differnence is that hk is democratic and mainland is communist, but it is likey that china will be captalist soon!

Hong Kong wasn't democratic under the British and it isn't democratic under Beijing! :sleepy:

Hong Kong wasn't democratic under the British and it isn't democratic under Beijing! :sleepy:

a distintion of socialism china and capitalism hong kong is a better comparsion.

even though hong kong wasn't fully democratic under the british, but it was walking toward it in the end of its era. however, now we are just walking in a circle or even backward under the beijing.

Future lines (completion years might change):

MTR:
2005~Disneyland Line
2009~West Island Line & South Island Line
2010~Kwun Tong Line Ext.
2016~North Island Line

KCR:
2004~Tsim Sha Tsui Ext. & Ma On Shan Ext.
2007~Lok Ma Chau Spur
2008~Kowloon Southern Link
2010~Sha Tin - Central Link
2011~Northern Link & Regional Express Line

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line - East Rail

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line was endorsed by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 14 June 2002.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation is building the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line as a second railway link to the Mainland to relieve passenger congestion at the Lo Wu boundary with the Mainland. Running along a 7.4 kilometre alignment, it will branch off the existing East Rail north of Sheung Shui to terminate at Lok Ma Chau Station.

A combined tunnel and viaduct scheme was adopted for the Spur Line: From Sheung Shui to Chau Tau, the railway will run through tunnels, and from Chau Tau, the railway will rise gradually onto viaducts to terminate at Lok Ma Chau Station.

The Spur Line project comprises four major sections, namely, the tunnels' the viaducts' Lok Ma Chau Station and the modification works for the existing Sheung Shui Station.

Construction commenced in January 2003, and is targeted for completion before mid 2007.

http://www.kcrc.com.hk/Upload%20Content/News%20Centre/Projects%20Update/ERE/LMC%20Homepage/Map.JPG

Exterior View of Lok Ma Chau
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Hey we need some photos of the West Rail and East Rail here.

Train Interior
http://home.so-net.com.hk/~gordonlui/kcr198a.jpg

On a greener track
Suh-kyung Yoon. Far Eastern Economic Review. Hong Kong: Oct 25, 2001.Vol.164, Iss. 42; pg. 56, 1 pgs

Hong Kong's habit of throwing things away is changing. Suddenly, people care about the environment and are able to influence policy

HOME SAFE: Long Valley is preserved, developers are in a flap

AS A BORROWED place on borrowed time, Hong Kong lacked the motivation to be politically active or environmentally friendly. Most major decisions were made thousands of miles away-in London and Beijing-and most of its residents were refugees or their children, ever ready to pick up and leave tomorrow if they had to.

Now, attitudes are changing. In the years since the 1997 handover, environmentalism has grown into a potent political force to be reckoned with. Bizarrely, in this famously apolitical, money-obsessed town environmental concerns are coming to the fore. "The atmosphere is ripe even for a green party to flourish," says Michael DeGolyer, director of the Baptist University's Hong Kong Transition Project, which has conducted public-attitude surveys in the territory since 1982.

A symbol of this growing green consciousness is Long Valley-an area of lush wetlands nestled near the border with Shenzhen. Most Hong Kong residents had never heard of Long Valley, much less seen it, before it hit the headlines last year.

In December 1999, the KowloonCanton Railway Corporation, or KCRC, a quasi-governmental railway operator, proposed laying tracks through the valley, which is a habitat for 210 different bird species, some near extinction. Under a 1998 law, the project needed to first pass an environmental-impact assessment, conducted by the government's Environmental Protection Department, before getting the go-ahead.

The line was widely expected to be fasttracked through the process. It was, after all, a HK$8 billion ($1.03 billion) project that would fulfil Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's promise to link Hong Kong's train system to Shenzhen's subway. However, those plans were derailed by a coalition oflocal green groups. The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, the World Wide Fund for Nature and Friends of the Earth challenged the developers, arguing that building railway tracks through the valley would destroy the wetlands, depriving the birds of their homes. The groups launched a protest campaign, writing letters to the EPD, gathering signatures for petitions, and sending out press releases.

Suddenly, Hong Kong newspapers were full of stories about the greater spotted eagle and the grey-headed lapwing, globally threatened birds that wintered in Long Valley during their annual migration. "Nobody gave us a prayer ofwinning," says Mike Kilburn of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. "But the media really pulled through for us." In October last year, EPD director Rob Law rejected the KCRC's proposal, preventing it from building its new line to China.

VICTORY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

"It was a huge victory for the environment and people of Hong Kong," says Alex Yau, WWF's conservation manager. "Public opinion had never mattered here, but the Long Valley decision proved that we can all make a difference and help conserve our environment."

Hong Kong has much to lose. Located on the northern fringes of the sub-tropics, it has a rich biodiversity. It is home to both tropical and temperate flora and fauna and 450 species of birds. The 53 different corals in Hong Kong's waters are more than in the entire Caribbean. And one dot-on-themap island, Cheung Chau, has more genera of trees than Britain.

A year after the EPD's decision, the KCRC has had a rethink. It has submitted a new proposal-a tunnel under the valley. It could turn out to be a win-win situation, since a tunnel would save the valley and save the KCRC the cost of buying land to build on. And the company seems to have learned a lesson: Last week it invited green groups to review its plans.

"We've gone through a self-awakening," says Mei Ng, director of Friends of the Earth. "Long Valley came at a time when Hong Kong people were forced to ask ourselves if Hong Kong was our home or not. It allowed us to rediscover our sense of place, sense of identity, sense of the future."

By Suh-kyung Yoon/HONG KONG

Nostalgia
#51 is currently on exhibition at the Railway Museum near the Tai Po Market KCR station. Photos from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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Very beautiful, I would love to see the more updated pictures.

Mei Foo KCR+MTR station entrance:
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Mei Foo Platform:
http://members19.clubphoto.com/_cgi-bin/getImage.pl?imgID=36654133-f151&trans=

The Light Rail system was established in 1988 to provide local passenger transport within the North West New Territories (NWNT). As the area's population expanded, so too did Light Rail.

The Light Rail system provides an efficient, reliable and value-for-money service for the one million residents of the rapidly growing new towns of the NWNT. During peak hours, service is as frequent as every 1.3 minutes at stops in the busiest section.

With the opening of the new Tin Shui Wai extensions on 7 December 2003, the Light Rail network has been extended to a route length of 36.15 kilometres with 68 stops.

A total of 119 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) run along Light Rail, which operates for 19 hours each day. Each LRV can accommodate more than 200 passengers. Due to an open fare system maintained by Light Rail, there are no gates or turnstiles at stops, allowing passengers to board and alight easily.

Operated largely at-grade with about 80 junctions that interface with other road traffic, the Light Rail system has a remarkable record of safety, punctuality and reliability.

Light Rail has been transformed into a feeder for West Rail while continuing as the major mode of transport in the NWNT. Passengers interchanging between Light Rail and West Rail will enjoy free transfers on Light Rail.

By ANYCALL from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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Sha Tin to Central Link

On 25 June 2002 the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced the award of the Sha Tin to Central Link (SCL) to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation.

This project provides a critical cross-harbour link for the KCR network and marks a historic turning point for the Corporation. With the completion of SCL, KCRC passengers will for the first time be able to travel to Hong Kong Island directly using the KCR network.

According to the Original Proposal submitted by the Corporation, the SCL alignment would extend Ma On Shan Rail from Tai Wai to Hung Hom Mass Transportation Centre (MTC) via East Kowloon Line and the Fourth Rail Harbour Crossing to Central. The Proposal envisaged that the Hung Hom MTC would be a 3-way interchange station for East Rail, SCL and West Rail via Kowloon Southern Link.

In reviewing the design for the Hung Hom MTC, the Corporation now comes up with a Preferred Scheme for SCL.

The Preferred Scheme with the East Rail across the harbour option consists of a north-south railway from Lo Wu to Central by extending East Rail across the harbour; and an extension of Ma On Shan Rail from Tai Wai to Hung Hom MTC via East Kowloon Line, to serve the population in the southeast Kowloon.

Compared with the Original Scheme, the railway alignment of the Preferred Scheme is the same as the original proposal. The only difference is in the interchanging station for passengers from different lines.

http://www.kcrc.com.hk/eng/corporate/project/map_e.jpg

wow, 3 way interhcange gonna be a mess when looking at the kowloon tong 2 way already...

i wonder why, they choosed Tai War for Interchange and why not Kowloon Tong, i think it would be better because KCR East + KCR Ma On Shan + MTR Kwun Tong

Kowloon Tong is too overcrowded. In fact, the major reason behind extending East Rail from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui is to offer a second interchange with the MTR to relieve the congestion. The Shatin-Central link was intended to go straight into Central, hence eliminating the need for an interchange. However, since the Ma On Shan Railway is being built first and it had to connect to somewhere, Tai Wai became that connection point.

Kowloon Tong is also on the other side of the mountains. Unless the benefits are huge, you probably don't want to dig another tunnel.

East Rail Tsim Sha Tsui Extension to Open October 24

The extension moves the terminus of East Rail from the Hung Hom terminal southwest to Tsim Sha Tsui and interchange with the MTR. A journey from the northernmost suburb of Sheung Shui to Tsim Sha Tsui will now take 42 minutes.

Here is a news report from Hong Kong's Cable News (in Cantonese) on October 12th :
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http://inews.i-cable.com/mynews/asx/2004/10/12/kcr2200-b.asx

Anyone knows where I can download similar news clips (about the MTR or anything HK)... Preferably smaller than 10MB? Short clips will do. I love Cantonese... It sounds so cool...

opens in october 2004 or 2005? lol, im not very updated on thsi project

The Tsim Sha Tsui extension is opening Oct. 24 this year.
For short news clips by story, visit :
http://news.tvb.com/tvnews/index.html

Thanks!!!!!!

Context
Hong Kong's subway and railway operators are also partners in property development on top of their railway stations. In fact, property development is a major profitability driver for both the KCR and MTR.

KCRC adds Tuen Mun to list for 12,971 flats at West Rail stations
Raymond Wang
October 16, 2004

The KCRC will put 12,971 flats on the market after 2008 at five stations on the West Rail and Ma On Shan lines.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) will add a property project above Tuen Mun station on the West Rail to next year's tender, raising the total available projects to five.

The railway company will put 12,971 flats on the market after 2008 at five stations on the West Rail and Ma On Shan lines. Tendering for construction begins next year.

According to the KCRC schedule, tenders open early next year for the construction of 2,528 flats at Wu Kai Sha station on the Ma On Shan line.

That will be followed by tenders to build 10,443 flats at projects at West Rail's Nam Cheong, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan West stations. The largest project, Nam Cheong station, will provide as much as 4,253 flats.

Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan West and Yuen Long will have 2,200, 1,776 and 2,214 flats respectively.

Two years ago the KCRC and MTR Corp agreed to suspend tenders for property development to help prop up prices, and last October the KCRC agreed not to complete projects before 2008.

MTRC last year also promised not to launch its 21,500-flat ``Dream City'' project at Tseung Kwan O Station before 2008. The subway operator is planning to open construction tenders for its Tseung Kwan O project as early as the end of this year.

If that happens, the first batch of some 2,000 flats will be ready for sale by 2008-09.

In the past 10 to 20 years, 10 per cent of Hong Kong's home supply has come from tenders by the two railway operators, according to Sun Hung Kai Properties vice-chairman Thomas Kwok.

Thirty-three per cent of the supply came from government auctions and tenders and 57 per cent from redevelopment, rezoning and land use conversion by private developers.

"However, we hope to see a more balanced supply situation if the supply ratio from the government and two railway operators can be increased to a combined 50 per cent,'' he said.

TST extension fare dispute
Dennis Chong, Hong Kong Standard
October 16, 2004

Lawmakers said the KCRC was charging too much for tickets to the new Tsim Sha Tsui East station. The extension opens for business a week Sunday.

Chairman Michael Tien said revenue generated by the East Rail extension would only cover operational costs because planned fares have been lowered in response to public demands.

But lawmakers at a Legislative Council meeting on Friday at which the new fares were announced, said the rail operator was ignoring the needs of the city's poorest and accused it of charging too much for some tickets to the new station.

The HK$4.1 billion project that extends the current East Rail line from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Shui East will start running from a week Sunday.

Commuters will pay an extra HK$1.40 to HK$3.50 if they extend their journey past Hung Hom to the new station, which connects with the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui station via an indoor air-conditioned subway.

A journey from Sheung Shui to Tsim Sha Tsui East will cost HK$12 by octopus card, HK$3.50 more than the trip from Sheung Shui to Hung Hom.

Many lawmakers said that because Tsim Sha Tsui East is in the same district as Hung Hom, commuters should not pay extra.

The journey from Sheung Shui to Mong Kok station, also in the same district, costs the same as a journey from Sheung Shui to Hung Hom.

Lau Chin-shek, lawmaker from Kowloon West constituency, said it was unfair to charge extra for commuters going to Tsim Sha Tsui because the area was in the same district.

But Tien said the extension's time-saving benefit meant that the fare was a lot cheaper than other forms of transport for the same journey.

He said a ride from Sha Tin to Tsim Sha Tsui East would cost HK$7.60 and take 20 minutes. But a bus ride would take twice as long and cost HK$7.

"I don't understand the [lawmakers'] rationale. Of course we have to charge if there is a new station,'' he said.

He added the East Rail would save time and money for travellers and that he believed the fare system was "very competitive''.

But legislator "Long Hair'' Leung Kwok-hung from New Territories East accused rail operators of trying to get money out of passengers with new lines because it could not earn from the property market once that had burst in 1997.

"It takes a long time to plan new lines,'' Leung said. "You have taken it for granted that the stations will be supported by property development. Now the property bubble has burst you turn your target to the customers.''

He accused the KCRC of forgetting it was a public service.

Tien said it had to strike a balance between the needs of customers, competitiveness and cost-effectiveness, and that the lowest fare possible was introduced.

"We only get an annual return of 3 to 4 per cent [of the HK$4.1 billion investment] ... it is very, very low,'' he said. He predicted that passenger flow for the first year would remain low at 100,000 per day.

Selina Chow from the Liberal Party said the architectural design of the new station was "very basic'' and did not match the image of Tsim Sha Tsui as an important tourist centre.

Tsim Sha Tsui Extension

http://www.kcrc.com.hk/Upload%20Content/News%20Centre/Projects%20Update/ERE/TSTE%20Homepage/Alignment.JPG

The East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

East Tsim Sha Tsui Station is a two-level station with an area of about 30,000 square meters, which is around 1.5 times the size of the current Hung Hom Station. The station concourse will be built at underground level with an island platform under it. The Middle Road Children's Playground will be reinstated with beautiful landscaping and new recreational facilities after the completion of the new extension. In addition, the Government has approved the construction of a Public Transport Interchange (PTI) below the Wing On Plaza Garden, which will further provide greater convenience for the public.

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To facilitate interchange between the new East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, the Government has ordered to build a subway link. The subway link will be located below Mody Road, Hanoi Road, Blenheim Avenue, Middle Road and Nathan Road, and there will be underground connections with the developments nearby. The fully air-conditioned pedestrian subways will be equipped with travellators for users' convenience.

http://www.kcrc.com.hk/Upload%20Content/News%20Centre/Projects%20Update/ERE/TSTE%20Homepage/Subway.JPG

Length : 1 km
Travelling Time : 1.5 minutes
Top Speed : 65 km/h
Average Speed : 50 km/h
Frequency : 27 trains an hour (peak) / 15 trains an hour (off-peak)

Source : http://www.kcrc.com.hk/chi/corporate/project/index.asp?page=TSTStat

How long will the subway link be? Why didn't the KCR just build its Station just that bit closer to MTR's Station? Are there buildings in the way? After all the new Station does seem a bit too far...

Photos from gakei's website

www.gakei.com

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How long will the subway link be? Why didn't the KCR just build its Station just that bit closer to MTR's Station? Are there buildings in the way? After all the new Station does seem a bit too far...

Because there is an MTR track in the way. Moreover, the KCR line will be extended to Canton Road (just west of TST MTR station). If the station have been built to the west of the current location, trains will have to make a very sharp right turn when going from East TST to Canton Road.

Is the Station opened already? It looks like it is...

Why is there a First Class section for a subway?

The yesterday opened just today.

It's the KCR East Rail. It serves some cross border passenger.

The yesterday opened just today.

It's the KCR East Rail. It serves some cross border passenger.

Whats the difference between first class and the other train cars?

You mean that part of the platform area at all KCR East Rail Stations are segregated from the rest of the platform? They have staff or something at these areas to ensure that only first class passengers get in?

Ha ha, the yesterday opened just today. What kind of English is this?

I believe the seatings in first class compartments are more comfortable. Also, first class compartments tend to be less crowded.

The part of the platform for first class passengers are not segragated from the rest of the platform. But special scanners can be found on that part of the platform and passengers are supposed to swipe their cards on that scanner before boarding the first class compartment. Ticket officers (don't know how you call those people) occasionally ask passengers to show their tickets.

Well I get what you mean...who cares if the english used is screwed up...

Interesting...so how far into China does the KCR East Rail go?

Hong Kong's KCR & MTR amazes me...

it joins onto the china rail network, into shenzen , guangzhou etc...

When KCR West Rail gets extended from Nam Cheong Station to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, East Tsim Sha Tsui Station becomes part of the West Rail instead of the East Rail right?

If so, then won't the first class section of the platform at ETST Station be redundant since its now a West Rail Station?

And are the West Rail trains compatible with the tracks designed for East Rail? Or are the tracks able to handle both types of trains... After all, East & West Rail are pretty much different systems right...or not?

Thanks...

New KCR East Rail-Hung Hom link trial goes well
Hong Kong Standard Staff reporter

The trial run of the new rail extension linking New Territories East with Tsim Sha Tsui went relatively smoothly on Sunday as an estimated 60,000 passengers rode on the discounted trip.

