Page:HKFactSheet Railway 112010.pdf/1



Railways play a vital role in serving the transport needs of Hong Kong. They account for about 35 per cent of domestic public transport and some 61 per cent of the land-based cross-boundary passenger trips. Being high speed off-road mass carriers, railways provide fast, reliable and comfortable services, reduce the pressure on the road network, and avoid many of the environmental problems associated with road traffic. They are therefore the backbone of our public transport network.

Existing Network: The existing railway network in Hong Kong has a total rail length of over 200 kilometres. The Legislative Council passed in June 2007 the Rail Merger Ordinance which provides the legal framework for the post-merger corporation to operate both the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system and Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) system. The post-merger Corporation, i.e. the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has been granted a 50-year franchise to operate the MTR and KCR systems with effect from December 2, 2007. Other fixed track systems include the Tramway and the Peak Tram.

MTR: MTR is a heavily patronized railway network consisting of nine lines, including Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line, Tung Chung Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, Disneyland Resort Line, East Rail Line, Ma On Shan Line and West Rail Line. The East Rail Line was commissioned in 1910. The first passenger train of the Kwun Tong Line started operation in late 1979, followed by the subsequent expansion of the network to include Tsuen Wan Line (1982), Island Line (1985), the Eastern Harbour Crossing connecting Lam Tin to Quarry Bay (1989), Tung Chung Line (1998), Tseung Kwan O Line (2002), West Rail Line (2003), Ma On Shan Line (2004), Disneyland Resort Line (2005), bifurcation of East Rail to boundary crossing at Lok Ma Chau (2007), bifurcation of Tseung Kwan O Line to Lohas Park Station (Jul 2009) and extension of West Rail Line to Hung Hom Station interchanging with East Rail Line (Aug 2009). The total route length is about 175 kilometers with 82 stations. The network carries about 3.6 million passenger trips per day.

Airport Express (AEL): The AEL, which came into service in 1998, provides services to the Hong Kong International Airport and also in-town check-in facilities in some stations. The AEL has a route length of 35.3 kilometres and a maximum speed of 135 kilometres per hour. An average journey between the Airport Station and the Hong Kong Station takes about 24 minutes. In end 2005, the AEL was further extended to an in-venue station in the AsiaWorld-Expo located at the northeast corner of the Airport. The AEL carries about 27 000 passenger trips per day.

Light Rail: Light Rail is a local transportation network which started operation in 1988 to meet the transport needs of the residents in the Northwest New Territories. It now has a route length of about 36 kilometres with 68 stops. It carries about 390 000 passenger trips every day. It has four interchange stations in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, Siu Hong and Tuen Mun to facilitate passenger interchange between the Light Rail and West Rail Line networks.

Tramway and Peak Tram: Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. The tramway operates six routes on 16 kilometres of double track. Its average daily passenger trips are about 230 000. The Peak Tram is a cable-hauled funicular railway running between Central and the Peak. Beginning operation in 1888, it operates at a gradient ranging from 4 to 27 degrees, and is one of the popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong.

Railway Project under implementation: There are two new railway projects under construction, namely, West Island Line (WIL) and the Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).

WIL: The WIL is an extension of the Island Line from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.

XRL: The Hong Kong section of the XRL will run in the form an underground tunnel from the West Kowloon Terminus to Huanggang for connection with the Mainland section. The Government has commenced construction in January 2010 for completion in 2015.

Railway Projects under Planning or Review: To meet the increasing transport needs due to Hong Kong's population growth, continued developments and strengthened links with the Mainland, in a sustainable manner, the Government is proceeding with the implementation of three railway lines: the South Island Line (East), the Kwun Tong Line Extension and the Shatin to Central Link. Besides, the Government is reviewing the South Island Line (West), the Northern Link, the North Hong Kong Island Line and Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line based on their needs and interfaces with other developments. The rail lines mentioned above involve a total investment of over HK$100 billion.

Upon the completion of the various railway projects under the Railway Development Strategy, Hong Kong's railway network will expand to about 300 kilometres. The railway share in the public transport system will be boosted from about 35 per cent now to about 45 per cent.

South Island Line (SIL): The SIL, which comprises the South Island Line (East) (SIL(East)) and the South Island Line (West) (SIL(West)), is a 15-kilometre long medium capacity railway to extend railway service to the Southern District. Passengers can interchange between the SIL(East), Tsuen Wan Line and Island Line at Admiralty Station. The SIL(East) railway scheme was gazetted in July 2009 and the amended scheme was gazetted in June 2010. Construction of the SIL(East) is expected to start in 2011 for completion in 2015.