# HONG KONG | Mass Transit Railway



## rayman

where is those motion video advertising inside the subway cab??


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong schools teach the British standard of English. Some senior government officials today even speak English with a British accent, and their kids get an allowance to study in the UK.

Some subtle differences from (British / American)
- queue up / line up
- lorry / truck
- alight / get off
- chop / stamp (the marking you make for an endorsement)

*Motion Advertising*
There are screens inside the train that show the name of the next stop. However, the MTR doesn't have televisions on board as I recall. I know the KCR has them :


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> The english announcements have a rather strong Hong Kong accent though. But it just adds to the distinct character of the MTR.


Actually, she has a very beautiful and accurate British accent. Notice how she pronounces the "o" in "open". 

Also notice how she pronounces "Admiralty" (a station name) the British way.

Next station: Admiralty. Interchange station for the Tsuen Wan Line.


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## ailiton

The longest announcement on Vancouver's Skytrain:

"The next station is Waterfront. Terminus station."


MTR's announcements used to be longer but they have been shortened and simplified twice in the last 6 years. The current set of announcements is the third generation. (that lovely lady's voice was used in all 3 generations)

Example of how they shortened the announcements:

1st gen 1995-1998(Cantonese + English): 

The next station is Mong Kok. Passengers for stations from Jordan to Central and all stations on the Island Line, please proceed to the opposite platform number 2.

2nd gen 1998-2003(Cantonese + English):

Next station: Mong Kok. Please Change to platform 2 for the Tsuen Wan Line towards Central. 

3rd gen 2003-?(Cantonese + Madarin + English):

Next station: Mong Kok. Interchange station for the Tsuen Wan Line towards Central.


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## EricIsHim

I like the 2nd generation the most. 1st is too long, and 3rd is too short.
But..... for the same amount of time, you need to repeat the same announcements 3 times in 3 different spoken languages; you can't really do anything except shortening the announcements as short as possible.


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## ignoramus

Gareth: Good point. Maybe I am just too used to the American accent in the way words are pronounced. Keeping the fact that a British accent rather than an American accent is used in the pronounciation of words in the MTR's announcements, everything sounds way okay now. BUT, I still have to insist that there is a slight Hong Kong accent evident in the announcements, though not as evident as I had thought of earlier. The British accent in them is still more than the Hong Kong accent.

On the other hand, I noticed that announcements on the KCR are done by another lady. And that lady sounds perfectly British I would say so I can detect no Hong Kong accent in her pronounciation of words.

Both ladies have excellent voices and well ''hot'' voices I might say. Could just imagine how they would look like in person based on their voices. haha.

Singapore has those LCD Screens in its newer trains on the older North South Line & East West Line. These display next station name, end of line station names and advertisements. On the newest North East Line however, there are LCD Screens in all the trains. These display platform and train safety videos, inspirational quotes, advertisements, next station name, end of line station name and perhaps even more that I didn't take notice of.

The difference between those LCD Screens on the KCR and Singapore's MRT is that while those on the KCR are placed with the screens facing the width of the train, the ones in Singapore are parallel to the seats (facing the length of the train car). Those facing the width of the train car in Singapore's MRT are LED Panels, which display date, time, next station name and current station name.

There are Plasma Screens for each platform too (2 per platform for the newest line and 1 per platform for the older lines). They display train arrival times, direction of travel, end station name, safety messages and advertisements.

By the way, what's the difference between the KCR and the MTR other than them being 2 different companies. Is it that the KCR serves the outlying areas whereas the MTR serves the highly built up areas?

And what do you refer to the MTR/KCR train services as a whole. Do you call them the subway or something? I noticed people refer to the train system by the company running the line concerned rather than using a general term.

Hong Kong should have an integrated transport map like Singapore though. For quite a number of years I didn't even know that there was KCR and Light Rail. I thought MTR was everything. The MTR map only shows MTR Lines.
Singapore's MRT/LRT map is found at this address. This is a slightly different map for it shows also lines under construction, usually it doesn't.
Click Here


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> On the other hand, I noticed that announcements on the KCR are done by another lady. And that lady sounds perfectly British I would say so I can detect no Hong Kong accent in her pronounciation of words.


No. Both KCR East + West Rails uses American English in their announcements.
Notice how "form" in "platform" is pronounced. The American pronounce the "r" differently.


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## ignoramus

I just love the way Hong Kong does stuff, especially in the field of rail transportation.

It was the first in Asia I think, to implement the contactless smart card system? (I got a shock when I heard that South Korea has such a system in place since the early 1990s, is it true?)

And the Octopus Card is really useful. It can be used for so many non transit related purposes. (The ezlink Card has been in use in Singapore since 2002 but its use beyond public transportation is still very limited. I like how the Octopus Card has a membership system that rewards you for using it.)

And I think it was the first in Asia or even the world to have televisions on board its buses? (Singapore claims that title as well. But technically I think Hong Kong is first for having a television on board. Singapore is first for having LIVE Digital Televisions on board).

And there are automated announcements on buses? WHAT A SHOCK! Didn't know they could do that.

And trains at interchanges wait for each other right. Nice touch. Think they have this box or some panel that tells the driver to wait if there is another train arriving at the opposite platform.

But I heard complaints that public transportation in Hong Kong is just way to expensive. Like how they might be deciding to switch from some method of charging passengers to using a distance based system instead.

Its fun comparing the MTR, KCR and the MRT. The systems are quite similar so its easy to compare and yet distinctly different. In being different, I can just see what I am missing out on.


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## ignoramus

ailiton: You get what I mean. The main point is that KCR announcements don't contain any Hong Kong accent in them. And, I don't really take the time to bother between what is British and American. It is only when there is a conflict between the two then I realize ''Oh, that sounds different''.


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> I just love the way Hong Kong does stuff, especially in the field of rail transportation.
> 
> It was the first in Asia I think, to implement the contactless smart card system? (I got a shock when I heard that South Korea has such a system in place since the early 1990s, is it true?)
> 
> And the Octopus Card is really useful. It can be used for so many non transit related purposes. (The ezlink Card has been in use in Singapore since 2002 but its use beyond public transportation is still very limited. I like how the Octopus Card has a membership system that rewards you for using it.)
> 
> And I think it was the first in Asia or even the world to have televisions on board its buses? (Singapore claims that title as well. But technically I think Hong Kong is first for having a television on board. Singapore is first for having LIVE Digital Televisions on board).
> 
> And there are automated announcements on buses? WHAT A SHOCK! Didn't know they could do that.
> 
> And trains at interchanges wait for each other right. Nice touch. Think they have this box or some panel that tells the driver to wait if there is another train arriving at the opposite platform.
> 
> But I heard complaints that public transportation in Hong Kong is just way to expensive. Like how they might be deciding to switch from some method of charging passengers to using a distance based system instead.
> 
> Its fun comparing the MTR, KCR and the MRT. The systems are quite similar so its easy to compare and yet distinctly different. In being different, I can just see what I am missing out on.



I was in Korea last month and I don't think they have the smart card system.
I believe HK is the first to implement the smart card system (1997).

Where did you find out those info about MTR?

And yes, I think MTR is very similar to MRT. They are two of the very best in the world (in terms of quality).


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## ailiton

I've seen the MTR lady. She is very pretty indeed!

Her English really doesn't contain any HK accent. I know both the British and American accents quite well and I can say that her English is more British than a typical British's.

Which words do you think are containing HK accent?

Personally, I hate the East Rail announcements coz that lady (English) has a low voice.

Subway = MTR

I'll leave the bus thing to hkskyline.


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## ignoramus

ailiton: Really? I distinctly remember watching a South Korean television drama episode where the actor, who has no money, pretends to tap his wallet on the reader but is found out by the bus driver that he has no contactless smart card on him. I think you could really try to search on the internet for information on South Korea's smart card system. I think it's a really old system so I guess Hong Kong is technically first in terms of implementing an all new smart card system? All this are guesses. I don't know. haha.

What info on the MTR are you referring to. I get most of my info from friends and the good old World Wide Web.

So far, my impression of the Hong Kong MTR has been great. Being in operation since 1979, they have a lot of experience in everything.


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## ignoramus

Oh never mind let's just forget that accent issue thingy. Maybe its just me... haha.

Sometimes they don't use prerecorded announcements so the announcements are by the drivers. They DEFINITELY HAVE THAT HONG KONG ACCENT. And sometimes they rush through the words and mispronounce.


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## ailiton

Are you talking about Seoul's system? Their fare gates only take paper tickets. And their system look surprisingly Japanese.

How is the transfering procedure done in MRT? (never been there before)

Where are the plasmas on the platforms placed?


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> Oh never mind let's just forget that accent issue thingy. Maybe its just me... haha.
> 
> Sometimes they don't use prerecorded announcements so the announcements are by the drivers. They DEFINITELY HAVE THAT HONG KONG ACCENT. And sometimes they rush through the words and mispronounce.


Yes. The drivers' English suck. Some of them don't even know the English names of stations (like Prince Edward and Admiralty).


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## ignoramus

Weird. When I was listening to the MTR recordings last night, I could distinctly remember hearing a Hong Kong accent in them. Then again, it could just be me being too overly critical. After all, yesterday was the first time I heard these announcements and I guess I found them weird as I was expecting something different. Never mind. They sound British to me now. hehe. Weird.


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## ignoramus

*What transferring procedure?*
There is an actual procedure involved when transferring? Singapore MRT & LRT Lines are run by two companies, that being ''SBS Transit'' and ''SMRT'', with SBS Transit running the newest fully automated driverless subway line. When transferring between the North East Line (SBS Transit) and the North South Line (SMRT) at the Dhoby Ghaut Interchange Station, I just transfer. No tapping of contactless smart card involved. Because its an old station integrating with a new station, there is a long walk involved (There's a travellator though) BUT other than that you just walk to your other line within the paid premises in the underground station.


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## ailiton

How about City Hall and Raffles Place?

Where can I find new photos of the MRT?


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## ignoramus

The Plasma Screens are located where your LED Screens in Hong Kong are. Its just that on the newer lines, somehow the company is richer as to provide for two Plasma screens on Each Platform, so passengers can always see what's on the screens at both ends of the platform. They are spread out evenly and nicely.

But on the older lines, only 1 per platform is provided. Weird. Though in some stations the screen are in the middle of the platform and you can see the screens fairly clearly, in some stations the screens are too far to the left or to the right. The passenger who is furtherest from the screen can't see much at all.
An illustration:
==== denotes the platform.
P denotes the Plasma Screen.

============================P======================== (Some stations)

==============P=====================================
(Some weird stations)

On the newest line however.
=================P====================P==============


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## ignoramus

At City Hall & Raffles Place Stations, you just have to cross the platform because the lines were meant to integrate right from the start as they were constructed together. At Dhoby Ghaut, the North East Line was a new line and as such as to be fitted weirdly into the existing station.

Government Website: LTA
Company Website: SBS Transit
SMRT
Subway Fan's Website: UrbanRail (The information is a little inaccurate)


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## City of Life

The official website of Hong Kong's Octopus Card
http://www.octopus.com.hk/eng


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> What's a Hong Konger doing in Vancouver? Are you on permenent residency in Vancouver, business, or university education...
> 
> .


Hong Kongers are very common in Vancouver. I see more Cantonese there than whites. Take Richmond for example its basically a haven for Chinese. I was at this mall a few years back in Richmond and everybody was Chinese I went up to the Dairy Queen to buy a drink and I ordered in Cantonese, it was so cool felt like in HK.


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## zergcerebrates

"The Octopus card can be widely used in over 253 different organisations covering public transport, parking, retail, self services outlets, conferences and exhibitions, recreational facilities, school campuses and access control."

Dang. Its like a card for everything. I thought its mainly for mass transportation and some vending machines.


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## zergcerebrates

A question about the Octopus watch.

I thought they don't make those anymore until I visited the website. Anyways is the octopus watch the same as the card? Can I keep adding value into it, or is it a one time thing only?


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## EricIsHim

ignoramus said:


> EricIsHim: Okay I still don't really get how they charge passengers on the bus. Why do you have to pay the full fare from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 if you only ride from Terminal 1 to Bus Stop 2. And Why do you pay less from Bus Stop 2 to Bus Stop 4 even though it is the same distance? This is distance based?
> 
> For Singapore, fares are charged on the bus and the MRT & LRT based on how far you travel a.k.a. distance based. As in, every route that a bus takes is broken up into maybe 30 or more fare stages. Each stage that you travel through costs a certain amount. So if you travel from stage 11 to stage 28, you will be charged the amount from stage 11 to 28.
> 
> All buses in HK have that announcement and display thinggy? That's pretty neat.


I did a really bad job on the explanation..... hahahah
I was falling in sleep when I was typing the thing.
Thanks for hkskyline to clear everything up. :hammer: 

BTW, not all buses in HK had the stop announcement system.
I would say the majority don't. You can find it more often in Kowloon / The New Territories than in Hong Kong Island; because KMB has been more concerned about this kind of improvement than NWFB or Citybus. But all airport shuttles are installed with the stop announciement system for tourists.

But for on board LCD TV, most of the buses have been installed. These TV play more commercial than information. Bus companies make money out for them. That's why installing TV has been more active.


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## EricIsHim

zergcerebrates said:


> A question about the Octopus watch.
> 
> I thought they don't make those anymore until I visited the website. Anyways is the octopus watch the same as the card? Can I keep adding value into it, or is it a one time thing only?


These watches work like cards. They can be refilled at anytime.
Unlike Octopus cards, Octopus cannot be refilled at vending machine by yourself.


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## hkskyline

The Octopus watch works the same way as a regular card. The chip is embeded inside and it can be reloaded. There are even Octopus phone covers now. Check out the website : 
http://www.octopuscards.com/eng/whatis/other.jsp


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## Dennis

thank u guys for posting those sound fragments, so strange to hear those again  :'(

i wanna go baaack! :'(


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## Isan

*Tung Chung Station*




































*Kowloon Station*


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## zergcerebrates

hkskyline said:


> The Octopus watch works the same way as a regular card. The chip is embeded inside and it can be reloaded. There are even Octopus phone covers now. Check out the website :
> http://www.octopuscards.com/eng/whatis/other.jsp



Its good to know they make octopus on phone covers too, but I doubt anyone would want to buy those covers now. Those Nokia phones are quite dated already, I doubt anyone in HK would still buy those. They should sell the chip itself so we can put it into the phone ourselves, thin enough to fit in most covers.


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## Dennis

anyone knows where i can find more sounds?


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## ailiton

Kwun Tong Line 

Tsuen Wan Line 

Island Line 

Tung Chung Line 

Tseung Kwan O Line 

Airport Express


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## VAN-TO

*MTR - Clean & Efficient*

The MTR has got to be one of the world's cleanest subway systems. Stations like Sham Shui Po sometimes get a little foul smell (I guess it's sewege), but otherwise everything is top of its class. 

I was shocked when I moved to Toronto, that the subways were falling apart, & fares were still collected by the booth. 

Ever since moving to Toronto, I have to drive 10x more per week than in HK. :sleepy:


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## Syd-Hk

yeah HK transport is very clean and efficent, esp because of the SARS virus in 2003 everything was cleaner to prevent further spread of virus!

-also HK don't rely on cars as much because of effficent bus system , in western countries like USA, UK and australia car ownership and mileage is much higher than HK. hehe.. sydney's train system is worse than toronto's believe me.


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## Dennis

@ailiton

Thanx!


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## vincent

zergcerebrates said:


> "The Octopus card can be widely used in over 253 different organisations covering public transport, parking, retail, self services outlets, conferences and exhibitions, recreational facilities, school campuses and access control."
> 
> Dang. Its like a card for everything. I thought its mainly for mass transportation and some vending machines.


another advantage of Octopus card is that you can add values to the card in basically ANYWHERE. For example, if you are ordering stuff from McDonnalds, after u pay for the food (using Octopus or cash), you can just ask the cashier to add the values that you want to the Octopus card (you got to give cashier the money of course). You can do the same thing in some of the other large-chain fast food restaurants also. The same can be done in shops like 7-11, OK......and apparently you can do it in MTR stations. These "add-value locations" form a VERY VERY extensive network all around HK.

they use octopus card to take attendence in school too.


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## vincent

From EricIsHim:
"Second, and last, is the most technically advanced. GPS is used to determine the bus location in order to switch the display and play the announcement. KMB, the largest bus company in Hong Kong, has been testing using GPS on Rt. 1A, which runs between Shau Mau Ping and Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry, for more accurate real-time information including provides expected waiting time, location of the nearest bus etc. at the bus stops along the route. However, due to the skycrapers density in Hong Kong, GPS singal is often blocked or making a time-delay problem. Consequently, real-time information cannot be provided accurately."


i heard about this plan for so long already. So are they going to expand the system to other bus line too?? or is the difficulties faced make the plan dead already??


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## vincent

Express buses in nyc is US$4 i believe. But it is only express in the highway portion. Not really an "express". So i don't think the HK fare is expensive.


Dennis, i read a news saying Octopus HK Ltd. is helping out Netherland to do the same thing there (a team of staff has been sent there). So you will be able to use hk technology in your home soon. 
not sure how much Octopus HK will be paid? 



Octopus card can be a funny scene in subway stations around HK, because i have seen tourists using the magnetic fare card to sweep through the Octopus card sensor (the yellow box) on the turnstiles, and of course that doesn't work. They keep trying when they see everybody just do the same thing to get through. I don't know why they did finally though. 


and does anyone know what other cities other than Seoul, hk, singapore, taipei are using the octopus technology in transportation system?
and are hk and singapore the only cities in the world that has lcd on buses?


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## ignoramus

vincent said:


> Express buses in nyc is US$4 i believe. But it is only express in the highway portion. Not really an "express". So i don't think the HK fare is expensive.
> 
> 
> Dennis, i read a news saying Octopus HK Ltd. is helping out Netherland to do the same thing there (a team of staff has been sent there). So you will be able to use hk technology in your home soon.
> not sure how much Octopus HK will be paid?
> 
> 
> 
> Octopus card can be a funny scene in subway stations around HK, because i have seen tourists using the magnetic fare card to sweep through the Octopus card sensor (the yellow box) on the turnstiles, and of course that doesn't work. They keep trying when they see everybody just do the same thing to get through. I don't know why they did finally though.
> 
> 
> and does anyone know what other cities other than Seoul, hk, singapore, taipei are using the octopus technology in transportation system?
> and are hk and singapore the only cities in the world that has lcd on buses?


The recently completed Delhi Metro Rail in New Delhi, India also uses the contactless smart card technology in its rail operations. However,
- A contactless smart card is used for multiple rides. The card is tapped on the [email protected] fare gate when entering or leaving the system. Whereas,
- A contactless smart token is used for single trips. The token is tapped on the [email protected] fare gate when entering but must be deposited into a [email protected] the fare gate when leaving the system.

Singapore's MRT & LRT network is completely dependent on the contactless smart card technology for both single trip and multiple ride tickets.

Hong Kong's MTR & KCR network is dependent on the contactless smart card technology for multiple ride tickets but is reliant on magnetic tickets for single trips.

Not sure if only Singapore's MRT, LRT & bus network and Hong Kong's KCR & bus network have LCD Screens in them.

But the LCD Screens in Hong Kong's KCR trains, buses and Singapore's MRT & LRT display only recorded commercials. The LCD Screens that have been installed on Singapore's buses however broadcast both Live & Digital News, Entertainment, Sports programmes and others. This is known in Singapore as ''TVmobile''.


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## ignoramus

Oh I almost forgot...

The contactless smart card technology is also being used in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This card is known as ''Touch N Go''.

However, it is used primarily for Toll Charges on the nation's highways. Recently, they installed Touch N Go readers at 3 stations in KL's StarLine LRT system & in all stations in KL's PutraLine LRT system. The other stations in the StarLine LRT system as well as the stations in the KL Monorail network do not have the readers installed though as this is only a trial. Thus, if you enter the LRT system from a Touch N Go enabled station and if you plan to exit the system at a NON TOUCH N GO Station, you CANT!

Anyways this mode of payment is only on a trial basis and is NOT the main mode of payment on KL's public transportation network unlike in Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore. They still use magnetic tickets, one type each for each of the 3 LRT/Monorail systems in KL.


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## huaiwei

ignoramus said:


> Use the printer to print the info online at the ezlink site.......Though its brief, it at least allows you to know how much you spent...


 Well...actually I didnt even know that there is an online option to check my transactions now. At least I learn something new from you today. Thanks!


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> CANTONESE SOUNDS GREAT IN WHATEVER WAY..I like it, too bad I don't speak it...
> 
> I really like the cantonese announcements on MTR....I am starting to like the english ones too...
> 
> I dont like the chinese ones. reminds me of the voice of the audio tape that is played during my chinese language listening comprehension paper.



Actually Mandarin is not bad, it sounds more smooth than Cantonese. Did you know that besides English and Cantonese MTR also announces in Mandarin?


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## huaiwei

zergcerebrates said:


> Actually Mandarin is not bad, it sounds more smooth than Cantonese. Did you know that besides English and Cantonese MTR also announces in Mandarin?


 Think I saw that being discussed early on in this thread? Heard the audio clip too.


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## xePh3roK

zergcerebrates said:


> Actually Mandarin is not bad, it sounds more smooth than Cantonese. Did you know that besides English and Cantonese MTR also announces in Mandarin?


I don't like Mandarin... it's sounds so weird -.-


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## zergcerebrates

xePh3roK said:


> I don't like Mandarin... it's sounds so weird -.-



Its sounds classy :lol:


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## ignoramus

I always thought only cantonese sounds classy out of all the chinese dialects...


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## huaiwei

zergcerebrates said:


> Its sounds classy :lol:


 Agreed...provided you dont speak it with that "slurry" tone so common amongst some speakers! 

I liked the Mandarin pronounciation in the MTR trains....the way Mandarin should sound like?  Ironically, I find the Taiwanese have the most pleasant sounding accent for Mandarin!


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## ignoramus

Agree...T


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## huaiwei

ignoramus said:


> I always thought only cantonese sounds classy out of all the chinese dialects...


 I am probably anti non-Mandarin dialects, so maybe that is why I find all of them not up to mark compared to Mandarin, including my own native Hokkien? 

Its all about individual tastes, obviously.


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## ignoramus

Agree...The Shanghaiese (how do you spell it) too...

Beijing people have a very different accent...totally different from that used in Singapore, Taiwan etc so its hard to understand it if you are from these places....


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> I always thought only cantonese sounds classy out of all the chinese dialects...



Well I've asked my white friends here in the States about which sounds better Cantonese, or Mandarin. They told me that Cantonese sounds like someone is arguing and its quite harsh and that Cantonese speakers always prolong the last sounds like Aiyaaaaa or Aiyooooo, Neee, laaaaaa, or loooohhh. They said Mandarin sounds very comfortable and pleasing to the ears and sounds polite.


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> Agree...The Shanghaiese (how do you spell it) too...
> 
> Beijing people have a very different accent...totally different from that used in Singapore, Taiwan etc so its hard to understand it if you are from these places....



On the contrary I like Shanghainese. Its sounds great, I don't understand any of it but to me it sounds awesome very cheery and joyful dialect.


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## xePh3roK

zergcerebrates said:


> They said Mandarin sounds very comfortable and pleasing to the ears and sounds polite.


:laugh:
are they from HK or from Mainland?


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## zergcerebrates

xePh3roK said:


> :laugh:
> are they from HK or from Mainland?



They are white, so they are Americans :hahaha:


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## ignoramus

Just curious, why is an American like yourself visiting the Asian forums so often...


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## ignoramus

So you're from LA? Where's Guam anyways...

LA's a FUNKY FUNKY PLACE...


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> Just curious, why is an American like yourself visiting the Asian forums so often...


My parents are from Hong Kong, and I was born in Guam and currently living in Los Angeles. Guam is a territory of the USA its located near the Northern Mariana Islands its in the Pacific. Guam is 2.5 hrs away from Philipines and two hrs south of Taiwan and 4hrs from Hong Kong and Japan. Between the Island of Guam and Saipan theres an island called Tinian and that is where the US loads its atomic bomb from to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima.


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## szehoong

zergcerebrates said:


> Well I've asked my white friends here in the States about which sounds better Cantonese, or Mandarin. They told me that Cantonese sounds like someone is arguing and its quite harsh and that Cantonese speakers always prolong the last sounds like Aiyaaaaa or Aiyooooo, Neee, laaaaaa, or loooohhh. They said Mandarin sounds very comfortable and pleasing to the ears and sounds polite.



hmmm......yea...Cantonese can sound harsh but wait till you hear Hokkien or Hainanese! 

Anyway the last sound thingy which are prolonged are the trademark of Hong Kongers. Yea......I could safely said that as I've known non-Cantonese speakers and they too noticed that. I am a Malaysian Cantonese and I noticed that mainland Cantonese too do not prolonged the last sound like HKers does 

Mandarin sounds polite to English speakers as Mandarin have similar tones to English and has only 4 - same as English while Cantonese had 9!


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## xePh3roK

ailiton said:


> Kwun Tong Line
> 
> Tsuen Wan Line
> 
> Island Line
> 
> Tung Chung Line
> 
> Tseung Kwan O Line
> 
> Airport Express



hey do you have announces from KCR trains too?


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## ailiton

KCR West Rail

KCR East Rail

KCR Light Rail 

MTR Airport Express 

MTR Platform Announcements


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## xePh3roK

To meet the growing demand for domestic and cross-boundary passenger rail services, KCRC is moving ahead with three East Rail Extension lines - Ma On Shan Rail , Tsim Sha Tsui Extension and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. 

The three extensions are crucial to the further development of East Rail as the north-south strategic railway corridor in Hong Kong, complemented by West Rail as the east-west corridor.

On 26 May 2000, the Finance Committee announced the approval of a HK$8 billion equity injection from the Government to Ma On Shan and Tsim Sha Tsui Extensions. The combined capital cost of these three projects at money of the day is HK$27.5 billion.

Ma On Shan Rail and the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension are due for completion by 2004, while the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is targeted for completion in 2007.


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## HK Boy

and the railway overall in plan (excluding light rail)


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong Station*

Source : http://www.pbase.com/alex1030/hong_kong_station


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## bs_lover_boy

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


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## thyrdrail

I'm not crazy about some of the stations' color schemes. I mean, lime green? And bright yellow? Bleeecht.


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## Syd-Hk

the color sheme is supposed to match the line colour...


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/jonathanwg/mtr


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong KCR Suburban Railway*

*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.










*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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## Nick in Atlanta

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?


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## hkskyline

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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## Syd-Hk

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


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## zergcerebrates

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.


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## ailiton

zergcerebrates said:


> 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.


----------



## xePh3roK

zergcerebrates said:


> 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.


----------



## hkskyline

These construction photos are not very recent :


----------



## zergcerebrates

When is this project going to be completed?


----------



## Nick in Atlanta

hkskyline said:


> 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?


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## hkskyline

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.


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## Syd-Hk

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


----------



## Nick in Atlanta

Syd-Hk said:


> 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:


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## hkskyline

* 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 :








http://inews.i-cable.com/mynews/asx/2004/10/12/kcr2200-b.asx


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## ignoramus

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...


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## Syd-Hk

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


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## hkskyline

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


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## ignoramus

Thanks!!!!!!


----------



## hkskyline

Copyright 2004 South China Morning Post Ltd. 
October 8, 2004 

*Two more mechanical malfunctions hit a red-faced MTR Corp*
Benjamin Wong

The MTR, already under fire from the transport chief for "intolerably frequent" mishaps, was hit by two more mechanical problems yesterday.

The incidents, a power failure and a door that wouldn't close, occurred within half an hour of each other before the morning rush hour. They came a day after a brake seizure sent smoke pouring from a train - the second such problem in 18 days.

The first of yesterday's mishaps occurred at 7.04am, when a power interruption between Diamond Hill and Kowloon Tong halted trains at Wong Tai Sin and Choi Hung stations.

Passengers had to wait in the trains for about four minutes while the MTR fixed the problem. Backup electricity supplies kept the trains lit and ventilated, although the lights were dimmed.

The electricity supplier to Kowloon and New Territories, CLP Power, said there had been no problems with its supplies on the affected section.

In the second incident, at 7.30am, passengers were transferred from a train at Causeway Bay station after one of its doors would not close. The faulty train returned to the MTR depot for inspection. Services were disrupted for a few minutes.

"We looked into the incidents and one important thing was that they did not affect safety," said the MTR Corporation's external affairs manager, Maggie So Man-kit.

The company apologised for its latest problems and vowed to conduct thorough investigations.

The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said it would study the reports and hoped the MTR would identify the causes of the problems and fix them.

"It was lucky that the incidents happened very early, before the rush hour ... at 8am or 9am, many more people would be affected," a spokeswoman said.

On Wednesday, about 1,000 commuters had to be evacuated from a train on the Tung Chung line at Nam Cheong after a brake failed to release and started smoking.

In a similar incident at Tsing Yi station on September 18, 600 passengers were evacuated when choking fumes poured into one of the cars. The fumes were traced back to a malfunctioning brake system.

That incident prompted criticism by Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung, who said a repeat would be unacceptable.


----------



## aznichiro115

bs_lover_boy said:


> 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



where is the kwun tong line extension going to whampoa?


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## xePh3roK

aznichiro115 said:


> where is the kwun tong line extension going to whampoa?


there is no any project for the Kwun Tong Line


----------



## hkskyline

*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.


----------



## hkskyline

*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.


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## aznichiro115

third line down 2010 kwun tong extension????

would the person who posted that plz explain?


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## ailiton

Yes. Kwun Tong Line MIGHT be extended to Whampoa or even to Fortress Hill.


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## hkskyline

Copyright 2004 South China Morning Post Ltd. 
October 14, 2004 

*UK rail expert to investigate MTR failings; Transport chief demands an immediate response after yet another breakdown*
Felix Lo

The MTR Corporation yesterday appointed a UK-based rail expert to conduct a thorough review of the company and its services after a series of mishaps affecting its rail network in recent weeks - including a short circuit that immobilised a train yesterday.

One passenger was treated for smoke inhalation after the incident at Quarry Bay station, which forced 1,500 passengers to change trains and delayed services by 19 minutes.

The MTR Corp's chief executive officer, Chow Chung-kong, denied the appointment of Lloyd's Register Rail to conduct the review was due to government pressure. He said this despite an order to the corporation by Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sao-tung that it respond immediately to the government about yesterday's incident. 

"The review will start immediately and take about three months to complete," Mr Chow said after apologising to the public at a hastily convened news conference.

"It covers the service performance aspect, facilities and asset management," he said, adding that a report would be submitted to the government.

MTRC head of operations Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man said an electrical fault on the train caused the supply to be switched off at 8.16am. About 1,500 people had to alight. Normal service resumed at 8.35am.

Some passengers said they heard a loud bang and saw smoke billow onto the platform. Mr Lau denied there had been an explosion. He said the noise was caused by the cut to power and that some sparks had generated smoke.

One passenger said there had been no information broadcast through the public address system to keep people informed.

"Seeing firemen going into the paid area and those inside already unfurling the hose, I still heard no broadcasts about what happened. Why did they not broadcast something?" he asked.

There have been a number of problems on MTR trains in the past month, although the company says they are unrelated.

Mr Chow argued that the average number of monthly service delays actually dropped from 26 cases in 2003 to 18 in 2004, stressing that the service had in fact improved.

Phil Gaffney, MTRC managing director in charge of operations and business development, denied the problems had been caused by overloading at peak times.

Ms Liao, welcoming the appointment of the rail expert, said: "I think it is very timely in view of the recent spate of events. It is very important that we do look for professional help to see whether there are any systemic reasons for such incidents and look for solutions."

The chairman of Legco's transport panel, Lau Kong-wah, called on the government to set up an independent committee to investigate. He said incidents involving smoke were intolerable as they frightened passengers.


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## hkskyline

Taken on Oct. 16th by *mario* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

*Tsim Sha Tsui Extension*










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.









[































































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.










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


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## bs_lover_boy

This is a Reply for



aznichiro115 said:


> third line down 2010 kwun tong extension????
> 
> would the person who posted that plz explain?


 and information for related questions.

The Kwun Tong line Extension is an extension of the Kwun Tong line from Yau Ma Tei Station to the south which will contain 2 new stations (Ho Man Tin and Whampoa) The line is an alternative to the Underground Light rail which connects Whampoa with Hung Hom Station and it is currently under consideration of the Government. Originally, in the MTR's bid for the Shatin-Central Link, The MTR also offered to extend the KTL (Kwun Tong Line) to Whampoa and make an interchange station between the two lines at a new station called Ho Man Tin. This only happens if the MTR wins the bid. But, the KCRC won the Contract for the Shatin-Central Link. After winning the bid, KCRC immediately announced that they will also incorporate the Underground Light rail (As mentioned above) which includes 2 stations (Whampoa and Man Yue Street). Around Half a year later, the MTR submitted a proposal to the Government of HK that they are interested in building a extension of the KTL to Whampoa. The reason behind this is because the MTR knows that for the future plan of railway developments, there will be a need for a 5th harbour crossing for rail between the Kowloon penninsula and Fortress Hill of Hong Kong Island and with the KCRC threatening to compete with the monopoly that the MTR has over the Victoria Harbour, there is a need to first place a railway line near the coast which later when there is a need for the 5th harbour crossing to be built, the MTR will have to bid with the KCRC for this project. 
The government looked at the two options and decided that this shall be considered as a seperate project. So, the government invited the 2 railway companies to submit a bid for the project. Currently, because of a possible merger between the MTRC and the KCRC, the Government has halted the bidding process of this line/extension because it will interfere with the merger of the two compaines. So, more details of railway construction in the Whampoa area will be known after the result of the merger of the two railway companies.

Hope this will make people understand more about the current situation of Hong Kong's Railway network.

P.S. The reason why I replied so late is because I was trying to find the PDF file on the Environment, Transportation & Works Bureau's website, but apparently, because the bidding is paused, the link to the file has been deleted.


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## aznichiro115

well im from hong kong myself i just dount live there i go to school in the US and going to hong kong during the summer and sometimes the winter

for people how have been to hong kong do you like MTR or KCR more?


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## ignoramus

Will there still be a merger of the KCRC & the MTRC? Have there been any new developments?

Why are Hong Kong's trains powered by overhead pantographs? Aren't these more vulnerable to being damaged by the strong winds of passing typhoons? as well as being an eyesore?


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## ignoramus

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...


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## ailiton

Photos from gakei's website

www.gakei.com


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## Isan

Thanks ailiton and superchan 7

I was made up this line of KCR to MTR  
Rolling stock is using of Korea or Japan ??
Pretty charming 



>


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## hkskyline

Photos by *ATE 4* from a Hong Kong transport forum :

*East Tsim Sha Tsui Station*


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## hkskyline

There are more photos of the new East Tsim Sha Tsui station in this usbsection's KCR thread.


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## ignoramus

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...


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## hkskyline

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


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## ailiton

New set of East Rail announcements:

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

The voice of the Madarin lady sounds extremely annoying.


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## zergcerebrates

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


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## hkskyline

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.


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## superchan7

The rolling stock is from Kinki Sharyo. My favourite feature is the hidden wheels. The trains are very quiet from outside.


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## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> 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.


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## zergcerebrates

They are from Japan and this designed is only for KCR


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## Isan

Same where some route in Japan, JR applied


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## ignoramus

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...


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## superchan7

First class fare is double.


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## ailiton

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


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## ignoramus

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


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> 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.


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## Syd-Hk

ignoramus said:


> 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.


----------



## hkskyline

* No penalties for MTRC over service delays*
Michael Ng, HK Standard

The government has no plan as yet to impose penalties on the MTR Corporation (MTRC) following a spate of disruptions in recent weeks, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said.

In a Legislative Council question-and-answer session on Wednesday, Democrat lawmaker Andrew Cheng said the MTRC's performance had dropped to a "very unacceptable'' level with the total for train service suspensions reaching 1,160 minutes in the past three months.

"I think the government must consider introducing a new service evaluation mechanism, rather than only relying on the 99.5 per cent train service accuracy rate as their sole standard to evaluate MTRC's performance,'' he said. "The present mechanism can not reflect the facts [of their train service] as we need to assess their fault rate.''

Pro-government lawmaker Lau Kong-wah, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) said Liao should apply powers she has, under the Mass Transit Railway Ordinance, and advise Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and the Executive Council to impose penalties on the MTRC for poor performance.

Liao conceded that 1,160 minutes of suspensions was a significant figure and reflected "abnormal conditions''. However, she gave no direct response on whether the government planned to penalise the operator.

She said it was better to focus on safety and to order the operator to conduct immediate measures to satisfy service standards.

"That's why we immediately suggested that the MTRC invite overseas experts to thoroughly investigate the matter,'' she said. "I believe that even if we impose our maximum penalty and cancel their franchise rights, such a passive method would not be the means that citizens want us to take.''

DAB lawmaker Tam Yiu-chung suggested the government hire more professionals for the Railway Inspectorate and Transport Department, to ensure better monitoring of the rail system. But his call was rejected by Liao.

"I believe the MTRC and Kowloon-Canton Railway have employed the largest group of rail professionals among their counterparts in Asia, so it would be unrealistic for us to expand our department into the same size to carry out monitoring,'' she said.

In the past five years, the MTRC has spent HK$2 billion on maintenance and upgrades, including replacing its automated train control system, refitting trains, installing platform screen doors and other station improvements.

21 October 2004 / 01:41 AM


----------



## Poryaa

colorful cars!


----------



## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> 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?


----------



## zergcerebrates

ignoramus said:


> 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.


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## superchan7

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.


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## ailiton

TCL is using 8 cars la!


----------



## ignoramus

zergcerebrates said:


> 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?


----------



## ignoramus

zergcerebrates said:


> 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  of one of the announcements is available on the ''Singapore's MRT & LRT''  thread.


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## ignoramus

That KCR train car with only 1 door visible. Is that a first class car? Why is there only 1 door visible?


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## HKT

[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 East Tsim Sha Tsui.rmvb




































Enjoy and cheers~ :cheers: 

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


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## ignoramus

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


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## aznichiro115

First class has 4 doors 2 on each side but they only use on of the doors on the platform side because the capacity in the first class car is way less the the normal ones


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## ignoramus

I was watching this TVB news video clip and the authorities were like telling passengers not to open the windows just because you see smoke.

Why?

And why do the trains come with windows that can be opened? I thought most new subway systems/lines have done away with windows that can be opened since the train car is now all air conditioned?

Thanks.


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## hkskyline

If there is smoke coming out of the train, say from the bottom, then the tunnel will be full of smoke and opening the windows will be much worse. It is highly unlikely that a fire can start inside the train, since the materials used to build the features are usually fire-resistant. The chairs are made of metal, for example. Fires from faulty brakes or an electrical malfunction are more likely.


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## ignoramus

Oh okay. Then why are windows installed? Thanks.


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## superchan7

Probably for ventilation in case the train's electric systems break down.

Oh, and anyone know why the PSD retrofit project uses Kaba doors, but all brand-new stations (and North Point's new platform) use some other kind of door?

The Kaba doors look much better...


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## hkskyline

Kowloon Station is on the Tung Chung and Airport Express lines. Located next to Sorrento and Harbourside, development on top of and around this station will include the new Union Square skyscraper.

_From a Hong Kong transport forum : _


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## hkskyline

Refurbished Old :









*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.










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


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## hkskyline

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



















Notice the Ma On Shan line is already displayed in red. That line should open later this year.


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## hkskyline

*MTR's Consultancy Services*

*Introduction*
Apart from building and operating railways in Hong Kong, MTR has actively developed consultancy businesses in many cities around the world by making use of its expertise in the planning, construction, operation, maintenance and up-grading of railways plus property development and non-fare revenue activities. During 2002, MTR has undertaken consultancy services in a number of locations, including China, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, India and United Kingdom, etc.

*Shanghai Projects*
In 2002, MTR established a joint venture company Shanghai Hong Kong Metro Construction Management Co. Ltd. (SHKMCM) to undertake project management of railway construction projects in Shanghai.

MTR was appointed as an Owner’s Advisor for the construction of the Yang Pu Line 8(M8). The M8 project comprises 24 underground stations with a total route length of 23 km. Total project cost is RMB14.5 billion. MTR is providing advisory services to the project owner, Shentong Holdings.










SHKMCM has been appointed as Owner’s Representative to project manage, on behalf of the owner, the design and construction of Shen Song Line 9(R4). The R4 project is a 31 km metro line comprising 12 stations. It is split into 12 civil/building and 23 E&M contracts. The total project cost is RMB10 billion and is expected to be completed by the end of 2005.


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## hkskyline

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.


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## ignoramus

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.....


----------



## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> 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.


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## ailiton

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.


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## aznichiro115

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


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## ailiton

ignoramus said:


> 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?


----------



## ailiton

New next-stop-announcement for Tsim Sha Tsui:

Next station: Tsim Sha Tsui. Interchange station for KCR East Rail.


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## ailiton

First train departing from ETST:

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


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## natethetransitfreak

anyone have pics of the exterior of TST East Station


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## ailiton

I think gakei has some.


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## hkskyline

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.


----------



## hkskyline

By *namsanwai* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## aznichiro115

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


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## hkskyline

Between Kowloon Bay and Ngau Tau Kok Stations. (noted the middle three tracks are the southern entrance to the Kowloon Bay Depot) Photo by Billy Wong - July 1999

Hong Kong Railway Society


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## zergcerebrates

superchan7 said:


> Maybe the non-retrofit doors were designed from scratch by local engineers, and the two-part nature of assembly made it cheaper or easier to install and maintain.
> 
> In any case, they're not terrible-looking, and it is a great privilege for a metro system to have PSDs implemented on the entire network. Hong Kong's new and renovated station environments are truly first-rate, comparable with the best and newest of Tokyo and Singapore's lines.
> 
> China's metro systems need to work on some form of innovation. Their stations are either blatant copies (albeit LEGAL copies with purchased designs and consulting) or boring derivatives.



I always thought that Singapore compares its metro with HK not the other way around.


----------



## Sher

>


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.


----------



## ignoramus

Why?

The Singapore Hong Kong Metro relationship is kinda a two way thing. Both are good in certain areas so they find themselves learning from one another.


----------



## huaiwei

zergcerebrates said:


> I always thought that Singapore compares its metro with HK not the other way around.


 Err......seriously no. To add on to what ignore said, Singapore's urban planners hardly, if ever, mention HK's transport system when citing example cities they are trying to gear us towards. Rather, we often here them talking about Tokyo and Paris' rail comprehensiveness, and Zurich's excellent inter-modal linkages as the standard they hope to archieve here?

When they introduce new rail systems like the driverless trains and such, they look to Europe or Japan directly too, and not really to regional cities.


----------



## ignoramus

huaiwei said:


> Err......seriously no. To add on to what ignore said, Singapore's urban planners hardly, if ever, mention HK's transport system when citing example cities they are trying to gear us towards. Rather, we often here them talking about Tokyo and Paris' rail comprehensiveness, and Zurich's excellent inter-modal linkages as the standard they hope to archieve here?
> 
> When they introduce new rail systems like the driverless trains and such, they look to Europe or Japan directly too, and not really to regional cities.


What I meant was that visitors to both Hong Kong and Singapore find themselves comparing the two different metros. I have heard things from HK MTR's trains running super fast as compared to Singapore's to how Singapore's stations and trains are cleaner and safer with the PSDs. Visitors to both cities compare these two different metros cause they are actually quite similar.

Planners plan for the future so obviously they wouldnt look to HK's MTR for how comprehensive a rail system should be as after all, both metros are relative to their european counterparts still in their middle ages...


----------



## huaiwei

ignoramus said:


> What I meant was that visitors to both Hong Kong and Singapore find themselves comparing the two different metros. I have heard things from HK MTR's trains running super fast as compared to Singapore's to how Singapore's stations and trains are cleaner and safer with the PSDs. Visitors to both cities compare these two different metros cause they are actually quite similar.
> 
> Planners plan for the future so obviously they wouldnt look to HK's MTR for how comprehensive a rail system should be as after all, both metros are relative to their european counterparts still in their middle ages...


 Whoops....since like I didnt have enough sleep. 

Well then, it is simply not true that Singapore's planners are basing their transport model on HK's no matter how "similar" laymen may think it is. It has to be reminded, that the geographical configuration of the two cities are hardly similar, as I mentioned before, and transport networks have to take that into account.

The only aspect of urban transportation which we do appear to look to HK is the contactless card system's application in non-transport uses, although even that is not explicitly mentioned? You any idea where the EZlink card tech was adopted from?


----------



## zergcerebrates

I thought Singapore already has a system like the Octopus.


----------



## ignoramus

Singapore's Transport Planners do not look to Hong Kong for transport related issues. We did attempt to try out mini buses though, but that never did happen cause mini buses are just not suited for Singapore. Singapore might have trams though in the future, in Singapore's ''One North'' Biomedical Hub. They won't apply this to public transportation uses as it competes with road traffic, but once again such trains are not based on Hong Kong's KCR Light Rail or Trams. They seem to be more based on European Systems. Singapore didn't adopt Hong Kong's way of powering trains using overhead pantographs too. So technically and in terms of planning for the future, Singapore does not look to Hong Kong and as with what huaiwei said, looks to Europe and Japan, pioneers in driverless technology and comprehensive urban transport networks.

Tourists on the other hand, like to compare the Singapore MRT System to Hong Kong's MTR System (Not many heard of KCR though) cause they are both one of the earliest subways to be built in this region (Excluding South Korea and Japan) and the two cities are in quite close proximity to one another and they both have that distinctive red line on the train cars.

Singapore's ''ezlink'' Contactless Smart Card System was from ERG Systems of Australia and was adopted by Singapore in 2002. Hong Kong's ''Octopus'' Contactless Smart Card System was from Sony and was adopted by Hong Kong in 1997. Thus, the systems are quite different in that they were made by different companies and are based on different levels of technology.


----------



## xePh3roK

ignoramus said:


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


東 East
南 South
西 West
北 North


----------



## hkskyline

*Interesting Sight @ Tai Po Market Station*
_Photos from a Hong Kong transport forum :_


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## ignoramus

Where is this Hong Kong transport forum?

Was the train delayed or something?


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## hkskyline

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.


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## superchan7

Wow, Hong Kong's railways have been getting their share of glitches.


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## hkskyline

There's a media frenzy right now over the MTR and the KCR. Some of the glitches only last for a few minutes, but they seem to be reported to be as severe as the longer service disruptions. Notice the November 3rd SCMP article called the glitches mechanical problems but they're actually quite minor - doors not closing properly, trains slowing down, etc.