Complaints about insufficient and unclear signs seemed to be the only criticism made to rail operator Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.

KCRC chairman Michael Tien, who rode the line at noon, said the signs would be reviewed but larger signs were not feasible due to limited space.

"If we have to place more signs along the tunnel, there will be signs everywhere," Tien said.

Some passengers thinking the trial ride was for free were surprised to find it was only discounted.

"We also feared that if the ride was free, we might lose control of the situation," Tien said.

Most passengers found the service, which takes KCRC's East Rail connection past Hung Hom station to East Tsim Sha Tsui, convenient and efficient as they did not have to change lines at Kowloon Tong.

Tien greeted a passenger who told him to lower the fare. The chairman replied there was no room for fare cuts and urged the public to be fair and rational.

"If the service is competitive, the pricing is fair," he said.

The extension will officially open next Sunday. Tien said the corporation had been working under pressure to make sure everything was working after a recent spate of incidents involving both the KCRC and MTR Corp railways.

18 October 2004 / 01:48 AM

When KCR West Rail gets extended from Nam Cheong Station to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, East Tsim Sha Tsui Station becomes part of the West Rail instead of the East Rail right?

Yes. And when that happen, the East Kowloon Line and Ma On Shan Line will also become parts of the West Rail.

If so, then won't the first class section of the platform at ETST Station be redundant since its now a West Rail Station?

This is simple to deal with. All they have is to remove the first class signs and the scanner.

And are the West Rail trains compatible with the tracks designed for East Rail? Or are the tracks able to handle both types of trains... After all, East & West Rail are pretty much different systems right...or not?

Thanks...

The tracks of the two lines are compatible. In fact, the newer East Rail trains are identical to those running on the West Rail.

From a Hong Kong transport forum : KCR + the new East Tsim Sha Tsui extension

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/mark850905/KCR/1.jpg

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Source : Oriental Daily

New KCR East Rail-Hung Hom link trial goes well
Hong Kong Standard Staff reporter

The trial run of the new rail extension linking New Territories East with Tsim Sha Tsui went relatively smoothly on Sunday as an estimated 60,000 passengers rode on the discounted trip.

Complaints about insufficient and unclear signs seemed to be the only criticism made to rail operator Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.

KCRC chairman Michael Tien, who rode the line at noon, said the signs would be reviewed but larger signs were not feasible due to limited space.

"If we have to place more signs along the tunnel, there will be signs everywhere," Tien said.

Some passengers thinking the trial ride was for free were surprised to find it was only discounted.

"We also feared that if the ride was free, we might lose control of the situation," Tien said.

Most passengers found the service, which takes KCRC's East Rail connection past Hung Hom station to East Tsim Sha Tsui, convenient and efficient as they did not have to change lines at Kowloon Tong.

Tien greeted a passenger who told him to lower the fare. The chairman replied there was no room for fare cuts and urged the public to be fair and rational.

"If the service is competitive, the pricing is fair," he said.

The extension will officially open next Sunday. Tien said the corporation had been working under pressure to make sure everything was working after a recent spate of incidents involving both the KCRC and MTR Corp railways.

19 October 2004 / 01:53 AM

Rail firm apologises for ticket row
Winnie Yeung
19 October 2004
South China Morning Post

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation apologised yesterday after some people got the wrong idea about its trial rides to and from the new Tsim Sha Tsui East station on Sunday.

The apology by acting chief executive officer Samuel Lai Man-hay came after some elderly travellers complained about having to pay $3.20 to ride between the new station and Hunghom, a trip they had thought would be free.

In fact, the railway was allowing passengers to ride between Tsim Sha Tsui East and other destinations for the same fare they would have been charged to or from Hunghom, but they had to pay if they rode just between the present terminus and the new station.

This was spelled out in advertisements publicising the open day but the words "trial ride" were in bigger type than the explanation of the minimum fare.

Speaking on RTHK radio yesterday, Mr Lai said the minimum charge was aimed at controlling the number of people going into the new station during the open day a week ahead of the official opening.

The rail corporation said it would donate Sunday's proceeds to charities as a gesture of goodwill. The amount and to whom it would be donated were not disclosed last night.

The company will also reconsider the use of the term "trial rides" to avoid future misunderstanding.

However, one caller phoned in during the radio programme expressing support for KCRC. He said the problem was with the people who mistook that the ride was free.

KCR East Rail passengers must disembark and go through immigration at Lo Wu before walking into Shenzhen (Shenzhen rail station is right there in front of you when you walk out, though). East Rail shares tracks with intercity trains that you can board in Hung Hom, after going through immigration in Hung Hom Station. If you do so, you speed straight through Lo Wu. KCR East Rail, however, terminates at Lo Wu.

One more thing...West Rail trains currently run 7-car units, while East Rail runs 12. As ridership on West Rail increases, so will the number of compartments per train. I think there's room in each West Rail station for two more compartments per train.

Photos by ATE 4 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

http://www2.hkedcity.net/sch_files/a/cls/cls-20021136/public_html/E.TST/IMG_0056.jpg

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http://www2.hkedcity.net/sch_files/a/cls/cls-20021136/public_html/E.TST/IMG_0073.jpg

Nice pics! But took a long time to load.

What do the dotted lines on the East Rail Line Map mean? The ones with the word ''Racecourse'' on it...

The dotted line via Racecourse is not normally used. Trains only route through there on racing days.

New set of East Rail announcements:

http://www.ushb.net/broadcast/ER/ER-1900.htm

The voice of the Madarin lady sounds extremely annoying.

WOW! Nice stations! Hey its open already? so technically Hong Hom is no longer the last station now right?

The extension opens on October 24th. Eventually the line will be extended to link up with West Rail at Nam Cheong. Technical feasibility studies are under way for the alignment right now.

Is the Station opened already? It looks like it is...

Why is there a First Class section for a subway?


You pay a little more so you can sit at a cushioned comfy seat without being squished like regular compartments during rush hours. Believe me you do not want to be with those people during 5-7pm, its PACKED.

Same where some route in Japan, JR applied

I've seen in movies how MTR trains can be very very packed...but never thought that even suburban services can be that packed...no wonder trains in HK have like 8 or more carriages...

Whats the first class fare like in comparison with normal fares? The first class section is always not that crowded?

''Your attention please, as the train ahead has not aparted,
we shall remain here for a short while, we appologize for any inconvinence''
- This announcement sounds very nice. The chinese one in it sounds very soothing, not sharp as with all the other chinese announcements...

First class fare is double.

The East Rail line carries more than 0.8 million passengers per day. So of course it is packed.

Are the double fares worth it? And so daily commuters use it?

Are the double fares worth it? And so daily commuters use it?

I've only travelled on first class once so I can't really answer this question.

And yes, many daily commuters (as well as cross-border passengers) use this service.

Are the double fares worth it? And so daily commuters use it?
If you dont want to stand and prefer to sit, first class is the way to go.

I've seen in movies how MTR trains can be very very packed...but never thought that even suburban services can be that packed...no wonder trains in HK have like 8 or more carriages...

Whats the first class fare like in comparison with normal fares? The first class section is always not that crowded?

''Your attention please, as the train ahead has not aparted,
we shall remain here for a short while, we appologize for any inconvinence''
- This announcement sounds very nice. The chinese one in it sounds very soothing, not sharp as with all the other chinese announcements...


does singapores mrt have similar announcements?

I've seen in movies how MTR trains can be very very packed...but never thought that even suburban services can be that packed...no wonder trains in HK have like 8 or more carriages...

Whats the first class fare like in comparison with normal fares? The first class section is always not that crowded?

''Your attention please, as the train ahead has not aparted,
we shall remain here for a short while, we appologize for any inconvinence''
- This announcement sounds very nice. The chinese one in it sounds very soothing, not sharp as with all the other chinese announcements...


KCR has 12 carriages.

KCR used to do something like 9 compartments on weekdays, 12 on weekends...now it's always 12.
West Rail uses 7, MTR urban lines use 8, TCL/AEL use 7, I think.

TCL is using 8 cars la!

KCR has 12 carriages.

And are all 12 carriages heavily utilised? It must be crazy having so many people on the same train and disembarking from the train at major interchanges at the same time.

Are all platforms on the KCR & MTR expandable to 12 car lengths? What is the maximum platform size? Can it ever be expanded in the future?

Do they give announcements like telling you if the train arriving next is a 8 car train or a 12 car train?

does singapores mrt have similar announcements?

Hong Kong's MTR & KCR have many automated in train announcements that are not found in Singapore's MRT.

For one, they do not announce which sides of the train are the doors going to open. But its quite understandable as usually at most stations the doors open on the same side.

Secondly, they do not announce that the train will not depart because of railway regulations (I dont even know what that is) or because the next train at the opposite platform at the interchange station is arriving. If it is waiting for the train at the opposite platform to arrive, it just waits, no announcements.

Thirdly, they do not announce what time the next train will arrive at the platform.

Lastly, the announcements are in english only except for safety announcements such as (please stand back from the yellow line).

Like HK however, we have those typical ''Please mind the gap'' and ''No eating'' and the typical basic set of announcements though.

A MPEG (with sound) video clip (http://www.geocities.com/skyscrapercountry/MOV02344.MPG) of one of the announcements is available on the ''Singapore's MRT & LRT'' (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=135510) thread.

[Train Video] KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

This film documents the Trial Day of the new East Tsim Sha Tsui KCR East Rail Station with the interior of the station plus a round trip on two different train sets, Metro-Cammell England and Kinki Sharyo.

To download the clip, please feel free to right click and save file on any virtual images below or at this link:
http://video.natransit.com/Metrorail/KCR%20East%20Tsim%20Sha%20Tsui.rmvb

http://video.natransit.com/Metrorail/info/KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui-01.jpg
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(http://video.natransit.com/Metrorail/KCR%20East%20Tsim%20Sha%20Tsui.rmvb)

Enjoy and cheers~ :cheers:

More Videos are available here:
http://video.natransit.com

Does anyone have any pics of what the two different trainsets look like?

Refurbished Old :
http://www.pbase.com/image/26669636.jpg

New Rolling Stock Delivery
On the afternoon of March 22, 2001. The first batch of new KCRC East Rail rolling stocks built by Itochu-Kinki-Kawasaki Consortium arrived Hung Hom Station Pier. Member Mr Ken Lau captured the moment of arrival.

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/kenlau/111.jpg

More photos : http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/kenlau/er_stock_eng.htm

Ticket machines at the new East Tsim Sha Tsui station.
By matthew from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://www.thmalex.com/hkris/post_upload/new_ticket_m1.jpg

http://www.thmalex.com/hkris/post_upload/new_ticket_m2.jpg

Notice the Ma On Shan line is already displayed in red. That line should open later this year.
http://www.thmalex.com/hkris/post_upload/old_ticket_m.jpg

October 19, 2004 Government Press Release
Transport experts back TST Extension fares

The Transport Advisory Committee has endorsed Tsim Sha Tsui Extension fares, saying the KCRC has taken into consideration passengers' acceptability, market competitiveness and the project cost in setting the price.

Committee Chairman Teresa Cheng said: "We believe the KCRC has achieved a reasonable balance between the interests of the corporation and passengers."

Members welcomed the KCRC's initiative to arrange intermodal discounts with other public transport operators. They said the discount for East Rail passengers interchanging with the MTR at Tsim Sha Tsui Station will be an effective measure to enhance the attractiveness of the extension, which will officially open October 24.

Meanwhile, the committee also welcomed the proposal to introduce the Probationary Driving Licence Scheme to novice private car and light goods vehicle drivers.

"The scheme could serve as extended training for inexperience drivers, allowing them to accumulate sufficient on-road driving experience. At the same time, the 'P' plate will remind other drivers to be more cautious of and patient with novice drivers," Ms Cheng said.

Why are there two different machines featured? Is it that one dispenses Octopus cards and the other magnetic cards?

I noticed that the Route Map on the Ticket Machine allows you to buy tickets to Stations on the East Rail only. What if a passenger wants to buy a ticket to lets say Central. How does he go about doing it?

How does one transfer from the KCR lines to MTR lines at an interchange station? Do you have to exit from the KCR fare gate and re-enter from the MTR fare gates?

Last question. On race days, are there two different train services, one to Racecourse Station and the other to that other station or does the KCR ply only Racecourse Station only...

Thanks.....

The machine shown above is geared towards non-Octopus users, such as tourists, who do not want to pay a deposit fee to use the Octopus card when they're only visiting for a few days. Hence they will opt to pay a little more per fare to use the traditional magnetic cards. Octopus add-value machines work a lot simpler. Insert the money and tap the card.

KCR and MTR fares are not integrated. The merger is still being planned right now so passengers transferring between the two networks will have to exit and enter gates accordingly, paying a fare to each operator. However, there are now transfer discount schemes not just between the railway companies, but also with certain bus routes as well.

Racecourse is an intermediary station. On racing days, some trains will serve that station and continue to Kowloon / Lo Wu, but other trains will still use the regular routing.

The machine shown above is geared towards non-Octopus users, such as tourists, who do not want to pay a deposit fee to use the Octopus card when they're only visiting for a few days. Hence they will opt to pay a little more per fare to use the traditional magnetic cards. Octopus add-value machines work a lot simpler. Insert the money and tap the card.

KCR and MTR fares are not integrated. The merger is still being planned right now so passengers transferring between the two networks will have to exit and enter gates accordingly, paying a fare to each operator. However, there are now transfer discount schemes not just between the railway companies, but also with certain bus routes as well.

Racecourse is an intermediary station. On racing days, some trains will serve that station and continue to Kowloon / Lo Wu, but other trains will still use the regular routing.

How do the transfer rebates work? After the rebates, do you actually pay for the distance you travel or do you pay for 2 train journeys minus a bit of rebate only?

The HK SAR Government was willing to construct a Station that is to be opened only on race days? There must have been a compelling reason behind why they decided to spend so much on constructing a new station there and yet receive much less in return as after all, the station isn't open 7 days a week. Anyways, how many race days are there in a week or a month?

Why ain't the Station open on other days? Is there not enough human traffic generated on non race days from surrounding areas? (residential, commercial). The area surrounding racecourse station is just the racecourse itself and empty fields or are there any other developments?

Thanks for answering my many many queries...

Transfer rebates are automatically deducted when the Octopus card is used. For example, if I use a free shuttle bus that takes me to a KCR station, I will get charged when I tap my Octopus card upon boarding, but once I get off and tap again at the railway station, the bus fare will be deducted.

Racecourse is actually just off the main line and there is a depot there, so building a station wasn't very difficult. The race course is also served by buses, but it's much easier to relieve congestion by having a railway link there as well. Other than that there isn't much around there. The nearest residential areas are served by Fo Tan station on the main line.

Old & New
http://210.0.140.74/hkrpm/hkrpm/wallpapers/ma2.jpg

20 October 2004

Extension of Second Trip Discount for East Rail

http://www.kcrc.com/eng/services/news/images/2nd Trip Discount icon eng 1015.JPG

Octopus card users can enjoy a 20% fare discount* on every second trip made within the same day. This offer also applies to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, making journeys to and from Tsim Sha Tsui cheaper and faster than ever before.

During the same period, Light Rail will also extend the enhanced bonus scheme of Personalised Octopus card.

For details, please call KCR Hotline at 2929 3399 or refer to promotional leaflet.

* This offer does not apply on journeys to and from Racecourse or Lo Wu stations.

That's Fo Tan depot in the picture, right?

The refurbishment of the older KCR trains is amazing. I mean I actually at first glance thought that the train to the left of the picture was a new West Rail train and that the one to the right was a new East Rail train and thus I had assumed that ER & WR each used a different type of the new trains, just like how TCL trains ply the TC route only. The reality was however, that those are just different generations of KCR trains...like those you have on the MTR...so both types run together on the same line.

What led to this confusion was just the fact that the refurbishment had been done so well! But why did they refurbish the older KCR trains anyways, aren't the trains quite new as compared to the older MTR ones?

The older KCR trains are only 3 years younger than the oldest MTR trains (the East Rail line was electrified in 1982). But I guess trains that were bought for the Island Line (opened 1985) were a bit newer than the older KCR trains.

Trains to/from mainland China share the same set of tracks as the KCR commuter trains.

Photos by Ben2004 from a Hong Kong transport forum :
http://www.wewephoto.com/albums/ben2004/2004_10240052.jpg

http://www.wewephoto.com/albums/ben2004/2004_10240051.jpg

http://www.wewephoto.com/albums/ben2004/2004_10240050.jpg

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Fare cut ruled out as new line opens - 30,000 passengers use TST East in first six hours of operation
Scarlett Chiang
25 October 2004
South China Morning Post

A fare cut on the new Tsim Sha Tsui East extension was not possible at the moment, KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said yesterday on its first day of operation.

Speaking after the opening ceremony, Mr Tien said there was no room for a reduction as the fare was decided by the competitiveness of the new line and the choice of other public transport, not the volume of passengers.

"People may say that if there are 300,000 or 400,000 passengers, it means you can lower the fare," he said. "But I may say if there are 300,000 or 400,000 passengers, it means the price is reasonable. If it is reasonable, why lower the price?"

He was responding to a protest by representatives of the Democratic Party who staged a rally at the station to complain about the fares.

The fare from Sheung Shui to Tsim Sha Tsui East is $12 and from Hunghom to TST East $3.90.

In response to complaints of poor signage after last Sunday's trial, Mr Tien said the company had put 300 more signs in the station.

And the new station was divided into different colour zones to guide passengers more clearly.

Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said it was appropriate that Korean and Japanese words had been included in signs for tourists' information, on top of English and Chinese.

The new Tsim Sha Tsui East station officially opened at 3pm but 30 people queuing outside the station rushed in to take the first train at 2.45pm.

One, a Mrs Cheung who waited for an hour to enter the station, said: "I heard from the TV and radio news that the new station would be opened today so I came."

