Hong Kong MTR Subway

[hkskyline]

Since operations began in 1979, the MTR Railway has become one of the most important elements of Hong Kong's transportation network.

With a railway network of 87.7 kilometres route with 50 stations, the MTR carries over 2.3 million passengers a day - one of the most intensively utilized systems in the world.

To meet escalating passenger demands, the Corporation expanded its train fleet from 140 cars in 1979 to 1,050 cars in 2002 (including 88 cars for the Airport Express), 86% of which are in service to meet the daily morning peak demand.

Significant progress has been made with the construction of new lines and associated property developments. The Tseung Kwan O Extension is the newest line to be completed and commenced service in August 2002. Earlier in July 2002, the MTR was awarded both the Penny's Bay Rail Link and the Tung Chung Cable Car projects. Consultation is now in progress on the proposed South Island Line and West Island Line as a railway alternative to the transport needs of the west and south sides of Hong Kong Island.


















Tseung Kwan O Extension Project
Tseung Kwan O Extension (TKE) is the 6th operational line of the MTR Corporation, which serves Tseung Kwan O new town and Yau Tong. The TKE project features 33 major contracts, 13 for the civil works and 20 for the electrical and mechanical works. All construction works have been completed. The line was opened to the public on 18 August 2002 including five stations, namely Yau Tong, Tiu Keng Leng, Tseung Kwan O, Hang Hau and Po Lam as well as the depot in Area 86 together with the improved Quarry Bay and North Point Stations. A further station will be added to the Line at Tseung Kwan O South. Trains operate at the same speed and frequency as the other MTR urban lines (80 km/hr and ultimately 105 seconds headways)

[ailiton]

[ailiton]

PA (public address): (real player is required)

Please stand back from the doors.

Next station: Yau Tong. Interchange station for the Tseung Kwan O line towards North Point.

Next station: Wan Chai. Door will open on the left.

what is the ridership per day

[KOKOLOGIST]

Cool Network.

I looks like a clean version of the NYC MTA subway...specially the trains and the line descriptions like in this one...

[ailiton]

Originally Posted by JBINCALGARY

what is the ridership per day

2.3 million

[Isan]

Originally Posted by ailiton

2.3 million

1/4 of total population???

[ailiton]

Originally Posted by Isan

1/4 of total population???

Too low or too high?

[vincent]

if a person goes to work and goes back home use MTR in both directions, does it count as one or two in the ridership??

[Isan]

I
If figure is to be amazing

[AG]

Originally Posted by vincent

if a person goes to work and goes back home use MTR in both directions, does it count as one or two in the ridership??

It should count as two rides. The number of people who use it shows something, but the ridership numbers are more accurate as to how much it is being used as some people only use it once, or others may use it several times.

[hkskyline]

Tuesday August 3, 4:46 PM
HK's MTR profits surge ten-fold on property sales

HONG KONG, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Hong Kong subway operator MTR Corp said on Tuesday its first-half earnings rose ten-fold, helped by a surge in property sales but a merger with its cross-town counterpart is clouding the outlook.

MTR, which typically derives the bulk of its earnings by developing properties around and above its stations, is merging with suburban rail operator Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. (KCRC). Both firms are controlled by the cash-strapped Hong Kong government, which wants to cut costs by combining the firms.

"We saw a steady recovery in the Hong Kong economy after SARS. A surge in tourism, improvement in the property market and consumer sentiment all impacted positively on MTR's performance," CK Chow, the firm's chief executive, said in a statement.

"Looking into the second half of 2004, we anticipate steady progress in our rail, station and property investment businesses," he added.

MTR made a net profit of HK$1.18 billion (US$151.3 million) in the first six months of 2004 compared with HK$113 million in the first half of 2003, when SARS devastated an already weak economy.

The results topped a forecast of HK$773 million, according to the average four analysts polled by Reuters, due to higher than expected revenue from the firm's property developments.

The firm's earnings from property totalled HK$1.15 billion, a 70 percent jump, largely due to proceeds from developments on the Tung Chung line, which runs from Hong Kong's central business district to the outlying island of Lantau.

In the first half, the number of passengers travelling on the firm's five subway lines rose 12 percent and travellers on the express line to the city's airport rose 32.5 percent from the first half of 2003.

For the full year, analysts expect the firm to make a net profit of HK$3.5 billion, less than 2003's HK$4.45 billion.

The firm proposed a divided of HK$0.14 a share -- the same amount paid in the first half of 2003.