----------



## hkskyline

*It's Goodbye Kitty amid an escalating crime wave *
Andy Cheng 
7 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong's love affair with Hello Kitty has turned criminal - light-fingered fans have stolen stickers of the ubiquitous cat from MTR stations. 

Since October 22, people have made off with all 250 Hello Kitty stickers adorning advertising panels beside escalators throughout the subway network. 

The hexagonal stickers were all stripped from advertising posters for 7-Eleven convenience stores. 7-Eleven officials said they had not called police about the thefts, but declined to say why. 

An MTR spokesman said the decision to report the thefts to police rested with 7-Eleven. 

The thieves were no doubt drawn to the stickers' three-dimensional nature. They change appearance when viewed from different angles, like a hologram. 

7-Eleven's MTR advertising campaign, which began on October 22, is promoting a Hello Kitty magnet to be given away with every $20 spent by customers at any of its outlets. 

The promotion marks Hello Kitty's 30th birthday, which was on Monday. 

The chain purchased an advertising package from the MTR Corporation involving about 250 wall panels. 

"Within the first week, all of these [stickers] had been ripped off by collectors, which was a huge surprise to us," a 7-Eleven spokeswoman told the Sunday Morning Post. 

"These actions, though, confirm just how popular Hello Kitty is in Hong Kong," she added. 

An MTRC spokesman said the agreement with 7-Eleven did not compel it to pay compensation for any damage to the panels. He said there had been no similar thefts recently involving other images. He reminded the public that the maximum penalty for vandalising railway premises was a $5,000 fine. 

7-Eleven has printed replacement posters - minus the stickers and three-dimensional effects.


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## hkskyline

*Special Tickets & Items*

MTR will issue a series of three limited-edition *"Doraemon"* MTR Souvenir Ticket Sets in three consecutive weeks starting November 21, 2004. Priced at $80, each ticket set includes a souvenir ticket, a ticket holder, and a Doraemon premium, namely Doraemon Recording Music Box for the first set, Doraemon Phone Delight for the second, and Doraemon Recording Alarm Clock for the third. The ticket sets will be available for sale at Customer Service Centres at all MTR stations (except Airport Express) while stock lasts.

Each ticket is valid for two rides to any destination on the MTR (except Airport Express) until February 1, 8 and 15, 2005 respectively. Each person is limited to two sets per purchase. 










*Crystal Trains*

Made of good quality Austrian crystal with over 30% of Pbo, the crystal train sparkles like a colourful rainbow in a world of fantasy.



















*Stationery Set in Ticket Machine Design*


----------



## hkskyline

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


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## hkskyline

* 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.


----------



## hkskyline

November 9, 2004
*Sarah Liao orders rail checks*
Government Press Release

Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao has ordered the MTR Corporation to check all its rail tracks after a crack was found on a section between Shek Kip Mei and Prince Edward stations today.

She said the Government is concerned about the MTR's recent spate of service disruptions, and said it is unacceptable that repeated failures should occur.

Whenever there is an incident, the company is urged by the Government to do its best to make an improvement to avoid similar incidents.

*Sheung Wan Station*
Source : http://www.mbwhk.com/


----------



## ignoramus

Why is the platform fenced up? That is a platform right?

Is the station even opened? It looks dead empty.


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## ailiton

Those platforms (in the second picture) were built and reserved for the East Kowloon Line. No tracks were laid there. The platform in the forth picture is currently in use and it is partially fenced up because the length of the platform is longer than that of a train. I believe those fences have already been removed because PSDs have been installed in that station.


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## superchan7

I found Sheung Wan's empty platform really cool. It had this air of mystery to it, as to what lies beyond those brick walls.........??

I wonder when it'll ever be used.


----------



## ailiton

superchan7 said:


> I found Sheung Wan's empty platform really cool. It had this air of mystery to it, as to what lies beyond those brick walls.........??
> 
> I wonder when it'll ever be used.


probably never.

HA HA HA.


----------



## zergcerebrates

superchan7 said:


> I found Sheung Wan's empty platform really cool. It had this air of mystery to it, as to what lies beyond those brick walls.........??
> 
> I wonder when it'll ever be used.



Sheung Wan's platform gives me the creeps.


----------



## superchan7

For amateurish rail fans like me, it seems interesting. But for the public, it's probably better to seal it off with a more permanent wall if it's not going to be used. It'd probably be pretty creepy later at night when you should be in places other than an unused metro platform.


----------



## ignoramus

ailiton said:


> probably never.
> 
> HA HA HA.


Is Sheung Wan a future Interchange Station or a Terminal/End Of The Line Station?

If it is a Terminal Station, isn't it common around the world to have both platforms at a Terminal Station left open so that in the event that a train has yet to depart from one platform, the arriving train can still pull into the other platform and use that instead?

If it was intended to be a future Interchange Station, what line was intended to use that other platform? And why won't that platform be used now even though it was intended to be the platform for another future line?

Freaky, reminds me of the abandoned platforms in NYC's subway system which were originally built to serve passengers but due to changes in original plans, were never used in the end.


----------



## hkskyline

Passengers disembark from one platform at Sheung Wan and the train heads off into the tunnel to turn around, so they don't actually park at the station and wait to leave. It works quite differently from other subway systems.


----------



## hkskyline

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.


----------



## huaiwei

ignoramus said:


> Cool. More pics? haha


 Oh yeah we sure want to see more pictures yeah. Haha


----------



## hkskyline

*Along West Rail *

*Siu Hong*


















*Tin Shui Wai*









*Kam Sheung Road*









*Yuen Long LRT Interchange *









*Mei Foo*


----------



## ignoramus

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.


----------



## hkskyline

*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.


----------



## superchan7

i love it when hkskyline posts train pics. *drool*


----------



## superchan7

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?


----------



## hkskyline

*East Tsim Sha Tsui Station*

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


----------



## superchan7

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


----------



## ailiton




----------



## superchan7

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


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## ignoramus

This thread could do better with some active discussions going on though.

But nice pictures, as always.


----------



## hkskyline

*East Tsim Sha Tsui Interchange*


----------



## simhks

*Some more West Rail Photos*

Some more West Rail Photos at Tin Shui Wai


----------



## superchan7

Excellent.


----------



## superchan7

The old stock needs some restyling, maybe a new paint scheme. The front end isn't enough. They look okay pulling into stations, but outside they don't really add to the environment, especially in the more run-down areas such as eastern Kowloon.


----------



## hkskyline

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


----------



## bs_lover_boy

Well, when the Refurbished stock adds commercials, it looks pretty nice.


----------



## ignoramus

superchan7 said:


> The old stock needs some restyling, maybe a new paint scheme. The front end isn't enough. They look okay pulling into stations, but outside they don't really add to the environment, especially in the more run-down areas such as eastern Kowloon.


Ya white train bodies don't look nice nowadays. If they are dirty it is very obvious. And too plain car bodies are not nice too. Tung Chung's Blue trains are cool, as with the Airport Express's.


----------



## hkskyline

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









_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.


----------



## hkskyline

* 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.


----------



## hkskyline

* 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.


----------



## hkskyline

* 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.


----------



## joeazn

Hi everyone,

I remember seeing somewhere on the internet either a java or flash animation of the MTR Infopanel. It was a pretty good animation and it showed the Infopanel cycling through a few screens, displaying the next station, and several screens in Chinese. (I know in real life, the screen also shows advertisements, but I don't think this animation did). 

Unfortunately, I lost the URL. Has anyone seen this also, and if so, does anyone know where I can find this animation?

Thanks!


----------



## hkskyline

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."


----------



## hkskyline

*Hung Hom - East Tsim Sha Tsui Video *

From a Hong Kong transport forum :
 Click Here to Download (34 megs)


----------



## hkskyline

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


----------



## superchan7

siu hong WR station's colour is UGLY


----------



## hkskyline

There are still some stations on the Island Line that don't have platform screen doors :

By *"S3M64~DP2157"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :

Tin Hau









Quarry Bay









Tai Koo









Sai Wan Ho









Sau Kei Wan


----------



## hkskyline

Source :


----------



## superchan7

But work has already started on them...you can see the PSD upper rails on the quarry bay picture.


----------



## hkskyline

*West Rail Service Vehicles*
Source :


----------



## hkskyline

*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.


----------



## hkskyline

November 20, 2004
Government Press Release
*Be rational on MTR mishaps: Sarah Liao*

Commuters should adopt a rational and scientific approach when judging the recent spate of MTR service disruptions, Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao says.

Speaking on a radio talkshow today, Dr Liao said the Government has attached great importance to rail safety and has urged the company to investigate the incidents.

As the MTR is a complicated system, it is inevitable there will be mechanical failures, however, public safety should not be compromised, she said.

Noting the MTR Corporation has appointed a leading international rail expert to conduct a comprehensive review on its service performance, Dr Liao urged commuters to be patient. She said incidents on the system have fallen this year.

On road safety, Dr Liao said the recent spate of minibus accidents has drawn public concern on driver attitude. She said the Government is considering raising deduction points for red-light jumpers.


----------



## hkskyline

*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.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong subway operator joins bid for southeast rail franchise*
Wed Nov 24, 9:39 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Hong Kong's subway system has joined a British rail operator to bid for a commuter and high-speed train franchise in southeast England, it was announced.

The MTR Corporation, majority owned by the Hong Kong government, will have a 29 percent stake in its partnership with Great North Eastern Railway, a subsidiary of Sea Containers Group that will hold the remaining shares, GNER said in a statement.

The partnership, called Great South Eastern Railway, will bid for the Integrated Kent Franchise -- comprising the commuter services now run by South Eastern Trains plus high-speed services on the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

South Eastern Trains took over services from London into Kent for more than a year after French rail operator Connex was stripped of the franchise amid complaints of poor service.

"MTR is a world-class operation with an unrivalled expertise in delivering a safe, efficient, reliable and high-quality railway in one of the most heavily populated parts of the globe," said GNER chief executive Christopher Garnett.

"We have been working with them for some months and are pleased to deepen our partnership with today's announcement," he said.

"The world leading skills of MTR in running densely timetabled services on heavily utilised routes will perfectly complement GNER's high speed experience."

Rail services were privatised in the 1990s, with GNER running express train services along the East Coast Line that links London with major cities in northeast England and Scotland.


----------



## hkskyline

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










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.


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## hkskyline

*MTRC tries Britain again*
Danny Chung, Hong Kong Standard
25 November 2004 

MTR Corp (MTRC), Hong Kong's underground rail operator, has made its fourth attempt to expand into Britain by taking a 29 per cent stake in a joint venture to bid for a commuter and high-speed train franchise.

The MTRC will team up with Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), a unit of Sea Containers Group that will own the remainder of the Great South Eastern Railway venture.

The venture will bid for the seven-year Integrated Kent franchise for the commuter services now run by South Eastern Trains and high-speed services on the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Sea Containers expects the franchise to generate more than 375 million (HK$5.42 billion) a year.

MTRC public relations manager Catherine Sing said total investment had not been fixed yet and the timetable for bids was still subject to Britain's Strategic Railway Authority.

Sing said the venture is bidding for the operating franchise where the winning bidder will take on the staff employed by the rail network. "I believe the staff requirement from the MTR will be minimal," she said. "We will be mainly offering our management expertise as we are a heavily utilised commuter line in Hong Kong."

The franchise, which will begin in 2005, is to provide commuter services between London and Kent in southeastern England as well as parts of Sussex and southeast London.

The franchise's London stations include Victoria and Charing Cross, and smaller ones such as Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Waterloo East and London Bridge. It will connect to Kent towns such as Hastings, Ashford, Folkestone, Dover and Ramsgate.

For the high-speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the franchise will operate trains between the port of Folkestone and St Pancras station. "MTR is a world-class operation with an unrivalled expertise in delivering a safe, efficient, reliable and high-quality railway in one of the most heavily populated parts of the globe," GNER chief executive Christopher Garnett said.

"The world-leading skills of MTR in running densely timetabled services on heavily utilised routes will perfectly complement GNER's high-speed experience."

MTRC suffered a setback in July after the British government denied funding for a 250 million tram project in Portsmouth in southern England. MTRC was part of the Smart consortium, one of the two groups that tendered for the development of the 14 kilometre link. The railway operator also failed in its bid for tram schemes in Leeds and Manchester previously.

MTRC is also expanding in China. It signed an agreement with the Shenzhen government to build the city's first urban railway. It will also invest in a rail project in Beijing with Beijing Infrastructure Investment Company and Beijing Capital Group.


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## hkskyline

The Guardian (London) - Final Edition
November 25, 2004
*Chinese bid for UK rail franchises: 
Hong Kong firm, with 99% punctuality record, wants to run British trains*
Andrew Clark, Transport correspondent

A Chinese state-controlled rail operator has made a surprise entry into Britain's rail industry, with ambitious plans to bid for franchises covering mainline rail services throughout London and the home counties.

Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) has struck a deal with the inter-city firm GNER to table a joint bid for a new franchise covering all of Kent.

With a punctuality record of 99%, MTR claims to be the world's most reliable train company. It is listed on the Hong Kong stock market but 77% of its shares are held by Hong Kong's government.

MTR's operations director, Phil Gaffney, said if it were successful in Kent, it could bid for franchises covering Thameslink, Silverlink and South West Trains.

Mr Gaffney said MTR's plans would include parachuting Hong Kong executives into roles at British train operations. He said the firm would commit itself to a substantial improvement in performance.

"We've had to work very hard to get an international reputation," said Mr Gaffney. "There's no way we're going to have that reputation destroyed."

The so-called Integrated Kent rail franchise will comprise all services operated by South Eastern Trains, plus high-speed services on the channel tunnel rail link which opens in 2007. GNER and MTR face competition for the franchise from three other shortlisted bidders: FirstGroup, Denmark's DSB and a joint venture between Go-Ahead and France's Keolis.

GNER's chief executive, Christopher Garnett, said its expertise in long-distance services would complement MTR's knowledge of intensive commuter operations. He said: "Kent's commuters have suffered for too long."

South Eastern Trains has been operated by the government since the network's French operator, Connex, was sacked for poor financial controls by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) a year ago.

Unions say its performance has improved under public ownership. Some 117 MPs have signed an early day motion calling for the refranchising of the service to be halted. More than 3,500 members of the public have sent postcards to the transport secretary, Alistair Darling, calling for it to remain in government hands.

It emerged yesterday that the timetable for the potentially unpopular refranchising has slipped until the autumn - after a likely general election in the spring.

Keith Norman, acting general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said any private bids were unwelcome: "To hand the running of this vital public service back to the private sector will be seen as a victory for bankers and big business over the interests of passengers and the public."

The SRA said it would need to approve MTR's tie-up with GNER. But a spokesman said: "We always welcome possible new entrants to the UK market."

MTR could face a culture shock. In Hong Kong, there is little overcrowding because nearly everybody stands - there are 48 seats in carriages for 300 people. While South Eastern Trains spent £500,000 cleaning graffiti off its trains last year, MTR said vandalism in China was virtually unknown. Mr Gaffney said in Asian cultures, "people value property, in particular other people's property, too much to destroy it".

If it is successful, MTR will sit alongside other foreign players, the Netherlands' Ned Railways - which runs services in Merseyside and is soon to take on trains covering much of northern England - and the French firm Keolis, which is co-operator of Southern Trains.

Roger Ford, technical editor of Modern Railways magazine, said it was foolish to expect overseas operators to work magic: "MTR is a very good operation in Hong Kong. But they have a brand new system which was built by the Brits. They have brand new trains and a brand new track which has been steadily upgraded and improved. Compare that with Kent and what do they know?"


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## hkskyline

* 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.


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## bs_lover_boy

^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???


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## hkskyline

*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.


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## ailiton

bs_lover_boy said:


> ^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.


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## hkskyline

*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









_Ming Pao Graphic_

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.


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## hkskyline

*Big interest in Dream City*
Raymond Wang, Hong Kong Standard
10 December 2004

In another sign of renewed confidence in the residential property market, 17 developers have submitted expressions of interest in phase one of the HK$4 billion Dream City project atop Tseung Kwan O MTR station.

Everyone from major developers to their small and medium-sized competitors has shown interest in the project, according to Mass Transit Railway Corp property director Thomas Ho.

Sun Hung Kai Properties, Sino Land, New World Development, Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Henderson Land Development are among the big names interested.

Nan Fung Development, Wheelock Properties, Chinese Estates Holdings, Kowloon Development and other unidentified mid-tier developers are also interested.

Sun Hung Kai Properties vice-chairman Thomas Kwok confirmed that his company had submitted letters of intent for Dream City. Submissions closed on Thursday.

The MTRC's Ho expects land premium negotiations with the government on the project to be concluded in a week. A public tender is expected in mid-December. In an effort to make the project more affordable for small and medium-sized developers, the subway operator has offered to pay half of the land premium, Ho said.

Surveyors estimated the land premium at above HK$2 billion, or more than HK$1,300 per square foot.

Centaline Surveyors senior manager Chris Chau said total investment for the project, including land premium and construction costs, would be about HK$4 billion, or HK$2,600 per square foot.

``Developers would only have to spend HK$3 billion on the project as the MTRC has promised to shoulder half of the land premium,'' Chau said.

Prevailing prices for new apartments in Tseung Kwan O range from HK$3,000 to HK$4,000 psf, real estate agents said.

The Tseung Kwan O project, slated for completion in 2008, calls for the construction of 2,096 flats in five blocks on a 153,559 sq ft site. The potential gross floor area is 1.5 million sq ft.

Mid-tier developer Chinese Estates Holdings has outbid six developers, including Sino Land, Cheung Kong (Holdings), Sun Hung Kai, Henderson Land and Nan Fung Development, to win the joint development contract for the Reclamation Street project in Mong Kok, according to the government-sponsored Urban Renewal Authority.

The project site covers an area of about 5,760 sq ft and is expected to deliver a gross floor area of about 51,800 sq ft for residential and commercial purposes.

Surveyors estimated total investment for the Reclamation Street project at about HK$250 million.


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## hkskyline

*九鐵南環線押後刊憲*
廣東道站爭拗 議員盼有轉圜
12/12/2004










【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。


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## hkskyline

*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.


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## hkskyline

*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.


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## hkskyline

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.


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## hkskyline

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.


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## coth

Can anyone answer me for one question. How much cost one average line in HK?


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## ailiton

Newest lines:

West Rail: 6.7 billion US (30.5km)
Ma On Shan Line: 1.3 billion US (11.4km)


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## coth

oh. thank you.


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## hkskyline

*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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## hkskyline

*Ma On Shan Railway*


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## ailiton

Oh no, those stations are ugly.


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## superchan7

How tasteless....West Rail was great.


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## hkskyline

*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.


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## rufi

the stations look tasteless but looks modern and cool


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## hkskyline

*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.


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## simhks

潮流興復古 ~~~~~


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## bs_lover_boy

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.


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## ailiton

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.


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## ailiton

One ugly video:

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


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## vvill

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


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## hkskyline

By *AC* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## bs_lover_boy

Is that Shan King North and Shan King South Station?


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## hkskyline

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


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## bs_lover_boy

Thanks, It just looks so Cool!


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## brianchee

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?


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## hkskyline

*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


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## hkskyline

*Residents rally for MTR line to Western*
Winnie Yeung
20 December 2004
South China Morning Post

Some 200 residents of Western district held a rally yesterday to urge the government to approve the MTR Corp's proposal to build a West Island Line.

Chan Kwok-kwong, a spokesman for the organisers, said he felt helpless after campaigning for the extension for more than 20 years.

But he said the rail company's new proposal, which suggests building a line to Kennedy Town and Cyberport and a South Island line to Aberdeen, had given him and his colleagues a glimmer of hope.

"It looks quite good," he said. "And the MTR is quite aggressive this time as it sent its staff to meet us to promote the proposal."

He said it would be unfair for residents in the district not to have an MTR line.

"Because of traffic problems, sometimes it can take me 45 minutes to travel on a bus from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town," he said. "This is ridiculous because I could walk from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town in 45 minutes."

Other participants, chanting slogans, shared Mr Chan's view.

Jeffrey Leung Yu-tak, a Form One student who lives in Western and goes to school in Mongkok, said he was often nearly late for class because of traffic jams in Western.

"It takes only 10 minutes to go from Central to Mongkok by MTR," he said, "but going to Admiralty from Sai Ying Pun needs at least 20 minutes."

His brother, Philip Leung Yu-fat, who is in Primary Five, said he was envious of classmates who could travel on the MTR all the time.

"The traffic in Sai Ying Pun is so troublesome," he said.

Mr Chan said the only obstacle now was the government's unwillingness to finance the proposed lines. The MTR Corp has asked the government to bear half of the $15 billion construction costs.

Their calls were echoed by senior political figures.

DAB legislator Choy So-yuk said the MTR Corp had set the cost too high and urged the corporation to lower costs by using trains of fewer carriages.

Democratic Party legislator Yeung Sum said the government should give serious thought to approving the proposal and bearing the cost because "it has more money now".


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## xeror

Trial of Automatic Train Door Closing Operation on MTR Island Line (PDF File)
MTR Patronage Achieves Record High for a Regular Service Day (PDF File)


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## Skyscrapercitizen

I Hope the west and south Islandlines will be constructed soon! Then almost all dense populated areas of HK have MTR/KCR connection, a very good situation for the residents and the environment! And also for Tourism!


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## Syd-Hk

comparing west rail stations and mos stations... west rail has done a much better job.


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## hktreasure

I think it will hv much more people using MOS then West rail


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## InitialD18

MOS extension looks pretty out of date ... 
I like the original island lines station more ...


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## bs_lover_boy

*More MOS Pictures*

Pictures taken from vvvf Museum


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## aznichiro115

has anyone here gone on MOS rail yet?


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## HKT

I did today.


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## vytux

iheartcities said:


> Is it just me or is it true that after the installation of the platform doors the MTR platforms are a lot more stuffy. Back in the days when the doors were not built a gust of wind would run through the platform whenever a train approached. That feeling has lost last time I returned to HK. The doors are all safe and everything but unless they upgrade their ventilation system, it's REALLY uncomfortable waiting for a train in stations with platform doors because of the heat. :sleepy:


Does any1 have technical data on the PSD's?

How does the train driver stop the train perfectly so the train doors' corresopond with the PSD's?


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## vytux

superchan7 said:


> For amateurish rail fans like me, it seems interesting. But for the public, it's probably better to seal it off with a more permanent wall if it's not going to be used. It'd probably be pretty creepy later at night when you should be in places other than an unused metro platform.


Many homeless people around there?


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## ailiton

vytux said:


> Does any1 have technical data on the PSD's?
> 
> How does the train driver stop the train perfectly so the train doors' corresopond with the PSD's?


I believe the train stops automatically at the right place.


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## ailiton

vytux said:


> Many homeless people around there?


No one is allowed to stay in the MTR system for more than 90 minutes.


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## no name

ailiton said:


> No one is allowed to stay in the MTR system for more than 90 minutes.


what happens if you do?


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## ailiton

no name said:


> what happens if you do?


You will be charged maximum fare (and if you stay too long, you may have to pay a penalty of a few thousand HK dollars).


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## bs_lover_boy

no name said:


> what happens if you do?


If you use an Octopus card, you'll be charged with the highest distance fare which is from Chai Wan to Tung Chung and I'm not sure how much it costs. On the other hand if you don't use an Octopus card, you cannot go out of the gates and need to go to the customer services centre to pay the money in order to exit.


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## aznichiro115

Chai Wan-Tung Chung: $23.1 with octopus. $26 paying with ticket


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## superchan7

You can't get to the unused Sheung Wan platform without passing through the ticket gates. Therefore, the homeless wouldn't be able to reach it anyway.


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## InitialD18

its strange but there aren't homeless in MTR stations or close to it in hk ... unlike most other cities ... where they live in it or close to it ...


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## vvill

InitialD18 said:


> its strange but there aren't homeless in MTR stations or close to it in hk ... unlike most other cities ... where they live in it or close to it ...


thanks to MTR management. also CCTV cameras have been installed in every single corner of the stations.


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## hkskyline

*馬鐵擬推月票 東鐵適用
暑假設轉乘優惠 推廣綠色旅遊*
3/5/2005
http://www.singpao.com/20050305/local/682742.html










九鐵馬鞍山支線通車逾兩個月，每日客量平均約八至九萬人次，九鐵正積極研究「吸客」措施，包括於短期內推出優惠月票，更不排除將月票推展至東鐵全線使用，令來往新界北區的乘客同樣受惠，九鐵又計劃在暑假期間，夥拍巴士及小巴營辦商推出馬鐵假日套票，推廣區內綠色旅遊。另外，政府承諾會在公布兩鐵合併之際，同步公布沙田至中環鐵路線的最終方案。

馬鐵通車初期預計每日乘客人次約有10萬人，現時客量仍未達標，而九鐵主席田北辰去年12月中曾表示，馬鐵會在通車後三個月內，仿傚西鐵推出月票計劃。立法會議員鄭家富昨在鐵路事宜小委員會上，質疑九鐵為何遲遲未肯推出月票計劃，「（月票）係一家便宜兩家�荂A點解唔盡早推出﹖仲要收集�乜�數據﹖」

*釐定價格前 多收集數據*

九鐵運輸高級總監李殷泰指出，九鐵對月票計劃持積極態度，惟因馬鐵系統跟東鐵互相連接，乘客搭車模式及組合相當複雜，故需要收集更多數據，小心釐定月票價格。他更透露，不排除將月票的適用範圍推展至東鐵沿線，「如果最多人得益�情況，係包括東鐵在內�話，我�]會考慮﹗」

李殷泰續稱，為吸引市民乘搭馬鐵郊遊，馬鐵計劃夥拍其他交通工具營辦商，希望今年暑假期間推出假日套票及轉乘計劃，屆時市民若乘搭馬鐵到烏溪沙，再轉車前往西貢和北潭涌等地，便可享有票價優惠。

另外，九鐵上月提交獨立建造沙中線的方案，由於沙中線列車可同時使用八鄉及大圍車廠，故原有沙中線啟德車廠的規模，將可以大幅縮減﹔而為了避免進行填海工程，沙中線第四條過海鐵路隧道會向西移，隧道長度將縮短約200米。

*兩鐵合併日 沙中線定案*

不過，有議員批評沙中線早於2002年拍板，拖延至今仍未能「上馬」，擔憂整個計劃最終胎死腹中。

環境運輸及工務局副秘書長周達明則解釋，由於兩鐵合併至今仍在審議階段，未有詳細時間表，在複雜而不明朗的因素下，暫無法決定沙中線的「上馬」日期。

但周達明強調，局方無意「拉倒」沙中線，又指出兩鐵已聯手提交合作建造沙中線的方案，新設計較九鐵單獨提交的方案理想，而政府會在決定兩鐵合併的去向時，一併公布沙中線的最後定稿。


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## hkskyline

*Summary of 2004 Results*
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-05-017-E.pdf

*Financial*
- revenue +10% to HK$8,351 million
- operating profit before property development & depreciation +21.3% to HK$4,546 million
- operating margin improved 5.1% to 54.4%
- property development profit HK$4,568 million
- Gross debt / equity ratio at year-end improved to 47.8% from 55.9%

*Operational*
- patronage +8.% to record high of 842 million
- construction of Disneyland Resort Line & Tung Chung Cable Car on schedule
- initial of a concession agreement for the Beijing Metro Line 4, February 2005
- first property development package at Tseung Kwan O Area 75 tendered, December 2004

*2004 Profit before taxation* : 5,196 vs. 5,198 in 2003 (HK$ millions)
*Profit Attributable to Shareholders* : 4,496 vs. 4,450 in 2003 (HK$ millions)


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## hkskyline

An intercity train by *EnViRo500．LB6785* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

*Airport rail line falls short of expectation *
Chloe Lai 
10 March 2005
South China Morning Post

The Airport Express recorded 24 million passenger trips last year, six million short of the forecast the government made before its construction, an official paper revealed yesterday. 

While the forecast estimated 66 per cent of the passengers using the airport rail last year would be overseas visitors, the actual figure was 58 per cent. 

In a written reply to the Legislative Council, the Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung attributed the rail line's lower than expected passenger numbers to changing conditions. 

She wrote: "Some of the assumptions made then are different from the actual situation. The differences may be attributable to the rail's lower than forecast patronage." 

The passenger forecast was made in the New Airport Master Plan in 1991. 

It made a number of assumptions, such as that there would be no competition from buses; more than 60 per cent of overseas visitors would use the rail line; and there would be congestion on the North Lantau Expressway. 

There are now 37 franchised bus routes connecting the airport and the rest of Hong Kong. 

And while the Airport Express charges between $60 and $100 for a single journey, the bus fares range from $3.50 to $45. 

Bus companies have 45 per cent of the market share, while the rail line has only 29.2 per cent. 

The government study estimated the expressway's two-way traffic flow at peak hours would reach 13,900 cars, prompting people to use the train to save time. 

The assumed congestion did not happen. The expressway's two-way traffic in peak hours last year amounted to only 4,800 cars. 

Dr Liao made no prediction as to when the passenger numbers that had been forecast for the Airport Express would be reached. 

She said the Airport Authority last year had commissioned a consultant to survey the market share between the rail line and other transport options.


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## hkskyline

*Patronage forecast of the Airport Express Line*

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 9) :

*Question:*

Among the passenger trips by land to the Passenger Terminal Building of the airport in 2002-03, those made by the Airport Railway accounted for 19 percent only, and such a market share figure fell far short of the 43 percent forecast in the New Airport Master Plan, drawn up by the relevant authorities in 1991. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a) the basis on which the market share of the Airport Railway in respect of land passenger transport was arrived at in 1991, and whether it has looked into the reasons for the substantial difference between the forecast and actual market shares; if so, of the findings and whether the fare level of the Airport Railway is considered one of the factors; and

(b) the respective current market shares of various modes of land transport in respect of passenger traffic to the airport, and how they have changed over the past five years?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

The patronage forecast for the Airport Express Line (AEL) made in the New Airport Master Plan (the Plan) in 1991 was based on a number of assumptions, including competition from buses, AEL's fare level, air passenger volume and composition, and congestion on North Lantau Expressway. Some of the assumptions made then are different from the actual situation. The differences, as set out below, may be attributable to AEL's lower than forecast patronage, though it would not be possible to establish a causal correlation between them and the rail's patronage :

(i) competition from buses: the Plan assumed that there would be no competition from buses. At present, 37 franchised bus routes are serving the Airport and connecting it to various key locations in the territory. The current single-journey AEL fares from Tsing Yi, Kowloon and Hong Kong Stations to the AEL Terminus at the Airport are $60, $90 and $100 respectively, which are close to those assumed at the planning stage of AEL. The bus fares range from $3.5 to $45;

(ii) air passenger volume and composition: it was assumed in 1991 that by 2004 the Airport would handle 30 million passenger trips requiring connecting land transport. However, the actual figure in 2004 was 24 million passenger trips. It was also assumed that 66 percent of the passengers using the Airport would be visitors from overseas who are more prone to using AEL than passengers who are local citizens. However, in 2004, only 58 percent of the passengers using the Airport were overseas visitors; and

(iii) congestion on North Lantau Expressway: the more congested the connecting highway is, the higher should be AEL's patronage as AEL would save people's journey time. It was assumed in 1991 that the peak hour two-way traffic flow through the Expressway would be 13 900 passenger car units (PCU) by 2004. However, the actual figure in 2004 was only 4 800 PCU. The assumed congestion on the Expressway has not eventuated.

We believe that the figure of 19 percent for 2002-03 mentioned in the question comes from a consultancy report commissioned by the Hong Kong Airport Authority. The figure was specifically for comparing the usage of railway and the usage of other land transport modes. The consultancy did not examine the breakdown of the market shares of the various non-rail land transport modes. There is no information on the current market shares of various land transport modes serving the Airport. The last survey on that was conducted by the Hong Kong Airport Authority in 1999, and the results were as follows :



Code:


                               Percentage of total passenger
Transport Mode                   trips to the Airport
**************              *****************************
Rail                                      29.2%
Franchised bus                            45.0%
Private car                               13.1%
Taxi                                       3.8%
Hotel vehicle                              2.3%
Non-franchised bus                         4.4%
Ferry (Note)                               2.1%
Others (e.g. motorcycle)                   0.1%

(Note: In 1999, there was a ferry service running between Tuen Mun and the Airport. It was subsequently changed in 2002 to a service between Tuen Mun and Tung Chung Pier.)

The Hong Kong Airport Authority commissioned a consultant to conduct another survey in 2004. The survey will be completed shortly. We would only be able to assess the changes in the market shares over the past five years when the survey results are available.


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## hkskyline

By *ben2004* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## pottebaum

Not exactly related to transit, but how hard is is to get around in Hong Kong if you only speak English? I always thought it'd be fun to visit.


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## ailiton

pottebaum said:


> Not exactly related to transit, but how hard is is to get around in Hong Kong if you only speak English? I always thought it'd be fun to visit.


Easy. English is one of HK's official languages so almost everything is written in both Chinese and English.


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## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*KCRC stands firm on ending East Rail fare discount in May *
Felix Lo 
30 March 2005
South China Morning Post

The KCRC is determined to end its 20 per cent discount on East Rail fares, describing it as an unsustainable "giveaway exercise" that had not led to more passengers. 

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said yesterday it was not commercially viable to extend the discount beyond May 31, when it is due to end. 

He was responding to a call from The Frontier legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing to keep the concession for at least another year. 

Ms Lau said the end of the discount on same-day returns would mean a fare rise for all but regular long-distance travellers, who would be able to buy discounted monthly passes from next month. 

Ms Lau and a number of Sha Tin and Tai Po district councillors gave Mr Tien a petition calling for an extension of the discount, with 3,150 signatures collected at stations along the line. 

"Not every citizen has benefited from the economy which is only showing signs of picking up," Ms Lau said. Ending the discount would put a burden on non-regular passengers and those taking short to medium trips, who would not be helped by the monthly pass. 

"For bigger families, a few hundred dollars extra would mean a lot to them and cause them to tighten their belts," she said. 

Mr Tien said the discount scheme, launched on April 1, 2003, had attracted less than 1 per cent more passengers. It was an unsustainable "giveaway exercise", which failed to achieve a "double-win situation" for passengers and the corporation. 

"The KCR Corporation, being a wholly government-funded organisation that needs to operate under commercial principles, has been suffering a low 1 per cent asset-rate return, as opposed to the normal 4 to 5 per cent," he said. "We have not been increasing fares despite that {hellip} we know we have to look after both aspects - the commercial aspect and people's livelihood. Otherwise, we would have increased the fares."


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## hkskyline

*KCRC seeks interest in Nam Cheong Development *
2 April 2005
South China Morning Post

Kowloon Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) will invite expressions of interest from developers on Monday for the 4,253-unit residential development at Nam Cheong station. 

Submissions will be accepted until April 29 for the $16 billion residential project, the rail firm's largest development of the year. Surveyors estimate the land premium at up to $11 billion, or about $2,800 per square foot. 

Nam Cheong, which will be developed in two phases, comprises 10 high-rise residential towers, nine sea-facing low-rise residential blocks and a 39-storey office tower with a retail podium.Ernest Kong 

goodyear plans new Asia headquarters in shanghai 

Goodyear Tyre & Rubber, the world's largest tyremaker by volume, plans to put its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, seeking to move closer to customers such as Ford Motor and suppliers as it expands in China. 

Goodyear aims to boost mainland purchases of materials and equipment tenfold in the next five years, increase retail outlets in the nation and expand a plant in the northeastern city of Dalian, the company said in an e-mailed statement. 

"China's vehicle market is still more profitable for international companies than North America and some other markets," said Tang Chuan, an analyst at KGI Asia. "Relocating its headquarters may help the company cut management layers and reduce costs." 

Goodyear competes with France's Michelin, Japan's Yokohama Rubber and other overseas tyremakers in China, supplying customers including Ford, Volkswagen and Peugeot Citroen.Bloomberg 

build king aims to double overseas sales by 2008 

Civil construction firm Build King Holdings aims to double overseas sales within three years, after net profit jumped more than 100 per cent last year. 

It plans to increase turnover contributions from outside Hong Kong to 33 per cent by 2008 from 15 per cent last year. 

Chairman Derek Zen said the firm was teaming up with construction heavyweights, including China Railway Middle East and China Railway Tenth Group, to achieve the overseas sales target. 

Net profit was $50 million for last year, up 108 per cent from the $24 million recorded in 2003. However, turnover fell 39 per cent to $741 million last year, from $1.2 billion previously. 

As at March 31, the firm had contracts on hand of about $7.9 billion, of which $961 million have yet to be completed, mainly from the Hong Kong government. Andy Cheng 

kowloon firm buys stake in shenzhen properties 

Hong Kong-listed Kowloon Development has bought a substantial stake in municipal government-backed Shenzhen Properties and Resources, amid a continuing drive by Beijing to sell state assets and ease its financial burden, according to sources. 

The deal would provide Kowloon Development, with origins in Macau, a path into the mainland market. For the Shenzhen government, it is an opportunity to cash out of the debt-laden property developer. 

The Shenzhen-traded A and B shares of both companies were suspended yesterday pending an announcement of the deal. 

Shenzhen Properties, which also manages hotels and operates department stores, is 67.4 per cent held by Shenzhen Construction Investment and 11.78 per cent owned by Shenzhen Investment Holdings.

Ernest Kong


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR Corp may build toilets - but not in its stations *
Zhou Weijing and Rachel Zeng
05 April 2005
South China Morning Post

Relief may be on the way for MTR passengers desperate to answer the call of nature. The MTR Corporation is in discussion with transport officials to build toilet facilities at major public transport hubs such as large bus, minivan and other terminals near its stations.

However, an MTR Corp spokeswoman said there was still no plan to provide such facilities inside its stations. "We are discussing with transport officials about setting up public toilets at [public transport interchanges] near MTR stations," she said.

While talks are still ongoing, it is not clear how many such interchanges will be selected and who would pay for the construction.

The Transport Department said building public toilets at transport hubs would be considered on a case-by-case basis. A toilet facility is expected to open on Suffolk Road, near the Kowloon Tong MTR and KCR stations, at the end of the year.

"As practical conditions of different transport interchanges vary, they will be considered case by case," a transport spokesman said. "If situations allow, provision of public toilet facilities will be taken into consideration."

Tse Wing-ling, vice-chairman of Wan Chai District Council, said there should be at least some toilets near MTR stations. "Though it is not a simple question, I insist there should be public conveniences near or at the entrance of the MTR stations. The MTR Corporation should at least sponsor some such facilities at the stations."

Council chairwoman Ada Wong Ying-kay said while building toilet facilities at transport hubs was an acceptable solution to help passengers, the MTR should give clear directions to such facilities.

"They should have public toilets as one of the markings at the relevant exits," she said.

Meanwhile, four toilet facilities are under construction or in active planning at scenic or tourist spots, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said.

The four are located at Lantau Link View Point in Tsing Yi; the Education Resource Centre, also a transport interchange, at Kowloon Tong; the Tsam Chuk Wan Anti-Japanese Martyrs Monument in Sai Kung; and a new public transport interchange in Wing On Plaza Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui. They will be completed by 2007.


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## hkskyline

*馬鐵信號故障 *
06/04/2005









【本報訊】馬鐵昨晨首班列車，由大圍車廠開出前發生信號故障，導致列車班次延誤，服務受影響個多小時。

由大圍車廠開往烏溪沙的首班列車，每日上午五時四十分開出，昨晨工程人員在大圍車廠進行準備工作時，發現信號系統出現故障，立即通知控制中心。經了解後，認為列車毋須停駛，惟班次延誤約八分鐘，至昨晨七時，工程人員完成搶修，列車服務才回復正常。


----------



## ailiton

from a transportation forum.


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## hkskyline

Monday April 25, 3:20 PM
*Hong Kong Disneyland unveils rail line for its theme park*

AP - With the help of Donald Duck and a cloud of silver confetti, officials unveiled a new rail line Monday for Hong Kong Disneyland _ the world's first train route specifically dedicated for a theme park.

The 3.5-kilometer (2-mile) train line, which cost 2 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$257 million, 197 million), will be able to shuttle about 10,000 passengers per hour to the park, set to open Sept. 12, said Disneyland and the city's Mass Transit Rail Corp. The park and subway operator financed the project.

The line will be a branch off the subway line from Central Hong Kong to outlying Lantau Island, where Disneyland is being built.

"Disneyland Resort line will take visitors to a magical world," MTRC Chief Executive C.K. Chow said. "The 3.5 minute train journey is not to be missed for all Disneyland visitors who wish to enjoy the full experience."

The trains' windows and the straphangers are shaped like Mickey Mouse. The ceiling and the sides of the train are painted red, yellow, purple and blue.

The park is a joint venture between the Hong Kong government and The Walt Disney Co. It's being built on reclaimed land at Penny's Bay.

Critics have criticized the government for shouldering most of the US$3.5 billion construction cost for the park. But officials have argued that the park will boost employment and help make Hong Kong a major tourist destination.


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## hkskyline

*LCQ10: Railway corporations regard staff as important asset*
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Following is a question by the Hon Li Fung-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (April 20):

*Question:*

Regarding the operation of the MTR Corporation Limited and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the respective numbers of staff of the two corporations each year during the period between January 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005, together with a breakdown by terms of employment; and among these staff, the number of those engaged in duties such as frontline train operations, logistics support in maintenance and inspection, and engineering services;

(b) of the respective total numbers of outsourcing contracts for works and services awarded/to be awarded by the two corporations each year during the above period and in the coming year; and in relation to such contracts, the work and service items, the number of workers engaged in outsourced works and services, the contract periods and costs involved, the total number of affected railway corporation staff, and how the two corporations handled/will handle the problems concerning the affected staff;

(c) whether it has conducted a comprehensive review on the adjustments to the terms of employment for staff made by the two corporations in recent years, and studied the impact of such adjustments on the overall rail operation; if it has, of the details and results of the study; if not, the reasons for that and whether it has any plan to conduct such review and study in future; and

(d) whether any preliminary results regarding the impact of the merger on the staff were available from the merger study conducted by the two corporations; if they were, of the details; if not, the time when the staff and the public will be informed of such results?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

For the period between January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005, based on the railway corporations' existing establishment, the respective total numbers of staff employed by the two railway corporations are set out in annex 1.

The respective total numbers of outsourcing contracts for works and services awarded/to be awarded by the two railway corporations each year between January 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005 and in the coming year are set out in annex 2.

MTRCL indicates that there is no additional outsourcing project by the corporation for the remaining months of year 2005 and year 2006.

Since the two railway corporations manage and monitor their outsourced contracts by contractors' performance rather than by number of staff of individual contractors, they cannot provide the total number of such staff engaged in these contracts.

The two railway corporations advise that the contract period of the outsourced engineering and service contracts varies according to the nature of the contracts. Generally speaking, for MTRCL, the contract period ranges from two to five years. For some contracts which require a longer follow-up period or continuity of service such as maintenance service for infrastructure and rolling stock, the contract period normally lasts for six to seven years. For KCRC, the contract period ranges from one to five years.

In planning and implementing outsourcing contracts, the two railway corporations give full regard to the interests of staff. The two railway corporations point out that job security of staff has not been affected by outsourcing activities.

The two railway corporations are directly responsible for managing their human resources in the provision of efficient and reliable railway services. Like other commercial entities, the two railway corporations review on its own the terms of employment of their staff including any adjustment. The role of the Government as the regulator of railway services is to closely monitor the performance of the railways, in particular, the safety and reliability aspects.

The two railway corporations pledge that they regard staff as their most important asset and are committed to looking after the interests of all staff in taking forward the merger issue. In the course of the merger discussion, the two railway corporations have enhanced communication with their staff, and have established channels to listen to their concerns and views. So far, the two railway corporations' discussions of the merger are conducted from a broad perspective and no detailed plan has been made yet. If the merger were to proceed, they would conduct further studies on post-merger staffing arrangement. The two railway corporations will further consult their staff on issues affecting them before making final decisions.


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## hkskyline

*LCQ10: Railway corporations regard staff as important asset*
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Following is a question by the Hon Li Fung-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (April 20):

*Question:*

Regarding the operation of the MTR Corporation Limited and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the respective numbers of staff of the two corporations each year during the period between January 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005, together with a breakdown by terms of employment; and among these staff, the number of those engaged in duties such as frontline train operations, logistics support in maintenance and inspection, and engineering services;

(b) of the respective total numbers of outsourcing contracts for works and services awarded/to be awarded by the two corporations each year during the above period and in the coming year; and in relation to such contracts, the work and service items, the number of workers engaged in outsourced works and services, the contract periods and costs involved, the total number of affected railway corporation staff, and how the two corporations handled/will handle the problems concerning the affected staff;

(c) whether it has conducted a comprehensive review on the adjustments to the terms of employment for staff made by the two corporations in recent years, and studied the impact of such adjustments on the overall rail operation; if it has, of the details and results of the study; if not, the reasons for that and whether it has any plan to conduct such review and study in future; and

(d) whether any preliminary results regarding the impact of the merger on the staff were available from the merger study conducted by the two corporations; if they were, of the details; if not, the time when the staff and the public will be informed of such results?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

For the period between January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005, based on the railway corporations' existing establishment, the respective total numbers of staff employed by the two railway corporations are set out in annex 1.

The respective total numbers of outsourcing contracts for works and services awarded/to be awarded by the two railway corporations each year between January 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005 and in the coming year are set out in annex 2.

MTRCL indicates that there is no additional outsourcing project by the corporation for the remaining months of year 2005 and year 2006.

Since the two railway corporations manage and monitor their outsourced contracts by contractors' performance rather than by number of staff of individual contractors, they cannot provide the total number of such staff engaged in these contracts.

The two railway corporations advise that the contract period of the outsourced engineering and service contracts varies according to the nature of the contracts. Generally speaking, for MTRCL, the contract period ranges from two to five years. For some contracts which require a longer follow-up period or continuity of service such as maintenance service for infrastructure and rolling stock, the contract period normally lasts for six to seven years. For KCRC, the contract period ranges from one to five years.

In planning and implementing outsourcing contracts, the two railway corporations give full regard to the interests of staff. The two railway corporations point out that job security of staff has not been affected by outsourcing activities.

The two railway corporations are directly responsible for managing their human resources in the provision of efficient and reliable railway services. Like other commercial entities, the two railway corporations review on its own the terms of employment of their staff including any adjustment. The role of the Government as the regulator of railway services is to closely monitor the performance of the railways, in particular, the safety and reliability aspects.