One of the passengers on the first train to depart Tsim Sha Tsui East was Kim Leung, 14, a student at Queen's College.

He said he was a railway fan so had to "get the first glimpse of the train departing the new station. I am very excited to take this train".

He got Mr Tien to autograph a KCRC souvenir.

More than 30,000 passengers had used the line by 9pm. A shopkeeper selling accessories in the new station said many people had visited her shop after the public were allowed into the station.

"They are mainly local people," she said. But business had not been particularly good because most of the people were just window shopping.

The opening of the rail link has already hurt business on the number 6 minibus route from Jordan MTR station.

"Usually there is a long queue of people waiting for minibuses on Sundays," driver Suen Yiu-tong said. "Now there is a long queue of minibuses."

He said there was an obvious decrease in the number of passengers already but "the effect will be fully shown tomorrow, the first weekday".

From the newspapers :

http://www.singpao.com/20041025/photos/m626572SP.jpg

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/news/20041025/img/n02102510_big.jpg

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/news/20041025/img/a21025b_big.jpg

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/news/20041025/img/a21025c_big.jpg

http://orientaldaily.com.hk/photo/20041025/new/1025nhko06b1.jpg

[Video] KCR 80 Years On

This is a documentary clip of the history between 1910 and 1990 of Kowloon Canton Railway. The clip features with a narrator explaining the history of KCR, the development of Hong Kong and the future for both.

To download the clip, please feel free to right click and save file on any virtual images below or at this link:
http://video.natransit.com/Metrorail/KCR%2080%20Years%20On.rmvb
http://video.natransit.com/Metrorail/info/KCR%2080%20Years%20On-01.jpg
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:okay:

Onboard route map of Ma On Shan line trains:

http://forum.timway.com/files/2741687-DSC00035.jpg

MTR can design a much better map than this.

Wow where you did get that exclusive picture from?

How better and why better?

Do passengers have to transfer trains at Tai wai if they want to go to ETST from Lo Wu for instance? Or will they be two different services, one heading to ETST from Wu Kai Sha and the other to Lo Wu from Wu Kai Sha?

MTR's on-board maps are also MUCH more expensive-looking. They have LEDs showing the train's position, direction of movement, and possible interchange movements for the passengers at a given station.
KCR, on the other hand, has its on-board TV screens to do the job. Just different methods.

When even a single new station is added to the MTR network it must be a headache for MTR to individually update each of these flashing maps in hundreds of train cars since it involves electrical stuff like wires etc.

Yes, I was thinking about that, and I thought there must be some easy way in the maps' design to be able to always update and reposition routes. Since there's a map above each door, and 10 doors per compartment and 8 compartments per train....and who knows how many trains.

Ya like they have to add a new flashing ''light bulb'' for every new station added to the map, connect the existing wires to the new wires connecting to this new bulb, and then programme everything to ensure that these new bulbs flash at the right moment...

Thats messy. Imagine if they really updated the maps using this tedious and complicated procedure, that would be nuts.

But on the plus side the maps are very cool, very fun to watch too. Though sometimes it makes you feel like an idiot cause they use flashing bulbs (moving objects) to show which station the train is at, which direction it is heading and so on when all adults need is just for a LED screen to tell them, next station name and direction of travel.

But anyways it adds a touch of uniqueness to the HK MTR that differentiates it from other subways elsewhere.

Ya like they have to add a new flashing ''light bulb'' for every new station added to the map, connect the existing wires to the new wires connecting to this new bulb, and then programme everything to ensure that these new bulbs flash at the right moment...

Thats messy. Imagine if they really updated the maps using this tedious and complicated procedure, that would be nuts.

But on the plus side the maps are very cool, very fun to watch too. Though sometimes it makes you feel like an idiot cause they use flashing bulbs (moving objects) to show which station the train is at, which direction it is heading and so on when all adults need is just for a LED screen to tell them, next station name and direction of travel.

But anyways it adds a touch of uniqueness to the HK MTR that differentiates it from other subways elsewhere.

No no. There are bulbs everywhere behind the map so they only have to cut a new hole on the map when a new station is built.

The news on the LED screens are updated when a train passes through a certain station (Cheung Sha Wan is one) so I guess updating the electronic map system is just as easy.

yup they planned for it like. like wut ailiton. they have many preplaced lights they switch the boards like a few months before it is opened and they just put a piece of plastic over the part that isn't opened so the night it is opened they just take off that one piece not very hard. simple infact

Wow where you did get that exclusive picture from?

How better and why better?

Do passengers have to transfer trains at Tai wai if they want to go to ETST from Lo Wu for instance? Or will they be two different services, one heading to ETST from Wu Kai Sha and the other to Lo Wu from Wu Kai Sha?

I got the picture from a HK railway discussion board.

Tai Wai is the terminus of the Ma On Shan line so passengers from the Ma On Shan area will have to change train at Tai Wai if they are heading to stations on the East Rail line.

I don't really like this KCR map mainly because of the stupid 90 degrees turn on the Ma On Shan line. Why not make it more "curvy" like those on the MTR map?

First train departing from ETST:

http://www.ushb.net/news/ets1stdepart.wmv

anyone have pics of the exterior of TST East Station

I think gakei has some.

Below is a map of the station and the surrounding area from a Hong Kong transport forum. The blue box is the KCR station and the dark pink is the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui station. The walkways are in green and bright red.

http://home.i-cable.com/declan_1/TST_ETS_s.png

By namsanwai from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://desktopstreet2.net/wallpaper/wallpaper3/5B7v5nqSuN9urNFgIhy6uw9SsoxtE14zr11mdgbx.jpg

http://desktopstreet2.net/wallpaper/wallpaper3/qaIT8AkaCmx1kcP3L4RPjkqPBoMjbJfrKOgIkrIM.jpg

all my time in hong kong i've never seen a train end at Hung Hom, Lo Wu, Sheung Shui. and TSTE soon

http://forum.timway.com/files/2741687-DSC00035.jpg


you can interchange for mtr at TST East station????
Wow, that would be nice! I didn't know that, hope its walking distance are not as far as the Central-HK mtr.

you can interchange for mtr at TST East station????
Wow, that would be nice! I didn't know that, hope its walking distance are not as far as the Central-HK mtr.

It's about the same distance IMO...

Rail delays signal a mystery
Colum Murphy, Hong Kong Standard
November 1, 2004

Hong Kong's rail companies have been plagued by an unprecedented number of service failures. Since July there have been more than 80 incidents, divided almost evenly between the two companies.

The main cause of the incidents is signalling-related problems.

Both MTRC and KCRC have gone to great lengths to defend their maintenance and safety practices, saying their billion-dollar maintenance budgets and staffing levels are more than adequate to ensure proper upkeep. They also dismiss the suggestion that preparations for the proposed merger could have distracted management teams from core activities.

If this is so, what then explains the sharp increase in incidents, in particular those caused by signalling hardware failures?

Rail experts stress that none of the recent incidents constituted a threat to public safety. But even they can't pinpoint a reason, leaving them to suggest that it might just be a string of bad luck.

However, with two distinct rail entities being affected simultaneously, it seems unlikely that the reason is chance alone.

Yet some answers will need to be found, not only to allay passenger fears, but also to bolster the credibility of both companies at a time when Sarah Liao, Secretary for the Department of Environment, Transport and Works, and her team are reviewing their merger proposal.

Signalling aims to prevent collisions and derailments while allowing trains to travel at appropriate speeds. Signalling information, which can be visual, audible or both, should also be failsafe, meaning that if components fail there should be a backup to ensure full function.

Since July, the MTR has experienced 45 incidents, or almost three a week, with the majority of them resulting in delays to passengers of eight minutes or more. Signalling-related problems, including hardware failure, accounted for one third. Meanwhile, rolling-stock related factors such as doors or wheels not functioning properly accounted for 30 per cent of cases, power supply 13 per cent, computing and control problems 7 per cent. The remaining incidents were disruptions arising from passenger negligence.

A similar trend has emerged for KCRC, which experienced more than 40 incidents in the same period, with signalling-related problems accounting for more than 60 per cent.

Mark Ho, associate professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University's department of electrical engineering, said it was not surprising that signalling emerged as the main suspect.

"One has to understand that it's one of the most delicate systems in railways. If anything goes wrong, it only fails on the safe side," he explained.

Ho said it was this kind of critical redundancy, or "over-cautiousness", that accounted for the extremely low accident rate and number of casualties on Hong Kong's railways.

Because of their tendency to directly impact on the provision of service, signalling failures tend to be the most conspicuous type of incident - though by no means the only type. "I am sure they've similar fault rates in other areas, but nobody knows because they don't [rise to] the surface."

Despite this, Ho remained confident that Hong Kong's trains were among the safest in the world and saw little cause for public concern. "There are a lot of features in there to double safeguard, even triple safeguard, safety. Every component has its life cycle."

According to Catherine Sing, spokeswoman for MTRC, two companies, Siemens and Alstom, provided all of the signalling equipment installed both alongside the track and on board trains. Sing stressed that after taking delivery, the MTRC was fully responsible for maintenance of the system.

Karen Kwong, spokeswoman for Siemens Hong Kong said: "The current train incidents are not related to Siemens signalling or any other Siemens systems."

Siemens arrived at this conclusion following internal discussions, she said.

Alstom was not immediately available for comment.

Jeff Leung, spokesman for KCRC, said Alcatel Canada was the supplier of signalling equipment on the KCRC Westrail, which has been plagued by technical glitches since its opening last December.

MTRC and KCRC insist that the recent spate of incidents is not caused by reduction in spending on maintenance, nor to increased outsourcing.

Yet Chan Sing-wo, chairman of MTR railway staff union, is not fully convinced.

"[The contractors] have less manpower. Because there's less manpower, it could be that the [maintenance] check is not sufficient," Chan said.

To get to the root of the problem MTRC has appointed Lloyd's Register Rail, to conduct an "independent and comprehensive review of its service performance, the condition of its service critical assets and its asset management practices". Michael Hamlyn, president of Lloyd's Register Rail Asia, said he could not comment on the details of the study until his firm completed its analysis and review, which is expected next January.

In Cantonese, Mandarin, and English :

The Train is Approaching. Please stand back from the platform screen doors.
http://www.ilovemove.com/fai/kcrer/sound/TheTrainIsApproaching.wma

Lo Wu is the final stop. The train will be departing shortly. Please mind the platform gap.
http://www.ilovemove.com/fai/kcrer/sound/ThisTrainIsForLoWu.wma

The next train to Lo Wu will depart from platform 2.
http://www.ilovemove.com/fai/kcrer/sound/WillBeDepartAtPlatform2.wma

Please stand back from the platform screen doors.
http://www.ilovemove.com/fai/kcrer/sound/PleaseStandBackFromThePSD.wma
http://www.ilovemove.com/fai/kcrer/sound/TheTrainIsAboutToLeave.wma

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/hkrs.gif

New KCRC East Rail stock from Japan
On the afternoon of March 22, 2001. The first batch of new KCRC East Rail rolling stocks built by Itochu-Kinki-Kawasaki Consortium arrived Hung Hom Station Pier. Member Mr Ken Lau captured the moment of arrival.

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Service Vehicles by HY4099 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://netalbum.netvigator.com/photos800/2004/11/02/c3133322632506061099371004475.JPG?1099371034397

http://netalbum.netvigator.com/photos800/2004/11/02/c3133322632507661099371005395.JPG?1099371053687

http://www.cs.hku.hk/~chfung/KCRC-whole-network-map.png

Woah North South Line & East West Line, sounds so much like Singapore. haha... Its about time they intend to change the names of the lines. East Rail & West Rail sounds so unsubway like and makes it seem like they are independent networks...

They mis-spelled Interchange for the APM.

What are APMs? Similar to the LRTs in Singapore? Or like KCR Light Rail?

Not sure if they are really going to call them North-South Line and East-West Line. In English, North-South sounds better but in Chinese, South-North sounds better.

I think the APMs will be similar to those in HKIA.

Not sure if they are really going to call them North-South Line and East-West Line. In English, North-South sounds better but in Chinese, South-North sounds better.

I think the APMs will be similar to those in HKIA.

That means they will be quite similar to the one on the Bukit Panjang LRT Line in Singapore.

Will they be elevated? Any pics on how HKIA's APM looks like?

Until now I still don't know what is North South East West In Chinese.

I know 东南西北 but I dont know which is which...haha...

[...]
I know 东南西北 but I dont know which is which...haha...

東 East
南 South
西 West
北 North

Interesting Sight @ Tai Po Market Station
Photos from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://netalbum.netvigator.com/photos800/2004/11/02/c3133322632501941099369099887.JPG?1099369238746

http://netalbum.netvigator.com/photos800/2004/11/02/c3133322632501461099369100615.JPG?1099369272373

Where is this Hong Kong transport forum?

Was the train delayed or something?

There are two sets of platforms at Tai Po Market station. Only one set is used regularly. The photos seem to show the second disused set.

There are several HK transport forums out there, so I usually refer to them with one blanket term. If you want to know the web addresses you can PM me and we'll discuss.

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/hkrs_s.gif

Sept 13, 2003.
The new KCRC East Rail ER20 diesels loco built by siemens arrived Hung Hom freight yard dock.

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/ArthurLau/kcr_newdiesels/Img_0010.jpg

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http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/ArthurLau/kcr_newdiesels/Img_0046.jpg

Hong Kong's FUTURE is built on rail
James Blake. Railway Gazette International. London:
Oct 2004.

Following a decision in 1998 to make rail the backbone of the region's transport network, work is underway to expand Hong Kong's two railways. James Blake* says further expansion is inevitable, but previously-announced projects are subject to review pending the outcome of talks about merging the two organisations

TAKEN TOGETHER, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp and Mass Transit Railway Corp already handle around 30% of the 12 million journeys made every day in Hong Kong. This proportion is set to rise further over the next 15 years as the rail network expands.

Following the publication in 1998 of the Hong Kong government's second Railway Development Study, planning has proceeded on the basis that railways will form the backbone of the transport system. In the next 20 years Hong Kong's resident population is forecast to rise from 6-6 million to 8 million, and there is no doubt that it will continue to grow, albeit more slowly. The government envisages that most of the population will live within convenient distance of a station, with the railways providing good interchanges to other forms of transport.

The number of daily passengers on the two rail networks is forecast to rise from around 3.6 million to 5.5 million over the next 1 5 years, equal to about 40% of the daily trip demand. In comparison, franchised buses are currently used for 39% of trips, and the rest are taxi, private car or light bus.

A special feature is the growing demand for cross-boundary travel from Hong Kong residents and the 56 million people in the adjoining Pearl River Delta. The Delta's economic growth is being fuelled by Hong Kong entrepreneurs, and much of Hong Kong's current growth is being driven by the increasing number of tourists from the Mainland.

KCRC accounts for 75% of all cross-boundary trips, but this share is falling and is forecast to settle around 60% as new road crossings open and coach services become more competitive. Forecasts show demand increasing by 8-5% year-on-year over the next few years before slowing to 5%, compared with growth of 15% around 10 years ago.

New routes

In 1998 MTR Corp launched an express rail service from the core business districts of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island to Chek Lap Kok Airport. Competition from transport operators using the new express road link to the airport has limited the growth in rail traffic, but in addition to the fast trains, the railway provides local services to the growing population centres along the route.

MTR Corp opened another 6 km railway on August 18 2002, linking the core urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with the eastern end of the harbour and Tseung Kwan O new town (RG 2.02 p93). Fast journey times and competitive fares have enabled this line to attract passengers away from established road services.

On December 20 2003 KCRC opened West Rail, linking the northwest New Territories with Kowloon (RG 5.01 p309). The line was conceived in the 1990s to increase the capacity of rail services with the Mainland and serve the new towns which were being built to accommodate Hong Kong's growing population. A major priority was interchange with buses and other transport modes - of the 30-5 km route's nine stations, four offer interchange with light rail services and two have direct covered transfers to MTR.

West Rail was the largest and most complex project in Hong Kong since the construction of the new airport. The scheme was completed on schedule and well below the budget agreed with government thanks to the use of modern but proven technology and strong client-led project management.

West Rail has proved a great technical success, operating for 18 h each day and running 99-5% of timetabled trips. On average 150 000 passengers a day use West Rail. The trend is increasing, but the total is still less than the number expected for financial viability. This is partly a matter of public acceptance, compounded by economic conditions, express bus competition and slower than anticipated population growth in the areas served.

However West Rail has shown that a 130 km/h commuter railway can be built and operated in compliance with the strictest noise and environmental standards, including a 30 min cumulative train noise limit of 60 dB(A) on sections of the railway at certain times to protect dwellings located as near as 15 m from passing trains. If the operation of the railway does not comply with these statutory limits, operations could be halted until mitigation is in place.

Tsim Sha Tsui

A year after commencing the detailed planning and design for West Rail, in 1998 the government invited KCRC to draw up detailed plans for the three East Rail Extensions. These are an extension of East Rail to Tsim Sha Tsui in the heart of Kowloon's tourist and business sector, a line from Tai Wai to serve the growing population centres beyond Sha Tin new town, and a branch to serve a second border crossing at Lok Ma Chau. As sole shareholder of KCRC, the government will have invested almost US$10bn in West Rail and the East Rail extensions.

From the former terminus at Hung Horn a twin-track tunnel was extended 1 km along the harbour towards Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, which is reached by pedestrian tunnels with moving walkways to encourage interchange.

Building a major underground station and pedestrian system in the heart of congested Tsim Sha Tsui involved extensive heavy-duty road decking and complicated excavations in confined conditions; the new tunnel passes within 150 mm of the Cross Harbour Road Tunnel. The difficulties were compounded by the proximity of the harbour seawall and sea water intakes for cooling some of Kowloon's most prestigious hotels.

It was also necessary to protect a tree of good fortune, or Champion Tree, standing within the station footprint. This was kept alive in a 30 m diameter concrete pot through careful soil monitoring and automatic watering while work went on around it.