MERGER LOOMS

The cash-strapped Hong Kong government has given the territory's two railway operators until the end of August to come up with a merger plan intended to remove duplication and bolster efficiency.

The rail firms together have assets worth more than US$24 billion. No financial terms have been disclosed but MTR said it will work towards a solution that would win support of its minority shareholders.

KCRC focuses largely on the lower-return railway business and could be saddled with heavy capital demands due to new projects.

"The possible merger with KCRC remains the main risk factor -- we continue to believe a viable option would be for KCRC to be injected into MTRC in stages," J.P Morgan wrote in a client note.

MTR said it is on track to submit the proposal to the government on August 31.

While the merger with KCRC will keep MTR's focus at home, the firm is expanding overseas. That potential growth driver has helped its stock price rise 15 percent in 2004.

The stock is the fifth best performing Hong Kong blue-chip so far this year, beating a two percent slide on the benchmark Hang Seng .

In April, MTR said it had agreed to form a joint venture to build and operate a city railway line in Beijing worth 16 billion yuan (US$1.93 billion). The firm has also won a contract to build and operate a subway line in nearby Shenzhen, China.

(US$=8.28 yuan)

[muchbetter]

[zergcerebrates]

Nice future HK system map.

[raymond_tung88]

does that image of hk's future system map come in a bigger size? It'd be nice to read the names of the different lines with clarity...

xx

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by ailiton

PA (public address): (real player is required)

Please stand back from the doors.

Next station: Yau Tong. Interchange station for the Tseung Kwan O line towards North Point.

Next station: Wan Chai. Door will open on the left.

Oh I love these. They remind me of how much I miss Hong Kong. Where did you get them? Are there any more?

[ignoramus]

Click Here For More MTR Sound Clips

Whoever painstakingly recorded these audio clips from the MTR and uploaded them online for all to hear, THANK YOU! This has got to be the most awesome site that I have ever been to on the MTR. In fact, I think its the only one of its kind in the world! Its cool to finally be able to hear how these MTR announcements sound like, having not been to Hong Kong yet. I have been hearing so many comments on how great these announcements sound. The english announcements have a rather strong Hong Kong accent though. But it just adds to the distinct character of the MTR.

The automated announcements heard on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) & Light Rapid Transit (LRT) Stations & Trains in Singapore are generally very short and simple with a few rare exceptions. Some examples are given below.

North East Line (The Newest MRT Line, Completed In 2003)

1. ''Next Station, HarbourFront Terminal. All Passengers Please Alight At This Station. Please Mind The Gap. Thank You For Travelling With SBS Transit'' (This is the longest one that I have heard so far)

2. ''Next Station, Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. Passengers May Alight & Change To The North South Line'' (Another long one)

3. ''Doors Closing'' (The shortest one)

4. ''Chinatown Station'' (Another short one)

North South Line & East West Line (The Older MRT Lines, In Operation Since The Late 1980s)

1. ''Next Stop, Orchard''

2. ''Next Stop, Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. Passengers Going Towards HarbourFront or Punggol, Please Alight At The Next Stop''

The automated announcements heard in the trains and stations in Singapore are short and simple, but sometimes too short and simple. At some interchange stations, they don't even tell you which lines interchange at the station (There once did, but after a while they removed it, thinking we have all gotten used to changing lines at the station that we do not need it anymore). And also, they don't even tell you which on which side of the train car do the doors open. And everything is in english only because the authorities think that if the messages were broadcast in too many languages it would sound messy to us. (I guess Hong Kong's MTR proved our authorities wrong, that having the announcements in 3 languages/dialects don't mess things up). But apart from all these, the announcements are I guess in perfect english so it makes the entire train system feel that much more modern.

I give the MTR announcements:
5 out of 5 stars for practicality (They have announcements for everything)
5 out of 5 stars for being user friendly (They have announcements in so many dialects and languages, no language barrier here)
4.5 out of 5 stars for how it sounds (Some of the english used sounds wrong)
5 out of 5 stars for how it sounds

[Gareth]

Ignoramus, you are a star. Thankyou!

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by ignoramus

[


I give the MTR announcements:
5 out of 5 stars for practicality (They have announcements for everything)
5 out of 5 stars for being user friendly (They have announcements in so many dialects and languages, no language barrier here)
4.5 out of 5 stars for how it sounds (Some of the english used sounds wrong)
5 out of 5 stars for how it sounds

Ignoramus, I'm British and I found the English announcements when I visted (last Christmas) quite accurate. The accent for English announcements appeared to be more UK than HK. Maybe you're used to American accents.