The two railway corporations pledge that they regard staff as their most important asset and are committed to looking after the interests of all staff in taking forward the merger issue. In the course of the merger discussion, the two railway corporations have enhanced communication with their staff, and have established channels to listen to their concerns and views. So far, the two railway corporations' discussions of the merger are conducted from a broad perspective and no detailed plan has been made yet. If the merger were to proceed, they would conduct further studies on post-merger staffing arrangement. The two railway corporations will further consult their staff on issues affecting them before making final decisions.


----------



## hkskyline




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## bs_lover_boy

^It's so cool, I wonder who ripped it out?


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## superchan7

Why is there a KCR line (gray) going that way?


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## vvill

superchan7 said:


> Why is there a KCR line (gray) going that way?


it does go that way..
that's the KCR west rail.. cos it goes along the western coast.. and then through the tunnel after the stop at Tseun Wan West.

btw...
thought it'd be cool if there'll be a stop called 'macau'. 
haha.


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## superchan7

I thought the KCR west rail line in that diagram went upward instead of left. They changed it?


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## hkskyline

*KCRC driver suspended as safety concerns mount *
Teddy Ng, Hong Kong Standard
April 29, 2005

The Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) Thursday suspended a driver who overshot an East Rail station on a run to Fan Ling.

The KCRC apologized to about 60 affected passengers who returned to Tai Wo on the next train.

East Rail operations general manager Anthony Yan said the 7.50am incident was being investigated, but initial indications pointed to human error.

However, he insisted the passengers were never in danger as the railway's Automatic Train Protection system only allows a train to proceed to the next station if it is safe to do so.

The stopping of trains at stations is controlled by another system, the Automatic Train Operation, and it is possible this failed to function properly. In such cases, however, it was the driver's responsibility to stop the train, he said.

Under established procedures, trains must stop at all stations in order to allow passengers to board and alight.

"The driver of the train did not stop at Tai Wo station according to standard procedures," the KCRC said.

The driver, who has been with the company for more than a year, has been suspended from work.

Pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Lau Kong-wah, who is also the Legco transport panel chairman, said the incident was unacceptable.

"It is not the first time such an incident has happened. The senior management of the KCRC must be held accountable even for human errors," Lau said. "It should remedy such mistakes through proper training for drivers and by improving the system."

Democrat legislator Andrew Cheng urged the KCRC to release the full report of the investigation as early as possible. "I think the KCRC should prepare a backup system," he said. "If there is a possibility of human error, then there should be a back-up computer system to automatically remedy the error. Different components within the system should complement each other," he said.

Frontier legislator Emily Lau sent a letter to KCRC chairman Michael Tien, asking him to apologize to the public. She said she was worried about the safety of train commuters.

It is not the first time that a KCRC train has overshot a station.

On February 2, 2001, one train did not stop at Fan Ling and two days later, another train missed Tai Po Market station.

An investigation report then blamed human error for both incidents.


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## gakei

superchan7 said:


> I thought the KCR west rail line in that diagram went upward instead of left. They changed it?


Yes, they have changed. A Legislative Council member complained that MTRC did not show the KCR West Rail Line correctly and omitted the Tsuen Wan West Stn.


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## hkskyline

Tuesday April 26, 1:59 AM
*HK MTR Corp Issues HK$1 Bln Long-Term Debt Via HSBC *

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--MTR Corp. (C.I.) Ltd., an arm of Hong Kong railway operator MTR Corp. (0066.HK), is offering HK$1 billion of long-term fixed-rate debt, lead manager HSBC said, comprising HK$500 million each of 10-year and 15-year bonds.

Terms for the issues are as follows:


Code:


Amount:            HK$500 million
Maturity:          May 11, 2015
Coupon:            4.50% per annum
Coupon Frequency:  Quarterly
Issue Price:       At par
Redemption:        At par
Payment date:      May 9, 2005
Denominations:     HK$500,000
Listing:           None
Guarantor:         MTR Corp.
Amount:            HK$500 million
Maturity:          May 11, 2020
Coupon:            4.75% per annum
Coupon Frequency:  Quarterly
Issue Price:       At par
Redemption:        At par
Payment date:      May 9, 2005
Denominations:     HK$500,000
Listing:           None
Guarantor:         MTR Corp.


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## hkskyline

29 April 2005
KCRC Press Release
*Eight expressions of interest received for Nam Cheong Station property development*

A total of eight expressions of interest have been received for the joint venture property development for Nam Cheong Station, West Rail, at the close of submission today.

KCRC Director of Property, Mr Daniel Lam said, “We are very pleased with the response, which reflects the market’s confidence in the potential of the site.

“Among the eight expressions of interest, two were submitted by consortia involving small to medium sized developers.”

The 46,200 sq. m. site will yield about 369,600 sq. m. of gross floor area, comprising 300,300 sq. m. for residential use, 27,660 sq. m for retail use and 41,640 sq. m. for office use. A total of 4,247 flats will be provided. The development will be completed in two phases, with the Phase 1 ready for occupation in 2009. 

According to the current plan, the Corporation will invite selected developers/consortia to submit tenders for the proposed development in the second quarter this year while the tender will be awarded in the third quarter. Construction is expected to begin early next year. 

Nam Cheong Station property development is among the first batch of sites for which expressions of interest are invited in the year. The Corporation has invited expressions of interest for the site at Wu Kai Sha, and has also planned to invite expressions of interest for the sites at Tsuen Wan West (TW7), Yuen Long and Tuen Mun.


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## hkskyline

MTR Press Release
28 April 2005
*Interchange Discount at MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station Extended for 2 Months *

Octopus cardholders transferring between the MTR and the KCR East Rail at Tsim Sha Tsui will continue to enjoy interchange discount until 30 June 2005.

Adult Octopus cardholders will automatically save $1.5 on the second leg of their journey when they use the same Octopus card to travel on both rail systems and transfer at Tsim Sha Tsui. To enjoy the discount, the second leg journey must be made within 30 minutes after completion of first leg.

Under the offer, Elder and Child Octopus users will enjoy a $0.8 discount on the second leg journey.

Students currently enjoying concessionary fares on the MTR will save $1.5 when they go from the MTR to the KCR and $0.8 when they travel in the opposite direction.

The extension of the interchange discount will help encourage more passengers to use the new interchange facility at Tsim Sha Tsui with the KCR East Rail's new East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the two convenient pedestrian subways beneath Mody Road and Middle Road.


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## hkskyline

28 April 2005
KCRC Press Release
*East Rail passengers to enjoy more interchange discounts* 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) will introduce the first two interchange discount schemes for East Rail passengers in the North District on 1 May this year.

At the same time, passengers holding Octopus cards transferring between KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station will continue to enjoy the $1.5 interchange discount scheme until 30 June 2005. The scheme originally expires on 30 April 2005.

From 1 May to 30 November, East Rail passengers using Octopus cards will enjoy a discount of $0.5 when interchanging with green minibus routes 58K or 501K. KCRC and the operator of the two routes will review the schemes in six months.

Route 58K runs between Sheung Shui Station and Ping Kong every 10 – 18 minutes. Route 501K is a circular route plying between Fanling Station and Yan Shing Court at a frequency of 5 – 10 minutes. The full fare of both routes is $3.5.

KCRC General Manager - Marketing, Mr Michael Lai said, “We are pleased to introduce interchange discounts for the first time to East Rail passengers in the North District and to extend the Tsim Sha Tsui KCR/MTR interchange discount for another two months. The Corporation will continue to explore promotional initiatives with other operators to bring more benefits to passengers.”

East Rail passengers can enjoy the discount only if they are using Octopus cards and interchanging with green minibus routes 58K and 501K at Sheung Shui Station and Fanling Station respectively within 45 minutes after exiting the East Rail station, or when entering Sheung Shui Station or Fanling Station within two hours after boarding minibuses 58K or 501K. Passengers using the East Rail One-Month Pass are not eligible to enjoy the MTR or the green minibus interchange discounts.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 28, 2005
*Grandiose project sparks buying spree
Tseung Kwan O development sells more than 500 flats on the first day of sale*
Peggy Sito

The recent upsurge in the residential market continued yesterday, with more than 500 flats offered at the Grandiose development in Tseung Kwan O being snapped up by end-users and investors on the first day of sale.

The joint project between New World Development and MTR Corp comprises three buildings with 1,472 apartments ranging in size from 576 square feet to 1,055 sqft.

The Grandiose will be completed by the middle of next year. 

Estate agents said the project had attracted end-users and a large number of speculators and investors.

Centaline Property Agency said 500 units had been sold by 10.30pm and 20 of them had been immediately offered for resale.

According to Midland Realty, one investor who snapped up 10 units offered them for resale at 10 per cent more than the purchase price.

"So far, I have not met any buyer planning to purchase the units for their own use," Midland senior sales manager Candy Chan Pui-fong said.

"Not only veteran speculators are attracted to the projects, but also some small investors. They will sell their units if prices can go up 15 per cent before completion, while others will hold on to them as long-term investments."

Ms Chan said most of the buyers had chosen a staggered payment method, which allowed them to make a down-payment of 15 per cent in three instalments by January, with the remaining 85 per cent to be paid on completion of the apartment.

Buyers using this method end up paying 4 per cent more than those who complete the deal in 30 days.

"We cannot say purchasers who choose staggered payment are definitely investors, but it is investors who prefer to use this method because of the long completion period," Ms Chan said.

However, Centaline executive director Louis Chan Wing-kit estimated investors only accounted for 30 per cent of the buyers. "Many of our clients are end -users," he said.

Agents said flat-hunters were optimistic about the market outlook on the back of the improved economy and falling supply in the housing sector.

They cited the encouraging sales of the Arch in West Kowloon as an example. About 90 per cent of the 1,052 units in the project were sold in little more than a week.

But analysts said there was sufficient supply in Tseung Kwan O in the next few years.

Cheung Kong (Holdings) and MTR are developing two residential projects at the Tiu Keng Leng MTR station.

MTR also has its Tseung Kwan O development, Dreamcity, which will comprise 21,500 flats when it is completed in 10 years. The first phase of Dreamcity was won by Cheung Kong last month.

HKR International has sold 13 of its 41 houses at Le Bleu, the second phase of Coastal Skyline in Tung Chung, over the past 10 days for $ 300 million, according to the firm's general manager of development and marketing Chan Chi -ming.

Mr Chan said the houses, which ranged from 2,300 sqft to 2,500 sqft, were sold at about $10,000 per square foot, a record for the district and comparable to home values in traditional luxury areas such as Yau Yat Tsuen.


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## hkskyline

MTR Press Release
18 April 2005
*MTR Appoints CEO for Europe Operations*

The MTR Corporation Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of
Mr Jeremy Long as Chief Executive Officer – European Business with effect from 2 May 2005.

Mr Long will be responsible for developing the Corporation’s business in the Europe market where MTR looks to take advantage of opportunities opening up in the United Kingdom and other European countries to apply its operational and technical experience in providing effective and efficient rail services.

The Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation Mr C K Chow said: “Jeremy brings with him extensive experience and knowledge of the UK and European rail industry. We are confident he will help MTR to implement our growth strategy by leading efforts to establish a strong MTR presence in Europe.”

A Chartered Accountant, Mr Long was most recently Managing Director, Rail of FirstGroup plc. “I am excited to be joining the MTR Corporation, one of the best names in the railway industry worldwide,” said Mr Long. “The MTR has much to offer in helping to bring more reliable and efficient passenger rail services to Europe and I look forward to working with the MTR team in exporting their expertise overseas.”


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## hkskyline

28 April 2005
KCR Press Release
*Non-stopping of an East Rail train at Tai Wo Station*

At 7:49am this morning, a northbound East Rail train did notfailed to stop at Tai Wo Station as scheduled for passengers to allow passengers to board and alightand board. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) apologises for any inconvenience caused to passengers, and is investigating the incident. 

Initial findings showed that the incident was a result of human error. The driver of the incident train did not stop at Tai Wo Station according to standard procedures. KCRC apologises for any inconvenience caused to passengers. 

General Manager – East Rail Operations Mr Anthony Yan said, “East Rail’s safety is protected by the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which ensures a train could only proceed if it is safe to do so. The stopping of of a trains at stations, is however, is controlled by another system, the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system.”

Since the The train’s ATO failed to function properly this morning, the driver was therefore responsible for stopping the train at all stations. Nevertheless, The ATP was still in operation and functioning properly in order to ensure the safe operation of the train. After the train departed from East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, the driver had been responsible for following established procedures to depart, which called for the train to stop at all stations for in order to allow passengers to board and alight. KCRC has suspended the driver from driving duties Iin the wake of the incident.

KCRC is very concerned about the incident. Although the incident did not affect passenger safety, it has caused inconvenience to passengers boarding and alighting at Tai Wo Station. KCRC has therefore reminded all drivers to stop at stations according to procedures.

KCRC is continuing to investigating investigate the incident in order to prevent similar events from occurring in the future.


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## hkskyline

*MTRC aims deeper in Shenzhen and Beijing *
Danny Chung and Eli Lau 
29 April 2005
Hong Kong Standard

MTR Corp, Hong Kong's subway operator, is in talks to deepen its involvement in developing the underground train systems in Shenzhen and Beijing, the company said. 

Besides Line 4 of the Shenzhen Metro, which is already under development, MTRC is also looking to take part in two to three other lines in Shenzhen, as well as the same number of rail projects in Beijing, said chief executive officer Chow Chung-kong Thursday. 

He did not reveal the amount of investments or predict if the projects will include property development. 

He said it would depend on the nature of the projects. 

Earlier this year, MTRC signed an agreement with the Beijing municipal government to develop Beijing Metro Line 4 in a public-private partnership. 

In Shenzhen, it agreed last year to invest in a company that will develop the second phase of Line 4 of the Shenzhen Metro, costing six billion yuan (HK$5.7 billion), including property development rights. 

MTRC also said Thursday that profits from the sale of homes at The Arch in Union Square at Kowloon Station will be booked for the current financial year instead of 2006 as originally planned. 

This is because sales, which started earlier this month, are going faster than expected, the firm said. 

In 2000, MTRC joined with Sun Hung Kai Properties to develop The Arch, which comprises 1,054 residential units with floor areas ranging from 505 to 5,497 square feet. 

Under the development agreement, MTRC is entitled to a share of the proceeds from the sales, which market watchers say is about 30 percent. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties earlier this month said it had sold a penthouse triplex for the highest price seen since the last property boom in 1997, at HK$31,300 per square foot. 

More than 950 apartments at The Arch have been sold in the past two weeks, generating HK$12 billion.


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## hkskyline

*Tien moots single-track sections on North Link *
Dennis Ng
20 April 2005
Hong Kong Standard

The planned Northern Link might feature single-track sections to save billions of dollars in construction costs, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien said.

"We feel part of the rail can be run with single tracks to reduce the cost,'' he told reporters after a topping out ceremony at Lok Ma Chau station Tuesday.

KCRC is expected to submit a report to the government on a detailed proposal of the new railway line next month.

Tien said the proposal is technically feasible and KCRC is studying the financial arrangements and whether it should invest on its own.

He said inclusion of single-track sections could cut the total cost of the project from the original HK$9 billion to under HK$7 billion.

He said the new railway would enable residents to travel by train from one side of the northern New Territories to the other.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University Associate Professor Hung Wing-tat said adoption of single-track sections is common overseas and cuts costs.

He said a modern computer system would ensure there would be no head- on collisions. In its blueprint Railway Development Strategy 2000, the government proposed connecting Kam Sheung Road Station on the West Rail to Chau Tau on the Sheung Shui-Lok Ma Chau Spur Line on the East Rail.

It expects the Northern Link to be in place between 2011-2016.

Meanwhile, Tien said the fares on the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, which will open by 2007, will be ``quite affordable.''

"It is unnecessary to worry about high fares because our prices should be competitive,'' he said.

"There are many types of transportation at Lok Ma Chau and we will face many rivals.''

Tien said it is pointless determining Spur Line fares too early. For example, KCRC originally planned to charge as much as HK$22 per adult trip on West Rail. But the highest adult fare turned out to be HK$15.

Tien, Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Joshua Law and dozens of district councilors, leaders of rural communities and government officials attended the Lok Ma Chau station topping out ceremony.

The Lok Ma Chau terminus will handle 33,000 travelers an hour, 50 percent more than Lo Wu Station on East Rail.


----------



## hkskyline

*i-CABLE to offer real-time news on KCRC trains*
30 April 2005
Asia Pacific Broadcasting

i-CABLE, Hong Kong's fully-integrated communications company, will provide real-time news on Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) trains later this year.

i-CABLE and KCRC have entered into a multi-year agreement on the provision of the new service.

Under the licence agreement, KCRC will provide the Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) on board its trains on the East Rail, Ma On Shan Rail and West Rail.

Hong Kong Cable News Express (HKCNE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of i-CABLE, will be the sole content provider and the exclusive commercial air-time sales distributor for multimedia service on the KCRC TV screens.

Lee Kang Kuen, KCRC's senior director of capital projects, pointed out that the content of the PIDS can be updated during the journey, which makes it an outstanding feature when compared with similar medium on board the other public transport in the country.

He added that information on news and finance could be updated throughout the day via the wireless transmission system.

Lee estimated that with over 4,000 screens on board the fleet of 77 KCRC trains, the programme could reach more than one million passengers daily.

Samuel Wong, i-CABLE's director and COO, was excited about the joint venture. He said: " This is a truly ground-breaking project, which will allow KCRC, i-CABLE and HKCNE to synergise and capitalise on their respective strengths while providing a valuable new service to advertisers and also the travelling public on KCRC trains."

Wong added that this project represents another major step in i-CABLE's ongoing strategy to expand its business beyond the conventional residential and commercial markets to multiple media platforms.


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## hkskyline

By *mario* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## superchan7

I saw those pictures in a forum...I think they were saying MTR is going to spread the Korean trains over to the purple line.


----------



## aznichiro115

anyone know why the K-stock is only on the kwun tong and tsueng kwan o lines?


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## ailiton

k-stocks were supposed to be running on TKO line.


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## superchan7

Anyway, it's good to see those newer trains running around more. They're much quieter because there's no wind leak from the door design.

Anyone know if they're still importing K-stocks, or anything about the future of urban-line stocks?


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## ailiton

The new Tung Chung Line trains are made by Rotem (spelling?) and they will arrive next year, I think.


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## hkskyline

*Metro Hong Kong Extends Distribution Contract With MTR *
14 March 2005
PrimeZone Media Network

BERTRANGE, Luxembourg, March 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metro International S.A. ("Metro"), the international newspaper group, today announced that that it has extended its distribution contract with MTR Corporation Ltd. until 14 April 2010. The agreement gives Metro the right to distribute the Metro free newspaper from racks in Hong Kong's subway network, which is used by more than 2.2 million commuters every day. 

Metro is currently distributing more than 300,000 copies daily throughout Hong Kong at 49 MTR stations. The contract was initially awarded in April 2002 for a period of three years with the option for a further five-year extension. 

Peter Kuo, MD Metro Asia, commented: "Distribution through the MTR network has been a successful way of reaching a young, active and well-educated audience. Metro will continue targeting this audience, which is hard to reach through other media and is very attractive to advertisers. We are grateful for MTR's continuing support". 

Pelle Tornberg, President and CEO, commented: "Our Hong Kong operation has experienced significant growth since its launch and we expect to see further expansion. The MTR network is an efficient means of reaching the young professional commuting public that Metro targets". 

For further information, please visit www.metro.lu , email [email protected] or contact: Pelle Tornberg, President & CEO tel: +44 (0) 20 7016 1300 Henrik Persson, Corporate Communications tel: +46 (0) 8 562 000 87 

Metro is the largest and fastest growing international newspaper in the world. 46 daily Metro editions are published in 68 major cities in 17 countries in 16 languages across Europe, North & South America and Asia. Metro has a unique global reach - attracting a young, active, well-educated audience of more than 15 million daily readers and over 33 million weekly readers. Metro has an equal number of male and female readers and 70% are under the age of 45. Metro's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual rate of 47% since the launch of the first edition in 1995. 

Metro International S.A. `A' and `B' shares are listed on the Stockholmsborsen `O-List' under the symbols MTROA and MTROB. 

This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net


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## superchan7

Really? Any concepts or renderings/pics of those trains? I had no idea TCL was getting new trains.


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## ailiton

No la. But they should look very similar to the current trains.


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## superchan7

Even though the urban K-stock is very similar to the original M-stock, it had many cool features and subtle differences (even the exterior colour is darker). So I'm looking forward to knowing of these differences.


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## hkskyline

*MTR may revisit bond market to raise $6b *
Georgina Lee 
5 May 2005
South China Morning Post

MTR Corp says it may revisit the bond market in the next seven months to fund $6 billion in capital expenditure on expansion over the next three years. 

Finance director Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen said the rail company might sell bonds to overseas investors this year as it wanted to take advantage of free liquidity in many Asian markets, from which investors were looking for higher yielding financial instruments amid the low interest-rate environment. 

"We are always looking for opportunities in the market," Mr Leong told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday. 

"Our capital expenditure for the next three years is only six odd billion Hong Kong dollars combined, so it's not significant," he said. 

Just last month, the 75 per cent government-owned rail operator raised $1 billion through 10-year and 15-year bonds of $500 million each. 

While the company said it was not arranging any bond issue now, analysts said the utility company would have no problem coming to the market. 

A credit rating of A-plus by Standard & Poor's, which yesterday raised its outlook to "positive" from "stable", meant MTR would be in high demand by institutional investors. 

With as much as $63.5 billion in shareholder funds and $30 billion in debt, analysts said MTR's strong balance sheet showed it had no pressing need for fresh capital. 

However, they said the company might want to borrow now by issuing long-term bonds to lock in attractive interest rates - especially as rates will probably trend upwards - as it expected more projects to be approved by the government soon. 

Dilip Parameswaran, the head of capital markets credit research at Calyon, said MTR might be expecting imminent approval to build two extensions to the Island line - one to connect Wong Chuk Hang with Sai Ying Pun, passing through Cyberport, and the other joining Ap Lei Chau with Admiralty, through Ocean Park.


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## Syd-Hk

does anyone know why ma on shan trains run in the opposite direction of east rail?

east rail trains travel the left side (british), while ma on shan drives on the right side (american)


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## superchan7

Wow, interesting observation. Very strange.


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## ailiton

Syd-Hk said:


> does anyone know why ma on shan trains run in the opposite direction of east rail?
> 
> east rail trains travel the left side (british), while ma on shan drives on the right side (american)


They did that purposely. It was done that way so that they can provide cross-platform transfer for southbound traffic.


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## ailiton

KCR East Rail platform gate doors!


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## vvill

wait are you serious?
i guess that's just a joke right.
it looks horrendous. --"


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## ailiton

I'm quite sure that it will look different.


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## ailiton

Photos by dik chai:


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## hkskyline

*HSBC Hong Kong, KCRC, MTRC, HK Airport Authority ratings outlook raised - S&P *
4 May 2005

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it has raised the outlook on the long-term foreign currency ratings of six Hong Kong companies to "positive" from "stable" following its upgrade of Hong Kong's sovereign rating outlook. It said the companies are HSBC unit Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp Ltd, Kowloon Canton Railway Corp, MTR Corp, Airport Authority Hong Kong, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) and Hong Kong Mortgage Corp.


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## hkskyline

*Beijing starts metro upgrading *
1 May 2005
Railway Gazette International

BEIJING METRO Corp announced in March that it was starting work on a network-wide upgrading and renovation programme ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Costed at 4.3bn yuan, the package includes replacement of track, trains, signalling and communications equipment on Lines 1 and 2, parts of which are now approaching 30 years old. A new smart card based fare collection system will also be introduced by the end of 2007, covering all metro lines in the Chinese capital.

In total 52.2km of track will be relaid. Around 180 trainsets will be replaced with new air-conditioned stock, and the signalling renewal will allow peak headways to be cut from 3min to 2.5min.

Hong Kong's MTR Corp, Beijing Capital Group and Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co have initialled the formal PPP concession agreement with Beijing Municipal Government to equip and operate Line 4, although this is still subject to approval by the National Development & Reform Commission.

The 29km route between Majialou and Longbeicun will be the capital's principal north-south metro line, serving 24 stations. Civil engineering has been underway since October 2003. The PPP concessionaires will provide the rolling stock and other E&M systems and operate the line. Total cost of Line 4 is put at 15.3bn yuan, of which the city will fund around 70%.


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## Anekdote

ailiton said:


> KCR East Rail platform gate doors!



It looks strange x_X;


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## Syd-Hk

ugly.


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## superchan7

Bad colour, bad shapes. Make them more angular and get rid of the bronze. Replace it with chrome and glass, and then we're talking. This is a great idea as it improves the safety, comfort and technology of KCR East Rail, especially for passengers visiting from the mainland.


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## hkskyline

*Legislators lash out at 'greedy' MTRC *
Sylvia Hui, Hong Kong Standard
May 7, 2005










The MTR Corp was accused of being "greedy" and "socially irresponsible" by furious legislators who also described the HK$2 billion Disneyland Resort Line as a shady deal between MTRC and the government and demanded that the company lower the fares it charges.

Legislators attending a Legislative Council subcommittee meeting on railway matters Friday launched the attack when MTRC representatives told the meeting fares to Disneyland will be based on "existing fare structures."

"Although you say train fares to Disneyland are much cheaper than bus fares, there is no reason to base Disney trip fares using your existing structure," said democrat Andrew Cheung.

"Don't forget you are exempted from HK$800 million worth of dividends to the government."

The resort line, which is expected to transport 40 percent of the visitors to the theme park when it opens September 12, was initially considered not financially viable.

In 2002, the government, a major shareholder in the MTRC, agreed to waive its claim for HK$798 million worth of dividends.

Legislators accused the MTRC and the government of bypassing Legco when the 2002 decision was made. They also doubted the profitability of the venture and described the resort line as an overinvestment.

"The people give [the subsidized train line] their public money but MTRC pockets all the goods," said Cheng.

When asked to disclose financial projections for the line, MTRC deputy operations director Andrew McCusker said the information is commercially sensitive. He stressed the fares are highly competitive, but the company will review prices after assessing market response.

The fares ranging from HK$6 to HK$26 - much lower than proposed bus fares at HK$7 to HK$38 - triggered accusations the government is deliberately suppressing other public transport providers to ensure MTRC maintains a reasonable passenger flow.

The government and MTRC were urged to submit written replies on how and when the government will receive the waived dividends.

The attacks were followed by more criticism of MTRC's financial transparency. Legislators were furious when McCusker said that 10 cents charged to each Octopus journey from MTR passengers, aimed to subsidize the fitting of platform screen doors, will "go on indefinitely."

"At the time Legco approved this move we only agreed on charging passengers for the HK$2 billion construction cost of the screen doors," legislator Lau Kong-wah said. "We never agreed to charge people indefinitely for the doors' maintenance and cleaning costs."

Since July 2000 MTRC has collected HK$3 million from passengers for the screen doors, said McCusker.

The government was also accused of failing to maintain its role as gatekeeper of public interests.

MTRC's Disney line train, unveiled late last month, has two new stations at Sunny Bay and Disneyland.

The trains' four carriages, each carrying 180 passengers, are expected to be able to carry 11,000 people during peak hours. However, up to 17,000 people can squeezed in during extremely busy hours.

It is the first train line in the world specially dedicated to a theme park.


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## hkskyline

*MTR's 10-cent door levy to continue *
Elaine Wu 
7 May 2005
South China Morning Post

Train passengers will have to continue paying an extra 10 cents on each ride to cover the cost of installation and maintenance of platform screen doors even after the MTR has finished fitting the doors next year. 

Andrew McCusker, deputy operations director of the rail operator, told lawmakers on the railways subcommittee yesterday that the 10-cent surcharge was needed to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the doors. 

"There are lots of ongoing costs in terms of the platform screen doors," he said. 

"And going into the future they will have to be renewed and upgraded, as all assets are." 

His remarks angered some lawmakers, who said the fee should not be applied forever and should only be used for the construction cost of the doors. 

The MTR has added the charge since 2000 for people who use the Octopus card to pay for their rides. 

The company had estimated the surcharge would pay for about half of the $2 billion construction cost of the doors. 

It had collected $300 million so far from the 10-cent fee, Mr McCusker said, but he did not say when MTR passengers could stop paying it. 

Legislator Lau Kong-wah said: "This is like cheating in a way because at the time when [the company] spoke with us, they did not mention all the costs involved. Everyone had the impression [the fee] was for the construction cost." 

The MTR began installing screen doors on platforms to separate passengers from train tracks in 2001. 

It has completed the work at 24 underground stations and has six more to go before the project finishes early next year. 

Mr McCusker said next year the company would start studying how to install the screens at above-ground stations. 

Separately, Mr McCusker told the subcommittee yesterday that there was no room for giving passengers group or family discounts on the Disneyland Resort Line, which is scheduled to open in September. 

Lawmakers argued that the rail operator should give the public more concessions on the rides because the government had helped to finance the project by waiving its claim for $798 million in dividends over a few years to which it was entitled as a shareholder. 

They also questioned whether the four-car train line would be able to transport all the passengers going to Disneyland in the early morning rush hour and late night after the fireworks finished. 

Deputy Secretary for Transport Cathy Chu Man-ling said the train line had a capacity of more than 10,000 passengers per hour, which should be enough to handle Disneyland's forecast of 11,000 hourly visitors during the morning hours. 

Aside from the train line, Disneyland visitors would also be able to take buses and coaches to get to the theme park. 

Ms Chu said minibuses have been ruled out because of their low capacity for passenger numbers.


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## hkskyline

Corporate Press Release
27 April 2005
*CityU and MTR Win Prestigious International Award With AI Software*

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) software system jointly designed and developed by Dr Andy Chun at City University of Hong Kong and the MTR Corporation has been honoured by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) with the “Innovative Application of Artificial Intelligence” Award 2005 (IAAI) in the category of “Deployed Applications”. This demonstrates CityU’s excellence in applied research and the University’s commitment to collaboration with industry leaders for the benefit of Hong Kong society.

The award-winning “AI Engine”, which has been in daily use since July 2004, is a component of the MTR’s Engineering Works and Traffic Information Management System. The “AI Engine” is an intelligent scheduling software for the efficient allocation and management of all engineering resources for the five existing MTR lines, Airport Express and the new Disneyland Resort Line scheduled to open soon.

“Ensuring the safety of engineering works and the consistently optimal usage of the railway system during the short few hours available overnight are the top priorities of the AI scheduling system. With CityU’s expertise in this area, we are pleased to work with them on this state-of-the-art project. MTR Corporation is committed to adopt latest technologies for the provision of a safe, efficient and comfortable mass transit railway system,” commented Ir Richard Keefe, Infrastructure Engineering Manager – Tseung Kwan O Line of MTR Corporation.

Dr Andy Chun, Associate Professor in CityU’s Department of Computer Science, is the only person in Greater China to have received this award to date. He is a local expert in applying AI technology to scheduling, and resource and manpower allocation. “I am delighted that we have won this prestigious award which recognizes CityU as one of the world’s leading technology innovators,” he said. “I believe our AI technologies can easily be applied to many different types of organizations in Hong Kong, to help them streamline operations and maximize performance and revenue.”

Since 1990, the annual IAAI has been awarded internationally to honour deployed applications with measurable benefits whose value depends on the use of AI technology. Founded in 1979, the AAAI is a nonprofit scientific society devoted to advancing scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behaviour and their embodiment in machines.


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## hkskyline

*每程收一毫 已進帳三億
地鐵榨財長收幕門費*








07/05/2005










地鐵以地底車站加裝月台幕門為由，向八達通乘客徵收的每程一毫幕門附加費，擬「無限期」實施。地鐵解釋，有關安排是要彌補月台幕門計畫導致維修保養成本增加，但卻遭立法會議員猛烈抨擊。議員炮轟地鐵做法「豈有此理」及「欺騙乘客」，等同變相加價，因當年地鐵向立法會提交收取附加費的文件時，列明徵費只是「資助」工程費用，但卻無提及要乘客繼續負擔其他開支，更有議員批評等同「成世要畀錢資助地鐵」。

立法會交通事務委員會鐵路事宜小組會議，昨日討論地鐵加裝月台幕門計畫，由於所有路線的加裝工程將於明年初竣工，因此多名立法會議員促地鐵交代，會否於工程完結的同時，停止再向乘客徵收幕門附加費。

地鐵公司副車務總監麥國琛指出，地鐵在三十個地底車站加裝月台幕門，費用約二十億元，以一般鐵路系統可運作四十年計算，地鐵目標是與乘客各自分擔一半建造費，而幕門引致的額外維修保養支出亦應包括在內。他續指，地鐵由二○○○年起約收到三億元幕門附加費，因幕門需定期維修及更換，故不可能取消每程一毫的附加費。

*變相收足一世*

議員王國興怒斥地鐵的做法「豈有此理」，是變相向乘客收足一世附加費，這種安排等同「劉備借荊州、一去無回頭」，完全不能接受，應受譴責。他又指出，地鐵當年向立法會提交文件時，只列明所收取的附加費，是用作補貼安裝幕門的成本，但卻不包括營運、維修及清潔等開支，故他會要求地鐵向立法會遞交詳細帳目。

另一名議員劉江華亦稱，地鐵應在收回建造成本後停收附加費，地鐵的說法完全不合理。有議員動議，要求地鐵明年完成建造幕門後立即撤銷附加費，但委員會最後地鐵提供更多資料，留待下次會議再與地鐵詳細算帳。

對於地鐵打算繼續向八達通乘客收取附加費，民建聯昨晚發聲明表達強烈不滿，並指摘地鐵是企圖利用該項工程來間接壓榨乘客，增加車費。民建聯促地鐵承諾，當月台幕門工程完成後，立刻取消向乘客收取附加費。

地鐵發言人補充，地鐵為配合公眾需求而加裝月台幕門，但由於工程涉及龐大的成本開支，故需要由乘客資助部分費用，該公司會盡量向市民及立法會提供相關資料。


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## hkskyline

*西鐵兆康屯門站爆蚊患 *








06/05/2005

【本報訊】炎夏將至，蚊患亦隨之而來。西鐵兆康及屯門站近日爆發蚊患，在附近工作的女職員雙腿被蚊叮至滿腳紅腫，商戶的生意亦大受影響，有商戶更投訴西鐵處事態度敷衍。區議員陳雲生指出兩站下面河道邊的大石罅隙是蚊患的源頭，促請西鐵盡早聯合政府部門合力滅蚊。

西鐵兆康站內一間商店店員表示，曾於黃昏一小時內，殲滅超過百隻蚊及蒼蠅。記者採訪期間，亦發現蚊隻於店內飛來飛去，穿裙的女職員更首當其衝。

屯門站商戶亦投訴受蚊患滋擾，情況沒有兆康站那麼嚴重。商戶曾向西鐵方面反映，但沒有得到正面回應及解決辦法。


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## hkskyline

*"Disney Pixar Animation Series" MTR Souvenir Ticket Family Packs*

MTR will issue a series of three limited-edition "Disney Pixar Animation Series" MTR Souvenir Ticket Family Packs in three consecutive weeks starting 8 May 2005. Priced at $98, each ticket pack includes one Adult Souvenir Ticket and one Concessionary Souvenir Ticket*, a Ticket Holder, and a Disney Pixar Premium, namely "The Incredibles" Desktop Light for the first pack, "Buzz Light-year" Mini Desktop Fan for the second, and "Nemo" Mini Loudspeaker for the third. The ticket packs will be available for sale at Customer Service Centres at all MTR stations (except Airport Express) while stock lasts.

Each ticket is valid for two rides to any destination on the MTR (except Airport Express) until 12, 19 and 26 July 2005 respectively. Each person is limited to two packs per purchase.


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## hkskyline

*Tourist MTR 1-Day Pass*



















Tourist MTR 1-Day Pass is tailored for tourist travel around Hong Kong. Tourist can have any one day* of unlimited rides on the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) (except the Airport Express Line) within the ticket validity period. The ticket can be kept as souvenir. The ticket is available at Customer Service Centre of all MTR or Airport Express stations, or you can purchase via on-line booking. 

* 1-day for unlimited number of rides on the MTR starts from the 1st MTR journey of this ticket and lasts until 24 hours thereafter within a month of purchase.

*Airport Express Tourist Octopus "3-Day Hong Kong Transport Pass"*



















Widely accepted by all major transportation services in Hong Kong, the 3-Day Hong Kong Transport Pass is your ideal choice. The pass not only takes you to/from the airport; it also allows you to travel within the city in a hazzle-free way! Travelling around Hong Kong has never been easier!

Two types of 3-Day Hong Kong Transport Pass are available at Customer Service Centre of all MTR or Airport Express stations, or you can purchase via on-line booking. 

What's more, you can keep the card as a souvenir or return it for a refund**

^ The 3 days of unlimited MTR rides (except on the Airport Express Line) will start on the day of your first MTR journey.
** Refund = remaining usable value + HK$50 deposit

The above 2 Tourist Transport passes are restricted to tourists who are non-Hong Kong residents and have stayed in Hong Kong for less than 14 days. A valid passport of similar valid proof of such tourist status must be shown at the time of purchase.


----------



## vvill

hey is that really gonna be isntalled?
i'm scared. --"


----------



## sfgadv02

Everything that KCR does are ugly....I dont know, I guess I just preferr MTR more.


----------



## hkskyline

*Station Maps*

*East Tsim Sha Tsui



Hung Hom



Mong Kok



Kowloon Tong*


----------



## hkskyline

*Lower property earnings may derail profit growth *
9 May 2005
South China Morning Post

MTR CORP SURPRISED the market with a 1 per cent rise in net profit to $4.49 billion for last year, but warned of waning property earnings. 

The profit growth was spurred by a turnaround of the economy, which helped boost passenger numbers to a record and reduce losses at its core rail services to $313 million from $980 million in 2003. The semi-privatised corporation, which counts on property development income to fund rail investments, also benefited from an upturn in the property market, which enabled it to reap a profit of $4.56 billion. 

"We effectively captured economic growth and converted it into operational growth," said chief executive Chow Chung-kwong. But he warned: "Although the property contribution will continue to serve as a growth driver in the coming two to three years the amount may not be as high." 

Operating five urban rail lines and the Airport Express rail services, MTR Corp saw fare revenue jump 8.07 per cent to $5.93 billion last year. The five urban lines carried 833.6 million passengers last year, an increase of 8.3 per cent, while the Airport Express recorded 17 per cent growth with 8.01 million passengers. However, analysts said the improved performance could spark renewed calls for lower train fares. 

Growth of the corporation's property profit last year tapered off to 14.9 per cent as the previous figure was inflated by the value of 18 floors in Two IFC. 

Mr Chow said that in the next two years the MTR Corp would recognise profits from phase three of the residential development at Olympic station and the Lane shopping centre at Hang Hau Station. 

The company will also put two phases of the Tseung Kwan O Dreamcity project up for tender in the second half of this year.


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## superchan7

MTR's rail operations are still losing that much in one year? Passenger revenue should be at least HK$5 billion. Does it really cost that much to run the system?


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## hkskyline

*九鐵推任搭套票攬遊客	*
2005 年 05 月 09 日


















九 鐵 為 吸 引 更 多 遊 客 使 用 轄 下 四 條 鐵 路 作 遊 覽 景 點 的 交 通 工 具 ， 下 周 一 （ 本 月 十 六日 ） 起 推 出 「 九 鐵 遊 客 套 票 」 及 「 九 鐵 本 地 乘 車 證 」 ， 讓 乘 客 可 在 指 定 時 間 內 「 任搭 」 指 定 鐵 路 的 列 車 及 接 駁 巴 士 ， 售 價 分 別 為 八 十 元 及 三 十 元 。

「 九 鐵本 地 乘 車 證 」 售 價 三 十 元 ， 乘 客 可 於 購 票 當 天 無 限 次 使 用 東 鐵 的 普 通 等 服 務 （ 羅 湖及 馬 場 站 除 外 ） 、 馬 鐵 、 西 鐵 、 輕 鐵 及 行 走 新 界 西 北 的 九 鐵 巴 士 ， 以 及 東 鐵 接 駁 巴士 K12 （ 星 期 日 及 公 眾 假 期 除 外 ） 、 K14 、 K16 、 K17 及 K18 線 。

*推 廣 四 條 鐵 路 服 務*
至 於 「 九 鐵 遊 客 套 票 」 ， 售 價 八 十 元 ， 包 括 三 張 乘 車 證 ， 包 括 「 九 鐵 本 地 乘 車 證 」、 「 九 鐵 羅 湖 線 乘 車 證 」 及 「 輕 鐵 、 九 鐵 巴 士 登 車 證 」 各 一 張 ， 持 羅 湖 乘 車 證 可 在購 票 當 天 一 個 月 內 乘 搭 東 鐵 及 馬 鐵 來 回 羅 湖 站 一 次 。 使 用 輕 鐵 及 巴 士 服 務 時 則 要 同時 出 示 「 九 鐵 本 地 乘 車 證 」 及 「 輕 鐵 、 九 鐵 巴 士 登 車 證 」 。

乘 客 可 在 馬鐵 、 西 鐵 及 東 鐵 （ 馬 場 站 除 外 ） 沿 線 各 車 站 購 買 上 述 兩 款 套 票 ， 但 羅 湖 站 不 發 售 「九 鐵 本 地 乘 車 證 」 ， 在 該 站 購 買 「 九 鐵 遊 客 套 票 」 的 乘 客 ， 將 獲 發 一 張 「 九 鐵 本 地乘 車 證 」 換 領 券 ， 憑 券 可 在 購 票 當 天 起 五 天 內 在 任 何 車 站 換 領 「 九 鐵 本 地 乘 車 證 」， 但 乘 車 證 只 在 換 領 當 天 有 效 。 另 外 ， 凡 購 買 「 九 鐵 遊 客 套 票 」 或 「 九 鐵 本 地 乘 車證 」 的 乘 客 ， 均 可 免 費 獲 贈 介 紹 九 鐵 沿 線 食 肆 及 購 物 點 的 旅 遊 地 圖 一 張 。

九 鐵 市 務 總 經 理 黎 啟 憲 表 示 ， 內 地 旅 客 來 港 數 目 日 益 增 加 ， 九 鐵 希 望 藉 新 推 出 的 套票 ， 向 旅 客 推 廣 東 鐵 、 馬 鐵 、 西 鐵 及 輕 鐵 的 服 務 ， 並 為 旅 客 帶 來 更 方 便 舒 適 的 旅 程。


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## hkskyline

*Tung Chung Cable Car *


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## hkskyline

*HK MTR Corp Signs MOU To Develop Wuhan Metro Projects *
10 May 2005

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--MTR Corp. (0066.HK) said Tuesday it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Wuhan municipal government to jointly develop three metro lines in the central China city. 

The Hong Kong railway operator said the Wuhan municipal government is planning to add three metro lines to its existing metro network, which will have a total route length of about 70 kilometers by 2011. 

'In line with our strategies, MTRC continues to explore new business opportunities beyond Hong Kong into mainland China and Europe,' said MTRC in a statement. 

Wuhan is the capital city of China's Hubei province and a major transport hub in central China. 

- By Chan Ka Sing
- Edited by David Riordan


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## hkskyline

*Accords put Wuhan next on MTRC China map*
Danny Chung
11 May 2005
Hong Kong Standard

MTR Corp is seeking to help build a railway in Wuhan in a move that will expand its presence on the mainland as growth in its home market slows.

MTRC, 76 percent owned by the SAR government, said Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Wuhan Urban Construction Investment & Development Group and the Wuhan Municipal Development Planning Commission to build and run metro lines.

MTRC spokeswoman Wong Chiu- yung said it is too early to estimate the investment amount because the project still requires a feasibility study and that MTR has no preferred line to develop.

"We're only exploring the opportunities for cooperation," she said.

The city in Hebei is planning to add a second section to its existing Line 1 as well as two other lines in the next phase of its metro network development.

Wong said the Wuhan government is also interested in a development model that includes properties.

"The payback on railways is [typically] long, so if property is included, this would speed up the payback period," said Daiwa Institute of Research analyst Jonas Kan.

MTRC has been busy looking for overseas projects in the past year or so to offset slow growth of its railway operations in Hong Kong, where expansion plans have not been finalized.

The company signed an agreement with the Beijing municipal government last year to develop Beijing Metro Line 4 in a public-private partnership.

It also agreed last year to invest in a company that will develop the second phase of Line 4 of the Shenzhen Metro.

The project will cost six billion yuan (HK$5.66 billion).

The railway operator also has property development rights for the Shenzhen section it will develop.

Besides Line 4 of the Shenzhen Metro, MTRC is looking to take part in two to three other lines in Shenzhen, as well as the same number of rail projects in Beijing, chief executive Chow Chung-kong said last month.

At full development, Wuhan's subway is expected to comprise seven lines totaling 220 kilometres in length with 182 stations.

The city is looking to have a metro network with a total length of about 70 kilometers by 2011.

MTRC shares closed the day up 1.94 percent at HK$13.15 Tuesday.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong MTR Corporation's 2003 Sustainability Report Named Best by ACCA *
11 May 2005
China News Digest

The 2003 Sustainability Report, issued by Hong Kong subway operator MTR Corporation in 2004, was awarded the Best Sustainability Report Award by the Hong Kong Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), MTR announced on May 11, 2005.

The award was given in recognition of MTR's outstanding performance in sustainability reporting. This is the third time in a row for the company to win this award since it was first launched in 2003.

The ACCA Hong Kong Awards for Sustainability Reporting aim at identifying and rewarding innovative attempts to communicate organisational performance in sustainability and environmental reporting.

MTR's award-winning report has also been included in the best 100 sustainability reports worldwide in a United Nations sponsored study, undertaken by British strategy consultancy and independent think tank SustainAbility in 2004.

http://www.mtr.com.hk


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## hkskyline

*KCRC told to go faster with study into Northern Link *
Winnie Chong, Hong Kong Standard
May 13, 2005

Yuen Long and Tuen Mun district councillors and the Democratic Party have urged the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to finish the feasibility study on its proposed Northern Link railway as soon as possible so the project can get the government's green light sooner.

KCRC acting chief executive officer Samuel Lai told about 10 district councillors at a meeting Thursday the proposal is technically feasible.

The operator is studying costs and operational requirements and expects to submit a report to the government on the new railway line by the middle of this year.

Lai said the Northern Link could be finished within five years of government approval. The KCRC is also studying the possibility of linking the Northern Link with West Rail, he said.

The Northern Link would run between Kam Sheung Road in Kam Tin and Lok Ma Chau. If connected to West Rail, it would provide another rail link between Hong Kong and Shenzhen to relieve congestion at Lo Wu.