Construction started in 2001, and preoperation services are now running over the route every day. Commercial services are planned to start before the end of this year. Tsim Sha Tsui station can accommodate 12-car trains; it features platform screen doors and airconditioning of all public areas. The station and walkways are finished with resin-bonded terrazzo floor tiles and vitreous enamel wall panelling, with semi-open ceilings providing access to fire, smoke extraction, ventilation, lighting, CCTV, public address and mobile telephone services.

Ma On Shan

Expected to open in early 2005, the 11.4 km double-track branch of East Rail from Tai Wai to Ma On Shan follows an alignment which was reserved during the construction of a trunk road into new residential areas. Heavy rail technology and 25 kV AC electrification were chosen in the light of forecast passenger demand and for compatibility with other KCRC lines. Almost 70% of the route is on viaduct, avoiding busy roads and buried utilities.

Although the population of the line's catchment area is forecast to increase from about 400 000 to more than 700 000 in the next two decades, its financial viability is threatened by strong competition from buses and other carriers already established on the new roads. To attract ridership, the stations are located to serve the residential town clusters; 80% of the passengers are expected to walk to the stations. Four-car trains will generally operate at 3 or 4 min intervals, boarded from open air platforms in passenger-friendly stations.

Considerable effort has been put into reducing the impact of train noise on high-rise flats along the railway, especially during the early morning and late evening. Experience from West Rail led to the adoption of cars fitted with full-length skirts and under-body sound absorbing material, in combination with a multi-plenum and floating track slab to stop noise or vibration at source (RG 9.03 p581). The concrete parapets are topped with lightweight sound-absorbent panels, and the effectiveness of the multi-plenum components has been enhanced by introducing further sound-absorbent material as close as possible to the wheel-rail interface.

The Ma On Shan branch is currently being commissioned, with trial running underway to ensure at least 95% reliability and compliance with the Noise Ordinance before opening for commercial traffic.

Lok Ma Chau

Following rejection of an initial environmental permit application for the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, KCRC used a single earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine for most of the 5 km of tunnels on the 7-5 km route branching from East Rail at Sheung Shui to reach Lok Ma Chau. The TBM successfully controlled water levels within tightly-prescribed limits during tunnelling, protecting areas of ecological significance.

A design-build lump-sum contract was awarded in January 2003 for the section in tunnel. This was based on an evaluation which combined the marks against technical and financial submissions from carefully vetted bidders. Each of the parallel 8 425 mm diameter bored tunnels is lined with rings of seven 1 -8 m long precast concrete units weighing 7-5 tonnes, fitted with gasket and hydrophilic strips for water tightness.

One of the two drives is now complete, having achieved 25 rings per day in soft ground and seven in hard rock, giving an average of 11 rings per day over the full length of the tunnel.

The cut-and-cover approach tunnel is located immediately beside the main East Rail tracks, and a computerised round-the-clock Cyclops track-level surveillance system is in place throughout the construction period. Pre-agreed alert, alarm and stop work warnings enable KCRC and the contractor to maintain close control over safety-critical construction activity at all times.

The remaining 2-5 km of the Lok Ma Chau line runs on viaduct through highly-sensitive areas of ecological importance; it is close to the Mai Po Marshland, internationally important for migratory and resident birds.

The cross-boundary terminal building at Lok Ma Chau will house customs, immigration, health and police facilities able to process up to 450 000 passengers each day. Construction is making extensive use of precasting, to help keep the work to programme and to minimise the impact of construction on the sensitive surrounding wetland.

Despite the later than planned start, due to the delay in securing the environmental permit for construction, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is achieving good progress. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2006, well ahead of the revised programme agreed with the government.

In February 2004 the government invited KCRC and MTR Corp to commence six months of talks on a possible merger. These were due to be completed on August 31. However, during August the government asked for the resulting report to be expanded to include a section dealing with a proposed regional express railway, and extended the deadline to September 16.

In announcing the talks, the government said it was seeking a more objective and transparent fares structure with lower prices, improved interchanges on new railways, and ultimately efficiencies throughout the whole network. Job security of front-line staff must also be ensured.

Many commentators hold the view that whilst KCRC and MTR Corp serve different transport sectors and use different technologies (25 kV AC and 750 V DC respectively), expansion of the rail networks will ultimately lead to the need for merging operations to root out inefficiencies. Impressive though railway expansion has been since the 1960s, and despite increasing competition from road transport providers, it has been said that Hong Kong does not have enough railway for its population density.

Against this is the fact that the government's previous investment in rail by way of equity funding during the start-up of MTR, and more recently for KCRC projects, could become more difficult - given the increasing demands from other areas of Hong Kong's needs. To fund its new railways, MTR Corp became a major player in the property development market, as has KCRC on a more limited scale. Should a merger take place, producing a company with a book value of US$15bn according to some observers, then funding of new railways with minimum government assistance seems a logical step.

Against this background the two corporations and the government would obviously review previously announced projects. The planned railway from Sha Tin through southeast Kowloon and under the harbour to the business district of Hong Kong is a case in point. Previously won by KCRC as a strategic link to carry passengers directly from the Mainland boundary through Kowloon to Hong Kong, a merger would enable the single company to build more stations along the alignment. The line would then attract more passengers to rail thanks to short overall journey times, flexible interchanges and competitive fares.

Similarly, extension of the MTR Kwun Tong Line to the densely-populated Whampoa area could be a popular choice. Enhancing east-west travel opportunities with the Kowloon Southern Link extension, which would link West Rail to connect with the Tsim Sha Tsui extension from Hung Horn, is already a committed project.

MTR Corp has proposed a medium-capacity rail system for Hong Kong Island South, connecting directly with existing mass transit stations. It is also committed to involvement in the Shenzhen Railway network development, which connects with KCRC boundary stations at Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu.

As Hong Kong and the neighbouring area of the Mainland continue to open up, further expansion of Hong Kong's rail network seems inevitable. The Northern Link connecting West Rail with the boundary crossings at Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu has been planned by KCRC for some time.

Eventually, however, another through railway will be needed to link Hong Kong with the Pearl River Delta and the rest of Guangzhou Province. Prospective alignments have already been identified, one of which makes use of West Rail and the Northern Link. It is this project which the government wishes to be covered in the merger talks report.

It is clear that the expansion of Hong Kong's rail network will continue for some time to come, perhaps for at least 20 years, depending on funding and the staging of projects to meet passenger demand. Much could depend upon the outcome of the merger talks between the two corporations, and the response from the government and the minority shareholders in MTR Corp.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Guangzhou - Shenzhen - Hong Kong Rail Link

In March 2002, a joint expert group formed by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the relevant Mainland authority embarked on a feasibility study on the development of an express rail link connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It was reported that the expert group had explored the desirability of adopting a magnetically levitated (Maglev) system for the rail link, but ceased pursuing this option last year in view of the high costs involved. Recently, however, the expert group revisited the option of adopting the Maglev system. With regard to these issues, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the latest progress of the study conducted by the expert group on the development of the express rail link; and

(b) how the implementation timetable of the express rail link will be affected by the expert group's revisiting of the option of adopting the Maglev system, and how the Maglev system compares with the wheel-rail system in terms of cost-effectiveness?

Reply

The Joint Expert Group on Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (the Joint Expert Group) set up by the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau (ETWB) of the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Ministry of Railways (MoR) of the Mainland Government is conducting an investigative study on the feasibility of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (ERL).

In the first stage of the study, issues such as the functions and strategic importance of the ERL, the regional transport demand, passenger forecast, and the possible alignments and crossing points of the rail link were studied. Upon the completion of the first stage of the study, the two sides have confirmed the strategic importance of the ERL and embarked on the second stage of the study, in which issues including the railway alignments, station locations, the interface between the Hong Kong and the Mainland sections of the ERL, the major technical standards, passenger forecast and financial viability will be further examined.

Taking into account the latest development of the town planning and traffic network planning on the two sides, the MoR and the ETWB are considering some new ideas for the Mainland and Hong Kong sections of the ERL respectively. On the Mainland side, the MoR is studying the feasibility of using the Mainland section of the ERL to also cater for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen axis of the Pearl River Delta Rapid Transit System.

On the Hong Kong side, we are studying the feasibility of using the West Rail and the Northern Link to form the Hong Kong section of the ERL. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have provided in their Joint Merger Report a preliminary analysis on the above-mentioned ideas. We have also asked the KCRC to do further planning in the context of its study on the Northern Link.

Included in both the first and second stages of the joint investigative study is an assessment of and a comparison between the wheel-on-track technology and the Maglev technology. If the Maglev technology is adopted, a new and separate rail corridor will have to be built for use by Maglev trains, and it is anticipated that the construction time will be longer than that under the wheel-on-track option.

When analysing the cost effectiveness of the two railway technologies, we have to take into account a number of factors, such as the construction and operation costs, train operating speed, system reliability and compatibility. The extremely low noise level achieved by the Maglev technology, as demonstrated by the operation of Maglev trains in Shanghai, may command an advantage in areas with high population density and should also be taken into account.

The construction cost of railways includes the cost of building the railway tracks and the rolling stocks. Generally speaking, the Maglev technology will attract a higher construction cost than the wheel-on-track technology, but the actual cost will depend on the topography along the railway alignment and whether the railway system is constructed in the urban areas. Moreover, the operation and maintenance costs of a Maglev railway are higher than those of a wheel-on-track railway.

As for the speed of the railway, the design speed of Maglev trains is higher than that of wheel-on-track trains. Nevertheless, a reasonable distance between stations will be required in order to optimize the efficiency of the Maglev system in reducing the journey time.

Regarding the reliability of the railway system, both the wheel-on-track and the Maglev technologies can meet the required safety standards. The use of the wheel-on-track technology has a history of over a hundred years. Therefore, we have more experience over the reliability of rail services and systems offered by the wheel-on-track technology. On the other hand, the commercial operation of the Maglev system is not as widely tested. As regards system compatibility, given that the majority of existing railways in the Mainland and in Hong Kong are wheel-on-track railway systems, direct connection of the ERL with existing wheel-on-track railway networks will not be possible if the Maglev technology is adopted.

KCRC Diesel in late 1970s
Source : http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/sam/kcrdiesel_eng.htm

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/hkrs_s.gif

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/sam/loco51n62atdock.jpg

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/sam/loco51pax.jpg

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/sam/loco54livestock.jpg

http://www.hkrs.org.hk/members/sam/loco59freight.jpg

Ma On Shan Railway Pricing
- Ma On Shan to Kowloon Tong price will be less than $11
- $0.16 per 1 minute savings vs. other transit competitors
- no special savings upon opening
- Tai Wai interchange might be clogged
- 4 years of construction
- 4 rail cars per train, can be extended to 8

http://news.tvb.com/630pm/2004/1111/index.html

From the Hong Kong media :

Ming Pao
馬鐵馬鞍山出尖東低14元
11月 12日 星期五

九鐵董事局已經通過12月下旬通車的馬鞍山鐵路收費表，由馬鞍山出尖東站將低於14元。

九鐵制訂馬鐵收費時，繼續沿用釐定西鐵及尖東支線票價所選用的時間值概念。這個方法先透過調查，找出區內居民對每次車程可以節省下來的時間究竟等同值多少錢，然後與同區巴士收費及行車時間作比較。早前九鐵調查便發現，新界東居民對乘車可節省的每分鐘的時間票值為0.16元。

政府今年8月呈交立法會的文件透露，乘馬鐵轉乘東鐵及地鐵到市區如尖沙嘴需時28分鐘，較乘巴士的68分鐘快40分鐘。以0.16元時間票值推算，市民願多付6.4元乘九鐵出尖沙嘴﹔以大圍至尖沙嘴的巴士票價為7.6元（八達通票價），馬鞍山至尖沙嘴的票價，連同時間值計算可收14元。

同一方法亦可計算出馬鞍山出九龍塘的時間票值。以九巴87D路線為例，目前由馬鞍山至九龍塘，車程約35分鐘，車費7.8元。日後用馬鐵，估計要用20分鐘到九龍塘，即可較巴士節省15分鐘，以每分鐘0.16元計算，時值票價2.4元。換言之，連同時間值考慮，日後乘馬鐵由馬鞍山出九龍塘的票價，可以收10.2元。

聽罷記者的推算後，田北辰昨晚對本報記者指出，由馬鞍山出九龍塘及尖東的最終票價，將會分別低於11元及14元。當記者追問具體收費時，他說收費表會令「市民略有驚喜」。他的語調暗示馬鐵的最終收費會明顯低於上述時間值。

接，田強調九鐵制訂馬鐵的收費時，有兩大依據﹕第一、收費不能高於同區巴士路線的時值票價，以保持競爭力﹔第二、收費所得必須足以支付營運這條鐵路的開支，折舊及回報可以暫時不理，但他強調若連經營開支也無法支付，公司「資金流」（cash flow）便會出現負數，最終會倒閉。

另外田北辰說，與西鐵不同，馬鐵沿線的半公里範圍內有幾十萬居民，只要票值有競爭力，不擔心客量不足，故暫時無意在馬鐵通車後提供優惠。對於有人擔心馬鐵乘客日後在大圍站轉車，可能會令大圍站變得擠迫，田北辰說必要時會直接調派特別列車，以大圍作總站開出。

Sing Tao
馬鐵票價平過巴士
11月 12日 星期五
(綜合報道)

(星島日報報道)馬鞍山鐵路下月通車，九鐵主席田北辰表示，由馬鞍山至九龍塘票價少於十一元，但通車初期，暫無意提供任何優惠。

馬鐵將沿用釐訂尖沙嘴支票價的計算方法，即以每節省一分鐘，慳回一角六仙計算，田北辰表示，按有關計算方法，乘客從馬鞍山至九龍塘，車程約廿分鐘，車費僅十元多。

目前乘搭九巴87D，由馬鞍山至紅磡，全程七元八角，田認為，馬鐵較巴士快捷方便，票價略貴於巴士一成多，不會影響乘客選搭意欲。

他指出，對比西鐵，馬鐵沿有數十萬居民，甚具競爭力，不擔心客量不足。

由於大圍站屬馬鐵跟東鐵的交接點，馬鐵啟用後或會嚴重擠逼，田北辰表示，必要時調配後備列車以大圍為總站開出。

馬鐵歷時四年興建，由烏溪沙至大圍共九個車站，總長十一點四公里，全程十五分鐘，四卡車行駛，預計通車初期每日十萬人次。立法會交通事務委員會將於本月廿六日公布馬鐵票價。

Ming Pao - Fare based on Time Savings
時間值成公關王牌

【 明 報 專 訊 】 上 月 中 ， 九 鐵 向 立 法 會 議 員 簡 介 尖 東 支 線 的 票 價 時 ， 遭 議 員 猛 烈 批 評 ， 包 括 直 指 九 鐵 牟 取 暴 利 等 ， 最 終 九 鐵 雖 然 堅 持 按 原 來 方 案 收 費 ， 但 議 員 所 反 映 的 「 基 層 聲 音 」 ， 九 鐵 高 層 當 然 不 會 輕 易 忘 記 。

本 月 底 ， 九 鐵 高 層 又 要 重 訪 舊 地 。 這 回 是 要 向 議 員 簡 介 下 月 通 車 的 馬 鐵 。 九 鐵 主 席 田 北 辰 昨 日 便 透 露 ， 由 馬 鞍 山 出 九 龍 塘 的 收 費 會 低 於 11 元 ， 他 形 容 收 費 已 甚 具 競 爭 力 ， 但 昨 晚 政 黨 回 應 還 是 要 求 更 低 的 票 價 。

月 底 將 應 付 議 員 更 低 票 價 要 求

民 建 聯 交 通 事 務 發 言 人 劉 江 華 對 記 者 指 出 ， 現 時 馬 鞍 山 居 民 使 用 巴 士 轉 東 鐵 到 九 龍 塘 的 交 通 費 於 10 元 以 下 ， 若 馬 鐵 的 票 價 不 低 於 10 元 ， 根 本 缺 乏 競 爭 力 ， 亦 未 能 達 到 減 輕 居 民 負 擔 的 原 意 。

與 劉 千 石 議 員 要 好 的 民 間 監 管 公 共 事 業 聯 委 會 發 言 人 蔡 耀 昌 亦 認 為 ， 九 鐵 要 考 慮 調 低 收 費 。

議 員 的 反 應 相 信 也 盡 在 九 鐵 高 層 意 料 之 中 。 據 了 解 ， 為 了 應 付 議 員 可 預 見 的 減 價 要 求 ， 九 鐵 高 層 已 準 備 了 以 「 時 間 票 值 」 來 作 「 擋 箭 牌 」 ， 試 圖 藉 此 說 服 議 員 接 受 馬 鐵 的 收 費 是 可 以 高 於 巴 士 ， 道 理 是 鐵 路 較 巴 士 快 。 這 些 理 由 能 否 奏 效 尚 未 知 ， 不 過 九 鐵 高 層 看 來 信 心 十 足 ， 特 別 是 他 們 認 定 了 上 次 尖 東 支 線 收 費 一 役 ， 便 是 憑  這 個 概 念 贏 取 了 一 些 支 持 。

明 報 記 者

霍文表示馬鐵通車後需重組區內交通
11月 12日 星期五 12:48 更新

【orisun.com專訊】運輸署署長霍文指出，馬鞍山鐵路下月通車後，區內部分交通路線需要重組，署方正與區議會和交通諮詢委員會研究，但暫時未知確實要重組多少巴士和小巴路線，他表示，馬鐵通車後，當局會加強接駁巴士到鐵路站。另一方面，對於公共小巴安全的問題，霍文表示，署方正與小巴工會合作，工會向他們提供了不少正面的意見，亦明白小巴商會希望盡快在小巴安裝車速顯示器。

Residents along the Ma On Shan corridor are concerned that other public transit services will be cut once the railway opens. Residents in nearby Tseung Kwan O voiced opposition when some bus routes were cut after their new subway line opened.