At the same time, a KCRC proposal to improve the utilization of its Light Transit Railway has been criticized by Yuen Long and Tuen Mun residents.

The operator plans to reduce the number of seats in LRT carriages from 38 to 26, to allow more standing room and increase passenger capacity by 15 percent. It also plans to modify 50 of its 119 carriages before September.

According to a recent study conducted by the Democratic Party in April, 75 per cent of passengers opposed the plan. Tuen Mun district councillor Cheung Yin-tung said many passengers, especially the elderly and young children, need seats for the journey.

"We hope the KCR would carry out more tests before implementing the seat changes to 50 cars,'' Cheung said.

Instead, Cheung urged the KCRC to consider adding more carriages instead of reducing seats to increase capacity.

Democratic Party vice-chairman Albert Ho said the KCRC should evaluate how the LRT, buses and West Rail will cater to growing passenger demand in New Territories West. Lai said the KCRC would undertake such a study this year, but would need to carefully examine the need to invest in more LRT rolling stock.

The district councillors also suggested KCRC offer short-journey monthly tickets for HK$200 to allow people to travel within Yuen Long and Tuen Mun.


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## hkskyline

*Rail firms urged to expand networks*
Truck traffic in next 20 years predicted to reach 'crazy' level
Cheung Chi-fai
13 May 2005
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong's rail operators were yesterday urged to play a bigger role in the development of the Pearl River Delta's rail networks to help reduce air pollution.

But logistics experts admitted there were limitations in using railways to replace diesel-fuelled trucks between the region's production bases and ports.

The suggestion and concerns were raised at a conference on power and transport infrastructure in the Pearl River Delta, organised by the Business Environment Council and Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. The South China Morning Post is the media partner in the event.

Hung Wing-tat, a transport expert from Polytechnic University, said highway development could never catch up with the growing number of vehicles in the region.

He said rail development was lagging and the MTR Corporation and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation should explore opportunities to speed up the process.

"Had they been more aggressive, the region's rail system could have been a different scenario and not stagnant as it is today," he said.

According to figures cited by Fred Brown, the chief executive of the MVA Group, a transport consultancy, the number of vehicles in the Pearl River Delta region grew from 4.1 million in 1997 to 7.9 million in 2003. The number of trucks rose from 497,000 to 753,000 in the same period.

He believed the rail network in the delta region had great potential. But highways would remain the dominant mode of transport in the medium term, Mr Brown said.

During the conference, Daniel Cheng Man-chung from the Federation of Hong Kong Industries complained about the low use of railways in moving cargo from the 77,000 Hong Kong-owned factories in the delta region.

"Why can't we have a rail line serving factories in the PRD? Some officials said this is a political issue as it will take away truckers' jobs. But this really frustrates me because if this is the case, we shouldn't have moved our factories across the border because there were job losses [in Hong Kong] too," he said.

While the quality of air was already intolerable, truck traffic in the next 20 years would reach a "crazy" level, he said.

But his idea of a dedicated cargo line was opposed by experts such as Mr Brown, who said the line would be too expensive.

Hong Kong International Terminals' executive director Kenneth Ying Tze-man said freight rail would only be viable if the source of cargo was at least 350km from the port.

Mr Ying said East Rail had moved only 15,000 containers out of a total of 22 million last year.

He suggested barges and other river transport should be used more to move cargo out of the region, which he said would achieve significant reductions in pollution and fuel costs compared with using trucks.

As to whether the planned bridge between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau should have a rail line, Highways Department project manager Lam Chiu-hung said it would add $6 billion to the cost.

But Otto Poon Lok-to, a member of the Council for Sustainable Development, said such a line was viable.


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## hkskyline

*KCRC kicks off tender for 2,500-unit residential site*
13 May 2005

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp has begun its first tender exercise of the year, for a 1.85-million-square-foot, 2,528-unit residential project in Wu Kai Sha.

Developers are required to pay $340 million up front and a further minimum of $300 million in a profit-sharing scheme, according to one developer which was invited to submit a tender.

Property agents estimated total investment at about $7 billion, based on an accommodation value of $2,700 per square foot. Seventeen developers, including smaller players such as Chun Wo Holdings, SEA Holdings and Kowloon Development - along with Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties - have expressed their interest in the project. Tenders close on June 10. Ernest Kong

cheung kong pursues spin-off trail in australia

Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings is actively pursuing a separate listing of its Australian portfolio, which will include a new Sydney tunnel, according to deputy managing director Eric Kwan Bing-sing.

The company's Australian investments, totalling A$4.8 billion ($28.86 billion), are mainly in energy and water supply, toll roads and tunnels.

Chairman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi said investment banks had approached the company with spin-off proposals.

Mr Kwan said the Sydney tunnel, in which the firm has a 40 per cent stake, would start operating next month and offer a taxed rate or return of more than 15 per cent.

He stressed the company had no concrete plans on the listing, including its location and fund-raising target.Andy Cheng

citigroup adding retail outlets on mainland

Citigroup, the world's biggest financial services company, plans to increase its retail outlets in southern China to 15 by 2007.

Citigroup, which already operates five retail outlets in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, yesterday opened two branches in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, it said in a statement.

HSBC Holdings provides retail services in 10 mainland cities, and Standard Chartered in three.

"By 2010, China should overtake South Korea to become the second-largest personal financial services market in the region after Japan. China will become a profitable market for the foreign competitor," McKinsey & Co said in a research report.

"It pays to be prepared."

Citigroup provides wealth-management services for individuals with foreign currency assets in the mainland, where foreign lenders are prohibited from yuan consumer banking businesses until 2007.

The US lender, which owns 4.6 per cent of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, issued more than 20,000 dual-currency credit cards last year with its mainland partner.Bloomberg

Noble group sees sales energised in quarter

Strong contributions from the energy and minerals sectors saw sales at Singapore-listed Noble Group jump 36 per cent year on year in the first quarter.

Earnings rose 3.9 per cent to US$84.3 million as revenues reached US$2.54 billion.

The revenue contribution from its energy division grew a comparative 34 per cent to US$853.9 million, and it saw a similar performance from metals, minerals and ores, which added US$840 million to the top line.

The company said the US$700 million, 10-year bond successfully issued during the quarter had put it in the position to "examine and execute upon significant opportunities" to expand the business.Russell Barling

managing director exits Booming port operator

China Merchants Holdings (International), a state-controlled port operator, said managing director Li Yi would leave the firm at the end of the month.

Mr Li would "pursue other interests", Park Pu, a spokesman for the Hong Kong-based company, said yesterday. He declined to elaborate.

China Merchants had a 44 per cent rise in second-half profit after it handled more cargo at its container terminals and made a gain from selling its tanker business. 

Bloomberg


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR looks to Europe for rail investments - reports *
12 May 2005

HONG KONG (AFX) - MTR Corp is pursuing new business in Britain, Sweden, Holland, Germany and Italy, several newspapers here reported, citing head of European operations Jeremy Long. 

'We'll look across Europe wherever there are opportunities,' said Long, a former British rail industry executive who joined the MTR on May 2. 

Britain's rail authority last month named the MTR in a shortlist of five bidders for a franchise deal to operate the Thameslink/Great Northern network, linking London with Brighton and Cambridge.


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## joeazn

*MTR Public Announcements*

Hi.... does anyone know of any webpages that have sound files of the MTR/KCR public announcements they play on the trains? I tried http://www.ushb.net/broadcast/, but they're no longer there.


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## hkskyline

*New free paper seeks KCR link-up - The newspaper, owned by Centaline, could be distributed in train stations and have an initial print run of 100,000 *
Norma Connolly 
16 May 2005
South China Morning Post

Real estate giant Centaline is in talks with the KCRC to distribute a new free newspaper at railway stations. 

If the deal goes ahead, the as-yet-unnamed newspaper will have a potential readership base of up to 980,000 people - the number of passengers who pass through East Rail and West Rail stations each day, according to a Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation spokesman. 

Centaline owner Sze Wing-ching said it was likely his paper, which he hoped to start in a few months, would have an initial print run of 100,000 copies a day. 

A KCRC spokesman said: "The idea is to make use of our stations as a distribution channel for newspapers. 

"That means we will receive rental from the organisation but we will not be involved in the operation of the newspaper." 

The newspaper would compete with Metro Daily, which is available free in MTR stations and has a daily circulation of 302,000. MTR stations handle 2.4 million passengers a day. 

The new paper is on a recruitment drive for editorial, advertising and marketing staff, and Metro has reportedly lost several editors and other staff. One former Metro staff member said: "Many chief editors and deputy chief editors have resigned to move to the new paper." 

Mr Sze said he already had most of the top-tier staff in place. 

Describing his target audience, Mr Sze said: "We will target those young people who have started in secure jobs; they're getting higher positions, higher pay. The newspaper should look more on the bright side of Hong Kong rather than telling people they have no future." 

Media analysts said links to Centaline's property arm might give the newspaper a chance of success, but Mr Sze insisted that his real estate agencies would pay for advertising in the newspaper like everyone else. 

"I think I would like them to run independently. I will not force Centaline to advertise in my newspaper. If [the advertising staff] cannot perform their function, I will not force Centaline to give advertising to them." 

Damon Wong, senior research analyst at Quam Research, said the new paper faced an uphill battle in the crowded media market. 

"It will definitely be loss-making until they can prove to advertisers they have readership. It will bleed red for the first year or so. It doesn't matter whether they print 100,000 or just 50; without advertising, they'll be loss-making." 

Joseph Man Chan, of Chinese University's school of journalism and communication, said there may be room for another paper, especially at the upper end of the market. 

But he queried whether a free paper would work as a strong marketing ploy, especially if the paper targeted an affluent audience. 

"My hunch is that the price is not a problem for these affluent people." he said. 

"They can afford to buy a paper. The important thing is whether it serves as a good alternative to what they have been reading. These people are not short of money; what they are short of is time."


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp Ops Managing Director Gaffney To Retire End-2005 *
17 May 2005

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--MTR Corp. (0066.HK) said Tuesday Phil Gaffney will retire as managing director of operations and business development by the end of 2005. 

Gaffney, who joined the Hong Kong railway operator in 1977, will be moving to Europe to spend more time with his family, the company said in a brief statement. 

However, Gaffney will continue to 'provide advice and support' to the company's business development in Europe. 

MTR said Deputy Operations Director Andrew McCusker will become acting operations director responsible for Hong Kong rail operations once Gaffney retires.


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## Q-TIP

Searched this thread and there is no MTR network map (english)? Anyone got a current one showing the latest proposals. Its been a while since Ive been to Lantau but it's developing well with HK Disneyland...


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## superchan7

www.urbanrail.net has all the planned lines on the full map.

--> Asia --> Hongkong --> click the map to view full size


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## hkskyline

24 May 2005
MTR Press Release
*Sunny Bay Station Opens For Tung Chung Line Service Only*

From 1 June 2005 onward, the Tung Chung Line platforms of Sunny Bay Station will commence operation allowing passengers to board and alight from Tung Chung Line trains in the station.

This opening would facilitate authorized personnel to access the Penny’s Bay area which remains a construction area not open to the public.

When the Disneyland Resort Line commences service later this summer to tie in with the opening of the Hong Kong Disneyland in September, MTR passengers can interchange at Sunny Bay Station to the Disneyland Resort Line.

With the opening of Sunny Bay station, there will be extra traveling time for both the
Airport Express and the Tung Chung Line services. The journey times for Airport xpress
(Hong Kong Station to Airport Station) and Tung Chung Line (Hong Kong Station to Tung Chung Station) will become 24 minutes and 28 minutes respectively.


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## hkskyline

Q-TIP said:


> Searched this thread and there is no MTR network map (english)? Anyone got a current one showing the latest proposals. Its been a while since Ive been to Lantau but it's developing well with HK Disneyland...


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## hkskyline

25 May 2005
Corporate Press Release
*Emergency Drill at East Rail Tai Wo Station* 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) carried out an emergency drill at Tai Wo Station in the early morning today. Two emergency services organisations, the Fire Services Department and the Hong Kong Police Force, also took part in the drill, one of the many organised by KCRC every year for its various railway networks.

In the drill scenario, a southbound train stalled at 50 metres to the north of Tai Wo Station. A man on board the train set fire to some inflammable liquid, causing heavy smoke to emit from some train cars. KCRC staff and relevant emergency services teams were summoned to the spot immediately to assist in the evacuation of passengers and the rescue of three injured passengers.

KCRC Railway Safety Manager Mr Louis Leung said, “This drill simulated a fire and heavy smoke situation, and KCRC staff and various rescue teams demonstrated a high level of responsiveness, coordination and communication.” 

The exercise was held after the close of rail traffic to avoid any disruption to train service. KCRC organises a number of large-scale joint emergency drills jointly with external parties every year to ensure the best possible responsiveness, co-ordination and communication among KCRC staff and various emergency services organisations.










KCRC organised a joint emergency drill in the early morning of 25 May 2005 at East Rail Tai Wo Station. Fireman assisted the injured to leave the scene via the detrainment ladder installed underneath the train to go back to Tai Wo Station.










At Tai Wo Station, KCRC staff and emergency teams joined hands to rescue the injured.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Lands $725M Rail Project in China *
Thursday May 26, 9:00 am ET

HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong's MTR Corp. said Thursday it has landed a 6 billion Chinese yuan (US$725 million) railway project in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, as the subway operator continues to expand outside its home turf.

The project, which MTR will build and operate, will include a 20.5-kilometer (12.7-mile) double-track urban railway with 15 stations.

"Whilst Hong Kong always remains MTRC's home, we are also looking beyond Hong Kong for business opportunities to generate new revenue and profit streams," said MTR Chief Executive C.K. Chow. This is MTR's second metro project in China after it signed on in February to construct and operate a metro line in Beijing in a public-private partnership project.


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## ailiton

New Tung Chung Line map:


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## Rachmaninov

Wow! Interchange on every station apart from Olympic!


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## superchan7

Also kind of interesting how none of the stations have interchange for more than one other line, except for Hong Kong Station.

PS: Rachmaninov, I found you! :weirdo:
(I should've paid more attention to those Rachmaninov references of yours)


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## Rachmaninov

:applause: Great job superchan7! You win!


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## superchan7

I'd also like to note that the LEDs on the Tung Chung Line trains aren't that great. Did they swap for some brighter ones?


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## hkskyline

*HK Airport express line resumes operation after storm *

HONG KONG, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Trains on the airport express line resumed operation after a break down halted service for an hour, the Mass Transit Railway Corp (MTRC) said here Friday. 

The stoppage occurred at 7:30 pm. The MTRC said the disruption was linked to a thunderstorm that hit the territory Friday evening. Emergency bus services were arranged for passengers during the stoppage. 

The thunderstorm caused 48 flights to delay leaving Hong Kong, according to sources from Airport Authority Hong Kong. 

During the bad weather, one was killed and four injured in two accidents in the western part of the New Territories, local media reported. 

In one accident, two trucks collided into each other, killing one and injuring three. 

In the other accident, which occurred almost at the same place but in the opposite direction, a truck crashed into the rock along the road. One man was slightly injured. 

The rain also led to traffic jams across Hong Kong island and New Territories.


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## hkskyline

*MTRC plans more lines in Shenzhen*
Vicki Kwong
May 27, 2005









_A train driver goes through a subway tunnel in Shenzhen where MTR has signed a memo of understanding for two more lines. AP_

Subway operator MTR Corp said it plans to invest in two more subway lines in Shenzhen as it seeks to expand income sources outside its home base.

The company Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Shenzhen's city government to cooperate on construction and operation of the Metro Lines 2 and 3 projects, chief executive Chow Chung-kong said.

The two projects will cost more than 10 billion yuan (HK$9.4 billion), according an estimate from Chen Biao, director of Shenzhen's planning bureau.

MTRC has been investing outside Hong Kong, where its six rail lines face competition from Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp, which operates commuter rail lines in the city, and bus companies. The subway operator wants to expand in Shenzhen and other mainland cities, which are adding subway lines as road traffic increases.

MTRC is also spending 735 million yuan to help build a subway line in Beijing and plans to submit proposals to invest in the three other lines that the city government is adding as it prepares to host the 2008 summer Olympic Games. The subway operator is also in talks to invest in a rail project in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province, spokeswoman Wong Chiu-yung said on May 10.

The company also signed a concession agreement for the extension of Shenzhen's Metro Line 4, on which it is spending six billion yuan. MTRC will finance 40 percent of the project with internal funds and the remainder will come from loans, it said. MTRC first announced its plans to invest in Line 4 in January 2004. The company will add 16 kilometers over four years to a 4.5- kilometer rail line.

Outside of Asia, MTRC last November formed a venture with GNER Holdings that will bid to run a commuter train service between London and the south coast of Britain.

It also has a venture with British construction company John Laing to bid for the Thameslink/Great Northern franchise. The venture, MTR Laing Railway, is one of five pre-qualified bidders that also include National Express Group and Stagecoach Group. 

BLOOMBERG


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## hkskyline

*西鐵全月通優惠至年底*
28/05/2005

【本報訊】為吸引更多市民乘搭西鐵，九廣鐵路公司決定延長原定於下月底完結的西鐵「全月通」優惠多半年，直至今年十二月為止。西鐵「全月通」定價維持為四百元，現時以三百元特惠價購買「全月通」的合資格乘客，可繼續享有三百元特惠價連續每月購買新車票。

另外，西鐵下月亦會加強轉乘優惠及接駁服務，下月一日起，來往西鐵美孚站至海麗的81K專線小巴循環線會延長服務時間，由每日早上六時半至晚上十一時半。下月五日起，西鐵乘客亦可免費乘搭87K專線小巴，來往西鐵荃灣西站與葵芳地鐵站新都會廣場。乘客如有查詢，可致電九鐵熱線2929 3399。


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## hkskyline

*KCRC way off track with passenger figures*
Elaine Wu
30 May 2005
South China Morning Post

The KCRC has again overestimated the number of passengers on a new train line, saying it will not break even on the Ma On Shan line, or the East Tsim Sha Tsui station, by the end of the year as projected.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation now projects a break-even date of 2007 on its operating expenses. It will take two more years to break even when depreciation charges are included.

This follows a similar miscalculation on its West Rail line.

The Ma On Shan line and the East Tsim Sha Tsui station, an extension of East Rail that links to the MTR station, were launched last year.

KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun told the South China Morning Post a new monthly pass would be issued in the autumn for travel between Ma On Shan Rail and urban areas, like Hunghom and Tsim Sha Tsui, in an attempt to lure more passengers.

According to the railway authority's latest figures, the Ma On Shan line handles about 90,000 passengers a day, less than half the 190,000 target.

"At the rate things are going right now, it's highly improbable [that we will achieve the target number]," Mr Tien said.

He said many people still opted to take the bus into town if they did not live close to a train station.

In the case of East Tsim Sha Tsui station, Mr Tien said the company had expected more people to travel to the station and transfer to the MTR to get across the harbour, but many had continued to change at Kowloon Tong station instead.

He blamed this on long corridors that connect to the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui station.

"I believe that the interchange at TST psychologically gives people the impression that it's a long walk," Mr Tien said. "It's the feeling of standing on the escalator and there's nothing around. It's how to kill the time. It's perception."

Daily patronage at East Tsim Sha Tsui station is 75,000, while the original estimate was 100,000.

Mr Tien said more time was being taken to study in detail projected patronage and fares for the proposed northern link, which would join the East Rail and West Rail networks in the northern New Territories.


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## hkskyline

Platform screen doors under installation by *S3M64~DP2157* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## superchan7

Anyone know the progress on the remaining stations?


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## hkskyline

*MTR lines up Shenzhen deals*
Rail firm chief says 10b yuan projects will help achieve economies of scale abroad
Denise Tsang in Shenzhen
27 May 2005
South China Morning Post

MTR Corp has picked up two more metro projects in Shenzhen costing at least 10 billion yuan as it pushes for economies of scale in offshore investments.

The partially privatised urban railway service provider and the Shenzhen municipal government yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding on the investment, construction and operation of Shenzhen Metro Lines 2 and 3.

Following an initial Shenzhen deal 16 months ago marking its first direct investment on the mainland, MTR yesterday also signed a concession agreement to invest in, build and operate the second phase of the city's Metro Line 4 for 30 years.

The six billion yuan, 16km extension due by 2009 is the country's first rail line based on a build-operate-transfer model.

MTR chief executive Chow Chung-kong said fresh investments in Shenzhen were part of a strategy to maximise return and use resources as the growth-challenged corporation sought to capitalise on deregulation of overseas rail markets.

"The potential projects [of Lines 2 and 3] mean a solid step further on our investments across the border. We want to build a web of rail lines in a city where we have a presence," Mr Chow said. "Having a single rail line in a city is not meaningful; therefore we want to create economies of scale."

He added the MTR was keen to repeat its proven business model - using profits from property development along tracks to recoup rail investments - on overseas projects.

The second stage of Shenzhen Metro Line 4 is a test case of what Mr Chow called "a rail plus property development model", with 2.9 million square metres of land to be developed along the line between Shaoniangong in the south and Longhua Town Centre in the north.

The project requires the MTR to spend 2.4 billion yuan as registered capital of a project firm. The rest of the funding would come from non-recourse financing, he said.

The existing first phase of Metro Line 4, a 4.5km section between Huanggang and Shaoniangong in Futian district, will be linked to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp's Lok Ma Chau spur line due for completion in 2007.

Chen Biao, a director of the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Reform Bureau, said Metro Lines 2 and 3, which would cost at least 10 billion yuan, would be part of the special economic zone's five core metro lines costing 36 billion yuan.

Citing a continuing preliminary study on the design of the two lines, Mr Chow said it was premature to reveal the form of investment and timetable of construction.

Metro Line 2 is a 14.4km, 11-station spur off Line 1 at Window of the World station to Shekou West, serving western Shenzhen. In eastern Shenzhen, the 32.8km Line 3 serving 19 stations will run from Honglingzhonglu in Lowu district to Longxingjie in Longgang district.

Mr Chow said the MTR, which in February recorded its first subway deal in Beijing and is hoping for three more there, did not expect overseas projects to make material contributions in the near term.

Analysts are cautious about the MTR's investments outside Hong Kong because potentially higher returns had higher risks.

Some contacted yesterday said they would wait and see if the rail-plus-property development model was feasible across the border. They were also worried by competition from other modes of transport.

Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said after the contract-signing that a government decision on the potential MTR-KCRC merger would not be affected by the forthcoming election of Hong Kong's Chief Executive. She said talks on the merger terms were progressing.


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## littlearea

hkskyline said:


> Platform screen doors under installation by *S3M64~DP2157* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


Which station is this? :runaway:


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## ailiton

^Looks like Tai Koo.


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## hyacinthus




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## hyacinthus




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## hkskyline

30 May 2005 
KCRC Press Release
*East Rail Second Trip Discount Scheme expires* 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation’s East Rail Second Trip Discount Scheme, which offers 20% fare discount to passengers who make a second trip on East Rail or Ma On Shan Rail within the same day, will expire tomorrow (31 May 2005). The Light Rail enhanced bonus scheme will also come to an end on the same day.

From 1 June (Wednesday), holders of adult personalised Octopus cards will continue to enjoy a $3 rebate for every $30 they spend on Light Rail fares over a six-day period. The rebate has to be used in their next Light Rail trip. Holders of child/senior citizen personalised Octopus cards will enjoy a $1.5 rebate for every $15 they spend on Light Rail fares over a six-day period.


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## hkskyline

31 May 2005
*Five More Green Minibus Routes Offer Discount With MTR*
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-05-042-E.pdf

Starting tomorrow (1 June 2005), MTR passengers will be able to enjoy Bus Interchange Discounts on five more Green Minibus (GMB) routes. They are: Route 7 in Tsim Sha Tsui, Route 10A in Central; and Routes 10, 11 and 31 in Causeway Bay.

Adult Octopus Card users who transfer between the MTR and one of the five GMB routes will be able to save either $0.5 or $1.0 on the combined MTR/GMB fare. The discount will be valid within one hour of a passenger entering or exiting the MTR ticket gates at the designated MTR stations. 

With the addition of the five routes, a total of 18 GMB routes now offer Bus Interchange Discounts with the MTR.


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## hkskyline

May 28, 2005
Government Press Release
*MTR asked to submit report on service halt *

Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao has asked the Mass Transit Railway to submit a report on the Airport Express' hour-long service disruption.

Speaking on a radio talk show today, Dr Liao said the service halt last evening may be related to the poor weather, adding feeder services were provided to affected passengers.

On the proposed higher penalty for red-light jumping offences, Dr Liao said at present an average daily of 100 red-light jumping cases are recorded. An opinion survey found 79% of the respondents support the proposed increase in driving offence points.

She admitted the existing penalty lacks a deterrent effect. To tackle the issue, the Government has proposed raising the driving offence points from three to five. Meanwhile, the number of red-light cameras will rise to 96 from 28 and improvements will be carried out at 20 locations to enhance drivers' visibility of traffic lights.

Dr Liao stressed the proposed legislation, which will be tabled to the Legislative Council next month, has taken into account working drivers' concerns.


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## gakei

*[Photos] HK MTR Sunny Bay Station*

MTR Sunny Bay Station opens today (1 June). However the Disneyland Resort Line and Station have not been in use yet.























































*[ MORE ... ]*


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## hktreasure

nice station


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## hkskyline

Very interesting platform screen door design to take the open-air concept into consideration. Typically the underground stations have the PSDs all the way up to the ceiling for ventilation purposes.


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## littlearea

What height of the PSG of sunny bay station. :runaway:


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## ailiton

littlearea said:


> What height of the PSG of sunny bay station. :runaway:


1.4m for Tung Chung Line platforms.
1.2m for Disneyland Resort Line platform.


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## superchan7

That's odd. Maybe they want the doors to be less imposing to the little kids.


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## sfgadv02

hyacinthus said:


> @hkskyline
> 
> Thanks for the article
> 
> HK$2 Billion? About S$430million then... meaning approx S$14million per station!  Still, that is a very good safety measure. Paying HK$0.10 more per ride for the installation and maintenance of platform screen doors and most importantly, their own safety, is insignificant... why would people complain about it?
> 
> _"Mr McCusker said next year the company would start studying how to install the screens at above-ground stations."_
> 
> erm... I don't understand the above statement... for underground ones only? The station near Disneyland is above-ground, right? The 30 stations mentioned in the article did not include above-ground ones? :?


Nope. Only underground stations received PSD. The above ground station did not. The possibility by far is probably those Platform Screen Gates @ Sunny Bay.


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## hyacinthus

I see... how much is the installation of Platform Screen Gates @ Sunny Bay? Not included in that HK$2 billion cost?


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## sfgadv02

Dont really know about that, but probably 30 million USD or more?? As for the 2 billion HKD cost, it is only for the old stations that are being renovated with PSD.


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## superchan7

The open-air stations will cost far less to install automatic gates in because they do not involve climate control modifications.


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## hyacinthus

I didn't know installation of platform doors is so expensive. No wonder SMRT (Singapore) did not want to install them on above-ground stations.


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## hkskyline

*Movie - Sunny Bay Station*
http://thomas_726.sinaman.com/sunny_bay_new.wmv


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## hkskyline

By *"NeoMan-Centro-APM1"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hyacinthus

looking at the last pic... it is necessary to have the platform doors... otherwise, naughty kids (and maybe adults) may run across those tracks.


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## littlearea

hyacinthus said:


> I didn't know installation of platform doors is so expensive. No wonder SMRT (Singapore) did not want to install them on above-ground stations.



:weirdo: 
Because some commuters climb over the screen doors.


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## hyacinthus

:?


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## littlearea

I didn't know how many time of falling on the track accident in Hong Kong MTR.


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## hkskyline

Usually these types of accidents involve suicides or even homicides. These statistics are not regularly published in many cities to prevent copy-cats. Some cities even have a moratorium on reporting subway suicides. Nevertheless, one purpose of platform screen doors or these gates is to prevent anyone from falling off the platform and stumbling onto the tracks.


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## littlearea

hkskyline said:


> Usually these types of accidents involve suicides or even homicides. These statistics are not regularly published in many cities to prevent copy-cats. Some cities even have a moratorium on reporting subway suicides. Nevertheless, one purpose of platform screen doors or these gates is to prevent anyone from falling off the platform and stumbling onto the tracks.


Last year, Singapore MRT had more such accident like this, the SMRT had discussed about install the PSG on aboveground station, but safety issue as there was the risk that passengers might get trapped in the gap created between the platform gates and the train as a result of the platform gates.


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## superchan7

One kid almost got himself killed on the HK MTR when he got trapped between the closing screen doors and the train. But these are really things that shouldn't happen because they're caused by human negligence.

That video is so repetitive...heh. I also have two other railway-themed music videos that some really idle HKers made.


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## hkskyline

By *"thomaswu"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

By *Thomas Wu* from a Hong Kong transport forum :

Airport Express




























Tung Chung Line


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## hyacinthus

I took Airport Express from Airport to Kowloon and back. It was fast and efficient. Inside, it was comfortable and clean.

But, I never knew how it look on the outside... :colgate:


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## hkskyline

*I-Cable to sell $50,000 ad slots on KCRC news service
Firm aims for a million viewers a day and profits in a year*
Frederick Yeung
8 July 2005
South China Morning Post

Pay-television operator i-Cable Communications will begin news broadcasts on Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp trains next month.

I-Cable will sell 30-second slots during its "Newsline Express" broadcasts for $50,000 and expects the service to be profitable within a year.

"We feel excited about this new out-of-home news medium," said Stephen Ng Tin-hoi, i-Cable's chairman and chief executive.

Mr Ng said a subsidiary, Hong Kong Cable News Express, would operate the service, which could reach a million commuters a day.

The company said under a five-year deal with KCRC, 18 news segments would be shown every hour, with about 30 per cent of air time for advertising.

Samuel Tsang, a general manager at Cable News Express, emphasised the train broadcasts were an independent operation and i-Cable would not bundle its pay-television airtime.

He said the new platform was expected to attract advertisers of cross-border services and consumer products.

A media manager of an advertising agency said he was sceptical about the venture. He said such outdoor multimedia platforms were losing market share and the target audience coverage of such transport systems was limited.

Clients still preferred traditional media such as newspapers, he said.

Mr Ng said i-Cable had benefited from the resurgent economy, with advertising sales up more than 10 per cent over a year earlier.

He said advertising revenue would reach about 10 per cent of the group's turnover this year, up from 8 per cent.

At present, more than 90 per cent of group revenue comes from subscription tariffs.

Mr Ng also said the pay-television business recorded growth in new subscribers for the first half of this year.


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## hkskyline

10 July 2005 
Corporate Press Release 
*KCRC Good Passenger Campaign 2005 kicks off today* 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) launched the KCRC Good Passenger Campaign 2005 at the West Rail Kam Sheung Road Station today. The campaign, through a series of promotional activities, seeks to encourage all passengers to abide by the KCRC Bylaws and be good passengers.

KCRC operates several railway networks and carries close to 1.3 million passengers a day. KCRC relies on the co-operation and support of passengers for a safe and smooth operation.

The main focus of the campaign is to remind Light Rail passengers to “beep” their Octopus cards at platforms before boarding Light Rail vehicles. Since Light Rail uses an open fare system, with no ticket gates at platforms and on trains, the Corporation very much counts on the co-operation of passengers.

Starting from 1 July, stickers have been posted on all Light Rail platforms and on all Light Rail vehicles to remind passengers to beep their Octopus cards. KCRC has also arranged for 20 “ambassadors” to distribute leaflets on the subject at Light Rail stops. 

Other themes of the Good Passenger Campaign include passengers aged 12 or over buying adult tickets, no eating or drinking on KCRC premises and no trespassing on railway tracks. For a month, starting 11 July, KCRC will publicise these messages through radio commercials and radio games. The KCRC Bylaws Enforcement Teams will also step up their operations to enforce the rules.

KCRC understands that passenger education should start at a young age. The Corporation today therefore invited 80 students from eight schools and 20 new young arrivals to form 10 teams to participate in an orienteering programme on the KCRC Bylaws, with an aim to enhancing their knowledge of the Bylaws. 

The officiating guests at today’s opening ceremony were General Manager – East Rail Operations Mr Anthony Yan, West Rail Traffic Operations Manager Mr Fred Lam, Chairman of the Tuen Mun District Civil Education Committee Mr Chow Kam-cheung, and Chairman of the Yuen Long District Civil Education Committee Mr Tang Chun-keung.


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## hkskyline

11 July 2005
Corporate Press Release
*New Promotion Offers Replace “Ride 10 Get 1 Free”*
Passengers to Enjoy Dining Discounts, $2 Travel and Free Ride Souvenir Tickets!

Starting 17 July 2005, MTR passengers using Octopus cards will enjoy a whole new series of promotion offers after the current “Ride 10 Get One Free” promotion expires.

“The Ride 10 Get One Free promotion was introduced at a difficult time for Hong Kong when it suffered an economic decline made worse by SARS. We are pleased to see that the economy has now recovered and in fact, has been growing strongly over the last 18 months. Nevertheless, we continue to look for new promotions to share with our passengers to thank them for their support,” said Mr Adi Lau,

General Manager – Marketing and Station Business of MTR Corporation. “We hope this new series of offers including dining discounts, $2 travel for children and the elderly on Sundays and public holidays as well as exclusive souvenir tickets and train sets will bring more fun to MTR journeys, especially during the summer holidays,” added Mr Lau.

More information : http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/Copy of PR-05-054-E.pdf


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## hkskyline

*長闊高逾190厘米須託運
東鐵馬鐵收緊行李限制*
13/07/2005




























九廣鐵路公司為防止乘客攜帶大件行李引發意外，決定由八月一日起再收緊東鐵及馬鞍山鐵路的行李託運規章，乘客攜帶行李長闊高總和上限一百九十厘米（約一個大型行李篋加一個手提袋），超出不能當作隨身行李上車，必須交予九鐵託運，託運費由三十五元至一百零八元不等，&#2603
2;措施較現時行李長闊高總和超過二百二十厘米才須託運的規定嚴格。


九廣東鐵客運總經理甄紹璋表示，東鐵範圍內去年全年共發生過三十二宗與乘客攜大件行李有關的意外，大多是乘客攜大件行李使用扶手電梯引致，今年上半年同類意外共有二十六宗，情況有增加的趨勢。他說，九鐵現有行李規章已對乘客可隨身行李尺碼有規限，新規定主要影響一&#2012
3;過往可買行李票上車的行李，對於一般乘客不會有影響。

*行李過大塞通道生意外*

甄紹璋指出，所謂一百九十厘米長闊高行李尺碼總和，約等於一個大行李篋加上一個標準手提行李袋大小，超過這水平乘客才須將行李交付託運。他又指九鐵在收緊行李規章內的託運尺碼標準前曾進行過調查，確定一般乘客所攜行李長闊高總和都不逾一百九十厘米，並且已考慮了列&#3655
4;一旦發生事故須疏散時，行李大小對疏散速度影響。

甄說，去年東鐵平均每月售出約一萬五千張行李票，今年上半年則跌至每月約一萬張，而須託運行李數目亦由去年平均每月八百件減至今年平均每月七百件。

甄紹璋強調新措施並不是逼更多乘客託運行李。他說，乘客攜帶太大件行李乘車，不但有機會撞倒或絆倒其他乘客，上車後亦會阻塞車內通道，對其他乘客構成不便。他說，九鐵亦修改了行李託運收費制度，由過往不論車程長短劃一按重量收費外，額外增加收費較低的是往來上水至&#3264
5;湖的託運收費。

除東鐵及馬鐵外，西鐵、輕鐵及地鐵都沒有提供行李補票及託運服務，乘客攜帶過大行李會被拒乘車。九鐵解釋，只在東鐵及馬鐵提供行李補票及託運服務，是因為東鐵屬過境鐵路，而馬鐵則是東鐵的支線。

西鐵及輕鐵規定行李長闊高總和不得超過一百七十厘米，而乘地鐵的行李尺碼則不能超過80厘米x60厘米x30厘米。


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## hkskyline

*乘客贊成新措施*
13/07/2005


















_一個大行李篋加上一個標準手提行李袋，亦不會超過新強制託運限制。_

九鐵下月收緊乘客自攜行李限制，大部分乘客均表示贊成。每天乘坐九鐵往返上水的葉女士指出，攜帶大型行李上車的主要是水貨客，他們的貨物霸佔月台及車廂大量的空間，她贊成九鐵的新措施：「水貨客成日夾硬推貨上車，令車廂逼上加逼，手推車車轆仲好易整親人！」

另一位乘客楊小姐稱，水貨客為貪方便，不願乘坐電梯往月台，往往推大件貨物使用扶手電梯，致令險象環生：「搭電梯時我最驚有水貨客企我後面，萬一貨跌落，肯定令好多人受傷！」

*水貨客指太苛刻*

職業水貨客對此則大表反對，認為九鐵太苛刻。每天均帶貨往返羅湖的吳小姐說：「我出賣勞力帶貨其實好辛苦，九鐵咁做，老闆可能會將運輸成本轉嫁畀我，大大影響我收入。」另一位水貨客黃小姐則愁眉苦臉地說：「我只係想搵兩餐，唔想靠政府養，但九鐵咁做，&#2219
6;重打擊我呢個行業，運輸成本大老闆肯定扣我人工啦！」


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
July 8, 2005
*Fix problem with platform doors, transport bureau warns MTR*
Felix Chan

Transport chiefs have told the MTR Corporation to take speedy action to ensure passengers don't miss their stops, following two incidents in eight days in which platform screen doors failed to open.

On Wednesday, about 50 passengers on the Tseung Kwan O Line had their journeys delayed when the doors failed to open at Hang Hau. The train pulled out of the station and continued to Po Lam. 

A week earlier, a similar incident happened at Admiralty, inconveniencing 200 passengers on a Sheung Wan-bound Island Line train.

The MTR said investigations showed both train drivers had failed to realise the screen doors had malfunctioned.

The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said yesterday it had asked the MTR to submit a detailed report on the incidents as soon as possible.

A spokesman for the bureau also said the train operator had been asked to suggest measures to prevent a repeat of the incidents.

MTR chief executive Chow Chung-kwong said he and the rest of MTR management were very concerned about what had happened.

He said the train operator would continue reviewing its operating procedures and ask its staff to be more vigilant to avoid similar cases.

Mr Chow admitted it would be difficult to eliminate human error, but insisted such occurrences were very rare on the MTR. He said the company has improved drivers' training, and they are now required to undergo training twice a year.

Legislator Lau Kong-wah, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the incidents raised questions about the MTR's procedures for checking new equipment.

"Does this call into question whether the check procedures are stringent enough, or are there problems with maintenance after the installation of new facilities?

"I hope the MTR can look at these issues seriously," he said.

Last month, the government suggested measures, including employing co-drivers, to ensure drivers stop at stations. The suggestions were made after a KCR East driver failed to stop his train manually at Tai Wo when the train's automatic brakes failed three months ago.


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## hkskyline

*Developers all aboard for Western revival *
Industry players are set to breathe new life into the old residential district following the government's approval of a rail link
Sandy Li
13 July 2005
South China Morning Post

The approval of the MTR West Island line last week has set off a potential race among developers to build up their land banks in the district dominated by old residential properties.

The long-awaited, $7 billion, 3km route will have three stations - University, Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town.

The project has renewed homeowners' hopes of enjoying capital appreciation. Home prices in the area, on average $4,600 per sqft, are 20 per cent to 30 per cent lower than Island East.

Although the proposed line will not start operation until 2012, major developers are gearing up to capitalise on growing demand for housing in Western District once the area's accessibility is improved.

They are urging the government to release some of the waterfront sites for sale, such as the abandoned incinerator plant and abattoir in Kennedy Town, and to relocate the Western Wholesale Food Market in Sai Ying Pun to make way for large-scale residential and commercial projects.

Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu, a sales and marketing director at Wheelock Properties, said that it would not be easy for developers to assemble a site of more than 100,000 sqft for large-scale residential-commercial development similar to that found in Taikoo Shing because Western District was an old area.

"For example, Tseung Kwan O is a new district with more flexibility in town planning. It will be hard to attract homebuyers from Kowloon to Western District unless the area has large, modern housing estates," Mr Wong said.

The new line will cut the travelling time of the 200,000 residents in Western District between Sheung Wan and Kennedy Town by at least half to seven minutes from 15 to 25 minutes now.

Mr Wong said that apart from calling for more government sites to be released for sale, Wheelock was monitoring the availability of private sites.

"We are discussing [options] with various owners now," he said.

The positive news about the MTR project has prompted the group to raise asking prices by up to 10 per cent for its retail project Great Western Plaza on Belcher's Street and for another residential project at 60 Victoria Road.

Shops at Great Western Plaza are on sale now, while the housing project at 60 Victoria Road will go on sale in September.

"The new pricing strategy will reflect the benefits the West Island line will bring to the district," Mr Wong said.

Wheelock Properties is one of 11 bidders to compete for the Urban Renewal Authority's residential redevelopment incorporating up to 1,000 flats in Sai Ying Pun. The tender closed last Friday.

Dennis Law Sau-yiu, managing director of private developer Yu Tai Hing, which often acquires old buildings for redevelopment, said the West Island line would speed up the redevelopment of the district.

"Nearly half of residential buildings [in Western District] are more than 20 years old and some are even potentially dangerous buildings which were built before the war."

But he emphasised that the company would not pay aggressive prices to acquire old properties because the new line would take five or six years to complete.

"Developers will not maximise their profit if the projects are released years ahead of the opening of the West Island line," Mr Law said.

Chartersince Realty International associate director Desmond Poon Chi-ming said Kowloon Development and Hongkong Land Holdings bought old properties in the district years ago, hoping to benefit from the approval of the line.

"Over the past 10 years, investors believed opening a shopping mall would never be successful in Western District," he said.

So prices for street-level shops in the district lagged other areas. For instance, a 453 sqft shop in Sai Ying Pun would sell for only $2.4 million or $5,300 per sqft, he said.


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## hkskyline

*KCR baggage fees to rise after spate of accidents*
Dennis Ng
13 July 2005
Hong Kong Standard

Travelers on the East Rail and Ma On Shan lines will pay more for bulky luggage from next month in a move to stem a rising number of passenger accidents on railway station escalators.

Passengers currently pay a surcharge of between HK$41 and HK$108 if the combined width, height and length of their bags exceeds 220 centimeters. The threshold will be lowered to 190cm from August 1.

The consignment fee will also be adjusted to between HK$35 and HK$108 to meet the expected increase in chargeable bulky luggage next month. The existing charges of HK$40 during morning peak hours and HK$20 during weekdays and public holidays for luggage with dimensions exceeding 170cm are unchanged.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation general manager for East Rail operations Anthony Yan said passengers carrying too much luggage are likely to block passageways and inconvenience other passengers, while bulky luggage can cause accidents.

Last year, the KCRC recorded 32 passenger accidents involving bulky luggage on escalators . There were 26 such accidents in the first half this year.


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## hkskyline

*MTR criticised for silence over screen doors' failure *
Elaine Wu
15 July 2005
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers have criticised MTR Corporation for "unreasonably" refusing to disclose to the public results from studies into two incidents of screen doors failing to open, which prevented hundreds of passengers from getting off at Admiralty and Hang Hau stations.

The rail operator submitted two reports to the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau in the past week but declined to give a summary of the findings to the media.

MTR spokeswoman Helen Cheung said the company told the public on June 29, the day one of the incidents happened, that it was caused by human error. She said no further explanation was needed. "We have already issued the basic information of what happened on the day of the incident," she said. "It was very quick and with high transparency."

A bureau spokeswoman said the government was not in a position to disclose the MTR reports.

Legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said the public should be told of the findings of the investigation so there could be a discussion.

"I think this gives the feeling that the government is spoiling MTR and KCRC by letting them continue to have these operation failures without any reasonable explanation," he said. "They might have some reasonable explanation, but if they don't disclose it then no one knows."

Lau Kong-wah, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, said he would consider including the issue at the panel's meeting next Friday so that MTR executives could explain what happened.

On June 29, screen doors failed to open on the Island Line at Admiralty, forcing 200 passengers to get off in Central instead and then take another train back to Admiralty. A similar incident happened on July 6 at Hang Hau.

These passengers can call MTR's customer service hotline at 2881 8888 to find out if they are eligible for compensation.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's Kowloon-Canton Railway seeks offers for Tuen Mun project*
14 July 2005
AFX

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp said it will ask developers to submit expressions of interest for its Tuen Mun property development project from tomorrow.

It has set the deadline for the submissions on August 5.

In a statement, KCRC said the project will occupy an area of 2.67 hectares. It will yield a gross floor area of 145,300 square meters, of which 120,300 square meters will be for residential use, and the remaining 25,000 for retail.

The project, which is due for completion in 2012, will be developed in two phases.

KCRC expects to award the project within the fourth quarter of this year.


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## hkskyline

*Rail operators get Moody's credit boost*
15 July 2005
South China Morning Post

MTR Corp and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp will for the first time have higher credit ratings than the Hong Kong government after an upgrade by Moody's Investors Service yesterday. 

The upgrade of their respective long-term foreign currency ratings to Aa3 from A1 was due to a change in methodology used to rate government-related issuers that was first announced in April. The new system formally incorporates the expected level of support from the government to prevent a default, which in the case of Hong Kong's two railway operators is considered high. 

At present, Moody's rates Hong Kong's domestic currency debt Aa3, but its foreign currency debt is rated A1 with a stable outlook as it is seen as limited by the relationship with China. That link should not affect the credit worthiness of government-related issuers, a Moody's analyst said. 

The domestic currency ratings of MTR and KCRC were affirmed at Aa3. 

Under the new system, the ratings agency will also assess each issuer on the basis of its baseline credit risk, the default risk of the supporting government and the dependence between the government and the issuer. 

The rating agency said 21 Asian quasi-sovereigns had been upgraded due to the system change while 39 had been affirmed at existing levels.


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## hkskyline

*KCRC under attack over pay rates for cleaners *
Felix Chan
16 July 2005
South China Morning Post

The KCRC has been urged to help improve the welfare of contracted cleaners on the West Rail network.

The plea came after reports that 120 workers had been earning only $3,600 a month since September, nearly 30 per cent below the government's minimum level.

About a dozen members of the Confederation of Trade Unions and cleaning service workers protested at West Rail's Kam Tin headquarters yesterday.

CTU organising secretary Fung Kai-yuen accused the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation of failing to follow government guidelines on the tender for new service contracts. The guidelines say that a tender offer cannot be considered if the monthly wage offered to unskilled workers is less than the average monthly wage as stated in the latest quarterly report of the Census and Statistics Department on wages and payrolls.

According to the department's March 2004 report, three months before the tender for the West Rail cleaning contract was signed, the average monthly wage for a cleaner who worked nine hours a day and 26 days a month was $5,060.

The guideline also requires a monitoring mechanism to regularly check wages and attendance records, and interview workers.

Mr Fung said: "When we first received the complaints from the workers, we went to the KCRC and they insisted they had done everything by the book and that the guidelines only meant the average pay for the workers in the contract as a whole and not the guaranteed pay for each worker."

He said the union subsequently held talks with Commissioner for Labour Mathew Cheung Kin-chung and the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau, which expressed concern at the KCRC's interpretation of the guidelines.

Mr Fung demanded the rail operator hand over information regarding the wage clause of the cleaning contract and to make the contractor pay the minimum guaranteed wage. The KCRC said the contract was signed before the government guidelines were issued.


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## hkskyline

July 19, 2005 
Government Press Release
*Experts hail MTR planning enhancement * 

The Transport Advisory Committee has welcomed the Government's advancement in planning for the MTR West Island and South Island Lines, and Route 4.

Committee Chairman Teresa Cheng said the move will benefit commuters.

"The community in Western District have been asking for the extension of the Island Line to Kennedy Town. The West Island Line will provide a more convenient alternative to commuters who are now relying mainly on road-based transport. It will reduce traffic on the road and generate significant transport and economic benefits."

Members noted the southern line will be kept under review and its way forward considered in light of the planning of tourism and commercial developments in Southern District.

Route 4 will be kept under review and its way forward considered in the light of the Government's decision on the southern line.


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## sfgadv02

The West Rail line yesterday suffered two power failure yesterday night. One at 9 something and one at 11.

EDIT : Another one this morning.

3 breakdowns in less then 24 hours.


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## hkskyline

*七萬客受延誤 稱與雷擊有關
西鐵八小時三故障*
22/07/2005 










西鐵昨日在八個小時內先後發生三次信號故障，在清晨五時許發生的故障，要到十時十五分才完成搶修，故障發生期間西鐵全線列車服務延誤三十至四十分鐘，近七萬名乘客受影響，其中三人不適送院治理，西鐵不排除短時間內的多次故障是與雷擊有關；環境運輸及工務局表示，已要求西鐵提交報告解釋。

西鐵在昨日清晨五時三十四分發出通告，指西鐵大欖隧道發生信號系統故障，並表示由南昌至屯門全線的來回行車時間會延長十五分鐘，班次只能維持每五分鐘一班，西鐵亦派人搶修，但至早上七時半繁忙時間，搶修工作仍未完成，西鐵再發出通知，指行車時間比原本估計的還要多五分鐘，即共延長二十分鐘，列車班次亦更為疏落，每六至八分鐘才有一班。 

至接近九時，西鐵再次更改行車延誤時間的評估，全程要用多三十至四十分鐘，即是要一個多小時才可以由屯門去到南昌，較最初公布的時間多一倍，而班次就改為十分鐘一班，西鐵表示，經搶修後，全線服務於上午十時十五分恢復正常。 

*天水圍站月台擠滿乘客*

運輸署署理總運輸主任王伯健表示，該署上午密切監察西鐵服務，並已即時通知其他公共交通服務機構協助疏導乘客，但他指出，由於巴士公司並無發現乘客增加，故此，早上沒有加多班次。

由於事故發生時正是上班繁忙時間，天水圍站月台擠滿了人，有乘客批評西鐵沒有將列車的真正延誤時間公布，令他們失去預算，至於往屯門及南昌站列車服務亦受阻延，部分列車行車時間增加約二十分鐘，南昌至屯門的服務，約每六至八分鐘一班，屯門站內乘客未算太多。有乘客指出，信號故障令他們非常不便，未能準確預計上班時間，更有乘客投訴行車時間延長近四十分鐘。 
信號系統電腦組件受損

前晚西鐵亦兩度發生故障，晚上八時五十分，錦上路站近大欖隧道有信號故障，個多小時後，大欖隧道又有架空電纜故障，全程行車時間延長二十至三十分鐘。

西鐵初步調查顯示，事故是由於大欖隧道北段信號系統的部分電腦組件受損，九鐵相信損壞與前晚惡劣天氣及頻密的雷擊有關，九鐵已更換有關組件。西鐵為今次故障為乘客帶來不便致歉，但強調列車系統仍然可靠。

立法會交通事務委員會委員鄭家富指出，西鐵信號系統經常發生故障，有需要徹查，研究是否需要維修或更換系統。他又認為，當局對兩家鐵路公司應訂立一套新的監察制度，包括訂出故障指數，在一段時間內故障次數超出指定水平要被罰。


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## hkskyline

*Lightning may have caused delays on West Rail *
Cheung Chi-fai and Petrina Chan 
22 July 2005
South China Morning Post

West Rail yesterday apologised to 70,000 commuters after signal and cable failures, probably triggered by lightning, caused service interruptions over eight hours. 

Angry passengers complained that the KCRC misled them over the estimated delays, with some having to spend an extra 60 minutes travelling from Yuen Long to Nam Cheong during the morning rush hour. The journey normally takes 30 minutes. 

They also grumbled at being jammed into crowded train compartments. At least three commuters called for medical help. 

Other anxious passengers chose to get out and continue their journey by taxi. 

Yesterday's signal failure, possibly due to damaged equipment, came after a signal failure at 8.50pm on Wednesday and an overhead cable failure after a lightning strike at 10.27pm. 

The disruption lasted about five hours, from 5.34am, when the signal problem was discovered, until 10.15am. 

The KCRC posted notices and made broadcasts at stations about the delay. It estimated the delay would last 15 minutes, but later adjusted the estimate to 20 minutes. It finally admitted the delay could be as long as 40 minutes. 

"They should tell the truth about the delay. It's so different from what they said. They said 10 minutes. But it's at least 30 minutes now. I could have taken other public transport, so that I didn't need to be stuck here," one angry passenger said. 

Despite the service interruption, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp did not provide shuttle bus services for passengers. 

The Transport Department said it had received a report from the KCRC at 5.38am and had immediately informed bus operators. But the operators found no unusual queues at bus terminals and decided not to provide extra services. 

A spokeswoman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau yesterday said they were awaiting a report on the incident. 

"We have asked the KCRC to submit a detailed report together with measures to prevent reoccurrences of similar incidents and [ensure] better information dissemination to passengers," the spokeswoman said. Democrat legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said a fault index should be set up to measure the performance of the rail operators and penalties should be introduced if the index went above a certain level.


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## hkskyline

21 July 2005
Corporate Press Release
*KCRC apologises for West Rail service delay*

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) reported that a signalling system failure at the northern section of the West Rail Tai Tam Tunnel section had affected West Rail services of that section this morning. Following urgent repairs, normal southbound and northbound services resumed at 9:41am and 10:15am respectively. KCRC apologises to the passengers affected for the inconvenience caused by this incident.

During the affected period, train frequency was maintained at 5 to 10 minute intervals and journey times were extended by 15 to 40 minutes. KCRC continually informed passengers and the public of the latest information through the media and public announcements in stations and inside train compartments. Notices were put up at stations and additional staff were also deployed at West Rail stations to provide assistance to passengers.

The initial investigation determined that the incident was caused by damage to some computer components of the signalling system north of Tai Tam Tunnel. KCRC believes that the damage was related to the extreme weather conditions and frequent lightning strikes that occurred last night. KCRC has replaced the damaged components.

Mr Tsui Wai-keung, General Manager-West Rail Operations, apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers by this incident, and stressed that this incident had not affected the safety of West Rail operations. KCRC will conduct detailed investigations and implement appropriate measures to enhance the reliability of the relevant components.


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## aznichiro115

http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/blueprint05e/20050722.html 2005-7-22 is about the MTR


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## hkskyline

16 July 2005
*MTR Disneyland Resort Line gets ready with emergency exercises*
Corporate Press Release

The MTR Corporation carried out an emergency exercise on the Disneyland Resort Line today (16 July 2005) jointly with the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Hong Kong Police to test the adequacy and effectiveness of contingency plans for a major incident involving the evacuation of passengers from train and station.

This is one of several major joint emergency exercises in preparation for the opening of the MTR Disneyland Resort Line. The drills and exercises are designed to test responsiveness, co-ordination and communication among MTR staff and emergency services under different emergency scenarios.

The joint exercise was conducted at Disneyland Resort Station at Penny’s Bay this afternoon with about 1,000 volunteers; mostly MTR staff and family members including about 300 children.

The scenario simulated a fire in a train on the way to the Disneyland Resort Station and an emergency evacuation of passengers from train and platform. The train had about 700 passengers on board and was about to arrive at Disneyland Resort Station when a ‘fire’ suddenly broke out and smoke filled the car. Passengers pressed the emergency call button, and the incident train berthed at the station platform where 300 passengers were waiting for a train to go home.

Passengers were immediately evacuated from the station by MTR staff while Fire Engines and Police arrived. ‘Injured passengers’ were taken care of by the ambulance service and police. About 1,000 passengers evacuated from the station gathered at the open space outside the entrance of the Disneyland Theme Park.

Mr. Wilfred Lau, Head of Operations of MTR Corporation said, “The exercise provided an opportunity for emergency services personnel and MTR operations staff to familiarize themselves with emergency procedures and equipment, as well as enhancing coordination and communication between agencies.”

To prepare for the commissioning of the Disneyland Resort Line, a total of 52 exercises simulating various scenarios of different scales have been carried out in the past few months.

“These exercises play an important role in drawing up contingency plans for potential incidents and ensuring full preparedness before the commissioning of the new line,” added Mr. Lau.


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## londonindyboy




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## Bitxofo

Funny, funny, funny!!
:rofl: 
:hahaha: :hahaha: :hahaha:
Incredible...


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## Danzig

:crazy:


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## BrizzyChris

The Disneyland station looks beautiful.


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## UT596001

:eek2: No words to describe it


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## willo

it's funny and beautiful indeed


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## Manila-X

I always see these trains whenever I pass Sunny Bay. The Mickey Mouse windows are very creative. Tokyo Disneyland has the same thing but I like this one better


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## DaDvD

:rofl::rofl: 
Cool!!!


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## Guest

Cool!


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## Rachmaninov

Thanks gakei!


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## dl3000

Damn this thing is awesome, they need something like that in Anaheim and Orlando.


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## Latin l0cO

Thats crazy. Great for HK.


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## Pedrillo

No words


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## Jayayess1190

i love it!


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## Fraga

Which is donald's opinion about this?>(


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## hkskyline

August 2, 2005 
*Crowds expected at Disneyland MTR station *
Government Press Release









Mickey magic: The Disneyland Resort Line carried 9,300 passengers on its first day of operation. 

The MTR Corporation will implement crowd control measures at Disneyland Resort Station this weekend as scores are expected to try out the new Disney-themed train.

Although Hong Kong Disneyland will not open until next month, the Disneyland Resort Line carried more than 9,300 passengers on its first day of operation yesterday. And passengers are expected to swell on the weekend as people take the opportunity to try the line and visit the small section of the Park Promenade now open to the public.

The MTRC said the situation will likely warrant control measures like one-way pedestrian flow systems and intermittent closure of ticket gates, should many people congregate at the station.

Passengers are reminded to listen for public announcements and notices on the MTR network for updates on the crowd flow situation.

The line has opened ahead of the theme park to support final preparations for Disney and other attractions in Penny's Bay.


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## vvill

indeeeeeed a very very nice station. 
very unconventional yet carefully designed.


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## Manila-X

The Mickey Mouse window concept is not original. Tokyo's Disneyland monorails have the same concept and it's operational.

But HK's MTR trains look more colorful and lively both the outside and inside.


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## hkskyline

*Australia's Leighton units win major Hong Kong rail project*
Friday August 5, 2005, 12:28 pm

SYDNEY, (AFP) - Two units of Australia's Leighton Holdings have secured a major share in a 340 million dollar (262 million US) rail project in Hong Kong, the company said.

Leighton said its Leighton Asia subsidiary would take a 130 million Australian dollar share in the joint venture project and its John Holland unit 42 million dollars.

The remainder of the contract went to joint venture partners Balfour Beatty and Kumagai Gumi, it said.

The project for the Kowloon Canton Rail Corp (KCRC) is part of the Kowloon Southern Link project linking Hong Kong's Nam Cheong station and the new East Tsim Sha Tsui station. 

The joint venture's scope of work includes the construction of a new underground station in West Kowloon and twin seven-meter-diameter (23 foot) tunnels.

Leighton said the project would begin soon and was scheduled for completion by July 2009.


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## Javier BF

teijeiro said:


> Which is donald's opinion about this?>(


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## RFonline

The Disneyland station looks beautiful


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## kenlau13

a funny mtr song...


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## kenlau13




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## mrmoopt

Wander how they're going to fit the 2 SILs onto the bulb maps of URL stock


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## hkskyline

*KCR 'infotainment' turns off pressure group *

*A pressure group that targets television advertising on public buses now has one of the city's two rail operators in its sights. *

Chester Yung 
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, October 03, 2005

A pressure group that targets television advertising on public buses now has one of the city's two rail operators in its sights. 
Hush the Bus says the Kowloon- Canton Railway Corp which, unlike its rival Mass Transit Railway Corp, carries television monitors on its carriages, is breaching its own ordinance by causing nuisance to passengers. 

KCRC announced in April its collaboration with i-Cable TV to broadcast news and advertisements - Newsline Express - on its trains, which carry more than a million passengers daily.

But Hush the Bus chairman Catherine Ng argues KCRC is breaking its own ordinance by bombarding its passengers with "infotainment."

Bylaw 55, under section 31(1) of the KCRC Ordinance, states: "No person while upon the railway premises shall to the annoyance, inconvenience or disturbance of any other person ... use any ... record player ... television or any electrical or mechanical apparatus." 

A KCRC spokeswoman said that the word "person" in the bylaw does not include the corporation itself.

But, asks Ng: "Why is it that passengers are not allowed to disturb other riders by listening to personal entertainment equipment without headphones, and yet some passengers' enjoyment of TV broadcasts via loudspeakers - which disturbs many others - is allowed on buses and trains?"

She argued that broadcast via loudspeakers "sells commuters' rights to a quieter journey to advertisers."

Under the license agreement, KCRC provides the medium- the passenger information display system on board the trains- while Hong Kong Cable News Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of i-Cable, is the sole content provider and exclusive commercial airtime sales distributor.

KCRC admitted it shares the revenue generated from advertisements, but would not reveal the ratio.

Although KCRC insisted in-transit TV is a value-added service, some passengers said it bothers them.

The Transport Advisory Council has received 83 noise complaints about the newsline service. The Transport Department received another 16 complaints in August, while the Environmental Protection Department received 13 in July and August.

The KCRC spokeswoman said Newsline Express had a 70:30 ratio of content to commercials. "This ... allows the service to be commercially viable without compromising the needs of the audience," she said. 

Citing MARTA in the United States and Virgin Trains in Britain, where TV audio on trains is broadcast via headsets, Ng insisted all public transport operators wishing to broadcast commercial programs "should transmit audio in a way that passengers who wish to receive the service use their own headphones."

But the KCRC spokeswoman said Newsline Express is "a value-added service and we offer choice - a quiet zone for passengers who prefer a quiet journey." 

Although KCRC is wholly owned by the government and its operations are monitored by a management board, Ng said no particular government department regulates noise control.

In response, Environment, Transport and Works Bureau Transport Branch Railway section officer Eddie Lee said Newsline Express is a new service implemented by KCRC. 

"Its launch has attracted mixed reactions. Some passengers welcome the new service, while others have concerns about the noise level of programs," Lee said, adding the bureau has suggested that KCRC reduces the volume.

The Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority said it deals only with content but not the noise level, and that Newsline Express is not regulated by the broadcasting ordinance.

The Transport Department said its main concerns are safety and the flow of passengers after an accident. "All the Transport Department has done is `monitor the situation,"' Ng said.


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## bs_lover_boy

cal_t said:


> Wander how they're going to fit the 2 SILs onto the bulb maps of URL stock



Shrink whole map and then squish the ESIL and WSIL into a very flat U shape!!!


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## hkskyline

*Lawmakers scoff at KCRC service delay excuses *
Michael Ng 
4 October 2005
Hong Kong Standard

The bad-weather explanation for a series of West Rail line disruptions has angered legislators. 

Lawmakers have also called on the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp to seek compensation from a contractor for the money needed to improve earthing devices in its signaling. That figure could reach HK$20 million. 

KCRC reported in an earlier document provided to the government that West Rail suffered 16 disruptions to services in the first nine months of this year. 

Of these, 13 incidents were caused by signaling system faults. 

KCRC said bad weather had been a major factor for the disruptions as the number of days with thunderstorm warnings issued between June and August has been higher than the same period last year. 

It said four of the delays might have been caused by power surges resulting from lightning strikes to the signaling equipment. 

In a special meeting Monday of the Legislative Council's subcommittee on railway matters, legislator Lau Kong- wah of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said it is not good enough for the KCRC to blame lightning for service disruptions on West Rail, including a five-hour period on July 21 that affected more than 70,000 passengers. 

``I cannot accept their explanation about the higher number of thunderstorms this year. It is just lightning strikes. Did this never happen last year or a decade ago?'' Lau said. 

Democratic Party legislator Andrew Cheng raised doubts over the reliability of the signaling system. 

``Even though the signaling and power cable systems for East Rail and West Rail are different, similar incidents have been rare on East Rail,'' he said. 

Cheng was even more surprised that the KCRC had not demanded compensation from the West Rail signaling system contractor for all or part of future remedial work. 

The KCRC told the government it will spend HK$10-20 million to increase the number of earthing devices, as well as separating the earthing system for the signal network and rolling-stock power supply to minimize disturbances. 

``Apart from just blaming the weather, it is groundless for KCRC to fund the cost itself without even pursuing the contractor to at least share responsibility for the blunder,'' Cheng said. 

The rail operator's senior transport director, Li Yan-tai, replied the company had considered the possibility of lightning strikes when they designed the system, but the severity of lightning this summer exceeded their expectations. 

He also firmly rejected the idea there are flaws in the West Rail signaling system, as it is the same system widely used in Europe and Asia. 

``If problems are found [in the system], we will make improvements rather than shifting responsibility to the contractor, or referring to the mistakes made during the signal system design process,'' he said. 

Li noted that the contractor had voluntarily extended the signaling system's free warranty period, from last October to the end of this year. 

A specialist had reviewed the system's earthing and lightning protection, Li said, and additional lightning protection devices will be installed before next year's rainy season. 

Li said the KCRC has also concluded its investigation of a collision involving two West Rail carriages inside the Pak Heung Depot on July 21, saying that it was an isolated case not connected in any way with the signaling system. 

Li said a medical report on the male driver, who has worked for the KCRC for three years and is only responsible for the shunting of trains inside the depot, revealed the he is not suitable for driving duties for the time being. 

The company has transferred him to other job, Li said, without revealing the driver's medical condition on privacy grounds.


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## hkskyline

*Railway operators face partial merger
Government likely to keep KCR assets, new firm to run trains *
Denise Tsang 
6 October 2005
South China Morning Post

After floating an ambitious plan to combine Hong Kong's two rail corporations into a railroad giant more than two years ago, the government appears to be inching towards its final destination - a partial merger. 

Its conundrum was how to satisfy 360,000 MTR Corp minority shareholders, legislators and rail users. Its answer seems likely to be injecting management rights for the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) into the MTR. 

A final decision has not been made but well-placed sources say the asset-light approach is the preferred option. It is reminiscent of Singapore's separation of track and rolling stock and would involve the MTR being given an option to acquire the hard assets of its country railway cousin at a later date. 

"The government and the MTR are close to reaching a consensus on the valuation of the merger and it is planned that Chief Executive [Donald Tsang Yam-kuen] will announce the merger deal shortly after delivering his maiden policy address," one source close to the government said. 

A key driving force behind the deal is the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau which, ahead of a decision, has put on hold the planned Sha Tin to Central rail project and a new fare setting mechanism for the operator. 

The Treasury Bureau has also been given an incentive to force a deal since record share prices for the MTR make the delayed sale of a second batch of shares attractive. 

"The government favours the partial merger option as a result of shifting priorities," a source said. "There have been so many changes in Hong Kong's economy and also the government's financial position since the merger idea was brought up in 2002." 

A much improved fiscal situation, thanks to lucrative land sales and a booming economy, has reduced the need for the government to raise fast cash from a lock, stock and barrel KCRC sale. 

It is understood that a partial merger will mean the creation of a single operating company with ownership of KCRC's assets remaining in government hands. 

In return for running the operation, management fees would be paid to the listed entity. It is similar to Singapore's approach, in which the government funds capital works and the listed SMRT Corp runs network operations and maintenance. 

To pave the way for a genuine merger, it is planned that the merged entity will be granted an exclusive right to purchase KCRC assets at a time when they begin to yield profits. 

The partial merger would need to comply with five parameters set by the government last year, which include scrapping second boarding charges and bringing down fares, sources said. 

"The arrangement will allay the financial sector's concern about destroying MTR value and the public's concern over selling government assets at substantial discounts," said another source. 

Whether it makes for a well-managed, merged railway operation is, perhaps, another question.


----------



## kenlau13

londonindyboy said:


>


LOVE THESE PICS.[/QUOTE]
I love it too


----------



## kenlau13

Wonderful!!


----------



## samsonyuen

Looks nice, is it just the one station (are there plans for extensions to other stations, say from the Airport or something?)? Does Disneyland pay for any of it? It's like one big advert. The seats look really comfortable, I hope they last...


----------



## kenlau13

Welcome to the Disneyland Resort Line.We will soon arrive at the magical world of Hong Kong Disneyland. 

Disneyland Resort Station. Have a magical day!

Welcome to the Disneyland Resort Line.We now bring you back to the modern city of Hong Kong. 
 

Sunny Bay. The futuristic gateway to the Tung Chung Line and modern Hong Kong.Thank you for travelling on the Disneyland Resort Line.


----------



## vincent

samsonyuen said:


> Looks nice, is it just the one station (are there plans for extensions to other stations, say from the Airport or something?)? Does Disneyland pay for any of it? It's like one big advert. The seats look really comfortable, I hope they last...


The airport express line is already in operation since 1998 (opening of new airport). This disneyland resort line has one of its end meeting the airport express line. So it is connected to the current MTR/KCR network.


----------



## kenlau13

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR


----------



## hkskyline

*Platform screens planned for HK railway *
10 October 2005
China Daily 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) said it is planning the construction of chest-high platform screen doors at all its stations in a matter of about seven to eight years. 

This announcement followed a meeting between the KCRC Chairman Michael Tien and DAB representatives including legislator Lau Kwong-wah October 4 morning. 

Tien said that the plan would soon be presented to the corporation's board. 

He estimated that installation would take not more than eight years, and passengers may have to share the cost. 

"We will most likely follow the MTR's example in constructing screen doors, and the cost will be divided equally between the corporation and citizens in the territory over quite a long period of time," Tien said at a press meeting. 

Meanwhile, the KCRC chairman also announced the launch of a discount monthly pass for passengers of the Ma On Shan Railway. 

"These discount passes will be launched in the beginning of December at the earliest, and passengers will be able to access East Rail stations for an unlimited number of times through the Ma On Shan Railway," said Tien. 

He said the discount pass will be priced at about HK$200 (US$25.81), adding that KCRC will decide if it is feasible to continue the discount after an initial period of six months. 

Tien also revealed that he will recommend to the company board the installation of partitions at stations with no platform doors.


----------



## hkskyline

The Disneyland Resort Line connects with the Tung Chung Line and not the Airport Express at Sunny Bay.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR must tread softly amid British rail property bonanza *
8 October 2005
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corp is no slouch when it comes to drumming up business. And in Britain it may be about to beat a drum roll of opportunities, from running London's commuter railway lines to developing clusters of ageing railway stations around the country. 

As the South China Morning Post reported this week, MTR is looking at redeveloping stations on different networks in North London's West Hampstead as well as bidding for two South East England systems and planning to bid for the South West regional network. 

All have connections to London. MTR's man in London, Jeremy Long, has a weather eye on plans by the national infrastructure operator Network Rail to redeveloping some of its 2,500 stations. 

The opportunities are enormous but investment in commercial property in Britain is not always for the faint-hearted. What is more, there are plenty of other property developers and infrastructure builders who are prepared to make a bid for some of the business. 

The good news is this: Network Rail - which owns and maintains the track, signalling equipment, tunnels and most stations - has unveiled a ?4 billion ($54.5 billion), 10-year station redevelopment strategy. It will start with six London stations, initially Victoria, Waterloo and Euston which between them have potential for up to 490,000 square metres of development. 

Railtrack says it hopes to put the first few projects out to limited tender by the end of the year. A spokesman declined to say whether the list of companies likely to be invited included either MTR or any other non-British group. 

Then, as well as big provincial stations such as Birmingham, which are "popping at the seams", there are 40 to 50 medium-sized regional stations, including Leicester and Reading which are also too small to cope with demand. Many are interesting architecturally, requiring sensitive handling. 

Whether MTR is considered - or considers itself - big enough to take on these projects, either on its own or as part of a consortium, remains to be seen but it might be interested in Network Rail's "cluster strategy" for smaller stations. 

The idea is to take up to 25 smaller stations, although more likely six to 12 stations along a line, for concurrent development. 

Government-owned Network Rail will not leave its plans in control of the private sector. It will insist on 50-50 joint ventures. 

Network Rail will bring the land and the development permission. The private sector will provide the cash and the know-how. Both will then benefit from the commercial income from the slick new shopping centres, residential and office developments sprouting up and down busy lines, while the rail network benefits from much needed additional resources. 

Still, there is some bad news. In London, especially outside the West End, there is already a glut of commercial property. 

The City of London earlier this year was reported to have 13 per cent of its office space standing empty, although demand is improving. There are 560,000 square metres of office space being built in the City alone and more is planned. 

As for the shopping centres, Britain's retail sector is struggling. A string of retailers has issued profit warnings this year and new shops are standing empty. 

Network Rail confidently told the real estate newspaper Property Week that the "captured" nature of its passengers would allow station shops to outperform the high street. But commuting is expensive and passengers may be less inclined to put even more money the way of their "captors". 

Worse still, the government this week proposed a new windfall gains tax on land that receives planning permission for development. It is unclear how this will affect railway development projects. 

Property is a cyclical business and MTR and its peers know the risks. That British stations are a potential bonanza is not in doubt but MTR may well take a cautious approach once the projects are really up for grabs.


----------



## vincent

Source: http://www.asiaworld-expo.com/WebForm/Section4/pressRelease20051010.aspx?lang=enUS

AsiaWorld-Expo and Airport Express Station open in December 2005

[HONG KONG, 10 October 2005] AsiaWorld-Expo will become operational before the end of the year in Hong Kong. It is the world’s only exhibition and event venue that is fully integrated with an international airport and supported with an in-venue railway station.

Scheduled to open in December, AsiaWorld-Expo is Hong Kong’s newest and largest exhibition and event centre. It offers over 70,000 square metres of state-of-the-art rental space for exhibitions, conventions, meetings and events. Located at the centre of an extensive and efficient air, land and marine transport network which connects Hong Kong to China’s Pearl River Delta and the world’s business capitals. The complex has 10 column-free, high specifications exhibition halls, one of which is a purpose-built entertainment arena which is Hong Kong’s largest indoor seated venue for an audience of 13,500, making it ideal for concerts and large entertainment events.

To-date, an impressive event calendar for 2006 and beyond has been confirmed with leading organisers from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe and America hosting exhibitions and functions on a wide variety of themes, including the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, the recognised ‘Olympics of International Telecommunications industry’. This is a strong testimony to the achievements of the location and recognition to the outstanding quality of AsiaWorld-Expo.

To better serve the travelling needs of AsiaWorld-Expo exhibitors and visitors, the MTR Airport Express is being extended to a new in-venue station at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Ms Helen Chiu, Chief Commercial Officer of AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited said, “Upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport, overseas exhibitors and buyers can take the train from the airport to arrive directly at AsiaWorld-Expo in less than 2 minutes. The Airport Express provides a safe, fast, convenient and comfortable service at a very attractive price.”

Mr. Adi Lau, General Manager-Marketing & Station Business of MTR Corporation, added, “the Airport Express service will be extended to AsiaWorld-Expo, providing exhibitors and visitors convenient access to the venue, and easy connections to all other major destinations in Hong Kong through the Airport Express and the MTR network.”

Mr. Lau continued, “whilst the Airport Express fare structure will apply, an attractive fare will be offered to passengers using Octopus card, taking same-day round-trips and staying for two hours or more at AsiaWorld-Expo.”
*
A same-day round trip journey to AsiaWorld-Expo from Tsing Yi Station is HK$42 when using Octopus, Kowloon Station is HK$64 and from Hong Kong Station is HK$72. Passengers are also entitled to a free MTR connection to any destinations when they use their Octopus cards to travel on Airport Express. An adult single journey fare from Airport Station to AsiaWorld-Expo station is HK$5.*

“Hong Kong has become the Asian hub for major exhibitions and events. We are honoured that our Airport Express service with this attractive package will further enhance the city’s attractiveness and competitiveness among all neighbouring cities,” Mr. Lau added.

“Nowhere in the world can you experience a world class train service that takes you from the doorstep of the arrival hall of an international airport directly to the doorstep of the exhibition halls in such a short time. The MTR railway network connection also helps Airport Express passengers to get access to major destinations in Hong Kong,” added Ms Chiu.

With increase in passenger volume on Airport Express brought about by AsiaWorld-Expo, the existing 7-car Airport Express trains are being progressively converted to 8-car trains starting from this September. 

During major exhibitions and events, train services will be further enhanced by deploying more Airport Express trains and larger capacity MTR Tung Chung Line trains to meet adequately any upsurge of passenger demand before and after events.

The new AsiaWorld-Expo Station will be a two-level above-ground structure, with a single platform at ground level and the station concourse on the first level. The concourse will be integrated with AsiaWorld-Expo, thus providing the venue with convenient access to the railway services.






i personally think the price a too expensive to attract people to use AE to the asiaworld expo.


----------



## hkth

From MTR's website,

MTRC obtains PAS 55-1 certification

MTR wins two prestigious awards, the China National Quality Management Award and the 1st Runner-up of the Robert W. Campbell Award


----------



## bs_lover_boy

IF MTR further reduces the price on the Airport Express will make more people ride it and it will not be as big of a waste as it is now.


----------



## vincent

vincent said:


> Source: http://www.asiaworld-expo.com/WebForm/Section4/pressRelease20051010.aspx?lang=enUS
> 
> AsiaWorld-Expo and Airport Express Station open in December 2005
> 
> [HONG KONG, 10 October 2005] AsiaWorld-Expo will become operational before the end of the year in Hong Kong. It is the world’s only exhibition and event venue that is fully integrated with an international airport and supported with an in-venue railway station.
> 
> Scheduled to open in December, AsiaWorld-Expo is Hong Kong’s newest and largest exhibition and event centre. It offers over 70,000 square metres of state-of-the-art rental space for exhibitions, conventions, meetings and events. Located at the centre of an extensive and efficient air, land and marine transport network which connects Hong Kong to China’s Pearl River Delta and the world’s business capitals. The complex has 10 column-free, high specifications exhibition halls, one of which is a purpose-built entertainment arena which is Hong Kong’s largest indoor seated venue for an audience of 13,500, making it ideal for concerts and large entertainment events.
> 
> To-date, an impressive event calendar for 2006 and beyond has been confirmed with leading organisers from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe and America hosting exhibitions and functions on a wide variety of themes, including the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, the recognised ‘Olympics of International Telecommunications industry’. This is a strong testimony to the achievements of the location and recognition to the outstanding quality of AsiaWorld-Expo.
> 
> To better serve the travelling needs of AsiaWorld-Expo exhibitors and visitors, the MTR Airport Express is being extended to a new in-venue station at AsiaWorld-Expo.
> 
> Ms Helen Chiu, Chief Commercial Officer of AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited said, “Upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport, overseas exhibitors and buyers can take the train from the airport to arrive directly at AsiaWorld-Expo in less than 2 minutes. The Airport Express provides a safe, fast, convenient and comfortable service at a very attractive price.”
> 
> Mr. Adi Lau, General Manager-Marketing & Station Business of MTR Corporation, added, “the Airport Express service will be extended to AsiaWorld-Expo, providing exhibitors and visitors convenient access to the venue, and easy connections to all other major destinations in Hong Kong through the Airport Express and the MTR network.”
> 
> Mr. Lau continued, “whilst the Airport Express fare structure will apply, an attractive fare will be offered to passengers using Octopus card, taking same-day round-trips and staying for two hours or more at AsiaWorld-Expo.”
> *
> A same-day round trip journey to AsiaWorld-Expo from Tsing Yi Station is HK$42 when using Octopus, Kowloon Station is HK$64 and from Hong Kong Station is HK$72. Passengers are also entitled to a free MTR connection to any destinations when they use their Octopus cards to travel on Airport Express. An adult single journey fare from Airport Station to AsiaWorld-Expo station is HK$5.*
> 
> “Hong Kong has become the Asian hub for major exhibitions and events. We are honoured that our Airport Express service with this attractive package will further enhance the city’s attractiveness and competitiveness among all neighbouring cities,” Mr. Lau added.
> 
> “Nowhere in the world can you experience a world class train service that takes you from the doorstep of the arrival hall of an international airport directly to the doorstep of the exhibition halls in such a short time. The MTR railway network connection also helps Airport Express passengers to get access to major destinations in Hong Kong,” added Ms Chiu.
> 
> With increase in passenger volume on Airport Express brought about by AsiaWorld-Expo, the existing 7-car Airport Express trains are being progressively converted to 8-car trains starting from this September.
> 
> During major exhibitions and events, train services will be further enhanced by deploying more Airport Express trains and larger capacity MTR Tung Chung Line trains to meet adequately any upsurge of passenger demand before and after events.
> 
> The new AsiaWorld-Expo Station will be a two-level above-ground structure, with a single platform at ground level and the station concourse on the first level. The concourse will be integrated with AsiaWorld-Expo, thus providing the venue with convenient access to the railway services.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i personally think the price a too expensive to attract people to use AE to the asiaworld expo.






*Current price:*
Tsing Yi to Airport: $60 adult (vs $42 for Tsing Yi to AWE) (30% off)
Kowloon to Airport: $90 adult (vs $64 for Kwl to AWE) (28.9% off)
Hong Kong to Airport: $100 adult (vs $72 for HK to AWE) (28% off)


----------



## kenlau13




----------



## sfgadv02

Are they going to add PSD to Chai Wan or those "proposed" plat-form gates?


----------



## Jaroslaw

Since there are no exit gates at the airport, what's to prevent me from buying the cheaper ticket to AWE and getting off at the earlier stop?


----------



## vincent

Jaroslaw1 said:


> Since there are no exit gates at the airport, what's to prevent me from buying the cheaper ticket to AWE and getting off at the earlier stop?


i think they will add the gates now for the airport station. Before the AWE is built, everyone only has one station to exit, which is the airport.


----------



## ailiton

vincent said:


> i think they will add the gates now for the airport station. Before the AWE is built, everyone only has one station to exit, which is the airport.


I'm quite sure they won't do that.

Airport station will remain barrier free but AWE station will have fare gates.


----------



## ailiton

Jaroslaw1 said:


> Since there are no exit gates at the airport, what's to prevent me from buying the cheaper ticket to AWE and getting off at the earlier stop?


You only get discount (~25% off) if you use your Octopus card. You will be deducted full fare when you scan your card at one of the AEL stations in the city and the discount amount will be refunded to you when you scan your card at AWE.


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## bs_lover_boy

sfgadv02 said:


> Are they going to add PSD to Chai Wan or those "proposed" plat-form gates?


Definitely not PSD, but PGD is under experimentation and consideration.


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## sfgadv02

Yea, thats what I said those PGD...but is it more, or are those PGD @ Sunny Bay are so slow..it takes like 5 seconds for it to open after the train door are open. Shouldnt they be open at the same time?


----------



## hkskyline

*Railway merger talks in the home stretch *
Denise Tsang 
13 October 2005
South China Morning Post

The government is in the final stage of negotiations on combining Hong Kong's two railway corporations and vows to divulge its decision as soon as a conclusion is reached, according to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. 

Instead of unveiling new infrastructure projects, Mr Tsang offered an update on ongoing developments in the rail, road and air transport arenas in his maiden policy address yesterday. 

He pledged to complete various projects to meet the city's growing demand for public transport and resolve geographic hurdles in the Pearl River delta region with cross-border transport links. 

But topping his agenda is the proposed merger between Hong Kong-listed MTR Corp and government-owned Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC), which has been under negotiation since the middle of 2002. 

Although Mr Tsang offered limited details on the talks, many analysts welcomed the latest progress report on the issue. 

Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Gary Chan said: "I think the parties should come to a conclusion as soon as possible and work out terms mutually acceptable to all stakeholders." 

Informed sources last week said the government favoured a partial merger that would involve MTR operating and maintaining KCR rail lines while the KCR would retain ownership of the assets. 

This approach was expected to be able to meet merger objectives such as bringing down rail fares, eliminating second boarding charges and enhancing efficiency. 

It is also believed to be a viable option to soothe the concerns of 360,000 minority shareholders, government bureaus, MTR and KCR staff members, passengers and taxpayers. 

Mr Tsang also vowed to complete KCR's Lok Ma Chau spur line, the South Kowloon rail link and the Sha Tin-Central rail corridor, as well as continue to press for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen western corridor and the express rail line connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. 

He said $6.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects such as the second passenger terminal and the AsiaWorld Expo exhibition and event centre at Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok would be built in the next two years.


----------



## vincent

ailiton said:


> You only get discount (~25% off) if you use your Octopus card. You will be deducted full fare when you scan your card at one of the AEL stations in the city and the discount amount will be refunded to you when you scan your card at AWE.


oops, i was thinking too fast. ailiton is right. 
Oh wait, so how do they know if the passenger is travel from airport to AWE? They need to know where the passenger get in to charge the $5 (airport to AWE). Hmm....


----------



## ailiton

vincent said:


> oops, i was thinking too fast. ailiton is right.
> Oh wait, so how do they know if the passenger is travel from airport to AWE? They need to know where the passenger get in to charge the $5 (airport to AWE). Hmm....


I'm not sure but...

If you get on the train at HKG, KOW, or TSY, you would have to scan your card at those stations.

But if you get on the train at the airport, you would not have to scan your card (assuming that they won't install fare gates). Then the fare gate at AWE knows that you come from the airport.


----------



## Jaroslaw

Yeah, that makes sense. Still, the airport people kind of get ripped off.

I didn't notice the airport station being rebuilt, but it was probably on the other side... They will have to add a second platform and a passageway--most likely under the tracks??? And does anyone have info about the "second terminal building" on the other side of the tracks? There was nothing about it on the airport site.


----------



## ailiton

???

Why would they add a second platform when they already have two?


----------



## ailiton

Jaroslaw1 said:


> And does anyone have info about the "second terminal building" on the other side of the tracks? There was nothing about it on the airport site.


You might be able to find something in the airport thread, or you should wait for vvill, he's the expert here.


----------



## Jaroslaw

I thought they had only one platform, like at the terminal in Central...


----------



## ailiton

There are 2 platforms at Airport stations. Arrival platform is located above the departure platform.


----------



## vincent

ailiton said:


> I'm not sure but...
> 
> If you get on the train at HKG, KOW, or TSY, you would have to scan your card at those stations.
> 
> But if you get on the train at the airport, you would not have to scan your card (assuming that they won't install fare gates). Then the fare gate at AWE knows that you come from the airport.


i don't think MTR would do that. Otherwise, people will just bring in extra Octopus card just to scan it in AWE. Let's say if you are going from HK to AWE. You can pay only HK$5 instead of like $100. That's assuming you go back to the stations closer to HK in order to get out in the time limit for your first card scanned at HK. Is that two hours time limit? So you can get out of KWL on your way back. So the first card will just assume you traveled from HK to KWL ($10?). The whole thing would be 5+10=15! better than 100.


----------



## vincent

ailiton said:


> You might be able to find something in the airport thread, or you should wait for vvill, he's the expert here.


hey, i am expert in hk development too.  

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/pr/pr_800.html

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/pr/ex_513.html

more info at aedas.com also.


----------



## ailiton

vincent said:


> i don't think MTR would do that. Otherwise, people will just bring in extra Octopus card just to scan it in AWE. Let's say if you are going from HK to AWE. You can pay only HK$5 instead of like $100. That's assuming you go back to the stations closer to HK in order to get out in the time limit for your first card scanned at HK. Is that two hours time limit? So you can get out of KWL on your way back. So the first card will just assume you traveled from HK to KWL ($10?). The whole thing would be 5+10=15! better than 100.


You mean you one card to go from HKG to Airport and then a 2nd card from Airport to AWE? Then 2nd card from AWE to Airport and then from Airport to KOW using the 1st card?

Firstly, when you scan your 1st card at HKG, you are charged $100. Secondly, Same-Day return only works if you enter and exit at the same station. So I guess this method doesn't work.


----------



## vincent

No, i meant this.

West-bound trip:
Use card 1 for entry at HKG, and travel from HKG all the way to AWE. But use card 2 to exit at AWE (keep card 1 unscanned). So card 2 would assume you just travel from airport to AWE, which is just $5.

East-bound trip:
Use card 2 for entry at AWE, and travel from AWE all the way to KWL or HKG. Never use card 2 again, so it assume u just exit at airport. Use card 1 to exit either at KWL or HKG. I was talking about the time limit because i remember a rule that say if you enter MTR system from any station, and didn't get out in certain time limit (like 2 hours??). It would charge you the highest price (i am guessing the farest station price). I am not sure about the same-day, same-station policy (please explain). So if you get out at KWL (exit using card 1) just within that time limit, card 1 would assume you just traveled from HKG to KWL. So i think the total cost would be 5+5+ whatever it cost to travel from hkg to kwl. I don't know how much it cost though if you exit at hkg.

Note: these steps won't work if MTR install fare gate at airport station.


----------



## ailiton

vincent said:


> No, i meant this.
> 
> West-bound trip:
> Use card 1 for entry at HKG, and travel from HKG all the way to AWE. But use card 2 to exit at AWE (keep card 1 unscanned). So card 2 would assume you just travel from airport to AWE, which is just $5.
> 
> East-bound trip:
> Use card 2 for entry at AWE, and travel from AWE all the way to KWL or HKG. Never use card 2 again, so it assume u just exit at airport. Use card 1 to exit either at KWL or HKG. I was talking about the time limit because i remember a rule that say if you enter MTR system from any station, and didn't get out in certain time limit (like 2 hours??). It would charge you the highest price (i am guessing the farest station price). I am not sure about the same-day, same-station policy (please explain). So if you get out at KWL (exit using card 1) just within that time limit, card 1 would assume you just traveled from HKG to KWL. So i think the total cost would be 5+5+ whatever it cost to travel from hkg to kwl. I don't know how much it cost though if you exit at hkg.
> 
> Note: these steps won't work if MTR install fare gate at airport station.


This doesn't work because:
1. once you have scanned card 1 at HKG at the beginning of the trip, you are charged $100.
2. when you travel eastbound back to HKG on the same day, you are charged $0 (same day return fare = single journey fare)
3. no one is supposed to take AEL from HKG to KWL anyways but if you exit at KWL on the return trip, you will probably still be charge $0

if you do it your way, you will be charged $100 (card 1) + $5 (card 2) + $5 (card 2) = $110


----------



## superchan7

You rebels, stop trying to cheat!


----------



## vincent

ailiton said:


> This doesn't work because:
> 1. once you have scanned card 1 at HKG at the beginning of the trip, you are charged $100.
> 2. when you travel eastbound back to HKG on the same day, you are charged $0 (same day return fare = single journey fare)
> 3. no one is supposed to take AEL from HKG to KWL anyways but if you exit at KWL on the return trip, you will probably still be charge $0
> 
> if you do it your way, you will be charged $100 (card 1) + $5 (card 2) + $5 (card 2) = $110


for step 1, since i will scan card 1 again at KWL later on (on the return trip). That mean card 1 assume i travel only from HKG to KWl, how can they charge $100?


----------



## vincent

superchan7 said:


> You rebels, stop trying to cheat!


haha


----------



## ailiton

vincent said:


> for step 1, since i will scan card 1 again at KWL later on (on the return trip). That mean card 1 assume i travel only from HKG to KWl, how can they charge $100?


After you board a train at HKG, you theoretically are not allowed to get off the train until you reach the airport because there are no exit fare gates installed on the westbound platforms in KWL and TSY. Moreover, westbound and eastbound platforms at KWL (or TSY) are not connected by staircases and elevators at the paid zone. So once you have scanned your card at HKG, you are charged $100 immediately (simply because you can only get off at the airport).

When you take the train back to KWL, the fare gate at KWL knows that you come from airport (because no one can get on the train at TSY except those using the morning express service).


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## ailiton

The $100 is deducted right at HKG station at the beginning of the trip (since there are not exit fare gates at airport).


----------



## vincent

Oh, I see. I didn't know kwl, and tyl station doesn't have exit fare gate. So what happen if you exit at HKG on the eastbound (return) trip? Will you be charged 0 or 100 or 200??


----------



## ailiton

If you get on the train at HKG and go to airport, then take the train back the HKG, the second trip is free.


----------



## hkth

Farewell to the old Australian Diesel Electric Locomotives! :goodbye: 

*Four diesel electric locomotives return to Australia* from KCRC website.


----------



## bs_lover_boy

hkskyline said:


> *Railway merger talks in the home stretch *
> Denise Tsang
> 13 October 2005
> South China Morning Post
> 
> .....
> 
> He said $6.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects such as the second passenger terminal and the AsiaWorld Expo exhibition and event centre at Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok would be built in the next two years.


Something out of this topic to ask hkskyline, does the quote above mean the midfield terminal of the HKIA???


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## bs_lover_boy

One thing out of your fare coversation. There is actually two platforms for the Airport express in Hong Kong Station. But the other one is sealed and closed for future usage.


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## superchan7

Second passenger terminal in the next two years is a bad idea. The main terminal hasn't even been used to capacity.


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## vincent

Hmm, i guess Tsang meant the Skyplaza (terminal one) that is currently uc, and current terminal becomes terminal two.