Ming Pao
馬鐵通車料取消5條巴士線
11月 12日 星期五 20:00 更新

運輸署將於下周諮詢立法會，有關馬鐵通車後交通安排，其中5條巴士線將會取消。

5條取消的巴士線包括83P、86A、285、286P及287K，有多條巴士及專線小巴線要改路線或遷移總站，其中由利安去中環港澳碼頭的過海線680，總站會改在金鐘。

The Department of Transportation is planning to cut 5 bus routes from Ma On Shan following the opening of the KCR line.

地產代理：馬鞍山樓市於馬鐵通車後，預料升幅達１０％至１５％
11月 1日 星期一 13:13 更新

Real estate market in Ma On Shan and Shatin districts will boom

《經濟通專訊》中原地產代理高級營業董事陳文偉於記者會上表示，馬鞍山鐵路於今年底通車後，預料區內樓價較今年５月份高峰期升１０％至１５％，估計當中以過千呎單位升幅最大。

他又表示，於馬鐵通車後，沙田區換樓客由於交通改善，故會有興趣洽購馬鞍山區樓宇。過去１０個月，沙田及馬鞍山區交投量４５８宗，是該區成交量第二高位，預料交投量會持續活躍。

Source : http://www.pbase.com/chrislyh/snapshot

http://www.pbase.com/chrislyh/image/26065544.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/chrislyh/image/26065545.jpg

West Rail Emergency Exercise

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/23386833.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/23386834.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556518.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556519.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556520.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556523.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556522.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556524.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/tstmcu/image/22556525
.jpg

Along West Rail

Siu Hong
http://www.pbase.com/lamkiuwai/image/32550885.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lamkiuwai/image/36145464.jpg

Tin Shui Wai
http://www.pbase.com/lamkiuwai/image/32491520.jpg

Kam Sheung Road
http://www.pbase.com/lamkiuwai/image/33246847.jpg

Yuen Long LRT Interchange
http://www.pbase.com/jerwynn/image/34716627.jpg

Mei Foo
http://www.pbase.com/vickyandy/image/34615059.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/vickyandy/image/34615060.jpg

Wow those pics are great.

So for instance at Yuen Long LRT Interchange Platform, different numbered trains can pull into the Station, like how different buses stop at the same bus stop? Or is there a separate platform for each type of train like those on the MTR? I don't get how Light Rail works... Its just a rail type of bus service right...

These West Rail Stations look great...though they lack the distinctive chinese station name characters on the walls. But they certainly look super modern...

Another perculiar thing I noticed. HK's Police changed uniforms already? Wonder when the next action HK movie will be released where we get to see them.

Route K16 to end at East Tsim Sha Tsui Station
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Government Press Release

The Transport Department has announced that with the
commissioning of the KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station
from November 14, the KCR Bus Route K16 from West Rail
Nam Cheong Station to East Rail Hung Hom Station will
be terminated at East Tsim Sha Tsui Station.

Bus stops on this route at Hung Hom Station and Wing
On Plaza will be cancelled from the same day.
Passengers can travel between Hung Hom and Tsim Sha
Tsui by East Rail.

Notices will be posted inside the bus compartments and
at the bus stops.



"Transport for All" vision makes public transport
services more accessible
Government Press Release
Friday, November 12, 2004

A "Transport for All" Seminar held today (November 12)
provided a forum for sharing experience and expert
knowledge in improving accessibility for all among
transport administrators, service providers, transport
planners, rehabilitation workers, people with
disabilities and the elderly.

Local experts together with speakers from the United
Kingdom, Japan and the Mainland shared with
participants, among other things, new ideas on topics
concerning accessible taxis in Japan, accessibility at
the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, wheelchair
safety in vehicles and universal design.

Officiating at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner
for Transport, Mr Robert Footman, said the Transport
Department together with the stakeholders in Hong Kong
had made continuous efforts to develop the "Transport
for All" vision, the aim of which is to provide better
transport services to the public and a barrier-free
street environment for people with disabilities and
the elderly.

Mr Footman said the administration and the community
had done quite a lot under the umbrella of the "Five
Betters" Strategy" to improve accessibility for all
over the past three years although much remained to be
done.

The "Five Betters Strategy" is: Better access to
transport services for all; better public transport
infrastructure and facilities for all; better street
and pedestrian areas for all; better planning
standards, guidelines and procedures; and better
partnership for actions and results.

Some of the achievements under the strategy are:
* wheelchair access for 2,400 buses;
* Braille and tactile vehicle registration number
plates for the entire 18,000-strong taxi fleet;
* talking taxi meters for 9,000 taxis;
* Braille registration plates for 1,000 public light
buses;
* call bells for 600 public light buses; and
* on railways, lifts, tactile guide paths, Braille
maps and wide gates are becoming standard facilities
in stations.

In conjunction with the seminar, an exhibition of
outstanding models from the "Transport for All" Model
Competition was held. Mr Footman opened the exhibition
and reviewed the models made by students after the
ceremony.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Hong Kong
Society for Rehabilitation, Hong Kong Occupational
Therapy Association, the Chartered Institute of
Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong and the Transport
Department.

I'm having a hard time finding more West Rail pics. Help please, anyone?

Also, anyone got a collection of pics from the KCR passenger trains before the electric models came in?

Source : http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4723.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4719.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4713.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4728.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4735.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4732.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4739.jpg

http://www.fotop.net/albums/murphymyf/murphymyf995/IMG_4737.jpg

East TST station looks just like the West Rail stations...

http://cc.domaindlx.com/a326web/kcrrtmap1004.png

According to the map, you don't exist ;P

East Tsim Sha Tsui Interchange

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36314798.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36308396.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36308394.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36308393.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36308395.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/image/36308392.jpg

Some more West Rail Photos at Tin Shui Wai

http://users.bigpond.net.au/simhks/wr/IMG_0008.jpg


http://users.bigpond.net.au/simhks/wr/IMG_0026.jpg


http://users.bigpond.net.au/simhks/wr/IMG_0027.jpg

http://users.bigpond.net.au/simhks/wr/IMG_0032.jpg

http://users.bigpond.net.au/simhks/wr/IMG_0055.jpg

Excellent.

East Tsim Sha Tsui
Source : http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/etstkcr

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664748.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664549.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664550.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664553.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664554.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664555.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664556.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/mlwong/image/35664557.jpg

November 16, 2004
Government Press Release
Ma On Shan Rail put to the test

http://news.gov.hk/en/category/environment/041116/html/041116p013jpg.jpg
Test trip: Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao takes a trial ride on the Ma On Shan Rail.

Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao has taken a trial ride aboard the Ma On Shan Rail, which will open by year's end.

The 11.4km line runs from Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai with nine stations along the route which interchanges with the East Rail at Tai Wai Station. She was briefed on the station's public transport interchange and inspected its bicycle-parking facilities.

The ride was part of her trip to Sha Tin today, to exchange views with district councillors on the area's latest developments.

At Palm Court in Ma On Shan Dr Liao inspected the newly completed T7 trunk road and noise barriers being installed along it.

The 3.2km road connects the western and eastern parts of Ma On Shan. Some 63,000 square metres of barriers have been installed to reduce the traffic noise for nearby residents.

Special landscaping works have been carried out at Palm Court, including the planting of 1,000 palm trees and 100,000 rhododendrons, which are native to the area.

KCR and MTR breakdowns spell more passenger misery
Paris Lord, Hong Kong Standard
18 November 2004

Passengers on Hong Kong's two railways suffered more delays after another spate of breakdowns on Wednesday but both rail firms defended their services as being among the best in the world.

Officials from the MTR Corp (MTRC) and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) said they spend billions of dollars annually on repairs and maintenance and, because safety remains their priority, delays are necessary when they remove trains for inspection.

Several hundred passengers were ordered off a train at Choi Hung MTR station at 8.53am due to faulty doors and told to wait for another.

Their train was removed for inspection at the Kowloon Bay depot.

Meanwhile, passengers were evacuated from a KCR train at Fo Tan station after smoke was reported in a carriage.

The firm said the smoke may have been caused by jammed brakes. Examinations are being carried out at the Fo Tan depot.

The latest incidents bring to at least 95 the number of delays on both networks over the past four months - 51 for the MTR and 44 for the KCR - and came on the day an MTRC task force recommended 20 new initiatives to improve services. The MTRC said the first 10 months of the year had been one of its best times, with services improving by 18 per cent compared with the same period in 2003.

The 20 measures include the replacement of track signalling switches with tougher models, new door seals for all carriages, using the same equipment the power industry uses to test high voltage cables in carriages and improving public communication during delays.

"These improvement measures aim not only to address service delays causing inconvenience to our passengers, but also to minimise those cases that may give rise to passenger concern," MTRC deputy operations director Andrew McCusker said.

The firm had to surpass the expectations of its passengers and what is considered industry "best practice", he said.

The MTRC spends about HK$2 billion annually on repairs and maintenance, and the new measures will be covered by that budget, McCusker said.

The company expects the additional improvement measures to form part of a report by an independent panel from Lloyd's Register Rail, which will release its findings early next year.

The improvements would be carried out by existing staff, McCusker said.

MTR railway staff union chairman Chan Sing-wo said his 500 members were sceptical about the company's new plans and questioned how the extra checks could be performed without hiring more staff.

"This will put more pressure on staff," Chan said, adding that the union would be asking MTRC officials for answers when the parties meet on December 9.

For its part, the KCRC has spent about HK$1.6 billion on upgrades and maintenance across its network since 1994, and kept its average annual maintenance budget steady, a company spokeswoman said.

"We think [the Fo Tan delay] is an isolated incident," she said.

"We will of course have a thorough investigation and find out the cause."

The firm has just completed an interim safety audit and would finish the full audit by early next year, she added.

The MTRC is a member of a group of 10 of the world's largest mass railway operators that carry more than two million passengers a day.

The KCRC is a member of another group comprising 11 medium-sized railway systems that carry fewer than two million passengers daily.

On Wednesday night the Legislative Council defeated a motion that called on the government to apply remedial measures to enhance safety on the railways and the roads.

This followed a spate of train disruptions and serious traffic accidents in recent weeks.

KCRC to close trade short cut
Dennis Ng, Hong Kong Standard
19 November 2004

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) will close what is in effect an unofficial "logistics park" that has developed in its multi-storey Lo Wu Station.

From next month, traders will be banned from using a staircase linking the arrivals and departures levels that is meant to be used only by KCRC staff and local villagers who hold restricted area permits.

The move will affect more than 100 traders who bring cheap goods from the mainland to be sold in Hong Kong. Instead of taking the goods back to Hong Kong, the traders take a short cut down the staircase to hand over their consignments to another person with a village permit who consolidates goods from other traders and delivers them to the city. The traders thus save much time by not having to go back to Sheung Shui to make the return trip to the mainland to pick up more goods and so repeat the cycle.

The KCRC's decision came despite a nine-hour standoff between traders and railway staff after the staircase was closed on Wednesday. The traders complain that blocking the short cut will cost them hundreds of dollars a day in lost income.

From today, anyone without closed area permits can use the staircase once only and will be prosecuted for further entries.

South China Morning Post
November 20, 2004

KCRC's trade-hub project rejected
Rezoning sought for Hunghom and Tsim Sha Tsui East
Chloe Lai and Ernest Kong

A plan to turn Hunghom and Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront into an international China trade hub was rejected by the Town Planning Board yesterday.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation wanted to rezone the area between its building at the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade and the Hong Kong Coliseum to build an exhibition centre, towers, a cruise terminal and a heliport.

The board's spokesman said members rejected the application because it had received no government support.

They were also worried that the excessive scale of the plan could increase traffic, noise, marine and air pollution.

The KCRC said it would address the board's concerns and reapply again. The plan covers a site area of 14.5 hectares, including the Hong Kong Coliseum, the Hunghom rail terminal and the International Mailing Centre.

The coliseum and mailing centre are government buildings.

The plan assumes the mailing centre will be demolished and the land will be vacant for development, although the centre is currently operated by the post office and the government had not announced any plan to redevelop it. The KCRC wants the rail terminal to have a facelift, but will leave the coliseum alone.

It wants to build office towers, a shopping mall, hotels, residential blocks, exhibition centre, showrooms, wholesale centre and an arbitrary centre at the site.

The board's spokesman said: "The plan is based on a lot of assumptions, such as the rail express between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou having its terminal at Hunghom so it has a big potential to become a China trade hub.

"But no decision on the terminal location has been made so far. Also, the government doesn't think Hong Kong needs extra exhibition space in Hunghom."

Hung Hom - East Tsim Sha Tsui Video

From a Hong Kong transport forum :
Click Here to Download (34 megs) (http://banana.ecdisk.com/file/176_7634.AVI)

KCR's Light rail service in the northwestern New Territories that connects to West Rail :

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siu hong WR station's colour is UGLY

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West Rail Service Vehicles
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KCRC cuts West Rail discount to be more businesslike
Cheung Chi-fai
23 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Fare discounts on the KCRC's loss-making West Rail will be halved to 10 per cent from next month.

If the discounts had continued unchanged, the railway was "not going to be a business but a social welfare agency", Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said yesterday.

The change will increase the price of a journey from Nam Cheong to Tuen Mun by $1.60, bringing the fare to $14.40 from December 20.

The decision was made by the KCRC's board yesterday in the face of an operating loss on the $40 billion West Rail line of between $100 million and $200 million, excluding interest payments and depreciation.

Mr Tien acknowledged it could lead to a drop in patronage, which in turn would hit cash flow. But he said that if this happened, "we will be very pragmatic and reconsider the extra discount again or other promotional measures".

A 10 per cent discount was offered when the new line opened last December and a further 10 per cent was later cut in an effort to boost passenger numbers.

The corporation pledged that the remaining discount would stay until completion of the planned Southern Link, connecting Nam Cheong and Tsim Sha Tsui, in 2009.

Mr Tien said the board cut the discount to fulfil its responsibility to run the line on commercial principles. He said that since opening, daily Wet Rail patronage had risen from 100,000 to 170,000, but it still could not pay its way.

Mr Tien said the losses would not affect the whole corporation as its services could still be subsidised by its border operations to Lowu, which have seen rising patronage.

Meanwhile, the KCRC has set benchmark fares for its Ma On Shan Rail line, running from Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai. The fares from Ma On Shan to Tai Wai and Tsim Sha Tsui were set at $7.50 and $12.60 respectively. The line is expected to open before the end of the year.

West Rail flags fare rise
Dennis Chong, Hong Kong Standard
November 23, 2004

Forty thousand passengers face higher fares on the West Rail Line, which has siphoned HK$200 million from the ailing Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation coffers in its first year of operation.

Legislators criticised the move and said the company, which announced the increases on Monday, is using the wrong logic because higher fares could be expected to reduce passenger numbers and impair KCRC earnings.

A HK$46.4 billion mega project that required five years to build, the 30.5-kilometre rail line, which connects residents of the north-west New Territories to urban Hong Kong, has encountered myriad problems since trains starting rolling.

The number of passengers switching to trains from other modes of transport has fallen short of the projected daily 200,000 - with numbers gradually rising from an initial 100,000 to about 170,000 recently.

KCRC chairman Michael Tien said on Monday that given steadily rising passenger numbers and an improving economy, it is time to cancel a "double 10-per-cent-off concessions" policy in place since last December.

Affected commuters who travel from the New Territories to the Kowloon area will now have to pay an extra HK$1.20 to HK$1.60 per trip from December 20.

About 25 per cent of travellers - or 40,000 a day - fall into this category, Tien said.

Discounted Octopus fares for a trip from New Territories to Kowloon range from HK$9.20 to HK$12.80.

Monthly pass-holders and commuters travelling within the New Territories are not affected.

Tien said a single 10 per cent discount would remain until the Southern Link - an extension that will connect the line to Tsim Sha Tsui - is completed.

Legislative Council transport panel chairman Lau Kong-wah said it is wrong to cancel the double discount based on short-term revenues.

"It is surprising to me because everybody is still talking about reductions of transport fares," he said.

Lau said he expects the number of people using the West Rail to decrease, cutting revenues even further.

Andrew Cheng, also a panel member, said fares should not be increased until the Southern Link is ready, adding that there are not enough connections on the present line to attract passengers.

"[KCRC] will actually lose [revenue] when it opts for small gains. Passengers will be kept away," he said.

Tien said revenue generated in West Rail's first year is expected to fall short of covering operational costs, excluding equipment devaluation and interest from loans, by HK$200 million.

"If we cannot even cover operational costs, we would not be a company but a social service," he said.

But if passenger numbers dropped significantly after the fare rise the double discounts could be reinstated.

The announcement came two months after the government-financed railway announced plans for a merger with the MTR Corporation (MTRC).

The government is scrutinising a merger report and a conclusion is expected in 2005.

MTRC chief executive CK Chow said in September that a single railway entity would mean reduced operating costs through greater economies of scale, more efficient procurement and the sharing of best practices, leading to fare reductions.

24 November 2004
Corporate Press Release
KCRC offers free travel for the disabled on International Day of Disabled Persons 2004

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More Information on the Day : http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disiddp.htm

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) will offer free travel for the disabled and their a companionaccompanying carer on all KCRC services on this Sunday’s (28 November 2004), International Day of Disabled Persons 2004. Disabled persons and their accompanying carersa companion can enjoy unlimited free rides on not only on East Rail, West Rail, Light Rail and KCR Bbusesus, but also on West Rail.

KCRC has been a staunch supporter of the International Day of Disabled Persons to promote the full participation and integration of the disabled into the community. The Corporation has been offering free rides on this day since the Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled first organised a free ride daythe event in 1993.

On Sunday, holders of a “free ride card” issued by the Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled can obtain a standard class ticket from any East Rail or West Rail ticket office valid for travelling between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Lo Wu stations or between Nam Cheong and Tuen Mun stations respectively. A n accompanying carercompanion of the disabled person is also entitled to one free ticket. Disabled persons and one of their accompany carersof their companions can also ride on all Light Rail routes and all KCR buses free of charge.