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## vvill

vincent said:


> Hmm, i guess Tsang meant the Skyplaza (terminal one) that is currently uc, and current terminal becomes terminal two.


nah HKAA named the SkyPlaza also Terminal Two of HKIA.


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## scorpion

4D-theatre announced for SkyPlaza---


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## hkskyline

The Airport Express was designed to go to the Convention Centre. Until the Central Phase 3 reclamation is fully complete, that extra platform will remain disused.


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## hkskyline

bs_lover_boy said:


> Something out of this topic to ask hkskyline, does the quote above mean the midfield terminal of the HKIA???


The 2nd terminal should be the midfield one. I don't think there is a plan for another terminal beyond this one. I haven't picked that project up on the Hong Kong press at all lately, and I doubt something that big will start soon and go undetected.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR Corp Sept passengers 71.48 mln vs 75.32 mln in Aug *
17 October 2005
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 71.48 mln passengers in September, down from 75.32 mln in August. 

On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.53 mln passengers in September, unchanged from August, according to figures published on the company's website. 

MTR Corp noted that the total monthly patronage of MTR lines and Airport Express line in September rose 2.89 pct year-on-year, but it did not give comparative numbers of passengers for the period. 

However, for comparative month-on-month figures, the website said Airport Express carried 706,000 passengers in September, lower than the 736,000 passengers it carried in August, it said. 

On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 23,500 people in September, against 23,700 in the preceding month.


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## vincent

hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong's MTR Corp Sept passengers 71.48 mln vs 75.32 mln in Aug *
> 17 October 2005
> AFX Asia
> 
> HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 71.48 mln passengers in September, down from 75.32 mln in August.
> 
> On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.53 mln passengers in September, unchanged from August, according to figures published on the company's website.
> 
> MTR Corp noted that the total monthly patronage of MTR lines and Airport Express line in September rose 2.89 pct year-on-year, but it did not give comparative numbers of passengers for the period.
> 
> However, for comparative month-on-month figures, the website said Airport Express carried 706,000 passengers in September, lower than the 736,000 passengers it carried in August, it said.
> 
> On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 23,500 people in September, against 23,700 in the preceding month.


i didn't know 23500 people use AE daily. I thought the train is usually quite empty.


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## Effer

^^I thought more people used it.


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## Effer

hkskyline said:


> The 2nd terminal should be the midfield one. I don't think there is a plan for another terminal beyond this one. I haven't picked that project up on the Hong Kong press at all lately, and I doubt something that big will start soon and go undetected.


Are there any renderings?


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## hkskyline

effer said:


> Are there any renderings?


The 2020 Master Plan has a double Y-shaped midfield terminal planned :
http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/aboutus/pdf/MP2020.pdf

I will watch the press for news and post updates in the Aviation section :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=69484&goto=lastpost


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## hkskyline

*KCRC to invite tenders in $12b Tai Wai flats project *
Raymond Wang
20 October 2005
Hong Kong Standard










Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation plans to invite tenders in December to develop a property project near Tai Wai station, which analysts estimate will cost HK$12 billion.

To allow small- and medium-sized developers to tender, KCRC plans to split the project into two packages, the first time it has divided such a project this year.

Package 1 will consist of eight residential towers to be completed in two phases by 2010. Package 2 will comprise four residential towers. Developers can either submit bids for the entire project or for either package. Winning tenders will be chosen in the first quarter next year.

The project will require investment of almost HK$12 billion, or HK$3,200 per square foot, said Vigers Appraisal & Consulting executive director Tony Chan. The cost would include HK$1,200 psf on construction and HK$2,000 psf on land premiums.

Mid-tier developers such as K Wah International will probably to take part in Package 2, which will cost nearly HK$4 billion, while larger companies such as Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land Development, Cheung Kong (Holdings), and Sino Land may be interested in bidding for the entire project, Chan said.

Occupying an area of about 7.06 hectares, the development will yield a gross floor area of about 3.66 million sq ft. The 12 residential towers will have 4,304 apartments.

KCRC will invite expressions of interest tomorrow, with a submissions deadline of November 11.

The company will soon negotiate with the government on the land premium, which market watchers expect will be finalized in three months and may be more than HK$7 billion, according to Viger's Chan.

The Tai Wai project will be KCRC's fourth property development this year after Wu Kai Sha station on the Ma On Shan line, and Nam Cheong and Tuen Mun stations on the West Rail line. In June, Sino Land won the right to develop the HK$7 billion residential project above Wu Kai Sha station.

Cheung Kong, Sun Hung Kai, Henderson Land and seven smaller rivals submitted expressions of interest for the Tuen Mun project in August. KCRC plans to invite tenders by early next month.

In August, KCRC delayed the tender for a HK$20 billion residential development above Nam Cheong station after receiving objections from nearby residents who said air flows will be affected by the project. The railway operator is consulting the government.


----------



## vincent

vvill said:


> nah HKAA named the SkyPlaza also Terminal Two of HKIA.


maybe i got it the other way around. Either the current terminal or skyplaza is terminal one. And another oneis terminal two. 

Future expansion (except skyplaza):
-4 extra roof expansion on current terminal
-Midfield terminal


----------



## kenlau13




----------



## kenlau13

kenlau13 said:


> [/IMG]


Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:MTR_stations


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## samsonyuen

Great pictures. I rode the MTR in '93 and was instantly impressed. There were only three lines then, but it was so modern. Glad to see the expansion it's gone through. Why did it take until '79 to build the subway and not earlier?


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## simhks

It's not related when the system was built. The whole MTR network has been refurbished for numerous times over the years.


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## superchan7

I first rode the MTR in 1989. Had anything been renewed between 1979-1989? I always thought that was the original form of the MTR, except for the expansions throughout the 1980s.


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## hkskyline

*KCRC invests 5 mln HKD in safety enhancement *
24 October 2005
Xinhua's China Economic Information Service

HONG KONG, October 24 (CEIS) -- The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) announced on October 23 it has undertaken a number of projects and invested over 5 million Hong Kong dollars (645,161 US dollars) this year to enhance the safety standard of railway services. 

The safety-enhancement projects include the installation of studded floors at the entrances of all refurbished trains in order to minimize the potential of slipping. The 3 million HK dollars project began early this year and is expected to be completed in November. 

KCRC is also installing bollards at the entrances of busy escalators in East Rail stations to discourage passengers carrying bulky luggage from using escalators. This project, which cost 570,000 HK dollars, will also be completed in November. 

In another project costing 370,000 HK dollars, the purple flashing neon lights on East Rail platform edges are being replaced with orange lights to raise passengers' awareness of the platform gap. 

To enhance Light Rail safety, KCRC said it has invested 1.1 million HK dollars to install 50mm platform gap fillers on 50 Light Rail platforms to narrow the platform gap, and to install bollards and railings at 35 Light Rail pedestrian crossings to encourage passengers, especially cyclists, to stop and look before crossing the road. Both projects will be completed by the end of this year.


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## kenlau13

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Resort_%28MTR%29


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## hkskyline

*九鐵重兵駐三高危車站 *
24 October 2005
星島日報

本港年底舉行世貿部長級會議，九鐵慎防大批示威者會有所行動，破壞鐵路的運行及秩序，將抽調人手組成快速反應部隊，以加強保安。

九鐵安全及品管經理劉興漢昨日認為，因應世貿會場設於灣仔會展中心，故九鐵面對的風險，相對會較港島區其他公共交通工具為低。不過，劉興漢強調，九鐵已積極與運輸署及警方密切聯絡，交換情報，就保安安排研究相應措施，例如加強在站內巡邏及監察。

據了解，九鐵已抽調數百名員工組成快速反應部隊，屆時負責巡查鐵路沿綫車站；由於有幾百名南韓農民示威者將會入住烏溪沙青年新村，故大部分人員會分派駐守烏溪沙、大圍及紅磡三個高危車站，應付突發情況。

500萬元提升安全

此外，九廣東鐵今年動用超過五百萬元，提升鐵路安全水平，包括翻新車廂的車門，在入口加上凹凸圓點，提高防滑功能，另外亦會在一些使用量高的扶手電梯入口，加上鐵柱，防止攜帶大型行李旅客使用扶手梯。

發言人說，目前已在三個東鐵車站的扶手電梯安裝鐵柱，證實減少了意外事件，乘客的意外受傷率低於一百萬分之一，是相當低的數字。本報記者


----------



## mrtfreak

simhks said:


> It's not related when the system was built. The whole MTR network has been refurbished for numerous times over the years.


He means why was the MTR only built like in '79, not why the the refurbishments/improvments only came later.


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## hkskyline

Studies to build a subway system took place back in the 1960s to find solutions to growing traffic problems, and construction soon followed in the 1970s, with the first line opening in 1979 and many extensions soon followed.

Here is some more information on the history of the MTR : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR


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## waikhplkcc

muchbetter said:


>


great!


----------



## Momo1435

I was just wondering looking at the 2018 map, are they going the use the partly completed upper level, the Rumsey Street platforms of the Sheung Wan station? Now the platform is only used as a walkway to the actual station one level below. It's the most strangest place of the whole of the MTR.


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## bs_lover_boy

momochan said:


> I was just wondering looking at the 2018 map, are they going the use the partly completed upper level, the Rumsey Street platforms of the Sheung Wan station? Now the platform is only used as a walkway to the actual station one level below. It's the most strangest place of the whole of the MTR.



Nope. the platform lies at a 90 degree from the one in Sheung Wan and also the interchage patterns (how people interchange) will overfill the escalators. MTR and the govenment considered it before, but it is not feasible.


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## hkskyline

*Railway operators face partial merger
Government likely to keep KCR assets, new firm to run trains *
Denise Tsang 
6 October 2005
South China Morning Post

After floating an ambitious plan to combine Hong Kong's two rail corporations into a railroad giant more than two years ago, the government appears to be inching towards its final destination - a partial merger. 

Its conundrum was how to satisfy 360,000 MTR Corp minority shareholders, legislators and rail users. Its answer seems likely to be injecting management rights for the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) into the MTR. 

A final decision has not been made but well-placed sources say the asset-light approach is the preferred option. It is reminiscent of Singapore's separation of track and rolling stock and would involve the MTR being given an option to acquire the hard assets of its country railway cousin at a later date. 

"The government and the MTR are close to reaching a consensus on the valuation of the merger and it is planned that Chief Executive [Donald Tsang Yam-kuen] will announce the merger deal shortly after delivering his maiden policy address," one source close to the government said. 

A key driving force behind the deal is the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau which, ahead of a decision, has put on hold the planned Sha Tin to Central rail project and a new fare setting mechanism for the operator. 

The Treasury Bureau has also been given an incentive to force a deal since record share prices for the MTR make the delayed sale of a second batch of shares attractive. 

"The government favours the partial merger option as a result of shifting priorities," a source said. "There have been so many changes in Hong Kong's economy and also the government's financial position since the merger idea was brought up in 2002." 

A much improved fiscal situation, thanks to lucrative land sales and a booming economy, has reduced the need for the government to raise fast cash from a lock, stock and barrel KCRC sale. 

It is understood that a partial merger will mean the creation of a single operating company with ownership of KCRC's assets remaining in government hands. 

In return for running the operation, management fees would be paid to the listed entity. It is similar to Singapore's approach, in which the government funds capital works and the listed SMRT Corp runs network operations and maintenance. 

To pave the way for a genuine merger, it is planned that the merged entity will be granted an exclusive right to purchase KCRC assets at a time when they begin to yield profits. 

The partial merger would need to comply with five parameters set by the government last year, which include scrapping second boarding charges and bringing down fares, sources said. 

"The arrangement will allay the financial sector's concern about destroying MTR value and the public's concern over selling government assets at substantial discounts," said another source. 

Whether it makes for a well-managed, merged railway operation is, perhaps, another question.


----------



## littlearea

*Protest in the MTR*










*人鏈鎖路軌攻佔地鐵 反世貿至激示威*

【太陽報專訊】年底在港舉行的世界貿易組織部長級會議，大批來自歐美韓等國的激進示威者，計畫衝擊本港地鐵沿線各站，以達到癱瘓公共交通工具服務之目的。警方掌握最新情報顯示，激進示威者極可能以前所未見的人鏈路軌行動，在繁忙時間阻斷地鐵服務。消息透露，地鐵警區已與地鐵公司組成風險評估小組，制訂連串方案。二千名地鐵前線員工已秘密演習，在世貿會議期間協助警方應變。

地鐵公司發言人承認，該公司一直與政府部門商討世貿期間地鐵的安全措施，亦會積極配合政府的需要，但發言人補充，相關細節暫不便透露，要留待政府日後公布。 

目標：金鐘灣仔銅鑼灣站

情報顯示，該批來自歐美韓的激進示威者，很熟悉本港地鐵運作。為要使他們的抗議行動達到「嚇怕所有主辦世貿國家及地區」之目的，估計示威者會選擇人流最頻密、最靠近世貿會議場地的地鐵港島線金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣這三個站為衝擊目標。

由地鐵警區及地鐵公司組成的十八人風險評估小組在分析情報後，已制訂了最少五套緊急應變方案，以及多達百項因應不同情況的對策，除考慮到屆時示威行動會癱瘓港島線外，也預期會對地鐵全線交通造成嚴重影響。

消息稱，根據示威者過往在世貿會議舉辦地區的抗議行動，最激烈的都不會有恐怖襲擊。不過，情報顯示該批示威者會採取衝擊地鐵月台、集體跳落路軌、用鐵鏈將自己綁在路軌上，以圖阻塞地鐵交通，癱瘓整條地鐵線。 

鐵筆撬開幕門集體跳軌

評估小組成員本月初先後前往金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣地鐵站月台視察，雖然發現這些月台都有幕門，一般人不易自行打開跳軌，不過，由於幕門的設計方便消防員在緊急時打開，故兩邊門中間由一條兩吋黑膠邊接合，如幕門失去電力開動，可方便消防員用鐵筆撬開。據悉，這種設計也同時方便了該批富經驗的「專業示威者」，他們只要乘他人不覺，用鐵筆撬開幕門，就可輕鬆跳落路軌，串成人鏈展開抗爭行動。

評估小組聯席會議按已收集的情報訂出應變計畫，包括應付地鐵站遭抗議群眾潛入地搗亂、車站內自綁在售票機或入閘機、月台內聚集抗議及以鐵鏈自綁、潛入路軌用鐵鏈自綁、破壞幕門強行跳落路軌自綁、衝入各車站控制室擾亂行車操作，以及擾亂車站內信號系統等的可能狀況。

地鐵亦為應付今次史無前例的擾亂行動添置新器材，包括最新式油壓剪刀，能在短時間內剪斷示威者用以自綁的鐵鏈，配合警員搬走在站內的示威者。

地鐵為了及早讓全線車站近二千名前線人員熟習應變工作，評估小組已將應變策略發放到各個車站，由各車站管理人員即時開展駐站人員演習及調動。在高風險的金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣站，更會由車站前線人員與警員聯合演練，希望透過純熟的演習，加強隊伍的合作性及應變行動。


1. 軌示威模擬圖 示威者用鐵筆撬開地鐵幕門後，齊齊跳落路軌。以鐵鏈綑綁身體再鎖在路軌的空隙。


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## hkskyline

*LCQ 4 : Broadcasts of TV news in KCRC train compartments*
Government Press Release
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Cheng and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (October 26):

*Question:*

Since July this year, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) has arranged for broadcasts of TV news and advertisements in the train compartments of its East Rail, West Rail and Ma On Shan Rail. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the total number of complaints received so far by the relevant authorities about excessive volume of such broadcasts, and the outcome of such complaints;

(b) whether it will advise KCRC to make such broadcasts in the mute mode in order not to disturb passengers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) of KCRC's estimate of the annual revenue to be generated from such broadcasts, and the accounts in which such revenue will be reflected?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

In August 2005 "*", the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) introduced the "Newsline Express" service on East Rail, Ma On Shan Rail and West Rail. Audio and visual news programme and advertisement are broadcast on TV panels installed in train compartments through wireless transmission. The number of complaints received by the relevant authorities (including the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, Transport Department, Environmental Protection Department and Transport Complaint Unit) so far is as follows:



Code:


Month                  Number of Complaints Received
*****                  *****************************
August 2005                          110
September 2005                        67
October 2005                          27
(up to 16 October 2005)

The Government noted some passengers' comments on the sound volume of the "Newsline Express". We have relayed the passengers' concern to KCRC and requested the Corporation to put in place immediate measures to reduce the sound volume, improve the sound quality and the noise protection arrangements of Quiet Cars/Quiet Zones. We have also asked the Corporation to closely monitor passengers' feedback on the service, with a view to providing passengers with a comfortable travelling environment. 

Taking into account the concerns expressed by the Government and passengers, KCRC has taken active steps to implement the following measures to address the sound problems arising from the "Newsline Express":-

(i) deploy inspection teams on board to monitor the performance of the "Newsline Express";

(ii) assess the sound quality fleet-wide through comprehensive acoustic measurements and explore appropriate measures to improve the overall performance of the "Newsline Express" in terms of sound volume and quality;

(iii) adjust the sound volume in respect of the different ambient noise of each railway, i.e. to reduce the sound volume of the "Newsline Express" for railways with lower ambient noise;

(iv) strengthen the effect of the Quiet Cars/Zones by disabling the speakers close to them. Such modification works were completed in Ma On Shan Rail in August 2005 and proved to be effective in addressing the sound volume problems. Similar modifications are being implemented in East Rail and West Rail train compartments for completion by end October 2005; and

(v) adjust the position of the speakers in the Quiet Zones in the First Class Compartments of East Rail so as to confine the audio coverage to areas in the proximity of the TV panels of the "Newsline Express". The modification works are expected to complete by end 2005.

KCRC indicated that through the above improvement measures, the sound volume of the "Newsline Express" is now at a level acceptable to most passengers. According to the findings of a passenger survey conducted by the Corporation in August 2005, amongst the 6 000 respondents, 75 per cent thereof considered the sound level of the "Newsline Express" "appropriate" or "too low". Over 90 per cent of the respondents viewed that the overall performance of the "Newsline Express" is acceptable. KCRC will continue to gauge passenger feedback on the "Newsline Express" through passenger surveys.

We have relayed to the Corporation the suggestions of broadcasting the "Newsline Express" in the mute mode. In response to this, the Corporation indicated that muting the broadcast would cause inconvenience to most passengers who wish to enjoy the "Newsline Express" service as they would be required to use radios and headphones to receive the broadcast. In addition, KCRC's partner in the "Newsline Express" service is not ready to provide news programmes equipped with captions for broadcast in the mute mode. KCRC is now liaising with its partner on the way forward in this regard. Yet since complicated technical and operational aspects are involved, further studies on this issue would be required. 

KCRC understands the different needs of passengers and therefore provides Quiet Cars/Quiet Zones on trains to cater for their needs. For East Rail which is served with 12-car trains, two cars are dedicated to be Quiet Cars, and one section of the First Class Compartment is dedicated to be Quiet Zone. For West Rail and Ma On Shan Rail which are served with 7-car and 4-car trains respectively, one car is dedicated to be the Quiet Car. KCRC said that it had considered passengers' comments in making the arrangements of Quiet Cars/Zones. According to a survey conducted by KCRC in 2004 where over 2 000 passengers were interviewed, over 70 per cent thereof indicated that they were "interested" or "very interested" in the programme. Less than 20 per cent of the interviewees indicated that they preferred to travel in a Quiet Zone.

Since the "Newsline Express" service has just commenced, KCRC does not have its revenue figures at this early stage. According to KCRC, all profits generated by the "Newsline Express" will be included as non-fare revenue to benefit passengers by improving the railway services. 

"*" : The "Newsline Express" service was put on trial on some trains in July 2005 but the service was not yet fully introduced in the same month.


----------



## vincent

littlearea said:


> *人鏈鎖路軌攻佔地鐵 反世貿至激示威*
> 
> 【太陽報專訊】年底在港舉行的世界貿易組織部長級會議，大批來自歐美韓等國的激進示威者，計畫衝擊本港地鐵沿線各站，以達到癱瘓公共交通工具服務之目的。警方掌握最新情報顯示，激進示威者極可能以前所未見的人鏈路軌行動，在繁忙時間阻斷地鐵服務。消息透露，地鐵警區已與地鐵公司組成風險評估小組，制訂連串方案。二千名地鐵前線員工已秘密演習，在世貿會議期間協助警方應變。
> 
> 地鐵公司發言人承認，該公司一直與政府部門商討世貿期間地鐵的安全措施，亦會積極配合政府的需要，但發言人補充，相關細節暫不便透露，要留待政府日後公布。
> 
> 目標：金鐘灣仔銅鑼灣站
> 
> 情報顯示，該批來自歐美韓的激進示威者，很熟悉本港地鐵運作。為要使他們的抗議行動達到「嚇怕所有主辦世貿國家及地區」之目的，估計示威者會選擇人流最頻密、最靠近世貿會議場地的地鐵港島線金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣這三個站為衝擊目標。
> 
> 由地鐵警區及地鐵公司組成的十八人風險評估小組在分析情報後，已制訂了最少五套緊急應變方案，以及多達百項因應不同情況的對策，除考慮到屆時示威行動會癱瘓港島線外，也預期會對地鐵全線交通造成嚴重影響。
> 
> 消息稱，根據示威者過往在世貿會議舉辦地區的抗議行動，最激烈的都不會有恐怖襲擊。不過，情報顯示該批示威者會採取衝擊地鐵月台、集體跳落路軌、用鐵鏈將自己綁在路軌上，以圖阻塞地鐵交通，癱瘓整條地鐵線。
> 
> 鐵筆撬開幕門集體跳軌
> 
> 評估小組成員本月初先後前往金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣地鐵站月台視察，雖然發現這些月台都有幕門，一般人不易自行打開跳軌，不過，由於幕門的設計方便消防員在緊急時打開，故兩邊門中間由一條兩吋黑膠邊接合，如幕門失去電力開動，可方便消防員用鐵筆撬開。據悉，這種設計也同時方便了該批富經驗的「專業示威者」，他們只要乘他人不覺，用鐵筆撬開幕門，就可輕鬆跳落路軌，串成人鏈展開抗爭行動。
> 
> 評估小組聯席會議按已收集的情報訂出應變計畫，包括應付地鐵站遭抗議群眾潛入地搗亂、車站內自綁在售票機或入閘機、月台內聚集抗議及以鐵鏈自綁、潛入路軌用鐵鏈自綁、破壞幕門強行跳落路軌自綁、衝入各車站控制室擾亂行車操作，以及擾亂車站內信號系統等的可能狀況。
> 
> 地鐵亦為應付今次史無前例的擾亂行動添置新器材，包括最新式油壓剪刀，能在短時間內剪斷示威者用以自綁的鐵鏈，配合警員搬走在站內的示威者。
> 
> 地鐵為了及早讓全線車站近二千名前線人員熟習應變工作，評估小組已將應變策略發放到各個車站，由各車站管理人員即時開展駐站人員演習及調動。在高風險的金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣站，更會由車站前線人員與警員聯合演練，希望透過純熟的演習，加強隊伍的合作性及應變行動。
> 
> 
> 1. 軌示威模擬圖 示威者用鐵筆撬開地鐵幕門後，齊齊跳落路軌。以鐵鏈綑綁身體再鎖在路軌的空隙。


Just dumb smoke grenade in and "smoke" them out.


----------



## bs_lover_boy

littlearea said:


> *人鏈鎖路軌攻佔地鐵 反世貿至激示威*
> 
> 【太陽報專訊】年底在港舉行的世界貿易組織部長級會議，大批來自歐美韓等國的激進示威者，計畫衝擊本港地鐵沿線各站，以達到癱瘓公共交通工具服務之目的。警方掌握最新情報顯示，激進示威者極可能以前所未見的人鏈路軌行動，在繁忙時間阻斷地鐵服務。消息透露，地鐵警區已與地鐵公司組成風險評估小組，制訂連串方案。二千名地鐵前線員工已秘密演習，在世貿會議期間協助警方應變。
> 
> 地鐵公司發言人承認，該公司一直與政府部門商討世貿期間地鐵的安全措施，亦會積極配合政府的需要，但發言人補充，相關細節暫不便透露，要留待政府日後公布。
> 
> 目標：金鐘灣仔銅鑼灣站
> 
> 情報顯示，該批來自歐美韓的激進示威者，很熟悉本港地鐵運作。為要使他們的抗議行動達到「嚇怕所有主辦世貿國家及地區」之目的，估計示威者會選擇人流最頻密、最靠近世貿會議場地的地鐵港島線金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣這三個站為衝擊目標。
> 
> 由地鐵警區及地鐵公司組成的十八人風險評估小組在分析情報後，已制訂了最少五套緊急應變方案，以及多達百項因應不同情況的對策，除考慮到屆時示威行動會癱瘓港島線外，也預期會對地鐵全線交通造成嚴重影響。
> 
> 消息稱，根據示威者過往在世貿會議舉辦地區的抗議行動，最激烈的都不會有恐怖襲擊。不過，情報顯示該批示威者會採取衝擊地鐵月台、集體跳落路軌、用鐵鏈將自己綁在路軌上，以圖阻塞地鐵交通，癱瘓整條地鐵線。
> 
> 鐵筆撬開幕門集體跳軌
> 
> 評估小組成員本月初先後前往金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣地鐵站月台視察，雖然發現這些月台都有幕門，一般人不易自行打開跳軌，不過，由於幕門的設計方便消防員在緊急時打開，故兩邊門中間由一條兩吋黑膠邊接合，如幕門失去電力開動，可方便消防員用鐵筆撬開。據悉，這種設計也同時方便了該批富經驗的「專業示威者」，他們只要乘他人不覺，用鐵筆撬開幕門，就可輕鬆跳落路軌，串成人鏈展開抗爭行動。
> 
> 評估小組聯席會議按已收集的情報訂出應變計畫，包括應付地鐵站遭抗議群眾潛入地搗亂、車站內自綁在售票機或入閘機、月台內聚集抗議及以鐵鏈自綁、潛入路軌用鐵鏈自綁、破壞幕門強行跳落路軌自綁、衝入各車站控制室擾亂行車操作，以及擾亂車站內信號系統等的可能狀況。
> 
> 地鐵亦為應付今次史無前例的擾亂行動添置新器材，包括最新式油壓剪刀，能在短時間內剪斷示威者用以自綁的鐵鏈，配合警員搬走在站內的示威者。
> 
> 地鐵為了及早讓全線車站近二千名前線人員熟習應變工作，評估小組已將應變策略發放到各個車站，由各車站管理人員即時開展駐站人員演習及調動。在高風險的金鐘、灣仔及銅鑼灣站，更會由車站前線人員與警員聯合演練，希望透過純熟的演習，加強隊伍的合作性及應變行動。
> 
> 
> 1. 軌示威模擬圖 示威者用鐵筆撬開地鐵幕門後，齊齊跳落路軌。以鐵鏈綑綁身體再鎖在路軌的空隙。



English Brief translation:

There will be a WTO meeting in HK in dec and rumours are saying that some protesters will protest by forming a human chain on the tracks at Admiralty or Causeway Bay station. Even though these stations have Platform Screen Doors, but due to the fact for safety reasons, these doors can be wrenched open (so people can get to safety if there are accidents in the tunnel). The government and the MTR are devising plans to solve these problems in case it happens. Also the MTR has brought new equipments to treat these cases if it arises.

Caption Picture description: Computer generated image of protesters tying themselves in chains and lying on the tracks in order to cause chaos and disrupt train services.


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## hkskyline

*MTR interested in Wuhan railway network *
28 October 2005
NewsTrak Daily

Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) shows great interest in exploring subway construction and management projects in China. It made a trip to Wuhan to study and observed Wuhan's transportation infrastructure in mid 2005. 

MTR is interested in taking part in building and operating railway infrastructure in Wuhan. MTR wants to join the railways building and management project through open, fair and just competition. Earlier, Wuhan revealed that it was going to construct a railway network. The proposed network consists of seven major lines, 182 stations and a total length of 220km.


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## kenlau13

Sourse:http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%9C%B0%E9%90%B5


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## hkskyline

*KCRC invites 10 developers to bid for Tuen Mun site *
29 October 2005
South China Morning Post

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp yesterday invited 10 developers to tender for its Tuen Mun Station residential project, which will consist of seven towers with about 1.29 million square feet gross floor area or 1,924 apartments. 

The total investment involved is estimated at $6.4 billion. 

Apart from splitting profit from property sales with KCRC, the successful developer has to pay the railway operation $123 million for the cost of providing the site before kickstarting construction and $250 million as the project is completed. 

Tenders close on November 25.


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## hkskyline

*MTR management unit expands with Beijing deal *
Jamil Anderlini in Beijing 
27 October 2005
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corp's mainland property management subsidiary yesterday signed a deal with developer Pan Shiyi to manage a large portion of his Jianwai Soho project in Beijing. 

MTR (Beijing) Property Services is rapidly expanding its property management business across the mainland, particularly in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen. 

"We hope to increase our floor space under management from the current 700,000 square metres to over a million square metres within the year," said president Gary Lau at the signing ceremony with Soho China. 

The 300,000 sqmetre commercial, office and residential Jianwai Soho project is the largest property under MTR management on the mainland. Others in Beijing include Northstar Land, a 150,000 sqmetre commercial and residential complex, and Oriental Kenzo mall, which MTR is leasing with the first right of refusal to buy. 

In Shanghai, MTR manages the 150,000 sqmetre Hong Kong Metropolis shopping and residential complex. 

The property management subsidiary was established as a wholly foreign-owned entity in November last year under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. Cepa allows Hong Kong companies access to mainland markets before the schedule laid out in China's World Trade Organisation accession agreement. 

According to sources, MTR is also involved in bidding for a number of large-scale property development projects and has reached an agreement with the Beijing city government to build two additional subway lines in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. 

MTR was awarded the contract in February for one 15.3 billion yuan subway line and has been bidding for two more. The three projects are worth an estimated 32 billion yuan. 

Mr Lau refused to comment except to say that both the rail and property development sections of the company were "very busy". 

Mr Pan said he picked MTR from seven or eight candidates bidding for the management rights to his development. He said there was still a gap in quality between MTR and Sci-tech, the Beijing-based property management firm responsible for the first phases of Jianwai Soho. 

"I told the manager of Sci-tech that his goal is to catch up with MTR within six months," Mr Pan said. 

He said sales of his properties had not been significantly affected by the government's efforts to cool the overheated property market and his company was always looking for new land to develop. "Like a dog hunting a rabbit, we're looking for public tenders to buy," he said. 

At present, Soho is selecting a manager for its new Shangdu project and Mr Pan said MTR had a good chance of securing that agreement as well.


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## hkskyline

*Kowloon Tong* by *"KN3208"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## raymond_tung88

I forget if someone mentioned this but do ALL of Hong Kong's subway stations have that glass panel/ door to prevent people from falling down into the rail? or just the new stations?


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## hkskyline

^ Platform screen doors are currently being installed in all stations. New lines already have them, except the Disneyland Resort Line, which has platform gates.


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## hkth

hkskyline said:


> ^ Platform screen doors are currently being installed in all stations. New lines already have them, except the Disneyland Resort Line, which has platform gates.


You've missed a word in your sentence, "...currently being installed in all *underground* stations."


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## superchan7

The retrofit project is almost complete, but all underground stations are also going through a climate control upgrade with new ceiling and floor trim. That is not near completion yet. Almost all the designated stations have been fitted with the screens, though.


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## hkia

It would be great if the Ocean Park terminal's under a giant fish tank, where when the train pulls into the terminal, you can see fish swiming around.


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## superchan7

That would require quite an investment.


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## hkskyline

*More rail accidents spark safety drive *
1 November 2005
South China Morning Post

An MTR safety campaign will start today after an increase in the number of accidents involving escalators and train doors. 

The campaign comes after a nine-year-old boy's fingers were caught in the doors when he tried to force his way out of the carriage because his mother and younger brother were still on the platform at Kowloon Tong yesterday morning. 

The train had travelled 10 metres before passengers pressed the emergency stop button. 

The boy was treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and discharged. 

From January to September this year, 112 cases of passengers or their belongings being trapped in the train doors were reported, compared with 98 cases in the same period last year, MTR Corporation figures show. 

Accidents on escalators also rose by 18 per cent in the same period compared with last year. 

The MTR recorded 338 cases at the end of September, and more than 10 per cent of cases involved passengers with large items. 

MTR Corp head of operations Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man blamed passengers' false belief about train doors for the increase in accidents. 

"There is some misperception that train doors work like lift doors and will bounce open automatically when hitting an obstruction. Train doors can only be reopened manually by the train operator, when an indication in the driving cab tells him a set of doors has not closed completely," Mr Lau said. 

He said it was safe for passengers to use the driverless train service offered on the Disneyland Resort Line. 

"Though there is no train operator onboard, an operator monitors the service in a control room at Sunny Bay to handle any emergency that may occur," he said. 

When asked if the MTR was planning to sack or redeploy 500 train operators and replace them with a driverless service, as reported in a newspaper yesterday, Mr Lau said: "I also want to find out the source of that information, and where the reporter concerned heard about it. 

"We have no such plan in the near future. Switching to an automatic system requires a lot of research and study." 

Mr Lau also reminded passengers carrying large items to use lifts to avoid accidents on escalators. 

"We will also deploy 42 safety ambassadors to various MTR stations to remind passengers to be careful and not block train doors from closing or force their way onto a train," he said. 

The one-month promotional campaign will feature a video, posters and stickers distributed in stations. 

Meanwhile, services on the KCR Ma On Shan rail link were disrupted early yesterday after a train broke down in Tai Shui Hang Station, leaving 100 passengers stranded on the platform. 

Initial investigations show a broken overhead wire which links the train to the electric cable caused the train to stop.


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## oberon

The Montréal Métro newspaper has a section for the STM (Montréal Transit Commission) to put on news about the company. They also do an introduction to metros worldwide each month. This month, in its 34th installment, the story is about Hong Kong, one of my favourite metros in the world. It's usual stuff about the history of the MTR, but it also has a table comparing Montréal Métro with Hong Kong MTR, which I found pretty interesting. Hong Kong apparently handles much more passengers per station with slightly less stations than Montréal! It's noted in the article that Hong Kong has one of the highest per KM ridership in the world. I also find it interesting that the Disney trains are fast becoming the most prominent features of the MTR. 

You can see the article here (French, pdf file)


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## sfgadv02

Most accidents arent MTR's fault IMO, a person should be smart enough to know that when a train door is closing, you DO NOT rush in, trains come every 3 minutes or less so there is no need to rush into the train anyway.


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## hkskyline

*2012年全電腦控制 列車無人駕駛
地鐵500司機等炒*
31/10/2005










【專案組報道】地鐵公司五百名列車司機將面對調職或失業。地鐵部署的無人駕駛計畫進入第三階段，稍後會展開無人駕駛各線列車兩年試驗計畫，○七年開始逐漸減少列車司機數目，預算在二○一二年所有列車將推行全電腦控制的「無司機駕駛」系統。受影響的司機均擔心飯碗不保，希望地鐵及早公布轉職安排及培訓計畫。

現時地鐵各線列車行車程序，無論是行車速度、入站出站的安排，以至各條車線的配合接駁，均由電腦全盤控制，列車司機需做的工作相應減少，主要是在信號系統出現問題或遇上突發事故才改為人手操作列車，形成司機的工作日漸減少。

地鐵發言人表示，現時該公司只在迪士尼線使用「無司機駕駛」列車，至於其餘的線路將來會否投入該些列車，則要留待日後公布。

自動系統從未出意外
地鐵在兩年多前經已在各個主要車站套用列車自動掉頭系統，這是研究無人駕駛列車的首階段研究，現時研究已完成並全面投入服務，在北角、荃灣、上環及杏花 等站，均全部使用無人駕駛列車自動掉頭系統，但該系統只在沒有乘客時採用。另一項成功產品是機場無人駕駛小型列車，運作至今並沒有任何問題。

無人駕駛列車第二階段由今年七月開始，系統經過多年研究，並在機場載客小列車使用後，套入現時迪士尼線使用，成為本港最大型的無人駕駛載客列車。

司機盼更多工種轉職
地鐵現正展開港九各線列車全面投入無人駕駛系統，預算用兩年時間作研究，期間部分列車在無人駕駛下，加入日常行車的運作，測試列車在該種操作下的各項準繩。地鐵預計經兩年試驗後，可取得更多數據去改善現行系統，逐步增加無人載客列車的數目，從○七年往後五年，完成整個無人駕駛計畫。

現時地鐵約有五百名列車司機，該公司會推行多項離職及再培訓計畫，讓受影響的司機參加，經訓練後調派其他工作崗位，以減少司機失業。

地鐵部分司機表示，現時該鐵路列車運作幾乎全部依靠電腦，穩定性相當高，套用無人駕駛是無可厚非，希望公司有更多工種選擇轉職以維持現有司機的就業。但新系統發展完成後，各站亦需要訓練懂得駕駛列車的車務人員，在發生突發事故時供調派人手操作列車。


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## sfgadv02

So are they replacing the drivers with computer in 2012 or is the the article that MTR "denied"?


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## littlearea

In singapore, although the trains are driverless, but the staff have do some duty in the train for safety reason.


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## hkskyline

Convincing the public that their jam-packed trains will not have a driver may well be the next public relations disaster. Many commuters are weary of relying solely on the computer for their safety. It's always better to have a set of eyes looking at what's ahead.


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## hkskyline

*Fears grow over sale of freight yard *

Government officials have failed to allay fears that KCRC's Hung Hom freight yard will be sold to the MTR Corporation in an asset sale due to be finalized next year.

Doug Crets 
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Government officials have failed to allay fears that KCRC's Hung Hom freight yard will be sold to the MTR Corporation in an asset sale due to be finalized next year.

The expected sale of public land will thwart a development push by the government's Planning Department to create a new aquarium and turn industrial land into a public market and entertainment space. 

The government's response comes three days after Paul Zimmerman, convener of Designing Hong Kong Harbour District - a group advocating better planning for the harborfront - sent an open letter to Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Frederick Ma asking him to confirm or deny rumors that the freight yard, which has proved an eyesore for even the government, will be handed over to the MTR Corporation in the government's 2006 asset sale. 

If sold, the freight yard will be taken away from government ownership and an "action area plan" designed by the Town Planning Board to develop the harbor will be in peril, Zimmerman said. 

Teresa Chiu, principal information officer for the government secretariat, said: "The discussions between government and the MTRC on a possible railway merger are still ongoing. As such, we're not in a position to provide information on the details of such discussions." 

According to Zimmerman's open letter to Ma, written on November 5, one of the few opportunities for the government to create a harborfront environment for the public is at risk of disappearing. 

"To make this vision come true, the site needs to remain firmly in government's control," the letter reads. 

"The sale of the now government- owned freight yard to publicly-listed MTRC would deny the community this opportunity. If it's true the government has included the freight yard and jetty in the sale, then the question is: what value is assigned?" Zimmerman said.

The "vision" is for developers to convert the freight yard into public parks, complete with grass, trees and tiered plazas for strolling and outdoor activities. 

The planning body report said: "The KCRC freight yard, which is expected to remain in situ for the immediate future, is a major incompatible use. [Ceasing freight operations in the yard] will offer the opportunity for continuity of the promenade between Tsim Sha Tsui East and Hung Hom Reclamation and for a major tourism-related development."

The action plan states that developers will create parking space for coaches and roads for traffic flow and, at the same time, provide pedestrians with some tranquility in the very crowded Tsim Sha Tsui area. 

"To avoid reclamation, additional space is proposed by using stilted buildings and platforms to accommodate the main attractions - an aquarium and exhibit gallery," leaving the remaining areas for piazzas and terraced restaurants, Zimmerman said.

However, he said, the future is now uncertain. Since nobody in government is willing to openly declare the asset sale, it was up to the public to "ring the bell," and ask for answers, he said.


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## hkskyline

*MTR is the envy of great cities *
Property development is the secret behind the success of Hong Kong's underground railway system 
8 November 2005
South China Morning Post

IT IS EASY TO forget how spoilt we have become as a result of the city's mass transit railway system. After all, three minutes spent waiting for a train is considered a long wait for Hong Kong people, whose lives are a frenzied rush all the time. But if you think a bit deeper about the state of our transport system, you will realise how blessed we are to be commuters in Hong Kong. 

Our MTR system is the envy of large cities like London and New York, even though their train systems have been in place for many, many years. 

While they struggle to run safe, clean and efficient underground railways, Hong Kong epitomises just that. Its system is hygienic and exceptionally punctual. Reports of breakdowns are rare and graffiti and violence are virtually unheard of. No wonder countries are looking to Hong Kong's MTR as a model of excellence. 

Perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that, while overseas governments have been subsidising their inefficient rail operators for years, the MTR has not cost Hong Kong taxpayers a single cent, and remains one of the few unsubsidised rail companies. 

So what exactly is the MTR Corporation doing right? 

The secret of its success is its rail and property business model. It works this way: the government gives the MTR Corporation negotiated rights to develop property complexes alongside its rail stations and depots. The administration is then able to obtain full market value for the land, while the MTR Corporation develops the sites with other developers, shares the profits, and then invests back into its rail system. Clearly it is a win-win situation and it has been at work for more than two decades. 

Since 1990, this model has earned the government up to $600billion in land premium, with the MTR Corporation's property developments in Hong Kong numbering more than 20 sites. 

From older properties such as Telford Gardens to newer developments like the shopping complex Maritime Square in Tsing Yi, the company is as much an expert on property development and management as it is on building and running rail systems. 

Its integrated properties are impressive, incorporating offices, flats and shopping malls directly above or next to stations, offering end-users convenience and efficiency. 

The organisation is now looking at deploying the same successful model north of Hong Kong, particularly as key Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have reached a stage where they cannot continue to urbanise further without the development of better mass transit rail systems. 

Just look at the numbers and it becomes clear why the MTR Corporation's China future is so bright. According to chief executive Chow Chung-kong, every major Chinese city is expected to need about 450km of rail network, translating into an investment requirement of about 230 billion yuan for each city. 

This is staggering potential, given that Hong Kong's fairly saturated rail system, operated by the MTR Corporation and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, totals about 168km. 

To date, the MTR Corporation has inked an agreement in principle with the Shenzhen Municipal People's government to build and operate line 4 of the city's metro system. It will also be responsible for commercial and residential developments along the route. 

Further north, it is looking at a similar set-up to construct and operate the Beijing Metro Line 4, helped by funding from the Beijing Municipal People's government. 

The company's ambitions go far beyond Asia though. It is also bidding with its joint-venture partner to operate railway franchises in Britain. 

"The UK's rail system is quite fragmented, with no integrated knowledge chain to support it," said Mr Chow. "We have the integrated knowledge they require, all the way from town planning, railway design and construction to maintenance and development of stations." 

While the corporation has and will recruit specialists to spearhead new initiatives, most of its human resources needs are likely to be met by its pool of 6,500 staff. 

"The company has a very low turnover at less than 2 per cent even today. It is essentially the same group of people who have adapted to different sets of equipment, been willing to change and develop. It is tremendously satisfactory to see our people grow into these roles," Mr Chow said. 

The company, which has set up a pool of talent to facilitate its overseas growth, provides training for staff who opt to join this group. 

"There are about 370 people in this pool, and we have the aim of eventually deploying them overseas," Mr Chow said. 

Despite its foray abroad, the company's birthplace will always be an indispensable part of operations. "Hong Kong will always remain our home," said Mr Chow.


----------



## hkth

The Chairperson of the MTRC travels with the passengers on TKO Line this Sunday! See the Press Release for more details!


----------



## hkskyline

*Corporation aims to be a world-class champion *
8 November 2005
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation is aiming to capitalise on the potential of advertising.

"We have revamped our advertising format and diversified our mix of retail shops to make them more attractive and give customers a bigger choice from Starbucks to cosmetics," said chief executive Chow Chung-kong.

As part of its improved marketing campaign, the corporation is trying innovative ideas: it will soon launch a 3D advertising concept in its stations, the first of its kind in the world, giving advertisers the opportunity to showcase objects such as furniture or cars to restless passengers waiting for the train to pull in.

With the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, the organisation is making the most of its tourist trade as well. Mr Chow said the Disney line offered passengers a new travel experience, from the Disney design of the train to the station's staff, who were dressed up in costumes.

The corporation is also in the process of building the Tung Chung cable car project, to be completed by early 2006.

And while Hong Kong's rail system is already comprehensive, discussions with the government on rail extensions continue. The West Island line could soon run as far as Kennedy Town via University and Sai Ying Pun. The South Island line would run from South Horizons via Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park to Admiralty.

Listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2000, the MTR Corporation plans to continue concurrently developing its properties, retailing and stations as they are all integrated and supplement each other, according to Mr Chow.

"We would like the MTR to become a Hong Kong champion; an organisation that is recognised internationally but also makes people's lives better through a high-quality mass transit system and property developments," he added.