KCR stations and trains are equipped with a range of facilities to make KCR services accessible to allevery member of the community, including those with disability individuals with special needs. The Corporation is continuously looking for opportunities to further improve the barrier-free environment.

KCRC chief fails to impress lawmakers
Emily Tang, Hong Kong Standard
27 November 2004

A hard-sell effort on Friday by the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) to set lower-than-proposed fares for the new Ma On Shan Rail failed to satisfy legislators who believe they could be even lower.

Transport sector legislator Miriam Lau doubted the fares were cheap enough to get commuters to change their travelling habits.

"The fares are already very attractive," KCRC chairman Michael Tien repeatedly said when addressing Legco's transport panel.

He emphasised that only about 10 per cent of passengers put fares as their prime concern when choosing the mode of transportation. Others, he said, took time, frequency and other issues into account.

Ma On Shan passengers using the new rail will have to pay HK$5.80 to Tai Wai, HK$8.20 to Kowloon Tong, Mong Kok and Hung Hom, HK$11 to Tsim Sha Tsui East and HK$17.40 to Central under the proposed fare scale.

Travel within the Ma On Shan line would range between HK$3.20 and HK$4.50.

Legislators criticised Tien for the extra HK$2.80 to Tsim Sha Tsui East which was just one stop from Hung Hom. However, Tien explained this was necessary to correspond with the fares on the East Rail which charged between HK$2.50 and HK$3.50 for passengers going on to Tsim Sha Tsui East from Hung Hom.

The railway company predicted that the daily passenger flow for the rail extension would be around 190,000 one year after the railway is launched next month.

It projected a first year revenue of HK$245 million which, it said, will barely cover the running costs and which will not be sufficient to pay the interest on loans.

Tien said there will be a review of the fares should the passenger flow fall below the benchmark.

Meanwhile, the current free-ride offer to passengers taking the K11 bus to the East Rail will be cancelled when the new railway service begins.

The cut will be compensated by fare discounts ranging from 50 cents to HK$1 for 11 transit bus routes along the new railway.

Tai Wai Station Sneak Preview
By DD2113 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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Tai Wai station looks pretty neat!

when is it planned for opening?
no platform screen doors?

No PSDs for Ma On Shan line stations.

Opening at the end of December.

Those tiles look cheap.

No PSDs for Ma On Shan line stations.

Opening at the end of December.

Why the sudden decision to not have PSD. Its easier installing them now than when the trains are running.

hkskyline - When will Tai Wai be getting PSD's???

West Rail was built when the financial market boomed...
Ma On Shan Rail was built when the bubble bursted... thats why...
It's the matter of money!

BTW, MOS Rail only have 4 cars, its more like a light rail system.

As the size concerns, WR serves 3 big districts but MOS rail only serve 1...

So thats the difference...

About the blue tiles... thats simply another money problem... well, it looks quite ok.... :)

If MOS line's passenger flow is more like light rail, why do they waste the heavy rail Kawasaki cars on that line? They should use lighter trains with fewer doors and more chairs for passenger seating instead of the standee-maximising configurations.

They really could do better than those blue tiles. I hope that they at least cover up that strip above the train, put some rail system maps or white panels or something to hide it.

If MOS line's passenger flow is more like light rail, why do they waste the heavy rail Kawasaki cars on that line? They should use lighter trains with fewer doors and more chairs for passenger seating instead of the standee-maximising configurations.


because the MOS and the West Line will become "one" line and it will get a new name: East & West Line and the current East Line will also get a new name: North & South Line

nick-taylor - I don't think PSDs were part of the design for this line. It will open with 4-car trains every 2.5 minutes during peak hours. The population of Ma On Shan will double in 20 years. Perhaps PSDs will be fitted when the line reaches maximum capacity.

November 26, 2004
Government Press Release
Views on Ma On Shan Rail fares considered

Public views on Ma On Shan Rail fares will be considered, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Chairman Michael Tien says, adding he is confident the rail can start operation before the end of the year.

Mr Tien told legislators today the railway systems have been tested and commissioned. On fares, he said the corporation has adopted the same methodology previously used in setting fares for the West Rail and the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension.

For the new railway to be financially viable, the bottom line is that fare revenue must be sufficient to cover at least the cash operating cost of the railway within a reasonable period of time, he said.

Proposed fares
* Ma On Shan to Kowloon Tong $8.20, Tai Wai $5.80, Tsim Sha Tsui $11, Central $17.40 (including MTR fare);
* Wu Kai Sha to Tai Shui Hang $3.70; and,
* Shek Mun to Che Kung Temple $3.70.

Nine bus routes will offer fare concessions ranging from 50 cents to $1, and green minibus routes 803, 804 and 810 will offer a $1 concession.

The corporation proposes to cancel the free feeder bus service offered by KMB route K11, plying City One and Royal Ascot via Fo Tan Station, as passengers can take the Ma On Shan Rail to connect with the East Rail.

Further consultation

Mr Tien said the corporation will brief District Councils on the proposed fares and consult passengers and community groups soon. The final fares will be decided and announced before the new rail starts service.

Extending from Wu Kai Sha Station in Ma On Shan to an interchange at the East Rail's Tai Wai Station, the 11.4-km link has nine stations, and the journey takes about 16 minutes.

Hong Kong's Olympic silver medalists get free train rides for life
28 November 2004

HONG KONG (AP) - The table tennis duo behind Hong Kong's second Olympic medal in history will get free train rides for life, the territory's railroad operator said Sunday.

Table tennis doubles' partners Ko Lai-chak and Li Ching will receive lifelong passes at a Monday ceremony, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.(KCRC), said in a statement.

Ko and Lai scored silver at the Athens Games earlier this year -- only Hong Kong's second Olympic medal after windsurfer Lee Lai-shan struck gold in Atlanta in 1996.

KCRC said it will also award lifelong passes to Hong Kong's medal winners at the Athens Paralympic Games.

Former British colony Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, but it still fields separate teams from the mainland in international competition.

Lo Wu traders step down
Dennis Ng, Hong Kong Standard
2 December 2004

Cross-border traders involved in a stand-off with railway staff at Lo Wu station in mid-November have disappeared from a staircase leading to the restricted closed border area, following a crackdown on access.

The staircase is meant for use only by station staff and local villagers with closed area resident permits, but has been used illegally by traders as a drop-off zone for their goods bound for Hong Kong and as a short cut back to Shenzhen to buy more stock.

"over piles of goods as happened in the past," a local villager said.

Villagers complained that traders and their goods had made the narrow staircase almost impassable before the authorities began enforcing the law.

On Wednesday, railway staff and police guarded the entrance and exit of the staircase that connects the arrival and departure halls.

Anyone attempting to enter had to show their permits.

Without the short cut, the traders now have to spend more time and money going to Sheung Shui station to drop off their goods to local partners and return to the mainland to repeat their trips.

Last month authorities decided to restrict access, but on November 17 more than 200 traders began a face-off with railway staff that lasted nine hours. As a compromise, authorities allowed a 12-day transition period allowing traders without border permits to pass through the restricted staircase for one time only. The transition period expired on Tuesday.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) said on Tuesday that it had issued 2,500 warning letters since November 19.

The number of warning letters issued had been reduced, and the problem was under control, KCRC general manager for operations, East Rail, Anthony Yan said. About 2,000 traders had used the staircase short cut every day before access was blocked. Only about half that number now make the longer journey via Sheung Shui.

Traders said the longer journey has increased their cost per trip from HK$30 to $40 to about HK$60. They claim their profits, which could be several hundred dollars a day, have been halved since the staircase was closed.

馬鐵初定2號通車
上月取得通行證 料搶八萬九巴客
06/12/2004

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【本報訊】正積極試車的馬鞍山鐵路終於落實通車日期，消息透露，九廣鐵路已於上月尾取得馬鐵的通行證，初步計畫十二月二十七日通車，而九巴預期每日會被搶走八萬人次的客量，但九巴聲言不會為搶客而減價。馬鞍山居民表示，馬鐵要轉乘才能出市區較為麻煩，除非價錢較便宜才會考慮改乘馬鐵。沙田區議員方鎮邦則擔心，將來兩鐵合併會影響九鐵原來興建沙田至中環線計畫，令馬鐵接駁中環線的吸引力大減。　　　　　

馬鞍山鐵路全長十一點四公里，有九個車站，全程需時十六分鐘，兩個終站分設在烏溪沙及大圍，乘客從馬鞍山區乘車到大圍，就可以直出市區至尖東站。

車費方面，由馬鞍山區前往大圍單程收費五元八角，馬鞍山往旺角收八元二角，往尖東收十一元，從馬鞍山往港島區則收十七元四角。九鐵主席田北辰強調，該個收費設定是參考過其他六種交通工具價錢擬訂，但馬鐵的車程比其他交通快。

馬鐵通車日期預算在十二月底內，但有消息指出，馬鐵經已獲港府批出通行證，九鐵亦初定在聖誕後的十二月二十七日，為馬鐵舉行通車禮，因為當日仍然是假期，對新鐵路通車會比較方便。

九巴董事長陳祖澤昨日出席一個公開活動後表示，預期馬鐵通車後，每日會搶走九巴在區內八萬人次客量，但他強調不會減價，認為過去兩年交通工具競爭愈來愈激烈，九巴已無減價空間。「（九巴車費）一直有好多調整、優惠，例如巴士轉乘計畫，想為市民提供更好服務，但九巴無力再減價。」另外，陳祖澤又表示，稍後會與工會商討有關工資問題，但是否加人工則需考慮公司的經營情況。

居於馬鞍山的麥先生表示，馬鐵通車後仍會選乘巴士，因為馬鐵始終要轉車，比較不方便。「我有巴士直接出旺角，如果平�就會搭。」但亦有居民表示會改乘馬鐵。冼先生表示：「快�會方便�，搭巴士雖然係平但始終係耐。」

沙田區議員方鎮邦表示，若兩鐵合併，九鐵的沙田至中環線不會興建，屆時將大大減低馬鐵的吸引力，政府便違背了對馬鞍山居民的承諾。他期望馬鐵通車後，政府也不要削減巴士線，讓居民有足夠的選擇。

^What does this "沙田區議員方鎮邦表示，若兩鐵合併，九鐵的沙田至中環線不會興建，屆時將大大減低馬鐵的吸引力，政府便違背了對馬鞍山居民的承諾。他期望馬鐵通車後，政府也不要削減巴士線，讓居民有足夠的選擇。"means, does it mean that the Shatin to Central Link won't be built???

Human error suspected as LRT train collision injures 24
Matthew Lee, Hong Kong Standard
7 December 2004

Human error may be to blame for a collision between two light rail trains in which 24 people were injured.

A Yuen Long-bound train rammed into the rear of another, standing at Ping Shan station, at 9.35am on Monday. The second train was also heading to Yuen Long.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation West Rail operations general manager Tsui Wai-keung said human error was possibly to blame for the accident.

Tsui said the company's safety guidelines stipulate minimum distances to be maintained between trains.

Both drivers passed blood alcohol tests.

Several of the 24 passengers who sought hospital treatment remained under observation Monday night.

Most of the injuries happened when passengers were thrown against seats or on to the floor by the impact.

Both trains were slightly damaged in the crash.

A KCRC spokeswoman said safety devices are in place to stop trains automatically if the driver loses consciousness. She added that an internal investigation has been launched and KCRC is co-operating with police in their investigation.

The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau has requested the operator to submit a report on the driving records of the two drivers.

A damaged wheel derailed another train in Tin Shui Wai in September. The accident caused no injuries, but led to delays of almost two hours.

^What does this "沙田區議員方鎮邦表示，若兩鐵合併，九鐵的沙田至中環線不會興建，屆時將大大減低馬鐵的吸引力，政府便違背了對馬鞍山居民的承諾。他期望馬鐵通車後，政府也不要削減巴士線，讓居民有足夠的選擇。"means, does it mean that the Shatin to Central Link won't be built???

Yeah, but Tai Wai - Hung Hom will still be built.

Dispute sinks Canton Road station
Commuters will now have to walk 10 minutes from TST East to the district
Benjamin Wong
7 December 2004
South China Morning Post

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The proposed new multibillion-dollar rail link passing through Tsim Sha Tsui will omit the Canton Road shopping hub after the two would-be partners in the project failed to agree on sharing costs.

The dispute between the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and Wharf Estates Development centres on which side will pay for the Canton Road station as part of the Kowloon Southern Link.

Without the station, passengers will have to walk 10 minutes from Tsim Sha Tsui East station to Canton Road via a $300 million subway the KCRC has pledged to build.

Retailers in Canton Road and district councillors for the area had expected the KCRC to put a station on the busy street, an important commercial, tourism and entertainment area.

But their hopes were dashed when the two companies stayed firm on their respective positions.

The rail operator maintained it would be in the interest of Wharf - Canton Road's largest landlord - to see the station built. It said it was unfortunate Wharf did not commit to sharing the costs.

"Being a government-owned corporation, the KCRC has to balance social and public community considerations against the requirement in law to act in accordance with prudent commercial principles," a company spokesman said yesterday.

He said updated forecasts showed that having the Canton Road station would bring only an extra 17,000 passenger on weekdays, instead of the original 2001 forecast of 25,000.

At such levels of patronage the overall projected return would suffer, the rail operator argued.

"Nonetheless, given the views expressed by the public and the business community, we have offered to make a substantial contribution towards the cost of providing a station," the spokesman said. "That we have been unable to reach an agreement with Wharf is disappointing."

Meanwhile, Wharf maintained it had already made a number of tangible concessions, including bringing forward its redevelopment plans for its bustling Harbour City malls by almost 10 years to make way for the station.

"To accommodate the station, Wharf will incur substantial costs in demolition, rebuilding and rental losses during the four years of construction," a spokesman for Wharf said.

But the property company stood firm against KCRC demands that it pay the $600 million the station is expected to cost.

With no agreement reached despite government mediation, the KCRC announced yesterday there would be no Canton Road Station for the Kowloon Southern Link.

The 3.8km rail line, expected to cost about $8.3 billion, will link the West Rail terminus at Nam Cheong station with East Rail's Tsim Sha Tsui East station.

Construction of the new link is scheduled to be completed by 2009 if work starts next year.

九鐵南環線押後刊憲
廣東道站爭拗 議員盼有轉圜
12/12/2004
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/tsnmain/header/img/main_logo.gif


【本報訊】九鐵與九倉因財務承擔分歧，導致九鐵南環線的廣東道站取消興建。立法會交通事務委員會通過動議，要求將九鐵南環線計畫押後刊憲一個月，以便九鐵及九倉重開談判。有議員批評，有關方面只計算各自利益，無顧及市民需要；但環境運輸及工務局認為，廣東道站並非必要，政府不會再注資，再談判只會拖延整個南環線興建計畫。

立法會交通事務委員會昨日就九鐵是否興建南環線廣東道站問題展開討論，環境運輸及工務局常任秘書長（運輸）羅智光稱，興建廣東道站的成本要十八億元，等於將整條南環線成本增加兩成二，即使沒有廣東道站，亦不會影響南環線的策略性功能，現時尖沙咀區內的地鐵站與九鐵站已有足夠覆蓋。

不過，幾乎全部發言的議員均要求九鐵與九倉重新考慮設立廣東道站。周梁淑怡直指：「鐵路係用�服務市民，唔係用�滿足你��策略價值！」劉江華亦表示，「市民每日�尖東行二十分鐘去廣東道，每日都咁行，每日都會埋怨！」

電子道路收費值得參考

九倉首席經理易志明表示，重建海港城以提供廣東道站，回報不理想，加上九倉要負擔其中八億元的建造費，是不能接受。

九鐵署理行政總裁黎文熹稱，九鐵作為政府全資擁有，要審慎處理投資，他們亦研究過廣東道其他地方設站的可能性，但不能解決技術上問題。他認為，與九倉在財務問題上找不到共同點，沒有必要再談，但承諾會耗資三億元興建有冷氣及輸送帶裝置的行人隧道，連接尖東與廣東道一帶。最後鐵路小組通過動議，要求政府將九鐵南環線計畫押後刊憲一個月。

環境運輸及工務局長廖秀冬昨日在一個研討會上表示，政府無意進一步介入興建廣東道站問題，因現時九龍南線的交通運輸已達目標，市民可在西九龍站步行至海港城，尖東站亦有通道伸延至九龍酒店。

此外，廖秀冬稱，香港土地有限，但路面車輛流量大，推行電子道路收費是紓緩交通的好方法，但要疏導中區車輛，改善擠塞情況，首要是加快興建中環灣仔繞道，而新加坡及倫敦推行電子道路收費的成功經驗，亦值得香港參考。

Rail merger 'would come at a price'
Think-tank expects the deal will allow MTR Corp to buy KCRC for half its value
Denise Tsang
09 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The government will have to write down at least half the KCRC's nearly $60 billion asset value and award it property development rights to make a merger with the MTR Corporation financially viable, a think-tank says.

The two arrangements are prerequisites given the commitment made to shareholders at the time of the MTRC's listing in 2000 that any new projects would only be considered so long as they earned at least 1 per cent more than the corporation's average cost of capital, says Civic Exchange in a report calling on the government to consider the public's interest as well as the financial terms of the merger.

The organisation believes lower fares are a possibility after the merger because it will increase efficiency but says the government should not create the impression the merger is being done to make travel cheaper.

Instead, its report urges the administration to take the opportunity to address issues such as the poor execution of its rail-led transport policy, a sustainable financing model for rail operations and a transport strategy balancing road and rail.

"We want to remind the government that the financial arrangement is not the only issue the merger is about and its rail-led transport policy has not been forgotten," said Civic Exchange chief executive Christine Loh Kung-wai. "We don't think the government has optimised the policy."

Ms Loh expects the administration to reveal the way forward for the merger plan next month or in February.

It has been reviewing a joint merger proposal the MTR Corporation and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation submitted in September.

A government spokesman, while declining to specify a time frame for the merger, said yesterday that it needed "some time" to finalise negotiations with the rail firms.

Civic Exchange said the simplest and quickest way to bring about a merger, given the government's desire that the MTR Corporation remain a listed company, was to sell the KCRC to the MTR operator. To achieve the promised return on investment and make merger terms acceptable to the MTR Corporation's 400,000 minority shareholders, the government would have to write-off between $30 billion and $40 billion of the KCRC's asset value of nearly $60 billion.

The study found that if the KCRC's assets were valued at $26 billion, the MTR Corporation, which has a net asset value of $57 billion, would be able to maintain control of the expanded company. However, even if it only paid $26 billion for the KCRC, the MTR Corporation would not be able to earn the rate of return promised four years ago.

"Hence, the property rights will have to remain with the rail firms," the study said.

Property development rights, which generate sale proceeds to help fund rail construction, are controversial given the government's tight grip on land and housing supply.

December 13, 2004
Government Press Release
New Ma On Shan public transport plan set

Guidebook : http://www.info.gov.hk/td/chi/transport/MOSguidebook.pdf

A new public transport plan will be implemented gradually and new facilities will be provided in connection with the commissioning of the Ma On Shan Rail later this month.

Assistant Commissioner for Transport Stephen Ip said all existing public transport services will be maintained at the beginning of commissioning of the new link.

Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Ip noted the plan, developed after rounds of extensive consultation with local representatives, aims to offer sufficient feeder services to those who live further away from rail stations.

"We will phase in the public transport plan gradually to facilitate smooth adaptation. The first phase will strengthen feeder services to new railway stations. Other changes such as cancellation of bus routes will only be introduced after passenger travelling patterns have been carefully monitored and assessed after the opening of the new rail," he said.

New facilities including connection bridges, subways, road crossings, cycle parks, taxi pick-up and drop-off points will also be provided or improved for better access to the stations.

A new public transport interchange at Wu Kai Sha station, the new rail's northern terminus, is already in place. The one at Tai Wai station, the southern terminus, is being built to replace the existing bus terminus in March next year.

December 14, 2004
Government Press Release
Ma On Shan Rail to open Dec 21

The Ma On Shan Rail, linking Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai, will start operation on December 21.

KCR Corporation chairman Michael Tien said today the managing board has carefully considered public views on Ma On Shan Rail fares and reviewed all fares in great detail.

"When the corporation decides on the final fares, we must ensure that the fare revenue could at least cover the cash operating cost of the railway," he said.

Fares

* Wu Kai Sha to: Tai Wai $5.80; Kowloon Tong $8.20; Mong Kok $8.20; Hung Hom $8.20; East Tsim Sha Tsui $11.

For journeys between Ma On Shan Station and Sheung Shui, the corporation has previously proposed a fare of $6.80. Having reviewed the competitive situation, the corporation decided that for a journey from any Ma On Shan Rail station to any East Rail domestic station north of Tai Wai to Sheung Shui (with the exception of Racecourse), the fares would be no more than $5.80.

Similarly, the fare for any Ma On Shan Rail stations to Lo Wu is set at the same fare as Tai Wai to Lo Wu. In effect, a passenger from Ma On Shan Rail can travel to any domestic station north of Tai Wai at the fare of not more than $5.80, with the exception of Racecourse (not more than $8.50) and Lo Wu ($24.20).

Charity ride

Before the official opening, a Charity Ride day will be held on December 19 from 10am to 10 pm for the public to familiarise with the new services and facilities.

Passengers will be charged the regular Ma On Shan Rail fares. All revenue will be donated to charity.

KCRC cuts fares for some of its new stations
Polly Hui
15 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has reduced fares for journeys between Ma On Shan and north of Tai Wai to meet passengers' demands.

The Ma On Shan line will open officially next Tuesday but the public can try it out this Sunday during the KCR Charity Ride.

Passengers will pay no more than $5.80 for a journey from any Ma On Shan rail station to any East Rail station between north of Tai Wai and Sheung Shui (with the exception of Racecourse), down from the $6.80 originally proposed.

"The decision was made after considering the competitive situation and the need for passengers travelling to stations north of Tai Wai to backtrack by travelling south before turning north," KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said yesterday.

The corporation also said the 20 per cent same-day second-trip discount for East Rail passengers would apply to Ma On Shan rail journeys. It also would introduce a monthly pass by about March.

Deals have been made with green minibus operators for a $1 interchange discount on 10 routes and a 50-cent discount on two.

But the proposed fares for Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai ($5.80), to Kowloon Tong, Mongkok and Hunghom ($8.20), and to Tsim Sha Tsui East ($11) will remain.

"Opposition voices from our passengers on the proposed fares are almost absent. There were in fact people who asked how buses and minibuses will be able to compete with the opening of the Ma On Shan rail," Mr Tien said.

The 11.4km line will have nine stations: Tai Wai, Che Kung Temple, Sha Tin Wai, City One, Shek Mun, Tai Shui Hang, Heng On, Ma On Shan and Wu Kai Sha. It will be the third opened by the KCRC in about a year after West Rail and the East Rail extension to TST East.

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

KCRC to boost shopping space at railway stations
Denise Tsang
15 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) is seeking to boost its commercial property portfolio to capitalise on growing demand for shopping space, according to chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun.

Adding shopping malls at stations of new railway lines to its portfolio would lift recurring rental income and passenger numbers, he said.

The move underlines the desire of the government-owned rail service operator to raise income sources at a time when the retail spending and commercial property markets are bouncing back as a result of record numbers of mainland visitors to Hong Kong.

Retail sales grew 11.4 per cent during the first three quarters of this year, and that resulted in growing demand for more retail space.

Rents for prime street shops rose more than 40 per cent this year, according to property consultants.

The KCRC is trying to reduce its reliance on its East Rail mainland border crossing, which has been hit hard by competition from buses.

"If a shopping centre is well run, we will earn double income revenue and shop rental," said Mr Tien, who heads fashion retailing chains G2000 and U2. "The future of the commercial property market looks promising because of the mainland's solo traveller scheme.

"As a retailer, it is hard to find high-quality retailing space."

The KCRC would renovate the 100,000 square foot shopping centre in Pierhead Garden, in Tuen Mun, to spur traffic flow at the shopping centre and on the loss-making Light Rail service, he said.

The largest project to be developed will be a 700,000 sqft shopping arcade above the Tai Wai station as part of the $10 billion Ma On Shan rail link to be opened in the next couple of weeks.

"It will be our biggest shopping mall investment when it opens in 2009-2010," Mr Tien said.

The Tai Wai project, which represents 20 per cent of its 3.45 million sqft commercial property portfolio, could emerge as the next shopping hub after the busy New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, analysts said.

Towering above East Rail's Sha Tin station and attached to the New Town Plaza was KCRC's Citylink shopping mall, which would be enlarged by 63 per cent to 200,000 sqft by 2009, Mr Tien said.

As the KCRC played the role of a property agent for the government for the development along West Rail, it planned to buy a lot of retail space at Tsuen Wan West and Tuen Mun stations, he added.

The commercial development of the two stations should be completed in 2010.

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Oh no, those stations are ugly.

How tasteless....West Rail was great.

Train operators struggle with politics
As a possible merger looms, KCRC and MTR complain they have not been allowed to exercise autonomy in setting fares
Denise Tsang
17 December 2004
South China Morning Post

Public outrage over electricity tariff rises has served to highlight problems faced by Hong Kong's transport utilities when it comes to exercising autonomy over fares.

Both MTR Corp and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp have complained that political considerations have prevented them from increasing fares since 1997.

The firms' revenues had also dwindled amid a confusing transport policy.

The fare revenue issue is reflected not only in valuation of a potential merger of the two rail companies but also in future profit prospects of the resulting company.

An MTR source said core rail operations would stay in the red this year, but to a lesser extent than last year's $980 million loss.

"Passenger numbers grew 4 per cent to 5 per cent in the first three quarters of this year, excluding the Sars factor, but the growth in fare revenue was slower," the source said. "The rail operation was losing some $200 million in the first six months of this year, and it is likely to remain in deficit on the full-year basis."

KCRC, which subsidises its rail operation by East Rail border-crossing services at Lowu, does not fare any better, with profitability hurt by border-crossing shuttle buses and public anger over the scrapping of fare discounts.

A case in point was the KCRC's decision to reinstate a 10 per cent discount on West Rail - the Tuen Mun to Shamshuipo link - after its first anniversary of operation earlier this month.

"We said at the opening that the discount would be reviewed after a year, but then people criticised us for cancelling it," said KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun.

"Even if West Rail's daily passenger numbers went up to 170,000 from 100,000 at the opening and the discount was reduced, the rail line still can't cover operating costs, not to mention making a return.

"We want genuine autonomy in setting fares, or the government should implement its rail-led transport policy."

Mr Tien complained that loose implementation of the policy left railways and franchised buses in cut-throat competition which resulted in poor economic efficiency in public-transport services.

The two rail firms, which count the government as a common controlling shareholder, said they felt their hands were also tied by social responsibility.

"Fare autonomy is in a twilight zone. Sometimes we have to consider the social factor even though we have to follow the commercial principle," the MTR source said.

However, the situation is unlikely to improve as the government has made lower fares an objective of the potential rail merger.

The source said the merger would benefit the management and operation of the two rail systems as well as the planning for future rail projects, citing KCRC's $35.5 billion rail project between Sha Tin and Central.

However, some analysts are sceptical about a possible merger between the two firms.

"While the cost benefits from the merger may take a long time to materialise, the downward pressure on train fares is a near-term risk," Credit Suisse First Boston said in a report.

the stations look tasteless but looks modern and cool

Transport Department in full gear to prepare for MOS Rail commissioning
December 15, 2004
Government Press Release

The Transport Department (TD) is in full gear to prepare for the commissioning of Ma On Shan Rail (MOSR).

"We shall heighten monitoring of changes in traffic pattern, co-ordinate with KCRC and other transport operators and get prepared in case there is any contingency," the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Robert Footman, said today (December 15) after visiting City One Station and Wu Kai Sha Station in Ma On Shan.

"A range of new transport and connection facilities are constructed to help passengers who want to take MOSR. Most of them, including the Wu Kai Sha public transport interchange (PTI), will be ready for service upon MOSR commissioning."

A handful of other work will also be completed very soon, including the Tai Wai PTI, which is scheduled to open in March 2005.

Mr Footman stressed that public transport plan would be rolled out in phases to facilitate adaptation. Existing transport services would be strengthened or maintained in the first two weeks of MOSR commissioning and adjustments would be implemented gradually afterwards. The department's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will be initiated to monitor the situations.

He advised passengers to take some time to get familiar with the new MOSR service, as well as the public transport plan via the department's and operators' information and enquiry channels.

The following new public infrastructures and facilities are provided at City One Station in enhancing accessibility/interchange for the residents: footbridge across Chap Wai Kong Street, cycle parks of 180 new spaces, a loading bay of about 80 metres in length and taxi pick up/drop off points.

A new PTI at Wu Kai Sha Station will be open for use on Saturday (December 18) with six bus stops, two green minibus bays, one bay each for urban taxis and New Territories taxis and one general loading/unloading bay specially designed for coaches up to 12 metres long.

Mr Footman was briefed on the progress of works by his staff. He also talked with GMB drivers and bus company staff who were having a trial run during the visit and listened to their feedbacks about the design and arrangements of the PTI.

潮流興復古 ~~~~~

MOS LOOK is equal to Hong Kong Suburban look!
Tai Wai and Wu Kai Sha looks okay, but the other stations should not paint the metals and have cladding or dry wall instead, then they will look Great. Also, the Waterfall sign of Tai Shui Hang Sucks so badly. I hate to say this, but the MOS looks are under my expectations.

Che Kung Temple looks okay as well.
The calligraphy looks extremely outdated. I wonder why they make the supporting pillars so thin. Even stations on the ~25-year-old Island Land look better than those on the MOS line. Oh well, at least 3 out of 9 stations look acceptable.

Go home, Buckson Tin.

One ugly video:

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-hkru-4.rm

sorry to say.
some stations are disgusting. --"
there're many ways to keep the costs down but that's one unsuccessful way.

By AC from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://img13.paintedover.com/uploads/13/18_12_04_tmylfl__023.jpg

http://img13.paintedover.com/uploads/13/18_12_04_tmylfl__025.jpg

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Is that Shan King North and Shan King South Station?

Both - from the photographer's caption, it is the 505 route's along Shan King South and North.

Thanks, It just looks so Cool!

this is the first time that i hear about people complain the ststion is ugly
everytime is highly rate for hk rail.
thats why KCR should improve themseleves.
has anyone said bad of MTR in this forum?

Ma In Shan Railway - Open House Movies
By Tony Ng from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-charity-1.rm
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-charity-2.rm
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-charity-3.rm
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-charity-4.rm
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/vvvf/rail_video/VCLP/kcrmosr-charity-5.rm

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/pic/kcrmosr-charity-2.jpg

comparing west rail stations and mos stations... west rail has done a much better job.

I think it will hv much more people using MOS then West rail

MOS extension looks pretty out of date ...
I like the original island lines station more ...

Pictures taken from vvvf Museum (http://vvvf.hk.st)

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has anyone here gone on MOS rail yet?

I did today.

Dec. 21 - Opening Day News Coverage

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/news/20041222/img/sn06122211_big.jpg

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http://www.singpao.com/20041222/photos/m653092SP.jpg

Bonus : Harbour
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/news/20041222/img/sn31122221_big.jpg

I wonder if the trains will get that amount of people during rush hour on normal operations, lets hope so.

Ma On Shan Railway Charity Ride
- from a Hong Kong transport forum -

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Confetti gun salutes first train to run
Schoolboys and rail buffs flock to the inauguration of the $10 billion Ma On Shan railway
Elaine Wu
22 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The school holidays ensured a bumper turnout of enthusiastic boys to back up the dignitaries cheering off the first train on the new $10 billion Ma On Shan rail line, which departed the Tai Wai terminus yesterday afternoon with great fanfare.

Most of those leading the queue for the first ride were teenage boys with cameras dangling from their necks.

They raced up the platform to take seats in the leading carriage and let loose screams at various points during the ride.

Primary Five student Chan Chun-ho had come all the way from his Tsing Yi home with his mother to ride the first train - and he wasn't disappointed. "It was very fast and convenient. The atmosphere was good," he said.

But there were some red faces amid the smiles when the new Kowloon-Canton Railway line was hit by a three-minute delay within its first hour of operation. A train overshot the City One station at 3.45pm, parking only two of its four carriages at the platform.

An announcement alerted passengers to the delay but did not give an explanation, leading to some confusion. "I don't know what happened at City One station," said Larry Chu, a Ma On Shan resident. "I guess they are still testing it. But the overall ride was pretty good."

The train was sent for testing after arriving at the Tai Wai terminus, but last night the cause of the problem was still unknown.

The line, which took four years to build, opened at 3pm, finally bringing rail services to residents in eastern New Territories.

Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen told the Tai Wai opening ceremony the line marked the completion of three rail construction targets the government set in 1994, the others being the West Rail and Tseung Kwan O lines.

Despite the hiccup at City One, passengers said they were happy about the new route. Tejaswini Zumbre, a 33-year-old teacher who rode the first train to leave Tai Wai, said: "I really found the view breathtaking compared with other lines in Hong Kong. I'm very happy about it. I came especially to see it."

Ms Zumbre said the line would make getting around town easier because she lived only a 10-minute walk from the Sha Tin Wai station. Before the new line opened, she had to take a minibus to the East Rail line.

But not everyone was happy. A group of local residents protested outside Tai Wai station before the opening ceremony. They said train fares were too high and they were worried because some bus routes were likely to be cut.

Sha Tin district councillor Chow Ka-kong yelled out during the opening ceremony after KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun gave his speech.

Mr Chow was complaining that a free shuttle bus from City One will begin charging passengers.

Easy rush-hour ride on new rail
Ma On Shan line will attain target usage within one year: KCRC boss
Elaine Wu
23 December 2004
South China Morning Post

Ma On Shan Rail operated smoothly on its first morning rush-hour run yesterday, with KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun predicting the line would achieve a target of 190,000 passengers a day by the end of its first year of operation.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation's half-day debut on Tuesday drew 70,000 to 80,000 passengers, which meant there would easily be more than 110,000 commuters on a full day, Mr Tien said yesterday.

Commissioner for Transport Robert Footman rode the train from City One station in Sha Tin to Tai Wai yesterday during the morning peak hours to observe operations.

Mr Footman's visit followed a minor mishap on Tuesday when a train drove past the City One station and stopped when only two of its four carriages were at the platform. The train had to reverse into the station before the train doors could open.

Mr Footman said this delay was not unusual for a new rail line.

A KCRC spokeswoman said the company was still studying whether the incident was due to a technical or human error.

With thousands of passengers taking the train from Ma On Shan yesterday, cross-harbour buses and district minibuses expect a decline in business.

But Kwok Chung Motors manager Lo Shea-chung said it was still too early to say how much the rail line would cut into his business.

Kwok Chung Motors operates two green minibus lines in Tai Wai in direct competition with Ma On Shan Rail.

But because of the new line, the company has been granted a licence to operate two additional shorter routes to transport passengers from their homes to train stations.

"Right now we don't know how it would hurt our business because schools are on holiday," Mr Lo added.

"We need two more weeks before making an accurate assessment of the impact."

By KR4210 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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West Rail Monthly Pass by butterfly from a Hong Kong transport forum :

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Ma On Shan train by DS8046 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://www.hkedcity.net/citizen_files/ab/ay/ds8045/public_html/T-1.jpg

more pics im homesick!