----------



## vincent

hkskyline said:


> *MTR is the envy of great cities *
> Property development is the secret behind the success of Hong Kong's underground railway system
> 8 November 2005
> South China Morning Post
> 
> IT IS EASY TO forget how spoilt we have become as a result of the city's mass transit railway system. After all, three minutes spent waiting for a train is considered a long wait for Hong Kong people, whose lives are a frenzied rush all the time. But if you think a bit deeper about the state of our transport system, you will realise how blessed we are to be commuters in Hong Kong.
> 
> Our MTR system is the envy of large cities like London and New York, even though their train systems have been in place for many, many years.
> 
> While they struggle to run safe, clean and efficient underground railways, Hong Kong epitomises just that. Its system is hygienic and exceptionally punctual. Reports of breakdowns are rare and graffiti and violence are virtually unheard of. No wonder countries are looking to Hong Kong's MTR as a model of excellence.
> 
> Perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that, while overseas governments have been subsidising their inefficient rail operators for years, the MTR has not cost Hong Kong taxpayers a single cent, and remains one of the few unsubsidised rail companies.
> 
> So what exactly is the MTR Corporation doing right?
> 
> The secret of its success is its rail and property business model. It works this way: the government gives the MTR Corporation negotiated rights to develop property complexes alongside its rail stations and depots. The administration is then able to obtain full market value for the land, while the MTR Corporation develops the sites with other developers, shares the profits, and then invests back into its rail system. Clearly it is a win-win situation and it has been at work for more than two decades.
> 
> Since 1990, this model has earned the government up to $600billion in land premium, with the MTR Corporation's property developments in Hong Kong numbering more than 20 sites.
> 
> From older properties such as Telford Gardens to newer developments like the shopping complex Maritime Square in Tsing Yi, the company is as much an expert on property development and management as it is on building and running rail systems.
> 
> Its integrated properties are impressive, incorporating offices, flats and shopping malls directly above or next to stations, offering end-users convenience and efficiency.
> 
> The organisation is now looking at deploying the same successful model north of Hong Kong, particularly as key Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have reached a stage where they cannot continue to urbanise further without the development of better mass transit rail systems.
> 
> Just look at the numbers and it becomes clear why the MTR Corporation's China future is so bright. According to chief executive Chow Chung-kong, every major Chinese city is expected to need about 450km of rail network, translating into an investment requirement of about 230 billion yuan for each city.
> 
> This is staggering potential, given that Hong Kong's fairly saturated rail system, operated by the MTR Corporation and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, totals about 168km.
> 
> To date, the MTR Corporation has inked an agreement in principle with the Shenzhen Municipal People's government to build and operate line 4 of the city's metro system. It will also be responsible for commercial and residential developments along the route.
> 
> Further north, it is looking at a similar set-up to construct and operate the Beijing Metro Line 4, helped by funding from the Beijing Municipal People's government.
> 
> The company's ambitions go far beyond Asia though. It is also bidding with its joint-venture partner to operate railway franchises in Britain.
> 
> "The UK's rail system is quite fragmented, with no integrated knowledge chain to support it," said Mr Chow. "We have the integrated knowledge they require, all the way from town planning, railway design and construction to maintenance and development of stations."
> 
> While the corporation has and will recruit specialists to spearhead new initiatives, most of its human resources needs are likely to be met by its pool of 6,500 staff.
> 
> "The company has a very low turnover at less than 2 per cent even today. It is essentially the same group of people who have adapted to different sets of equipment, been willing to change and develop. It is tremendously satisfactory to see our people grow into these roles," Mr Chow said.
> 
> The company, which has set up a pool of talent to facilitate its overseas growth, provides training for staff who opt to join this group.
> 
> "There are about 370 people in this pool, and we have the aim of eventually deploying them overseas," Mr Chow said.
> 
> Despite its foray abroad, the company's birthplace will always be an indispensable part of operations. "Hong Kong will always remain our home," said Mr Chow.


MTR rocks!


----------



## vincent

hkskyline said:


> *Corporation aims to be a world-class champion *
> 8 November 2005
> South China Morning Post
> 
> The MTR Corporation is aiming to capitalise on the potential of advertising.
> 
> "We have revamped our advertising format and diversified our mix of retail shops to make them more attractive and give customers a bigger choice from Starbucks to cosmetics," said chief executive Chow Chung-kong.
> 
> As part of its improved marketing campaign, the corporation is trying innovative ideas: it will soon launch a 3D advertising concept in its stations, the first of its kind in the world, giving advertisers the opportunity to showcase objects such as furniture or cars to restless passengers waiting for the train to pull in.
> 
> With the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, the organisation is making the most of its tourist trade as well. Mr Chow said the Disney line offered passengers a new travel experience, from the Disney design of the train to the station's staff, who were dressed up in costumes.
> 
> The corporation is also in the process of building the Tung Chung cable car project, to be completed by early 2006.
> 
> And while Hong Kong's rail system is already comprehensive, discussions with the government on rail extensions continue. The West Island line could soon run as far as Kennedy Town via University and Sai Ying Pun. The South Island line would run from South Horizons via Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park to Admiralty.
> 
> Listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2000, the MTR Corporation plans to continue concurrently developing its properties, retailing and stations as they are all integrated and supplement each other, according to Mr Chow.
> 
> "We would like the MTR to become a Hong Kong champion; an organisation that is recognised internationally but also makes people's lives better through a high-quality mass transit system and property developments," he added.


do they literally means 3D advertising?? or just used as some fancy word to describe a dynamic ad strategy?


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## hkskyline

*Small developers shun KCRC's Tai Wai project *

Small developers have shied away from the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp's tender for the development of residential property atop Tai Wai station, even though it has been divided into two packages to ease the cost burden.

Danny Chung
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, November 12, 2005










Small developers have shied away from the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp's tender for the development of residential property atop Tai Wai station, even though it has been divided into two packages to ease the cost burden.

The government-owned railway operator said Friday it has received 24 expressions of interest in the project from 15 companies and one joint venture. Analysts estimate total costs at HK$15 billion.

Developers could tender for both or one, thereby allowing smaller developers with limited resources to take part. Tenders are expected to be awarded in first-quarter 2006.

However, Tony Chan, executive director at Vigers Appraisal & Consulting, said issues such as bird flu and increasing interest rates may have prompted smaller players to stay away.

"Moreover, the size of this project is quite large," he said. "Even if it has been cut into two, the smaller part is still quite large."

Big developers including Cheung Kong (Holdings), Sun Hung Kai Properties and Henderson Land Development, and mid-sized listed firms such as Hang Lung Properties, K Wah International and Kerry Properties submitted tenders.

The only small listed developer to have tendered is SEA Holdings.

Privately held developer Nam Fung Group and clothing maker Manhattan Garments Holdings also registered interests. Nam Fung submitted its interest via subsidiary Nam Fung Textiles Consolidated.

KCRC public affairs manager for projects and property Mabel Wan declined to give a breakdown of which firm showed interest in which project.

Package one consists of eight residential towers comprising 2,928 flats to be completed in two phases by 2010 while the second will comprise four residential towers and 1,376 flats.

The 7.06-hectare site on the podium above the Tai Wai Maintenance Centre has a total gross floor area of about 3.66 million square feet with an average apartment size of about 785 sq ft.

Vigers' Chan said he had revised his earlier estimate of the accommodation value from HK$2,000 to HK$3,000 per square foot to better reflect the potential of commercial elements if companies like Sun Hung Kai Properties, with good experience of developing shopping malls, win the tender.

As such, with construction costs added on, total investment could be about HK$15.4 billion, up from a previous HK$12 billion estimate.

Separately, K Wah, Henderson, New World Development and Sino Land are among six companies to have submitted tenders to the Government Property Agency for 46 units at former government quarters at 8-10 Caldecott Road in Cheung Sha Wan.


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## hkskyline

*韓地鐵夾嬰車拖行30米
港列車安全響警號 *
12/11/2005

地下鐵路系統的幕門及車門安全性一直惹人關注，繼近日本港接連發生多宗地鐵車門夾傷乘客意外後，連部分本地列車的原產地南韓首都首爾，日前也發生駭人的車門夾嬰兒車拖行意外。嬰兒車內的嬰孩雖及時被母親及一名女乘客救出，但慌忙中母親與女乘客的衣物被嬰兒車纏，兩人連人帶車被拖行三十米始甩脫，事件中墮地嬰孩並無大礙，母親與女乘客則頭部受輕傷。本港地鐵表示，部分列車雖然是韓製，但安全系統及標準均是自行設計，一吋厚物件被夾時就不能開車。

列車拖行乘客的駭人意外發生於周四（本月十日），當時一名母親在良才地鐵站月台推一輛嬰兒車進入車廂時，突然車門關上並把嬰兒車輪夾。列車司機沒有察覺且繼續開行。母親大驚下強行將嬰兒車拉出，但嬰兒車被列車拖行，母親立時上前捉緊嬰兒雙腳，圖將他拉出嬰兒車外，一名女乘客見狀衝上前幫忙，但兩人卻被嬰兒車絆倒，母親失去平衡，手抱的嬰兒頭部地跌在地上，兩女的衫腳及裙腳則因被嬰兒車而被列車拖行，女乘客被拖行兩米後成功脫險，而婦人的衣服卻被嬰兒車纏住，一直被拖行近三十米後，司機才知悉事件，即時煞車。

事發後，南韓電視台取得當日在月台防盜攝錄機拍得的片段公開播放，立即震驚當地，警方正調查車務員及車站職員，研究各人在安全確認上有否失職，以及地鐵車門感應系統有否出現問題。

觀塘線有韓製列車
本港地鐵亦有十三列行走觀塘線的列車是由韓國製造，地鐵發言人表示，車廂雖由韓國製造，但安全系統及標準則由地鐵自行設計。當車門夾到厚度達一吋或以上的物件，列車便不能開動，駕駛室亦有信號提醒車長車門未有關好。

環境運輸及工務局發言人謂，港府認為在鐵路運作上，乘客安全是最重要，本港鐵路系統已有嚴謹安全標準及設施。


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## hkskyline

*MTR assures safety after Seoul train drama *
12 November 2005
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation said yesterday its train door safety standards met international requirements after an incident in Seoul where a woman was dragged several metres after her clothing was caught in the doors. 

Closed-circuit cameras at a metro station in Seoul showed the woman boarding a train on Thursday morning with her child in a pram when the doors began to close, trapping the pram. The woman managed to pull the pram free with the help of a passer-by, but her clothing got caught in the doors in the process and she was dragged several metres before she managed to break free. She was slightly injured and her baby escaped unscathed. 

Thirteen of the MTR's fleet of 130 trains were manufactured in South Korea, a spokeswoman for the MTR Corp said yesterday. But she could not confirm whether they were made by the same manufacturer or were the same models as those used in Seoul. 

"We can't comment on the issue as we don't have information on their operations, the train design and the incident," the MTR spokeswoman said. 

"Compartments for 13 of our trains were manufactured in South Korea but the safety specifications design was done by MTR staff. We have professionals who follow up and carry out quality checks. 

"Our train doors have an obstacle detection device which will prevent the train from starting when objects trapped between the doors are larger than the design's tolerance."


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## kenlau13

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%9C%B0%E9%90%B5


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## kenlau13

future MTR system 










source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR


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## hkskyline

*MTR expected to get Beijing No.10 Subway Line *
11 November 2005

MTR Corporation (MTR) is expected to reach an agreement with Beijing City Government to build the Beijing No.10 Subway Line. This is MTR's another major project in China after it has secured a subway and property development project to build the Shenzhen No.4 Metro Line. 

The Beijing No.10 Subway Line has a total length of 32.9km and 28 stations. The construction will be divided into two phases. The first phase of construction, involving 24.585km of subway length, will have 22 subway stations. The second phase of construction connects the No.10 Subway Line with the No.5 Subway Line at Songjiazhuang station. Another part of the No.10 Subway Line in the second phase is a westward extension from Xitou Wanliu Station to Nanding Station. 

Although details of the Beijing No.10 Subway Line is not revealed, it is believed that the No.10 Subway Line will not have property development rights attached. 

Hong Kong Commercial Daily News


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp Oct passengers 73.58 mln vs 71.48 mln in Sept *
15 November 2005

HONG KONG (AFX) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 73.58 mln passengers in October, up 2.90 pct from 71.48 mln in September. 

On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.54 mln in October, up from 2.53 mln in September, according to figures published on the company's website. 

The October figure for the MTR average weekday passenger traffic covers the Tsuen Wan, Island line, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung, and Tseung Kwan O lines, according to the data. 

The total monthly patronage of the MTR Lines and Airport Express Line for October rose 4.01 pct year-on-year, but no comparative numbers of passengers for the period were given. 

For comparative month-on-month figures, the website said Airport Express carried 754,000 passengers in October, up from the 706,000 passengers it carried in September, it said. 

On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 24,300 people in October, against 23,500 in the preceding month.


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## hkskyline

*MTR looks to run Germany's S-Bahns*
By ROBERT WRIGHT 
14 November 2005
Financial Times

Hong Kong's MTR Corporation may bid to become the first private operator of some of Germany's intensively-used suburban train services, according to the chief executive of thecompany's European arm. 

The company, which runs Hong Kong's well-regarded metro system, would also be interested in operating or participating in the refinancing of European metro systems, Jeremy Long told the Financial Times. 

MTR would also make bids for a wide range of UKpassenger rail franchises due to be issued by 2007. 

It would represent a major step forward for both MTR and Germany's rail market if the company were to win the right to operate one of the country's commuter railsystems, known as S-Bahns. 

MTR, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange but controlled by Hong Kong's government, is seeking to expand outside the territory as scope for new lines runs out. 

The company is helping to construct metro lines in mainland China but believes its operational expertise could prove helpful inwinning work in Europe. 

While many German states have awarded concessions to run rural train services to private companies instead of Deutsche Bahn, the state-owned rail company, officials have been slower to tender out S-Bahn operations. 

Mr Long, who joined MTR in May from Britain's FirstGroup, said a number ofS-Bahns would go out to tender over the next three to four years. MTR would be interested in competing for such work. 

MTR announced its push to expand in Europe late last year when it launched a bid with a partner for the UK's Integrated Kent Franchise. It has since launched a bid for the Thameslink franchise and is seeking to pre-qualify to bid for the busy South Western franchise. 

The company is also awaiting a decision on its bid to run Stockholm's Pendeltag local train services. 

"We would look at rail, as in commuter, inter-city and regional rail," Mr Long said. "We would also very much be interested in metrosystems. One is aware that there are other majorEuropean cities that may well look to privatise their metro systems." 

Only the Stockholm and Copenhagen metros are currently run by private contractors. Mr Long mentioned the Amsterdam metro,currently under construction, and Barcelona's metro as possible targets. 

MTR was interested in work developing new lines, operating trains or participating in ventures such as the London Underground Public-Private Partnership, under which private companies maintain and upgrade infrastructure and trains.


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## babystan03

gakei said:


> *[ MORE ... ]*


This pictures look fabulous......did u use a DSLR, Gakei?? :?


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## Nick

Nice.

I hate to say this.I find this disneyland/Universal studios kind of stuff depressing.While there's nothing really wrong with this,these kind of concepts in amusement parks belong in America in my opinion.When I goto the States I want to see this kind of stuff.Everytime I goto to Tokyo or Paris and if I return to Hong Kong after a 15 year adsence,the last thing on my mind is or will be to take a day out to visit Disneyland??


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## hkskyline

*Fare cut offered to woo commuters 
Passengers on KCRC's Ma On Shan line to benefit from bid to boost numbers *
22 November 2005
South China Morning Post

Regular passengers on the Ma On Shan railway line will soon get a fare cut of almost 50 per cent - but the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation is attaching strings to make sure the concession is not abused. 

The price of a monthly pass on the recently opened line will be cut from $300 for regular users and $380 for intermittent buyers, to $200 from January 1. The greatest savings would be made by travellers who pay for their tickets on a daily basis. For instance a user travelling from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Wu Kai Sha from January 1 would save $460 with the pass. 

The pass gives free rides on the corporation's East Rail - to which the Ma On Shan line connects - for passengers who board at a station on the new line. But passengers who get on and off a train at the same station within 20 minutes will be charged full fare. This is aimed at preventing East Rail passengers from making a detour on to the Ma On Shan line to claim concessions. 

"We believe there will not be a large number of people who would bother to take a big round-about detour and wait for 20 minutes every day just to use the benefit," said KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun. "If you believe time is money, the time you waste on waiting will offset the benefit." 

Exemptions will be made for those with genuine reasons to leave and re-enter the station within a short time. "For example, if you've forgotten your belongings, or you've lost your son, you go and seek help from our staff, they'll look into the situation and offer you that ride free of charge," KCRC acting chief executive officer Samuel Lai Man-hay said. 

But the company will still be alert for abuses. Mr Tien said passengers' records can be retrieved from their Octopus cards, so KCRC staff will find out if commuters use excuses every day. 

The benefit, originally scheduled to take effect by December 1, was postponed to January 1 to give the corporation time to alter the check-in machines. It is aimed at boosting passenger flow on the extension line, which handles 110,000 commuters a day, well below the original estimate of 190,000. 

Mr Tien said that if the monthly pass did not meet the company's financial expectations, the concession may be cut after six months. 

"We need 4,000 extra buyers a month to cover our loss from the concession," he said. 

The free rides on East Rail do not include the Lowu and Racecourse stations. 

Meanwhile, the KCRC said noise levels at Artland and Iris Garden in Sha Tin Park had been reduced after the corporation polished the track at City One station and put up a two-metre partition to shield it from residential blocks.


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## hkth

KCRC launches Ma On Shan Rail One-Month Pass


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## hkskyline

25 November 2005
Corporate Press Release
*One tender received for Tuen Mun Station property development project*

One tender was received for the joint venture property development at West Rail Tuen Mun Station at the close of submission today.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation’s (KCRC’s) Director - Property Mr Daniel Lam said, “Tuen Mun project is a relatively large-scale project which involves not only residential blocks but also a sizable shopping mall. It is understandable that some of the shortlisted developers take a more prudent approach.

“The Corporation will carefully examine the tender received and will decide whether to award the joint venture contract or not,” Mr Lam said.

The tender received is from Creston Investments Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd.

Occupying an area of about 2.7 hectares, the project has an approximate gross floor area of 145,000 sq. m., comprising 120,000 sq. m. for residential use and 25,000 sq. m. for retail purposes.

The current development proposal comprises seven residential towers housing about 1,924 flats atop a podium containing a retail centre, car park, Park and Ride facilities and a station entrance plus a permanent Public Transport Interchange on the ground floor. 

KCRC proposes to develop the site in two phases under one joint venture package.
http://www.kcrc.com.hk/Upload Content/News Centre/Press Release/ERE/Eng/E051125A.htm


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## Skybean




----------



## hkskyline

MTR Press Release
23 November 2005
*Gateway Concept of MTR Tung Chung Station Development Wins Planning Award*

MTR Corporation has been awarded a Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) Certificate of Merit for the Master Layout Plan for Tung Chung Station Comprehensive Development Area in the HKIP Awards for 2005.

The Tung Chung Station Development now forms an integral part of Tung Chung New Town and stands as the gateway to Hong Kong for travellers flying into the nearby international airport. It comprises high-rise and low-rise housing, offices, retail space and hotel facilities covering a total area of 21.7 hectares, linked up by an elevated walkway system for pedestrians.

The HKIP Awards Panel praised the scheme as a well-articulated project, noting the ‘gateway’ concept, the priority accorded to pedestrians and the integration with the MTR system. The scheme also strived to address the environmental and spatial constraints imposed by the strategic highway to the airport.

“It is very encouraging that our effort to fully integrate property development with railway construction to build new communities for sustainable living has been recognized,” said Steve Yiu, Chief Manager – Town Planning of MTR Corporation.

“We will continue to apply this successful integrated development model in Hong Kong and in cities in the Mainland to create communities of high quality city living along new railway lines,” he added.

The Corporation’s master plan for a rail-based and pedestrian community in Tung Chung was approved by Government in 1994 and continuously improved as the design and development progressed.

The vision of promoting convenient living with full amenities and facilities, an environmentally friendly and economically active town and a spacious and healthy living environment was gradually realized, as visitors to the largely completed project can see.

The HKIP Awards have been given annually since 1993 in recognition of outstanding achievements in town planning.


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## hkskyline

*Accused arsonist is removed from court 
Man facing MTR fire charges disrupts trial *
25 November 2005
South China Morning Post

An unemployed man accused of starting a fire on a MTR train was forcibly removed from a courtroom three times yesterday after he disrupted the proceedings with frequent outbursts. 

The trial judge told the Court of First Instance jury he was considering putting Yim Kam-chung in a separate room with video links to the court room so that the trial could continue without disturbance. 

Yim, 68, who has pleaded not guilty to arson and is representing himself without a lawyer, protested repeatedly that he was being treated unfairly. 

Mr Justice Louis Tong Po-sun had to speak through a microphone linked to an amplifier so that he could be heard over Yim's interruptions. 

Yim refused to be quiet or leave the court room and he was carried out three times by two Correctional Service Department officers but brought back each time. 

Yim claimed the jury selection was unfair because he was denied the opportunity to examine the cards drawn by a law clerk in picking jurors. Prosecutor Arthur Luk SC told the jury that a fire broke out about 9am on January 5 last year in the first carriage of a MTR train shortly after it left the Tsim Sha Tsui station for Admiralty station. 

Passengers in the first carriage scrambled to the second carriage. 

No one was injured or killed in the fire. The flames were put out when the train arrived at the Admiralty station. 

Yim was arrested after the Correctional Services Department received a letter the following day containing details of the alleged arson attack. 

Yim told police under caution he was the arsonist, Mr Luk said. 

"Since the government confiscated six of my vehicles, I decided to cause a tragedy at the Admiralty MTR station," Yim said. 

Mr Luk said Yim was pointed out by two witnesses at an identification parade. 

The trial continues today.


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## hkskyline

East Tsim Sha Tsui from : http://www.pbase.com/bono/tst_kcr


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## hkskyline

*MTRC offers developers premium aid *

MTR Corp, which is seeking developers for its housing project atop Tseung Kwan O station, is offering to lend half the estimated HK$7 billion land premium for the site to boost interest.

Raymond Wang
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, November 29, 2005










MTR Corp, which is seeking developers for its housing project atop Tseung Kwan O station, is offering to lend half the estimated HK$7 billion land premium for the site to boost interest.

Government-controlled subway operator MTRC has set a Friday deadline for "expressions of interest" in the HK$15 billion Dream City Phase 2, which will include 4,272 apartments in 10 towers, with a potential gross floor area of 3.33 million square feet. Tenders will then be sought and a winning bid is expected to be chosen early next year, the company said.

Nine shortlisted companies lost interest in a similar project by Kowloon- Canton Railway Corp last week, when a higher-than-expected land premium of HK$3,600 per square foot left only one tender, from Cheung Kong (Holdings), for the development above West Rail's Tuen Mun station. Developers are required to pay the premium to convert the site's land use. The Dream City Phase 2 land premium may be as much as HK$7 billion, according to Centaline Surveyors senior associate director James Cheung, or at HK$2,000 psf an almost 30 percent increase on the HK$1,540 psf first-phase premium paid early this year by Cheung Kong. Phase 2 construction and other costs could come to about HK$8 billion, he said.

The winning Phase 2 bidder will be paid half the land premium cost, which the developer is required to repay without interest, the subway operator said. Details will depend on the premium asked by the government next month.

Small developers may shy away from the Tseung Kwan O project given its scale, which is more affordable for larger competitors such as Cheung Kong, Henderson Land and Sun Hung Kai Properties, Cheung said.

When completed in about 10 years, Dream City will have 50 towers and 21,500 apartments. In January, Cheung Kong won rights to the estimated HK$5 billion first phase development, including land premium and construction cost, involving 2,096 flats in five towers and scheduled for sale by 2008-09.

MTRC shares rose 0.64 percent Monday to close at HK$15.70.


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## sfgadv02

So when is the TKO South station going to be open?


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## bs_lover_boy

sfgadv02 said:


> So when is the TKO South station going to be open?


Not anytime soon, maybe at least two or three years the fastest. Also, Tseung Kwan O South station area will be like Telford & Kowloon station style combined (at least that is the looks which I am expecting to see).


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## hkskyline

*Lawmakers step up drive for new MTR island lines *
Wendy Leung 
29 November 2005
Hong Kong Standard

Legislators have urged the government to help fund MTR lines through western and southern Hong Kong Island to serve the area's residents and to ensure the success of Ocean Park's planned HK$5.55 billion overhaul. 

But the government said it has not decided whether the MTR network should be extended to the relatively sparsely populated region although Ocean Park officials insist it will be fundamental to the redevelopment project's success. 

``How can the government build a Disney resort line to serve just one theme park and yet refuse to do the same for an entire district?'' Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat asked at a Legislative Council economic panel meeting Monday to discuss funding for the Aberdeen park's redevelopment. ``It's unfair to the residents.'' 

The Executive Council last week gave the go-ahead for a five-year overhaul of Ocean Park, which pulled in a record number of visitors and profits this past fiscal year. 

The MTR Corp estimates that for lines covering the southern and western districts of the island to be financially feasible, nearly half of the funding for the construction will need to come from the public purse. 

Generally, the government funds MTR construction though land grants to the company. But to help finance the HK$2 billion Disneyland Resort line, the government waived its right to HK$798 million in dividends from the MTR _ a publicly-listed company that is majority owned by the city. 

Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Thomas Chow said Monday the government still needs to review the overall development of the area and that Ocean Park is only one of the factors to be taken into consideration. 

``Is the MTR the best choice for us?'' asked Chow. ``We still need to deliberate further.'' 

He said the government will make a final decision in the spring _ something the MTR Corp found to be confusing. 

``It [the government] had said earlier it would decide by the end of this year,'' MTR spokeswoman Daphne Mak said. 

Besides Ocean Park, the government has slated the island's south coast for other tourism projects, including new hotels and a fishermen's wharf. 

``There'll be a heavy traffic load for southern Hong Kong Island,'' warned Yeung Sum, who supports paying for new rail lines to the district. 

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman, the leading architect of the attraction's redevelopment, asked the legislators to `` please push the government on this.'' 

Last year, the MTRC proposed building two lines to hook the south and west of the island into the mass transport rail network at a cost of HK$15 billion. The plan has since changed, but the company will not release updated estimates. 

One line will go from Admiralty to South Horizons that will pass Ocean Park before linking up at Wong Chuk Hang with the south island west line.


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## hkth

MTR Disneyland Resort Line 1-Day Pass Available at All MTR and Airport Express Customer Services Centres


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## hkskyline

*Face to face with accused MTR arsonist *
29 November 2005
South China Morning Post

An MTR passenger recalled yesterday how he had been little more than a metre away when he caught a glimpse of the man accused of starting a fire on a train. 

Fung Kwong-chung, an engineer travelling on the Admiralty-bound train, said he saw the right side of the man's face for one second in the crowded train after another passenger had yelled at the man not to ignite a bottle. 

"I was only one and a half feet away from him," Mr Fung told the Court of First Instance. He identified the man as Yim Kam-chung, who is accused of starting the fire on January 5 last year shortly after the train left Tsim Sha Tsui. 

Yim, who has pleaded not guilty to arson, is representing himself. 

Mr Fung said after the first carriage became engulfed in fire and thick smoke, he and other passengers scrambled to carriages further away. He said the carriage was so noisy he could hardly hear announcements by the train's driver. 

Kwai Sze-kit, another passenger, told the court last Friday that he saw Yim using a lighter to ignite a bottle wrapped in a towel. He said he immediately shouted at him not to light a fire. He also tried to extinguish the burning bottle by stepping on it, to no avail. 

Mr Fung said he offered police his assistance with the investigation and attended identity parades the next day and on January 7. On the second occasion he identified Yim. 

No one was injured in the blaze, which was put out at Admiralty. 

Yim was arrested after the Correctional Service Department received a letter the following day containing details of the alleged arson attack. He told police under caution he was the arsonist. 

Detective Chief Inspector Lau Tat-keung told the jury he immediately sent a team of plain-clothes police officers to Admiralty MTR station upon learning of the fire. He also asked the accident and emergency units of public hospitals to be on the lookout for patients with burns who could not explain their injuries. 

The case continues today before Mr Justice Louis Tong Po-sun.


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## hkskyline

Central Station by *"Icefox"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/peterkwok/hktransit

Tin Shui Wai










Ma On Shan Rail










West Rail










Light Rail










Mei Foo


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## sfgadv02

Thats quite interesting.


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## hkskyline

By *"je1672"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## bustero

Is there a system map available so we can see how it connects to the airport and HK island?


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## Gareth

Here you go.


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## Gareth

I've just noticed, 'Cable Car opening 2006'.

Eh? :?


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## sfgadv02

Yea, MTR is building it themselves I believe. The structure is already done, they just need to put the cables in.


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## hkskyline

Gareth said:


> I've just noticed, 'Cable Car opening 2006'.
> 
> Eh? :?


There's a thread about the Ngong Ping cable car here :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=284303


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## Bitxofo

I rode it last month!!
:yes:
It was so funny...
:colgate:


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## hkskyline

*MTR chief says future lies offshore - Returns seen balancing stagnant, controlled market at home *
30 November 2005
South China Morning Post

After 27 years with the company, outgoing MTR Corp managing director Phil Gaffney has told the corporation the future for its international investments lies on the mainland and in Europe. 

One of the architects of the subway service who joined the company in 1977 as a signalling engineer, Mr Gaffney said a balanced strategy in its international investments would allow the partially privatised corporation to ride out a stagnant home market. 

He said the stagnant market for MTR in Hong Kong had been caused by political roadblocks to raising fares and expanding the network and the demise of the rail-plus-property model which foundered during the property slump between 1998 and last year. 

However, in China the MTR has tried to replicate the model, playing investor and operator. 

He said in Europe the MTR would instead be a manager of railways. 

"The nature of opportunities in Europe is more about operating franchises with shorter-term contracts - say five to seven years. Thus projects involve limited capital expenditure and offer a quite tight operating margin," he said. 

"In China, our approach is very different {hellip} heavy in capital investments and assets." 

With a 100 per cent stake, the corporation is investing six billion yuan in a subway project in Shenzhen, its biggest overseas investment so far. It will be a test case of its rail-and-property model, using profits from property development along subway lines to recover the hefty investment on rail infrastructure. 

Mr Gaffney said he was not concerned about the viability of the business model across the border, saying he believed the key challenge would be the transfer of experience and know-how. 

The MTR, however, faces further uncertainty over a possible merger with the government-owned Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. 

"I have no regrets about leaving before a decision has been made because [MTR chief executive Chow Chung-kong] and his team will work out a deal to the benefit of the company, minority shareholders, passengers and staff," he said. 

Nevertheless, he could not hide his disillusionment at the MTR's ill-fated bid for the Sha Tin-Central rail link. "It is a big disappointment to me even now," he said, pointing to the idled platforms at Sheung Wan MTR terminus previously reserved for the rail project. 

The rail line, which the government awarded to the KCRC in 2003 despite the fact it had been on the MTR drawing boards since the 1980s, is still up in the air pending a government decision on the rail merger. 

Mr Gaffney, who plans to settle in Ireland as a non-executive director of state-owned Irish Railways, will retain an advisory role on MTR's European developments. 

The managing director's role at MTR will be split into two, with Hong Kong operations to be overseen by his deputy Andrew McCusker and Francois Lung Ka-kui as MTR's China and international business director.


----------



## Skybean




----------



## hkskyline

*Accused MTR arsonist says he wanted to be a media star *
30 November 2005
South China Morning Post

An elderly man accused of starting a fire on an MTR train told police he was responsible for the blaze because he wanted to become a media star, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday. 

Yim Kam-chung, 68, said in a videotaped interview shown to the jury that, as a figure in the news, he would have the opportunity to draw public attention to what he called the government's persecution of him. Yim told police when arrested that he was the arsonist. 

"Since the government confiscated six of my vehicles, I decided to cause a tragedy at the Admiralty MTR station," he said at the time. 

"Because my name is Yim Kam-chung [the Chinese characters of the name Kam-chung mean Admiralty], I picked Admiralty MTR station," he added. 

Yim is accused of starting a fire on January 5 last year, shortly after the train left Tsim Sha Tsui for Admiralty. He has pleaded not guilty to arson, and is representing himself. 

The prosecution said no one was injured in the blaze, which was put out at Admiralty station. 

Yim was arrested after the Correctional Services Department received a letter the following day containing details of the blaze. 

Fung Kwong-chung, an engineer travelling on the Admiralty-bound train on that day, told the court on Monday he had caught a glimpse of Yim, who was only half a metre from him. 

He said he had seen the right side of Yim's face for one second. 

Kwai Sze-kit, another passenger, told the court last Friday that he had seen Yim using a lighter to set fire to a bottle wrapped in a towel. He said he immediately shouted at him not to light a fire. He also tried in vain to extinguish the burning bottle. 

The case continues today before Mr Justice Louis Tong Po-sun.


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## sfgadv02

Why isnt he charged? There must be justice!


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTRC says 14 developers to bid for Tseung Kwan O housing project *
2 December 2005
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Rail service operator MTR Corp has received expressions of interest from 14 property developers for its Dream City Phase 2 housing project at its Tseung Kwan O Area 86, a company spokesman said. 

The spokesman said MTRC will seek tenders this month, and the winning bid is expected to be chosen at the year-end or early next year. 

According to other sources, major developers including Cheung Kong(Holdings), Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land, Sino Land, Wharf Holdings, New World Development were among those which have submitted expressions of interest. 

The construction of Dream City phase two, which will have 4,272 apartments in 10 towers, with a gross floor area of 3.33 mln square feet, is expected to be completed in 2009. 

The winning bidder will be lent half the land premium cost, which the developer will be required to repay without interest. 

Cheung Kong (Holdings) in January won the tender for Dream City Phase 1 project, which involves the construction of 2,096 flats in five residential blocks over a site area of 14,266 square meters. 

Premium for the use of Phase 1 was 2.3 bln hkd, with MTR and Cheung Kong (Holdings) each sharing half the cost.


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## hkskyline

Press Release
30 November 2005
*Two More Green Minibus Routes Offer Discount With MTR*

Starting tomorrow (1 December 2005), MTR passengers will be able to enjoy Bus Interchange Discounts on two more Green Minibus (GMB) routes. They are: Route 49M serving Tin Hau Station and Route 50 serving Sai Wan Ho Station.

Adult Octopus Card users who transfer between the MTR and one of the two GMB routes will be able to save $0.5 on the combined MTR/GMB fare. The discount will be valid within one hour of a passenger entering or exiting the MTR ticket gates at the designated MTR stations.

With the addition of the two routes, a total of 20 GMB routes now offer Bus Interchange Discounts with the MTR. Details are summarised as follows: 
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-05-104-E.pdf


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## Paulo2004

Cute!


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## hkskyline

*'Bomb' ads to be removed for WTO Drug company gives ground over MTR campaign branded insensitive by critics*
4 December 2005
South China Morning Post

Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline has expressed regret over an advertising campaign in MTR stations featuring pictures of people with explosives and timers strapped to their waists.

Posters advertising the prescription drug Zeffix for hepatitis B sufferers feature images aimed at highlighting the hidden "time bomb" of Hong Kong parents passing the disease to their children. The company has been accused of insensitivity towards victims of terrorism.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "We are sorry to learn that the ad has created unrest and upset to some commuters. We appreciate their comments and will take serious review with regard to our future communication materials."

An MTR Corporation spokeswoman said: "The MTR is concerned with the incident and aware of the sensitive social issues the adverts are associated with."

She said the firm had confirmed the ads would not be posted in stations during the WTO meeting.

The campaign, drawn up by the company's Hong Kong marketing department, comes five months after suicide bombers killed 52 other people and injured 700 on buses and the London underground network.

Hong Kong-based British teacher Justin Hayward, 38, said he was horrified at the posters and had complained to the company and to the Broadcasting Authority about the posters.

"How would relatives of people who died in the London bombings feel if they saw these posters on an underground network? It is hugely insensitive. I can't believe they have allowed these kinds of posters to go up in a mass transit system after what happened in London, especially with the World Trade Organisation meeting [and the fear of possible terrorism] coming up.

"With the WTO meeting, it is going to make us look as if we are completely out of touch with what is happening in the outside world."

Mr Hayward said he lodged a complaint with the Broadcasting Authority, which phoned him to say it did not consider the campaign to be offensive.

But a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman said the campaign would not be withdrawn.

"This health problem is largely caused by parents transmitting it to their children. There is no other implication apart from this single message," she said.

Meanwhile, Group of Seven finance ministers have warned that the Hong Kong talks must make "significant progress" on global trade liberalisation.

At the end of a two-day meeting in London yesterday, the G7 said the world's richest nations must improve developing nations' access to markets in agriculture, industrial products and services.

The group also said "further flexible implementation" of Beijing's yuan policy would improve the global economy.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


----------



## kenlau13

wow


----------



## hkskyline

*Birds flock to KCRC's man-made haven *
7 December 2005
South China Morning Post

The Lok Ma Chau spur line may not be ready until 2007, but the wetland the KCRC created to compensate for damage caused by its construction has already attracted thousands of migratory birds, the rail company says. 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has spent $46 million since 2002 to build the wetland, near the future Lok Ma Chau station, to replace wildlife habitat affected by the line's construction. 

"Thousands of migratory birds come to our man-made wetland every day - we have flattened the landscape, introduced fish and built islands in the ponds to make food more accessible to them," Joseph Choi Kin-hung, KCRC's general manager for construction, said yesterday, adding that two specialists were being sent every day to monitor the birds' movements. 

The wetland, measuring 37 hectares, is almost double the size of the area affected by the line. 

The one-stop rail link extending from Sheung Shui station on the East Rail to Lok Ma Chau is being built to provide another route for Shenzhen-bound travellers. 

More than 85 per cent of the extension has been completed and it is expected to open for service in 2007. 

It can handle 200,000 passengers a day. 

The new checkpoint, adjacent to the mainland cross-boundary terminal and the Shenzhen-Guangzhou subway still under construction, is expected to be finished at the same time as the two other projects. 

The three-storey immigration building will house 140 counters. Spaces are also reserved on both flanks of the rail link for future expansion, although Mr Choi expects the new station to be able to handle passenger growth for many years. 

The $10 billion spur line project, which combines a tunnel and a viaduct, is 7.4km long. It will take 45 minutes for passengers to travel from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lok Ma Chau.


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## hkskyline

Press Release
7 December 2005
*20 December Opening Date For Airport Express AsiaWorld-Expo Station*

The new in-venue station at AsiaWorld-Expo will be in operation on 20 December 2005, prior to the official opening of Hong Kong’s newest and largest exhibition and event centre. The new Airport Express AsiaWorld-Expo Station is a two-level above–ground structure. A single platform is located at ground level whereas the station concourse is one level up. The concourse is integrated with AsiaWorld-Expo, providing the venue with direct access to convenient railway service.

“AsiaWorld-Expo Station is just a one-minute train ride from the Airport, making it convenient for visitors and exhibitors to go there directly after arriving at Hong Kong,” said Mr. Wilfred Lau, Head of Operations of MTR Corporation. “The high-speed and comfortable Airport Express with trains departing every 12 minutes is also the fastest and most convenient mode of transport between AsiaWorld-Expo and the city centre.” An attractive discount will be offered to passengers using Octopus cards from Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi Station to AsiaWorld-Expo Station and staying at the exhibition centre for two hours or more before returning to town. Passengers are also entitled to a free MTR connection to any destinations when they use their Octopus cards to travel on Airport Express.

Single journey fares to and from AsiaWorld-Expo Station are the same as those to and from the Airport. The adult single journey fare between Airport Station and AsiaWorld-Expo Station is HK$5.


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## hkskyline

8 December 2005 
*KCRC gears up for WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference *
Government Press Release 

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) will be on high vigilance during the WTO Ministerial Conference to be held between 13 and 18 December in Hong Kong. Existing security measures will be stepped up to ensure that its services will not be affected as far as possible. 

KCRC has been working closely with the Police on its security measures during the conference period. The established contingency plans to handle different types of service disruptions will be strengthened. 

Mr Alex Lau, KCRC Safety and Quality Manager said, “KCRC is prepared for any events that may disrupt its services during the Conference period. Our staff will be on their utmost alert.”

Patrol and surveillance of railway lines will be stepped up. Additional staff will be deployed to patrol stations, trains and critical locations. The Corporation has hired 100 extra security guards to patrol the stations along the railway lines and assist in crowd control. They will also support the Police in carrying out their duties when required. All frontline staff are instructed to be extra vigilant against any suspected malicious acts or objects, Mr Lau said. 

A KCRC special contingency unit for the WTO Ministerial Conference period, headed by a general manager has been formed to oversee the railway operation to ensure prompt response during the conference period. The unit can activate the special emergency plan immediately when the need arises. 

He added, “All KCRC frontline staff have been trained on the contingency procedures. Joint drills and exercises across various functions and with relevant government departments have been conducted to enable staff to familiarize themselves with the rules and procedures in dealing with different types of emergency situations.” 

Passengers are also advised to plan their journeys earlier and pay attention to announcements from the electronic media during the conference period to ensure a smooth journey. In case of emergencies, they are advised to follow the instructions of station staff..

KCRC General Manager – Marketing Mr Michael Lai said, “KCRC is well aware that different travellers have different transportation needs. We have earlier Earlier, we introduced the KCR Railbus – Disneyland and this new service, KCR Taxi – Disneyland, will provide another option for travellers.meet the needs of”


----------



## hkskyline

By *"F光@軍I"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## littlearea

*The MTR song*

http://thechau.com/files/MTR_Song.mp3


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's KCRC re-invites developers to join West Rail Tuen Mun project *
12 December 2005
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) said it has rejected a previous tender for a joint venture development of a property project for the West Rail Tuen Mun Station in the New Territories of Hong Kong, and will re-invite property developers to submit expressions of interest again as soon as possible. 

KCRC earlier rejected the tender received from Cheung Kong Holdings unit Creston Investments Ltd at the close of submission on November 25, property director Daniel Lam said in a statement. 

No reason for the rejection was specified. 

"In view of the recent market changes, the KCRC will re-negotiate with the government on the level of land premium for the project as soon as possible," Lam said. 

The project will occupy an area of 2.70 hectares, yielding a gross floor area of 145,300 square meters, of which 120,300 sqm will be for residential use, and the remaining 25,000 for retail, KCRC said. 

It said according to the current proposal, development of the project will include seven residential towers housing 1,924 flats atop a podium containing a retail center, car park, Park and Ride facilities and a station entrance, plus a permanent public transport interchange on the ground floor. 

The project will be developed in two phases, it said.


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## hkskyline

*High land fee forces KCRC off the rails 
Tuen Mun property project shelved amid concern over $3.4b premium *
13 December 2005
South China Morning Post

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp yesterday shelved the tender for its residential project above Tuen Mun Station and said it wanted the government to cut a $3.4 billion land premium developers say is too steep. 

The move came amid renewed market concerns about the government's land premium mechanism and two weeks after nine out of 10 shortlisted developers pulled out of the bidding. Only Cheung Kong (Holdings) submitted a bid. 

It was the first time the KCRC had put one of its prized property projects on ice in recent years. 

KCRC yesterday said it would retender the project after inviting expressions of interest again as soon as possible. Phase one of the West Rail project comprises seven towers with 1,924 flats. 

"In view of the recent market changes, KCRC will renegotiate with the government on the level of land premium as soon as possible," said Daniel Lam Chun, a director of property at KCRC. 

Cheung Kong yesterday said it respected KCRC's decision but would not comment on whether it would bid a second time. 

Property analysts said red tape often delayed government evaluations and could result in a distorted land premium that did not reflect the latest market conditions. 

"The mechanism itself works fine," said Alnwick Chan Chi-hing, an executive director of property consultant Chesterton Petty. 

"But one problem is that government officials had been overly optimistic about the property market outlook and were not responsive enough to reflect the recent market downturn. On the other hand, officials might also have overvalued the land premium to avoid being accused of collusion with developers." 

Based on the $3.4 billion land premium, developers would need to sell flats at more than $5,000 per square foot to make a reasonable profit, on par with prices in West Kowloon, according to surveyors. 

New projects in Tuen Mun had been selling for up to $3,000 per square foot, property agents said. 

They said the premium had been calculated after the positive land auction result in September but sentiment had soured rapidly since due to rising interest rates. 

The government currently charges a land premium for making major changes to a lease. The bigger the project, the greater the amount of red tape. 

"Hong Kong's property market is volatile. Sometimes it can be difficult for the Lands Department to grasp the latest market information due to its insufficient manpower," SK Pang Surveyors managing director Pang Shiu-kee said. 

Mr Pang said the land premium on the KCRC project would have to be cut by about 20 per cent to lure back developers. 

DTZ Debenham Tie Leung research director Alva To Yu-hung called on the government to speed up its premium process which can delay assessments for six months. 

However, others said the government's land premium regime was fair and the KCRC's decision to withdraw the tender could also be because the sole bid fell short. 

"The market changes constantly and no one can read the minds of developers," CB Richard Ellis executive director Yu Kam-hung said. "So you can't expect the government to change its land premium policy from time to time." 

The Lands Department would not comment yesterday.


----------



## kenlau13

sourse:http://de.geocities.com/m_hong_kong/hongkg-kowloonbay1.jpg 














































sourse:http://de.geocities.com/m_hong_kong/hk-photos.htm


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR Corp Nov passengers 72.65 mln vs 73.58 mln in Oct *
15 December 2005
AFX

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 72.65 mln passengers in November, down 1.26 pct from 73.58 mln in October. 

On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.52 mln in November, down from 2.54 mln in the month earlier, according to figures published on the company's website. 

The November figure for the MTR average weekday passenger traffic covers the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung, Tseung Kwan O and the island lines. 

The total monthly patronage of the MTR Lines and Airport Express Line for October rose 2.72 pct year-on-year, but no comparative numbers of passengers for the period were given. 

For comparative month-on-month figures, Airport Express carried 729,000 passengers in November, down 3.3 pct from the 754,000 passengers it carried in October, the company said. 

On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 24,300 people in November, unchanged from the preceding month, it added.


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## hkskyline

14 December 2005
Corporate Press Release
*KCR West Rail One-Month Pass extended* 

Due to overwhelming response from passengers, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) today announced that the West Rail One-Month Pass would be extended to 30 June 2006.

Priced at only $400, the West Rail One-Month Pass is valid for unlimited journeys on West Rail and free transfer to Light Rail, KCR Buses and other designated feeder services. Passengers who now purchase the pass at a privilege price of $300, can continue to enjoy this price as long as the pass is continuously purchased every month.

To further improve West Rail’s connectivity, West Rail passengers will also be able to enjoy free connection between West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station and Shek Lei on green minibus Route 86 with effect from 19 December 2005. The route will provide service between 06:15am and 11:57pm daily at a frequency of 10 minutes. To enjoy the concession, passengers must use an Octopus card and take the minibus within 45 minutes after exiting the West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station, or continue their journeys on West Rail within two hours after boarding the minibus. This offer also applies to West Rail One-Month Pass. Altogether, West Rail now provides free interchange or inter-modal discount for a total of 14 green minibus routes.

As a token of appreciation for passengers’ continuous patronage, KCRC will also extend its current West Rail promotional activities to end June 2006. They include the KCR Tourist Pass Combo, the $2 concessionary fare of West Rail for children and senior citizens during Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, and the $2 West Rail fare rebate for transfer from taxi and the West Rail – Huanggang Direct Coach Promotional Offer.

Mr Michael Lai, General Manager－Marketing, said, “KCRC will continue to explore different initiatives to offer tailored services for passengers. We want to encourage more people to ride on our network and to enjoy the quality service we offer.”

Publicity materials such as leaflets and station notices will be available at the stations during the sale period. For enquiries, passengers may call the KCRC Passenger Service Hotline at 2929 3399 or visit KCRC’s website (http://www.kcrc.com).


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## mopc

XiangGang rulez!


----------



## hkskyline

*Appointments to the KCRC Managing Board*
Government Press Release
Monday, December 19, 2005

The Government announced today (December 19) the Chief Executive's decision on the following re-appointments to the Managing Board of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (“KCRC”):-

(a) Mr Michael Tien Puk-sun, BBS, JP. to be the Chairman of KCRC for a period of one year with effect from December 24, 2005; and

(b) the Honourable Abraham Shek Lai-him, JP. and Professor Richard Wong Yue-chim, SBS, JP. to be Members of the Managing Board of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation for a period of one year with effect from February 1, 2006.