KCRC seeks developers' interest in key project
Railway operator is looking to exploit market sentiment to help recoup costs
Denise Tsang
3 January 2005
South China Morning Post

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) has invited developers to express their interest in a development project at Wu Kai Sha station on the newly commissioned Ma On Shan rail line, hoping to ride a marked upturn in the local property market.

Tendering for the project is scheduled for the first quarter of the year.

The move comes three weeks after MTR Corp solicited developers for its Tseung Kwan O Area 86 development. Seventeen developers have signalled an interest in bidding on that project.

"The KCRC obviously is capitalising on the market's vibrant sentiment," said Pang Shiu-kee, managing director of SK Pang Surveyors.

"Developers are keen to stock up their land banks, as can be seen from the response on the MTR project."

The KCRC has given property developers three weeks in which to respond with statements of interest in the Wu Kai Sha development, which encompasses the construction of 2,528 flats with an aggregate floor space of 168,650 square metres plus another 4,000 sqmetres of commercial space. The site area measures 34,151 sqmetres.

The project is the first of four along the Ma On Shan rail line, which opened barely two weeks ago and runs from Tai Wai to Ma On Shan town.

Unlike the MTR, which has offered to pay 50 per cent of any land premiums on its Tseung Kwan O project, the KCRC has offered no sweetener to entice developers.

KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun expressed confidence that the response from developers would be strong, citing the project's prime location as a draw.

Property surveyors have said the site could cost a developer $2,500 per square foot, compared with an average sale price of Ma On Shan flats that stands at $3,500 to $4,000 per square foot.

"The Wu Kai Sha project has a sea view while land supply at Ma On Shan is limited. I believe it will be popular with developers," said Mr Pang, adding that the larger companies would be particularly interested because of the large scale of the project.

Holding the property development rights to the entire 11.4km Ma On Shan rail, the KCRC will share in the profits of the development, which will help recoup the $10 billion the company has invested in the line.

The three other developments along the route are located at Che Kung Temple and Tai Wan stations, and the Tai Wai maintenance centre.

Almost 11,000 flats in total are planned along the rail line, with completion of them all not expected until after 2007.

Tendering for the Tai Wai station development will commence in the fourth quarter.

Photos from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://gallery.ur-server.net/albums/userpics/10001/normal_WR-01.jpg

http://gallery.ur-server.net/albums/userpics/10001/normal_WR-02.jpg

Ma On Shan Railway Mishap - Jan. 5th
http://inews.i-cable.com/mynews/asx/2005/01/05/rail-b.asx

that is west rail not MOS rail right?

It is WR because WR has 7 cars and MOS only has 4

first i thought!
when did MOS rail add cars?
cuz the viaduct type is similer.

I love that overpass! :D Can you please give the address to the Hongkong transportation forum?

6 January 2005
Corporate Press Release
KCRC raises HK$1.44 million to help tsunami victims

In a fund-raising drive launched by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in support of the relief campaign for the tsunami victims in South Asia, a total of $1,447,015 was raised. The donations consisted of $800,000 raised among the KCRC employees, $200,000 contributed by the Corporation and $447,015 of the fare revenue collected during KCRC’s extended service hours on New Year’s Eve.

Mr Samuel Lai, KCRC Acting Chief Executive Officer, and a staff representative presented two cheques with respective amount of $1,000,000 and $447,015 to two Council Members of Hong Kong Red Cross, Lady Wu and Mr Vincent Lo, today.

Mr Lai said, “We are heartened by the overwhelming response of our staff, and wish to thank all the donors for their generosity to the grief-stricken victims and families.”

Apart from the two fund-raising programmes, KCRC has arranged to place Oxfam’s donation boxes at all KCR East Rail and West Rail stations to support its relief work for the victims.

In addition, KCRC is lining up station shop tenants to support the donation campaign. The Corporation is pleased to announce that Happiness Restaurant in West Rail Yuen Long Station has already taken the lead to pledge to donate all business revenues collected this coming Friday (7 January) to support the cause.

http://www.kcrc.com.hk/Upload%20Content/News%20Centre/Press%20Release/Corp/Eng/E050106A.files/image002.jpg
Mr Samuel Lai, KCRC Acting Chief Executive Officer, and KCRC’s staff representatives presented two cheques amounting $1,447,015 to two Council Members of Hong Kong Red Cross, Lady Wu and Mr Vincent Lo.

January 7, 2005
Government Press Release
Kowloon Southern Link revisions proposed

Revisions to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Kowloon Southern Link have been proposed, to address public concerns, accommodate the company's latest design changes, and take account of changes to site constraints.

Subject to the Chief Executive in Council's authorisation, the works will start in mid-2005 for completion in 2009.

The Kowloon Southern Link, a strategic link between the West Rail and East Rail, will offer a fast and convenient rail for more than a million residents in the northwest New Territories to reach the Tsim Sha Tsui area using the West Rail or to connect to other areas served by the East Rail without the need to interchange.

In the rail scheme gazetted in March last year, the rail will run from the existing West Rail Nam Cheong Station to the East Rail East Tsim Sha Tsui Station. There will be one new station in between, on Canton Road at the site now occupied by the Canton Road Government Offices.

The revisions gazetted today address some of the concerns expressed in the objections submitted to the Government, accommodate the latest design changes proposed by KCRC, and take account of changes to site constraints that have arisen since March last year.

Revisions aim to minimise disruption

The proposed changes aim to minimise disruption to the public during the construction and operation of the rail.

The proposed rail will be entirely underground. Rail tunnels along Canton Road and underneath the former Marine Police Headquarters will be constructed by the bored tunnelling method to reduce impact on the adjacent environment. Works that need to be carried out at the street level along Canton Road will be small in scale.

The section of tunnels along Salisbury Road will be built using the cut-and-cover method to avoid possible hazards to adjacent buildings, existing utilities and the MTR Tsuen Wan Line tunnel along Nathan Road.

The cut-and-cover method will be more costly, lengthy and difficult for the KCRC contractor, as compared with bored tunnelling. However, City University confirmed it is the most appropriate method for constructing the tunnels along Salisbury Road to keep inconvenience to the public to a minimum.

Liaison group to hear public views

While the works are in progress, a community liaison group will be formed to collect and hear the views from representatives of local residents and shop operators. A site liaison group will be set up with representatives from the Police, Transport Department and Highways Department to vet and approve the traffic diversion schemes in detail.

KCRC will work closely with the relevant government departments and the other parties concerned to minimise the disturbance that the construction works may cause.

The public may inspect the revisions to the scheme and the relevant plans at the Central & Western, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong district offices, as well as the Kowloon West District Lands Office.

Objections to the revised scheme should reach the Environment, Transport & Works Bureau by March 8.

By kv9033 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/n271/PA220434.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/n271/PA230449.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/n271/PA230458.jpg

Trains from China
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/n271/PA230442.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/n271/PA230463.jpg

there is West Rail for BVE4 is out
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/konkyu/products.html
http://konkyu.hk.st/

^^Yeah I have been playing that for a few days. Pretty realistic.

OH MY GOD!!! BVE WR is out!!!

West Rail Mei Foo Station Wins Top Overseas British Construction Project Award for 2004

Chinese Video (http://webcast.tdctrade.com/041208_02/c_100.htm)
English Video (http://webcast.tdctrade.com/041208_02/c2_100.htm)

Hey MOS stations are actually not too ugly!

These pictures are taken by gakei. www.gakei.com

http://www.gakei.com/mos/heo02.jpg

http://www.gakei.com/mos/stw02.jpg

They are certainly not beautiful but not too ugly either.

THese ones sure is more appealing to the eye than the first stock of pictures..

^ yes i think the first set of pictures were kind of underexposed. But I wish they didn't use those stupid colours.

They look like renovated East Rail stations. The mess of metal above is kind of annoying, but the overall atmosphere is not bad.

Did Gakei get a new camera? His old pictures always had this weird effect about them...they were kind of monotonous.

^obviously he did.

how exactly do you set up BVE. i tried before but i've always messed up. would someone please explain it to me.

Thanks

^what problem are you facing?

cant get the HK routes to work

^did you unzip it into the correct folder? and also, do you have the trains that are required?

if you don't have the train, you'll need to change the train into a train that you have into your computer and that involves opening the BVE line file with notepad and renaming the train.

Riding the Ma On Shan[b] railway by [b]JB9843@271 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/eric_wu2000/161_6166.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/eric_wu2000/161_6172.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/eric_wu2000/161_6175.jpg

They look like renovated East Rail stations. The mess of metal above is kind of annoying, but the overall atmosphere is not bad.

Did Gakei get a new camera? His old pictures always had this weird effect about them...they were kind of monotonous.

i don't know i just don't like the 'emergency' stand thingee that much..
it's the same as those found in east-rail stations.

Very nice pics!

Information signs displaying next train information is available for both the KCR and MTR systems. In fact, many cities use this technology already. London, for example, has this service available on the Underground and also at many bus stops.

http://img149.exs.cx/img149/4895/IMG_2626_1.jpg

13 January 2005
Corporate Press Release
Disruption of West Rail and Light Rail services

KCR West Rail (WR) and Light Rail (LR) services were disrupted this morning in two separate incidents in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun districts respectively.

The tripping of power supply to a train at WR Yuen Long station occurred at 9:29 a.m. and triggered the safety protection mechanism of the power supply system, leading to a temporary isolation of electricity supply for southbound services between Long Ping Station and Tai Lam Tunnel.

The incident train stalled at Yuen Long Station and West Rail services between Tin Shui Wai and Tsuen Wan West stations were disrupted.

Twelve emergency buses were deployed to run between Tsuen Wan West and Tin Shui Wai stations via Kam Sheung Road, Yuen Long and Long Ping stations at five- to ten-minute intervals. A total of about 1,000 passengers were affected.

Emergency repairs were immediately carried out. Normal services started to resume at 10:08 a.m. when the incident train was removed from the site.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the tripping was caused by a short circuit in the pantograph assembly of the train. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) would conduct a detailed investigation into the circuit breaker of the pantograph assembly to find out the cause of the tripping.

In another development, intermittent tripping of the power supply to the Pui To Road area occurred first at 9:15 a.m. and then at 10:30 a.m. The first tripping affected services briefly for 10 minutes and the Corporation initially suspected it was caused by a train fault. The power supply tripped again at 10:30 a.m. and KCRC staff immediately carried out physical inspection of each section of the overhead line system on site in the whole area. The problem was found to be caused by a damage to the insulation of a cable supplying electricity to the overhead line. After emergency repair, normal services resumed at 12:45 p.m.

During the affected period, northbound services of four Light Rail routes – 505 (Sam Shing Terminus – Siu Hong), 507 (Ferry Pier Terminus – Tin King), 751 (Tin Yat – Yau Oi) and 614 (Ferry Pier Terminus – Yuen Long Terminus) were diverted, affecting services at 12 stops in Tuen Mun. A total of about 500 passengers were affected.

Twenty-one feeder buses were deployed to supplement Light Rail services. The buses ran on three routes, namely between On Ting and Siu Hong, Sam Shing Terminus and Leung King and between Sam Shing Terminus and Siu Hong, at six- to eight-minute intervals.

Throughout the two incidents, announcements were continuously made inside stations and on trains to inform passengers of the disruption. Additional staff were deployed at stations to provide assistance to passengers.

Mr W K Tsui, General Manager-West Rail Operations, said the Corporation would conduct a detailed investigation into both incidents.

KCRC apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.

Railway union hopes nearing clarity
Valuing the merged entity and gaining MTR minority shareholders' approval of the deal are key hurdles
Denise Tsang
20 January 2005
South China Morning Post

The prospects of merging Hong Kong's two railway companies will become clear in the second quarter at the latest as the government seeks to overcome a significant hurdle to the deal - putting a value on the merged entity.

Although a joint feasibility study by the MTR Corp and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp was submitted in September last year, it would take until March for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau to finish reviewing the report, sources close to the government said yesterday.

The government also had to plan a merger structure that would be acceptable to 360,000 MTR minority shareholders.

"The primary and biggest hurdle of the merger is working out a reasonable valuation of the KCRC," one source said, as it involves the government selling the wholly owned KCRC to the partially privatised MTR.

"Other issues such as operation of the merged entity, fare levels and employees' rice bowls are not difficult to tackle in comparison."

The decision of MTR minority shareholders will be critical to a successful merger as the government is deemed a connected party under the listing rules and, therefore, not eligible to vote.

A government spokesman said it was still evaluating the merger report pending a decision on whether to go ahead or not. She declined to give a timeframe on the issue.

At a Legislative Council panel meeting tomorrow, Environment, Transport and Works Bureau chief Sarah Liao Sau-tung is due to update legislators on the latest progress of the merger study.

Sources said backing the merger intensely was the bureau, which wanted to accomplish its mission of bringing fares down.

"The transport bureau wants to press ahead with the merger as soon as possible because it wants to materialise a unified fare adjustment regime for public transport and the Sha Tin-Central rail project," one source said.

The merger, first proposed in 2002 when the MTR lost its bid for the Sha Tin-Central rail link to the KCRC, has cast a long shadow over the MTR's privatisation, with the government putting plans to offload a second tranche of shares on hold pending a decision.

According to Legislative Council papers issued earlier this week, discussions on the terms of the merger between the government and the MTR are proceeding.

As well as taking up much of the transport bureau's time, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, headed by Frederick Ma Si-hang, was working with its joint financial advisers, HSBC and Citibank, on the structure of the merger, the sources said.

A recent study by public policy think-tank Civic Exchange estimated that a prerequisite to a commercially viable merger was for the government to write down at least half of KCRC's $60 billion net asset value and grant it property development rights.

In response to concerns that the government may sell the KCRC at a substantial discount to obtain MTR minority shareholders' support, a senior MTR official said last month that the government would not be worse off as a result.

"The government wholly owns the KCRC and owns 76 per cent of the MTR. If it sells the KCRC to the MTR, it is still the biggest shareholder of both companies and it's just a matter of transferring the KCRC from one pocket to another."

Chien: MTR merger talks remain on schedule
Eric Ng in Guangzhou
21 January 2005
South China Morning Post

Talks on the terms of a planned merger between the MTR Corp and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp have seen some progress, according to MTR chairman Raymond Chien Kuo-fung.

When asked at the sidelines of the CEO Forum in Guangzhou yesterday whether the government would make a decision on the merger plan by March when it was due to revealing its 2005-06 budget, Mr Chien said: "I hope so."

It is understood that the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau will have completed by March the review of a joint study on the merger submitted by MTR and KCRC in September.

At the same time, the government is in talks with MTR over the terms of the merger as it expects to inject its wholly owned KCRC into semi-privatised MTR.

"Whatever proposal we end up with, it must balance the interests of the stakeholders, and MTR minority shareholders will have a final say in it," Mr Chien said.

But he added it would be difficult to meet every stakeholder's interests, saying: "If we satisfy every party's needs, there will be very little left for MTR shareholders."

There are conflicting goals within the government, with the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau aiming to bring down fares, while the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau wants to maximise the value of government assets.

Meanwhile, MTR planned to bring in investors to its railway project in Shenzhen to lower risks and share the investment of 6.36 billion yuan, Mr Chien said.

The corporation, which has a "build-operate-transfer" role in the project, is awaiting approval from the central government.

By "ben2004" from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/497852acRUB.JPG

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/497857yKuwH.JPG

http://bus.hkbric.com/2005_01230069.AVI
Audio Recording

Rail line patronage less than half goal
Elaine Wu
24 January 2005
South China Morning Post

It has been one month since the opening of Ma On Shan Rail, but the KCRC still has a long way to go before hitting its projected daily passenger flow by year-end.

The rail operator has recorded an average of 80,000 to 90,000 passengers a day, compared to the target of 190,000 that Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun hopes to achieve by December.

Reaching that goal would bring the rail operator $245 million a year in revenue, more than enough to cover operating expenses of $227 million.

It is unclear how the corporation expects to achieve its target as the new line begins its sixth week in operation.

KCRC spokeswoman Ida Leung said it was considering various promotions to attract passengers, but refused to elaborate.

One previously announced programme is a monthly pass, but a decision on this has been delayed pending a three-month study of passenger patterns.

The Transport Department yesterday cut two bus routes that duplicated the rail service, with more scheduled to be axed.

But Sha Tin district councillors doubt the department's plan to increase the number of rail passengers will succeed.

Encouraging more people to move to the district is another approach to solving the problem. But the first phase of the residential development project atop Wu Kai Sha station will not be completed until 2008.

"It seems the number of passengers has thinned out a bit after the line's initial opening," Sha Tin District Council chairman Wai Kwok-hung said.

"I think it's going to be difficult to reach the 190,000 target."

The rail service has benefited some residents of the district, with commuters who live near the stations now opting to use the line as their link to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Students who previously took buses that meander through towns have also switched to Ma On Shan Rail for a faster, and sometimes cheaper, ride.

Primary Six pupil Ng Chun-to said taking a train saved him $1.80 on each trip to school, as well as up to 10 minutes in travelling time.

For most commuters, the decision on whether to take the train largely depends on their proximity to the station and their destination.

Woo Choi-ling lives above Ma On Shan station but still takes the bus to work in Wong Tai Sin, saving herself the time required to change trains. "It is another choice, but it does not make much of a difference to me," she said.

By "ben2004" from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/4978538c3RX.JPG

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/497855799er.JPG

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/4978545L8GJ.JPG

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/497856hL7Yh.JPG

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/497858KlB1K.JPG

Service Delay by Tong Ng from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/pic/kcrmosr-heo-1.jpg

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/pic/kcrmosr-heo-2.jpg

Not in Service by JB9843@271 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/eric_wu2000/1626285.jpg

By Tony Ng from a Hong Kong transport forum :

Videos - Service Delay

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-4.mpg
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-5.mpg
http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-6.mpg

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-1.jpg

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-2.jpg

http://vvvf.ogakoto.net/kcrwr-sih-fault-3.jpg

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