In welcoming the decision, the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao said, “We are confident that the Managing Board, with these re-appointments, will continue to successfully lead KCRC to meet the challenges ahead.”

In considering appointments to the KCRC board, the Government had carefully assessed the suitability of candidates having regard to relevant factors such as personal capabilities, leadership, expertise, experience, and commitment to public service.

Under the KCRC Ordinance (Cap.372), KCRC shall have a managing board comprising a chairman, a chief executive officer and not less than four nor more than eight other members appointed by the Chief Executive. The membership of the board is at Annex.


Annex
*****

Membership List of Managing Board of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation

Chairman
Mr Michael Tien, BBS, JP

Acting Chief Executive Officer
Mr Samuel Lai

Members
Mr Vincent Lo Wing-sang, JP
Mr Wan Man-yee, BBS, JP
Mr Patrick Blackwell Paul, CBE
Hon Abraham Shek Lai-him, JP
Prof Richard Wong Yue-chim, SBS, JP
Mr Ng Leung-sing, SBS, JP
Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury


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## DonQui

:drool:


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## hkskyline

*HK's MTRC invites developers to submit bids for Tseung Kwan O housing project *
20 December 2005
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp said it has asked the 14 property developers who have expressed interest in Dream City phase two project in Tseung Kwan O to submit formal bids for the project. 

An MTRC spokesman said the tender will close on January 9. 

MTR Corp and the government have agreed on the price of the land premium, the spokesman said, but he refused to disclose the price. 

Earlier this month MTR Corp said it has received expressions of interest from 14 property developers, among which were Cheung Kong(Holdings), Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land, Sino Land, Wharf Holdings, and New World Development. 

The construction of Dream City phase two, which will have 4,272 apartments in 10 towers, with a gross floor area of 3.33 mln square feet, is expected to be completed in 2009. 

The winning bidder will be lent half the land premium cost, which the developer will be required to repay without interest.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp venture in running for UK rail bid *

A joint venture in which MTR Corp owns a 50 percent stake was named a finalist in the bidding for a license to run trains in the southwest of England starting in 2007, according to the UK's Transport Department.

Gladys Tang
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, December 21, 2005

A joint venture in which MTR Corp owns a 50 percent stake was named a finalist in the bidding for a license to run trains in the southwest of England starting in 2007, according to the UK's Transport Department.

Great South Western Railway Company, a joint venture between Hong Kong's subway operator and GNER Holdings, is matched against four other competitors: Arriva Trains South West, First South Western, Trafalgar Trains and Stagecoach Group's South Western Trains.

The bidders must now submit detailed proposals to the government. An invitation to tender will be sent to them at the end of March, 2006.

The license to run South West Trains and Island Line, which is currently held by Stagecoach, expires on February 4, 2007. A new 10-year franchise will be awarded next fall, and take effect on February 4, 2007. The last three years of the contract will be contingent on whether preset performance criteria are met.

MTRC made its first foray outside Hong Kong in 2004 with a roughly six billion yuan (HK$5.76 billion) investment in the Shenzhen Metro project.

The railway operator has been on the lookout for projects in European countries including Sweden, Germany and Italy in a bid to diversify its business away from Hong Kong where railway expansion options are limited.

Shares of MTRC climbed 10 HK cents to HK$15.55 Tuesday. They have gained 25 percent since the beginning of this year.


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## Manila-X

With all that new projects going one, till now The MTR hasn't extend it's Island Line to the western districts of HK Island like Sai Ying Pun or Kennedy Town.


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## xeror

WANCH said:


> With all that new projects going one, till now The MTR hasn't extend it's Island Line to the western districts of HK Island like Sai Ying Pun or Kennedy Town.


MTR Corporation has already planned the extension since 2000 (see West Island Line Project) but left aside until recently it has gotten the green light to build the West Island Line by 2010.


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## Manila-X

Still have 5 years to go before that happens!


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## hkskyline

*MTR Expected to Participate in Wuhan Subway Operation *
21 December 2005

WUHAN, December 21, SinoCast -- Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, Central China, wants to invite Hong Kong's subway operator Mass Transit Railway Corp. (MTR)to participate in investment, construction and operation of Wuhan Subway as the first phase project of the No.1 Line of Wuhan Railway Traffic has to suffer a huge loss of CNY 350,000. 

Wuhan completed construction of Phase I project of the No.1 Line of the light rail with a total length of 10 kilometers in July 2004 and planned to reach daily passenger throughput of 210,000 people time. 

However, daily passenger throughput reaches just more than 10,000 people time every day. Total costs on operation of Phase I project of the No.1 Line of the light rail are approximately CNY 550,000. Phase II project of the No.1 Line of the light rail started construction on December 15, 2005. 

MTR, the world's only profitable subway operator, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Wuhan Municipal Government this May and has spent CNY 15 million on early-stage market research. 

The Wuhan subway project, with a total investment of more than CNY 26 billion, has been agreed by the State Development and Reform Commission, China's macro-economy regulator, and is now waiting for the approval from the State Council, the country's cabinet. 

Yin Zengtao, vice secretary of Wuhan Municipal Committee, told journalists that No.2 Line of the Wuhan Subway through the Yangtze River would start construction firstly. 

Wuhan obtained fiscal revenues of over CNY 30 billion in 2004 and its fiscal revenues cannot support subway construction. Demands for investments in urban infrastructure construction sharply rise in recent years. Investments in urban infrastructure construction reached CNY 3.8 billion in 2003 and CNY 10 billion in 2004 and are expected to arrive at CNY 1.3 billion. 

The city started construction of more than 400 projects in 2004 and investments in the Tianxingzhou Bridge and cross-river tunnels hit over CNY 1 billion. 

China's subway construction is now in full swing. The Chinese government plans to build 5000-kilometer subway lines with total investments of more than CNY 800 billion in 25 cities. 

Currently, ten cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen own already-built subways throughout the country. China Development Bank has extended loans to domestic cities to support their subway construction. The bank has promised to provide loans of more than CNY 60 billion and had extended loans of over CNY 40 billion by the end of this November. 

Urban railway traffic such as light rail vehicles is commonweal facilities not intended to earn money and needs huge investments. Industry analysts suggested that domestic subway construction should learn from Hong Kong subway construction and operation. 

MTR reached an agreement on January 15, 2004 to build and operate Shenzhen Phase II of the No.4 Line for 30 years. The 20.5-kilometer No.4 Line will run from Huanggang, on the boundary between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, to the center of Longhua New Town. 

The test segment of the second phase project of Shenzhen Subway No.4 Line started construction on November 4, 2005. The No.4 Line is a north-to-south line with 15 stations will be a main route between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the future. MTR makes a total investment of CNY 6 billion in the Phase II project. 

(USD 1 = CNY 8.0730)


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## sfgadv02

Wait, arent the stations like already built or something since 1970s.


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## hkskyline

*Publisher scraps MTR deal *
19 December 2005
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corp is selecting a new publisher for its free Chinese entertainment magazine distributed to commuters every Thursday. 

Hui Kai Guide, published by In express Media, has terminated the agreement giving it exclusive rights to be distributed throughout the MTR network since November 2001. The MTR has now invited publishers to bid for a new contract starting next month. 

Market sources said the magazine struggled to survive on advertising revenue alone in a competitive market with high production costs. 

An MTR spokeswoman confirmed the magazine had asked to terminate its contract last month. 

She said Hui Kai Guide had originally signed a three-year agreement with the option of a further three years. 

It is understood at least three publishing groups have expressed an interest in the contract, with Metro, the publisher of the free newspaper distributed on the MTR network, favourite to succeed. 

A Metro spokesperson declined to comment. In express Media managing director Leung Chung-pun also refused to comment, although sources close to the magazine said the contract had expired and was not terminated.


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## hkskyline

16 December 2005
Corporate Press Release 
*Ma On Shan Rail One-Month Pass on sale from 25 December*

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) announced that the newly introduced Ma On Shan Rail One-Month Pass will be available for sale starting 25 December at the ticket offices of all Ma On Shan Rail stations and East Rail stations (except Lo Wu and Racecourse). 

Ma On Shan Rail One-Month Pass will be launched on 1 January 2006 for a period of six months. Priced at only $200, the Pass is valid in the purchase month for unlimited journeys on Ma On Shan Rail between Wu Kai Sha Station and Che Kung Temple Station, and transfers from Ma On Shan Rail to East Rail on the standard class service between East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and Sheung Shui Station (excluding Lo Wu and Racecourse stations). Pass holders can also travel for free on East Rail feeder buses.

Passengers using the Pass are reminded to observe the following:

Normal fare for the second journey will be deducted when re-entering the same station within 20 minutes with the same pass;

Fare difference will be deducted for travelling with the first class service of East Rail.

Current holders of the East Rail One-Month Pass (ER Pass) can shift to the MOSR Pass. Passengers who now enjoy the $300 privileged price of the ER Pass can shift to the MOSR Pass, and can revert to the $300 ER Pass in later months if they continue to buy the MOSR Pass consecutively every month by using the same Octopus card. Otherwise, they will have to pay the normal price of ER Pass at $380.


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## hkskyline

*引入先進機器 杜絕列車故障
九鐵嚴查車軸裂痕*
24/12/2005










九港鐵路公司為了維持轄下東鐵、馬鐵及西鐵的服務質素及安全性，先後兩次共斥資一千零四十萬元，為何東樓維修中心購入兩部先進的維修檢查機器，當中包括可測試出車軸低至一毫米的微細裂痕以及車廂左右高低行車時的避震及懸掛系統安全。據資料顯示，截至今年十一月，單是東鐵的出車率及行車準時率，分別達百分之九十九以上。

九鐵每隔三年便會為轄下行走了約三星期（即一萬三千五百公里）的翻新列車進行一次，全部檢查時間歷時約一年半、共分為二十四個工序的預防測試項目，期間會進行一系列檢查及測試，並修正小毛病及更換損耗組件。

為防因車軸出現裂痕引起的列車出軌意外，九鐵於本年四月購入造價達七百萬元的「超聲波車軸檢查系統」。九鐵電動列車車廠經理戚啟枰指出，車軸上一旦出現微細至一毫米的裂痕，都必須即時更換，因列車行駛會令裂痕不斷擴展，最後可能導致列車出軌。他表示，九鐵首次引入的「超聲波車軸檢查系統」，可探測車軸內微細至一毫米深的裂痕，該系統會自動利用超聲波沿車軸進行三百六十度掃描，然後自行分析數據，從而探測出車軸內有否出現裂痕。

*掃描過程僅五分鐘*
戚啟枰表示，九鐵會為即將使用的全新車軸進行超聲波測試，而使用中的車軸亦會於每三年一次的預防測試項目中，或遇有特別事故需要更換時進行相同檢查。他說，九鐵過去使用的超聲波車軸檢查系統，須以手動控制檢查角度，每個車軸掃描一次需一個半小時，但新系統的檢測連搬運時間，每次只需二十五分鐘，掃描過程僅為五分鐘，較舊系統更為快捷準確。

九鐵亦重列車行駛時的穩定性及安全性，因此於去年末耗資三百四十萬元引入「靜態車輪磅車系統」。該系統可模擬列車行經彎路時，車廂時高時低、行經不同彎位弧度的動態和重心的轉變，從而檢查車上懸掛系統，尤其是避震膠的運作情況，每卡列車的檢查時間約為一小時。

*延長避震膠使用期*
戚啟枰強調，在九鐵沿線中，紅磡、旺角及大學路段的路軌彎位弧度最高，但系統卻可以模擬列車行弧度更高的彎路。他表示，車廂的避震膠一般每使用八年更換一次，而引入該系統後，可望延長避震膠的使用時間。


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## hkskyline

*將軍澳56區批建住宅酒店商廈 *
12月 24日 星期六 05:05 更新

【明報專訊】地鐵（0066）將軍澳56區純商業發展項目，終獲城規會通過，可轉作住宅、酒店及寫字樓發展，計劃興建4幢住宅大廈，連同兩幢酒店及寫字樓，附設商場，將提供1150個單位，以及1290個酒店房間。

將軍澳56區位於將軍澳地鐵站上蓋及毗鄰地皮，劃為「商業發展連公共交通交匯處」，原只可作純商業發展。

然而，地鐵認為區內對寫字樓需求不大，在2003年申請轉作住宅及商業發展，兩度遭城規會否決後，昨天終獲得通過。

該地皮佔地約43萬方呎，計劃在3層高商場平台上興建4幢42至45層高住宅大廈、1幢36層高酒店及1幢36層高酒店連寫字樓，住宅樓面約86萬方呎，酒店樓面約62.6萬方呎，商舖樓面約21.5萬方呎，寫字樓樓面約5.4萬方呎。地鐵同時承諾會在地盤範圍內興建公園。

*九倉油塘申建40層高住宅*

另外，九倉（0004）持有的油塘東源街5號住宅發展項目，申請作輕微修改，將興建兩幢40層高商住大廈，單位數目約256個，總樓面近25.6萬方呎。


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## sfgadv02

Hey guys, this was the original plan back in 1967....looks interesting.


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## Manila-X

sfgadv02 said:


> Hey guys, this was the original plan back in 1967....looks interesting.


Dope! Except the East Kowloon line never went to effect and some of the stations were changed! Also, the western stations of HK Island are still being planned!

Interesting is the Kong Kow Line which later on is part of the Tsuen Wan Line!


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## sfgadv02

Also what's interesting is that isnt the East Kowloon line something that the KCR is looking at right now?? It was also a good idea to merge the Kong Kow line into one....why have 2 lines when you can have 1 fast trip....


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## mopc

HK system looks good!


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## superchan7

I wish they kept the name "Lap Sap Wan." That would've been awesome ("Rubbish Bay").


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## hkskyline

*緊急掣故障 欣澳月台無職員
地鐵懶理暈倒孕婦*
27/12/2005









【本報訊】懷孕婦人昨晨在地鐵欣澳站不適暈倒，丈夫按緊急掣求援，緊急掣卻發生故障，月台上又無職員，幸其他乘客協助通知職員，但職員又「袖手旁觀」，遲遲未有召救護車，幸孕婦其後毋須送院。夫婦質疑

地鐵設施及職員態度有問題，決定向地鐵追究。

投訴地鐵的男子姓林（二十八歲），從事貿易生意，與妻（二十四歲）居於元朗，妻子懷有四個月身孕，為第一胎。昨晨十時許，兩人趁假期到迪士尼樂園遊玩。兩人抵達欣澳站時，林妻感到頭暈不適，下車後更暈

倒失去知覺。林大驚失色，立即按動月台上的「召喚專線」，並透過對講機呼救，豈料全無回應，他連試多次，弄致右手傷亦無結果。當時月台上乘客已全離開，又無職員在場，他急如熱鍋上的螞蟻。

夫決發律師信追究
幸好一對情侶到達月台，聞訊後跑往上層代為求助，但十五分鐘後一名男職員才趕至，但只是站在旁邊觀察。林催促他召救護車，職員卻表示：「我想了解清楚，唔可以即時叫白車。」未幾林妻回復清醒，到辦公

室休息。一名系統控制主任解釋「召喚專線」發生故障，並稱會調查。林見妻子無大礙，致電徵詢家庭醫生意見後，最終未有召救護車就離去。他質疑地鐵沒有在故障的設備貼上告示，亦無職員在月台上當值。他

表示，幸妻子無恙，但職員沒有即時提供協助，決發出律師信作追究。

地鐵發言人表示，當時有月台助理巡查見發生事故即通知站長，站長及一名女職員在兩分鐘內趕至，立即帶該對夫婦入室內休息，亦有代召喚救護車，不過孕婦不欲入院。


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## Manila-X

sfgadv02 said:


> Also what's interesting is that isnt the East Kowloon line something that the KCR is looking at right now?? It was also a good idea to merge the Kong Kow line into one....why have 2 lines when you can have 1 fast trip....


What I'm looking forward to is seeing this in effect sometime in the near future


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## sfgadv02

I dont know if all of those are accurate though. Lol....wheres the Asia-Expo station? Also, is MTR still proposing for that extension to the Kwun Tong line where it extends from Yau Ma Tai --> Ho Man Tin --> Whampoa??


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## hkskyline

*South Island in line for smaller trains *

The MTR Corp wants a smaller four- car railway for its planned South Island line because demand will be less intense than on the Hong Kong and Kowloon lines, a company official said.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The MTR Corp wants a smaller four-car railway for its planned South Island line because demand will be less intense than on the Hong Kong and Kowloon lines, a company official said.
MTRC chief design manager Malcolm Gibson told RTHK's Backchat program Tuesday that the company has yet to decide on the specific rail technology it will use to service an area that includes Ap Lei Chau, which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the world's most densely populated island. 

Options available to the company include conventional steel wheel rolling stock, a rubber tire system like those found on the Airport Express trains, or a magnetic levitation train.

The underused and problem- plagued Shanghai-Pudong airport train that came into service last year is a maglev type of train. Plans for the South Island line are still awaiting government approval, even though MTRC submitted them in 2004.

The corporation also filed plans to start construction in 2005 after a lengthy consultation process.

A Legco meeting today will allow legislators to thrash out when the building program can begin.


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## superchan7

Airport Express has rubber tires? That's kinda hard to believe considering it runs on conventional rails.


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## hkskyline

*MTR plans futuristic upgrades for its stations *
10 January 2006
South China Morning Post

MTR stations are to be turned into futuristic-looking centres in coming years, offering services including foot massages, clinics and even learning centres. 

These are among the things commuters have told the MTR Corporation they want as it carries out a far-reaching station upgrade. 

"We will revamp stations along the Tung Chung line this year, adding new stores and realigning old ones to make shopping easier," the corporation's marketing and station business manager, Jeny Yeung Mei-chun, said. "Opinions from our clients' will definitely be taken into consideration." 

A survey carried out by the corporation last year found that cafeterias topped a commuters' wish list, followed by foot massage parlours, clinics, learning centres and audio-visual product stores. 

Nineteen stations, including Causeway Bay, Admiralty and Central, were redecorated last year. One hundred new shops were introduced and advertising income in 2005 enjoyed a double-digit growth from the previous year. 

Interiors are being redesigned with a theme, to give each an individual identity. 

Causeway Bay, which handles 240,000 travellers a day, had a $14 million facelift last year in which four shops were added. 

"The ceiling was reconstructed into rings, which give an impression of a spaceship," Ms Yeung said. "The whole idea was to give the station a modern, sophisticated feel." 

"Our next targets are North Point and Tung Chung stations." 

She said the former had become a hub for mainland travellers, while the latter catered to tourists using Disneyland.


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## hkskyline

*MTR arsonist screams insults at judge after conviction *
11 January 2006
South China Morning Post

A man who screamed insults at the judge yesterday after being convicted of an arson attack on an MTR train was warned he could also face contempt of court charges. 

Yim Kam-chung, 68, was forcibly removed from the court when he screamed, "The judge is a devil. Bandit, robber, ruled without reasons" after Court of First Instance judge Louis Tong Po-sun found him guilty. 

At an earlier hearing, Yim was removed from court three times when his interruptions forced Mr Justice Tong to address the court through a microphone. 

Yesterday, the judge warned Yim, who represented himself, that his actions could constitute contempt. He advised him to consider having a duty lawyer, who sat through the trial, to help in mitigation. 

The judge also doubled the jurors' daily allowance to $560 and gave them a five-year exemption from further service, saying "the defendant's reaction was not easy to handle at times". 

Sentencing was adjourned to January 25 pending two psychiatric reports. 

More than 40 witnesses testified in the 20-day trial, during which Yim repeatedly protested that he was being treated unfairly. 

The former electrical mechanic was accused of starting a fire on January 5 last year, soon after the train left Tsim Sha Tsui for Admiralty. 

"Since the government confiscated six of my vehicles, I decided to cause a tragedy at the Admiralty MTR Station," he said. "Because my name is Yim Kam-chung I picked Admiralty MTR station." 

The Chinese characters of the name Kam-chung are the same as those for Admiralty. 

He claimed he had gone through five unfair trials between 1981 and 2004, in which he was convicted, fined and jailed. 

Yim was arrested after the Correctional Services Department received a letter the day after the attack containing details of the arson. 

The court heard Yim was pointed out by two passenger witnesses who said the arsonist wore a fisherman's hat and carried a trolley. One of them saw a man use a lighter to ignite a bottle wrapped in a towel. 

A fisherman's hat, found by DNA tests to contain Yim's hair and skin tissue, was found at the scene. 

Several items used in the firebombs were found at Yim's Tuen Mun public housing estate flat. 

Defending himself, Yim said he had not left his flat on the day of the fire, he had no burn injuries and therefore he was innocent.


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## hkskyline

*KCRC rapped for faults cover-up 
Compressors on some trains were secured with belts *
12 January 2006
South China Morning Post

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has been given a warning letter by the government strongly condemning it for withholding details of its latest equipment failure for almost three weeks. 

This follows the revelation that compressors in some KCR trains have been secured with nylon belts after defects were discovered following an incident last month. 

The corporation said last night the precaution was taken after "slight cracks" were found in the welding of compressors mounted under the trains. 

All trains were checked after a compressor on an East Rail train was found to have apparently come loose on December 21. 

The government said last night the Hong Kong Railway Inspectorate received a verbal notification of the December 21 incident. But the government received no report that there were similar problems with other trains until Tuesday, when the KCRC said the mounting of equipment beneath the trains might need to be strengthened. 

A warning letter was issued condemning the KCRC for "mishandling" the case and a report demanded "as soon as possible". 

It was not clear why the company had not made the problem public earlier. It came under fire last July for not revealing for several days a crash between two of its trains at its Pat Heung depot. 

The KCRC said the defect was discovered after a warning light on one of its East Rail trains indicated a mechanical failure. Checks found that the compressor appeared to have come loose. 

The company did not detail the function of the compressor, but such equipment is commonly used in the braking system of trains. 

"The company immediately arranged a thorough inspection of all its trains and found cracks in the welding of some of the compressors," the KCRC said. They had been secured with nylon belts as a temporary measure.


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## hkskyline

*Cautious approach on new rail line *
Michael Ng
12 January 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The government will decide whether to approve the HK$7 billion South Island Line only after the completion of a study assessing its viability, says Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao. 

She was speaking Wednesday ahead of a Legislative Council vote passing a non-binding motion that ``urges the government to expedite the construction of the MTR South Island Line'' to meet increased transport needs arising from the planned development of a series of tourism projects in the area, especially Ocean Park. 

Liao said during the motion debate that the government had learned its lesson about the need to study the viability of proposed rail lines from the Kowloon-Canton Railway's West Rail project which, after two years of operation, attracts just half the 400,000 daily passengers initially estimated. 

``We will walk with our eyes wide open and consider it carefully,'' Liao said of the proposed South Island line. 

``The government does not want passengers and the public to be left responsible for the financial implications after an expensive rail line is constructed.'' 

To that end, Liao said her bureau is waiting to see the planning department's report on population growth in Southern District, which was scheduled to be completed late last year. 

But motion-raiser and tourism- sector legislator Howard Young of the Liberal Party contended that planned tourism projects would quickly swell traffic in Southern District, further congesting Aberdeen Tunnel. 

He cited Fisherman's Wharf in Aberdeen and Ocean Park _ the latter of which estimates its redevelopment will be completed in 2010 _ as boosting annual visitor numbers by 25 percent to five million. 

``The problem can only be solved if the South Island Line is built,'' Young said. 

The proposed line, which the Mass Transit Railway Corporation first officially tabled in 2002, will have two branches _ a western section starting at Hong Kong University station and running via Cyberport and Aberdeen to Wong Chuk Hang, and an eastern extension from Admiralty, via Ocean Park to South Horizons at Ap Lei Chau. 

The MTRC is counting on the government to pay half the HK$7 billion construction cost. 

But Democratic Party legislator Yeung Sum - whose amendment requesting the project be built by 2012 was also passed - argued that the government should not use public revenues to finance a project by a publicly listed corporation.


----------



## hkskyline

* Government urged KCRC to enhance maintenance works*
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Government Press Release

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation ("KCRC") yesterday (January 11) presented to its Managing Board about the possible need to strengthen the mounting of equipment located underneath the East Rail trains. In this connection, a spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said that the Government is very concerned about the incident.

The Hong Kong Railway Inspectorate received a verbal notification from KCRC on December 21, 2005 that at Fo Tan Station a train driver found the compressor mounted underneath the train appeared to be loosened. The passengers were required to take another train. Since then, the Government has not received any report from KCRC that there are similar problem for other East Rail trains.

In the afternoon of January 10, 2006, KCRC informed the Hong Kong Railway Inspectorate that the mounting of equipment located underneath the other East Rail trains might similarly need to be strengthened.

In this regard, the Government found that KCRC had not immediately notified the Government of the problem related to the other East Rail trains and has issued a warning letter yesterday (January 11) to KCRC to strongly condemn the Corporation for mishandling the case, and has warned the Corporation that it should promptly notify the Government of any problem or incident relating to the railways in future according to the KCRC Regulations.

Upon learning of the incident yesterday, the Government was gravely concerned about it. To ensure safe operation of the railway, the Government has yesterday (11 January 2006) set up a designated expert team comprising the Railway Inspectorate Section and relevant Government departments to inspect the East Rail trains concerned.

For this incident, the Government noted that KCRC had implemented specific improvement measures to strengthen the mounting of equipment located underneath the trains. These improvement measures have been verified by the train builder and local independent experts. The experts are of the view that these measures could effectively minimise the mounting problem of the equipment and could ensure the continued provision of a safe railway service.

The Government's initial assessment is that we concur with the assessment of the independent experts appointed by KCRC that with the mounting of equipment strengthened, the railway service has not posed immediate danger to passengers. However, the Government has already demanded KCRC to step up the necessary maintenance works. The Government has also demanded KCRC to comprehensively review the existing conditions of the trains and railway maintenance regime, and to submit a report to Government as soon as possible.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR Corp targets double-digit increase in rents *
6 January 2006
(c) 2006, AFX Asia. All rights reserved.

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp is aiming for a double-digit increase this year in rents at shopping malls it operates, the Standard reported, citing Chan Ka-ming, chief of shopping center management at MTR Property Management. 

The leases to be renewed this year were signed in 2003, when rents slumped amid the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the newspaper said. 

MTR Corp has 150 shops in line to renew their leases. MTR Corp has a total of 500 shops in five shopping malls -- Telford Plaza, Maritime Square, Paradise Mall, Luk Yeung Galleria and The Lane. 

In the run-up to the Lunar New Year, MTR Corp will spend about 10 mln hkd on decorations and promotions at Telford Plaza and Maritime Square.


----------



## ailiton

superchan7 said:


> Airport Express has rubber tires? That's kinda hard to believe considering it runs on conventional rails.


Yeah I think the newspaper made a mistake. Maybe it's referring to the APM at the airport.


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## hkskyline

檢查29列翻新車 發電機問題浮現
九鐵組件裂痕多七倍
14/01/2006










九鐵組件裂痕事件愈捲愈大。繼上月底發現多部列車的十個支架有組件問題後，九鐵昨晚透露，經檢查所有二十九列翻新列車總數達八千多件的車底組件後，發現當中約八十件出現細微的裂痕，約佔全部組件百分之一，但較前日僅公布十個壓縮器支架有裂痕個案多了七倍。除了壓縮器支架外，發電機組件亦探測出有輕微裂痕。有工程界人士指出，九鐵使用尼龍索帶穩固只有短期作用，須盡快重新拆除焊接。

環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬昨日率領多名官員到九鐵火炭車廠視察，並詳細了解九鐵以尼龍索帶穩固的措施。

對於九鐵列車有高達八十件組件出現裂痕，環運局表示，由鐵路視察組及有關政府部門組成的特別小組已開展檢查東鐵列車工作，調查過程進展順利，當局會向九鐵了解再發現裂痕的情況，九鐵另有專家小組檢查後會提交報告，雙方再共同研究改善措施。

九鐵鐵路車輛設計及系統工程經理李家潤昨晚透露，除了壓縮器支架，發電機組件亦探測出有輕微的裂痕，他強調，涉及的細微裂痕需利用精密的磁力磨損探傷機探測，如頭髮絲般幼細，燒焊過程中出現細微的裂痕屬正常，不會構成組件脫落，也不會影響行車安全。

*田北辰稱不會辭職*
不過，九鐵拒絕進一步公布細微裂痕共涉及多少類組件，和涉及多少列翻新列車。九鐵又預計精密檢查在本月二十日完成，二十六日則會完成加裝輔助托架。

九鐵主席田北辰昨日出席一個電台節目時表示，正計畫向管理局提議成立獨立調查小組，研究改善通報機制及調查事件中各階層應負責任。談到事件是否涉及隱瞞時，田說：「整件事不存在欺上瞞下問題，只是溝通出問題。」他表示，自己鬥志仍十分強，會做到任期結束，不會辭職。

*員工心態少做少錯*
九鐵意外發生後，多名前九鐵員工昨日紛紛致電電台作出批評，一名廖姓員工表示，過去曾在維修程序中發現問題，向上司報告後，對方卻拒絕他的意見，亦沒有作出改善；另一名陳先生則稱，九鐵內部重懲處，員工都擔心出錯被處分，不少人因而「少做少錯」，這種心態更成為由上而下的工作文化。

理工大學機械工程系工程師盧覺強認為，髮絲幼裂紋不算嚴重，尚有承托力，但九鐵須盡快補救。


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## hkskyline

*九鐵管理層發年終酬金*
14/01/2006

【本報訊】過去一年故障頻生的九廣鐵路，管理層人員不但未受懲處，反而在年終考核中獲得可喜評分，高層人員更向九鐵管理局建議，各成員按浮薪形式發放年終酬金。九鐵主席田北辰承認管理局曾討論向管理層發放酬金問題，但沒有表態會否扣起涉案管理層僱員的酬金。有立法會議員則認為，九鐵應在事故報告公布後，才決定是否向有關人士發放年終酬金，否則勢必引起不滿及質疑。

九鐵採用年終考核制度，今年的評核已經結束，雖然去年曾發生列車相撞、信號故障、飛站等事故，但管理級員工的評核結果仍然十分理想。田北辰昨出席電台節目時被問及年終酬金問題時透露，九鐵管理層酬金的發放有既定準則，管理局需考慮各人表現是否已達標，他亦認同，在考慮有關問題時，不能對今次事件視若無睹。

*酬金比率十分可觀*
九鐵在兩年前引入浮薪制度，多名高層都按表現獲年終酬金，以事件發生時正在放大假、並於本月三日獲悉事件的署理行政總裁黎文熹為例，他的年薪加福利是五百四十萬元，據了解內情的人士透露，行政總裁的年終酬金比率介乎百分之十至十五之間，屬可觀收入。


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## hkth

News from Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK):

*KCRC to revert to manual operations following safety concerns* 2006-01-15 HKT 00:08

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation says it will revert to manual operations of its trains, after experts determined that an automated system, in place since 2003, had increased stress levels on its carriages. There's been rising public concern over the safety of KCRC trains since it emerged that cracked mounting parts had resulted in loose components underneath some trains. Speaking at a news conference, KCRC Chairman Michael Tien said the reversion will result in slightly longer travelling times -- a ride from Lowu to East Tsim Sha Tsui will take a minute and a half longer. Mr Tien also promised that ALL trains would be immediately halted if any component is found to be loose. He also said an independent panel will be appointed, likely consisting entirely of non-KCRC staff, to ascertain whether any official needs to be held accountable for the equipment faults. 




*Government welcomes KCRC safety measures* 2006-01-15 HKT 01:11 

The Government has given a cautious welcome to a decision by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, to revert to manual operations of its trains as a safety precaution. Experts had earlier determined that an automated system, in place since 2003, had placed added stress on train carriages. This had apparently caused cracks in mounting frames underneath some trains -- to the extent that a compressor came loose on a train last month. In a statement, a spokesperson for the the Environment, Transport, and Works Bureau said reverting to manual operations should 'theoretically' be an acceptable move, but stressed that additional investigations into equipment faults are needed to ensure passenger safety. 




*Legco panel to question KCRC over manual decision* 2006-01-15 HKT 11:53 

A Legco panel is asking the Kowloon Canton Railway to explain itself following a decision to switch its automated operations to manual. Experts of the railway operator determined that the automated system had greatly increased the amount of stress exerted on equipment mounted underneath train carriages, which may have caused numerous cracks to form. The decision means slower running time and fewer trains. The chairman of Legco's transport panel Lau Kwong-wah said officials from both the KCRC and government had been asked to attend a meeting on Wednesday to answer questions. However, he said it was not the time to apportion blame.


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## hkskyline

* TD continues to closely monitor KCR services*
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Government Press Release

The Transport Department (TD) announced today (January 15) that the Department had been closely monitoring the rail services of the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), after the Corporation started to use manual operation to temporarily replace the Automatic Train Operation System.

A TD spokesman said the KCRC used manual operation to temporarily replace the Automatic Train Operation System from 2 pm today. The TD held a meeting with the KCRC today. According to the Corporation, the manual operation only caused the train frequency (southbound) at the peak hour (from 8 am to 9 am) to be reduced by one departure (from 24 to 23), and the journey time of each train for the whole day between Lo Wu and Tsim Sha Tsui East lengthened by 1.5 minutes. There would only be a mild impact on the passengers, according to the KCRC.

The spokesman noted that the TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) had been closely monitoring the train services. The Department had already established a close liaison with the public transport operators. When and where necessary, special public transport arrangements would be implemented to minimise the inconvenience that might be caused to members of the public.

The TD had also maintained a close communication with the Immigration Department, operators of the Yellow Bus and cross-boundary transport, so that they could made appropriate arrangements accordingly.

The TD spokesman stressed that since it would be a Monday and a working day tomorrow (January 16), he called on members of the public, especially those commuters traveling from the New Territories to the urban areas, to leave home earlier, and reserve more journey time to work or to school. They were also advised to pay attention to the latest traffic news broadcast by the television and radio stations.

The TD’s ETCC would continue to closely monitor the train services tomorrow.


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## hkskyline

* Government finds KCRC's proposal acceptable in principle *
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Government Press Release

A spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said today (January 15) that after an initial analysis, the Bureau considered that the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation's (KCRC) proposal just announced to reduce the loading of the cracked equipment located underneath the trains, including using manual operation to temporarily replace the Automatic Train Operation System so as to reduce the pressure when the brake is applied, is acceptable in principle.

However, the spokesman pointed out that at the present stage, all possible causes had to be studied and improvement measures had to be implemented as soon as possible to ensure rail safety.

Replacing the Automatic Train Operation System will have an impact on train frequency. The Transport Department is now waiting for KCRC's full details of the affected service in order to make the necessary arrangements and adjustment of public transport services, so that the inconvenience caused to the public can be minimised.

Once the Administration and KCRC have agreed on the relevant arrangements, they will be implemented and announced. The spokesman called on the public and East Rail passengers to pay attention to the relevant announcements.


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## hkskyline

*KCR train pulled from service as crack found on 'pivotal point' *
17 January 2006
South China Morning Post

A KCR train had to be pulled from service yesterday after the frame holding a nylon strap supporting a transformer was itself found to be cracked. 

The discovery of the 15mm crack led one engineer to question whether the KCR's coach frames are strong enough. 

Nylon belts have been added to secure major train parts since a mounting device snapped on December 21, leaving a compressor dangling under the train. 

Speaking after a special board meeting, KCRC acting chief executive Samuel Lai Man-hay said: "It is the first time we have found a crack on a pivotal point {hellip} but 15mm lies within our safety limit." 

Democrat legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said: "The public's confidence on KCRC has hit the bottom now. How can we trust the railway company?" 

But transport minister Sarah Liao Sau-tung is satisfied train services are still safe. 

"Material defects take time to develop. The cracks take time to expand. It won't collapse in one go." 

She said it was to be expected that more faulty train parts would be found, in addition to the 199 discovered in inspections of 1,215. 

The crack was among three further defects discovered in checks on the East Rail fleet as the row over secrecy surrounding the railway's spate of troubles continued. 

"It appears the train's framework was not strong enough," said Polytechnic University scientific officer Lo Kok-keung. "It is hard to say why because the structure is supposed to have a long life." 

The defects were found hours after East Rail trains switched from automatic to manual operation to reduce stress on their structure. 

Mr Lai said service was normal on the first working day after the switch. "The busiest time is between 8.15am and 8.45am during which about 12 trains were in service. The number of trains during that half-hour was exactly the same as normal days," he said. 

The KCRC offered an apology to passengers on a light rail train which opened its doors before it was fully alongside the platform at Siu Hong station last night. Passengers in the rear had to get off at the next stop.


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## hkskyline

*Government takes over KCRC inquiry *
17 January 2006
South China Morning Post

The government has taken over the inquiry into the delay by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation in reporting faults in its trains. 

Originally there were to have been two inquiries - one by the government and one by the corporation - into why the KCRC did not tell the government for almost three weeks about cracks found in key components of East Rail trains. 

But it was agreed at a special KCRC board meeting yesterday that there should be just one. 

This came as the troubled railway revealed three more defects had been found in its trains, taking the total to 199. They included a 15mm crack in the mounting point for nylon straps securing a transformer on one train. The train was withdrawn for more checks. 

KCRC chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said the inquiry would seek to determine whether anyone violated the notification mechanism and should be held responsible. Transport minister Sarah Liao Sau-tung gave no timetable for the inquiry by a government-led committee that will also include KCRC non-executive directors. 

"The railway company has its own regulations while the government also has its own," she said. "We will decide the punishment after we find who should be held responsible and the cause of it." 

Mr Tien said the board had agreed there should be one inquiry. 

"Operations would be affected if there were too many similar investigations," he said. But starting the inquiry into the delay immediately would by unwise, because train inspections and finding the cause of the cracks should be the priority. 

Mr Tien said it was right to include board members in the government committee because they were familiar with operations. 

Dr Liao said independent experts would be asked to join, though names are not yet available. 

Legislator Lau Kong-wah, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said using board members was a good idea, as they were not managers tied to daily operations. However, Democrat legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said: "We should have an inquiry committee with genuine independence."


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## hkskyline

*Free leisure magazine puts the brakes on its MTR deal *
18 January 2006
South China Morning Post

Stop the train! Hui Kai Guide, the free leisure and lifestyle magazine distributed through the mass transit railway network on Thursdays, is getting off tomorrow after losing its contract with the rail corporation. 

But whether this edition of the magazine will be the last to be clutched in the free hand of Hong Kong's straphangers remains to be seen since it is believed to be among the bidders for the new contract, along with Metro Publishing and Sing Tao News Corp. 

Hui Kai Guide, in the second three-year term of its contract with the MTR Corp, is said to have pulled the emergency brake in the second half of last year, leaving the corporation to invite interested parties to submit contract bids by the end of November. 

"We are still considering all the submissions and no decision has been made," an MTR spokesperson said. 

However, a market source said Metro Publishing, the publisher of Hong Kong's largest free newspaper and holder of the exclusive distribution rights at MTR stations, was rumoured to have won the bid. 

"Metro is going down the right track to secure the deal due to its long-term relationship with MTR. However, Sing Tao seems to have aggressively built up ties with MTR to pave the way for the entrance of its free Headline Daily to the MTR network," an industry watcher said. 

With the MTR taking a cut of the revenue, the publisher has to secure as much advertising as possible to meet all costs and make a profit. 

"Leisure magazines sell at $10 to $20 a copy, with over 100,000 copies a week (Hui Kai Guide reportedly distributed 160,000 copies each issue). However, the MTR one does not have this circulation revenue, making the business much harder," the industry watcher said. 

As publishers point out, the newspaper and magazine markets are totally different. 

Metro has certainly proved this as the newspaper turned in a profit through its exclusive arrangement with MTR. 

Hui Kai Guide, meanwhile, seems to have jumped the tracks. 
per cent.


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## hkth

News from news.gov.hk:
Foreign expert to study rail safety: Sarah Liao 

New ways to secure train parts ready soon


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## sfgadv02

Interesting, these cracks are found on the ones that were renovated right??


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## hkskyline

*'Dream' contract for Cheung Kong *
Foster Wong
19 January 2006
South China Morning Post

Cheung Kong (Holdings) yesterday beat four other developers to win the contract for the second phase of the MTR Corp's huge residential-retail development in Tseung Kwan O, expected to cost up to $15 billion. 

It is the second tender the firm has won in the project - at the future Tseung Kwan O South Station - which has been dubbed Dreamcity. 

Last year, MTR gave Cheung Kong the go-ahead to build the smaller first phase of Dreamcity - 2,096 flats in five blocks with a total floor area of 1.5 million square feet. 

Analysts said the phase two contract made Cheung Kong, also developing the Metro Town project at Tiu Keng Leng Station, one of Tseung Kwan O's biggest landlords. 

Cheung Kong executive director Grace Woo yesterday said 10 blocks in Dreamcity's second stage would provide about 4,300 flats with a floor area of 3.33 million sq ft by 2010. 

The firm's investment in the project would be $10 billion to $15 billion, including a land premium to be paid to the government, Ms Woo said. 

Cheung Kong outbid Hang Lung Properties, New World Development, Sino Land and Wharf (Holdings). 

The second phase will command a land premium of about $8 billion, or $2,417 per square foot - 56 per cent higher than the $1,546 per square foot charged for the initial phase. 

Ms Woo predicted that home prices in Tseung Kwan O would rise 8 per cent to 10 per cent this year. But not everyone shared her confidence in the district. 

"Starting in 2008, there will be a lot of new flat supply in Tseung Kwan O," said Adrian Ngan Wai-hung, the head of research at BNP Paribas Peregrine, adding that it could hit prices in the area. 

Core Pacific-Yamaichi analyst Andy So Cheuk-yin said the key to the project's success was Cheung Kong's profit split with MTR. 

When MTR opened the second phase tender on January 9, it offered a new profit-share arrangement, taking flats and shopping space instead of sharing cash earnings with the winning bidder. 

Ms Woo declined to reveal how much floor space would be shared with MTR but said the scheme would not increase investment risk. 

James Cheung King-tat, a senior associate director of Centaline Surveyors, said Dreamcity prices would be $4,000 to $4,500 per square foot.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp rats out snacking passengers *
Rail operator urges travellers to eat outside after rodents are reported at a Tung Chung line station 
5 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation is worried about the "extremely high" number of passengers eating on its trains - amid a report of rats foraging through leftovers at one station. 

A staff patrol has spotted 822 people eating on trains or in ticketed areas of the station over nine of the past 18 days. 

"This is quite serious," a spokeswoman said. "We want to appeal to passengers again to keep the MTR trains clean." 

The 10-member team has been instructed to try to gently persuade offending customers to eat outside. She said that previously a prosecution team could fine passengers caught eating on trains, but the company decided to adopt a softer approach to convince people of the need to keep trains clean. 

The company said the patrolling team also spotted hundreds of other incidents of inappropriate behaviour on trains, including people blocking passages and passengers rushing to board trains. 

MTR by-laws prohibit eating inside a ticketed area or train, with offenders subject to a maximum fine of $2,000. 

Some 1,183 verbal warnings were issued in 2004, more than triple the number in 2003, but only four fines levied. Last year's figures were not available. 

A newspaper ran a front-page story last month saying rats were seen scouring through leftover food at the Olympic station on the Tung Chung line. 

The spokeswoman said staff had not found any rats at the station in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, and the report was the first it had heard of such an incident. 

Nevertheless, staff put down rat poison at the station and stepped up daily cleaning at all stations. The company has also told cleaners to routinely check that trains and platforms are kept clean. 

The spokeswoman did not comment directly on a link between passengers eating and discarding food and possible rat problems. 

"[Cleanliness in the MTR] is still our responsibility and we won't shirk it," she said. "But we have already appealed to the passengers through broadcasts and promotions not to eat on trains." 

She also dismissed suggestions passengers were eating because they had to wait relatively longer for trains on the Tung Chung line than on others. 

"It's a matter of whether they have broken a by-law," she said. "Waiting time is not an excuse." 

Regarding the issue of passengers rushing to get through closing doors, the rail operator said last week it was synchronising the closing of the train and platform screen doors. There is currently a split-second delay. The work began in mid-December and will be completed by the end of April. 

MTR Corp head of operations Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man said rushing closing doors could be dangerous to both the person doing it and other passengers. 

Mr Lau warned passengers that the train doors did not reopen automatically like lift doors if someone was caught.


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## hkth

WANCH said:


> I'm a bit confused, doesn't the train operator see you taking pictures of the inside.


Inside the concourse, of course!


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Draws On Popular Children's Game To Promote Train Door Safety


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## hkskyline

By *[email protected]* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

14 February 2006
*Prime Minister of The Republic of Korea Takes a Train Ride on The Airport Express*
MTR Press Release

During a half-day visit to Hong Kong today (14 February), the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Lee Hae-chan led a delegation of over 40 officials to take the Airport Express. They were received at Airport Station by Mr Andrew McCusker, Operations Director of MTR Corporation, who accompanied them for a 21-minute journey to Airport Express Kowloon Station.

Prime Minister Lee said the Airport Express is internationally recognised as being safe, comfortable and efficient. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to experience the well-known Airport Express service first hand. It certainly lives up to its reputation of being the fastest link to the city,” Prime Minister Lee added.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to show the Prime Minister our system and share with him our approach to operating the premium Airport Express service as well as our busy MTR network on which 2.5 million passenger journeys are made each day,” said Mr Andrew McCusker, Operations Director of MTR Corporation.


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## hkth

hkskyline said:


> 14 February 2006
> *Prime Minister of The Republic of Korea Takes a Train Ride on The Airport Express*
> MTR Press Release
> 
> During a half-day visit to Hong Kong today (14 February), the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Lee Hae-chan led a delegation of over 40 officials to take the Airport Express. They were received at Airport Station by Mr Andrew McCusker, Operations Director of MTR Corporation, who accompanied them for a 21-minute journey to Airport Express Kowloon Station.
> 
> Prime Minister Lee said the Airport Express is internationally recognised as being safe, comfortable and efficient. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to experience the well-known Airport Express service first hand. It certainly lives up to its reputation of being the fastest link to the city,” Prime Minister Lee added.
> 
> “We are pleased to have the opportunity to show the Prime Minister our system and share with him our approach to operating the premium Airport Express service as well as our busy MTR network on which 2.5 million passenger journeys are made each day,” said Mr Andrew McCusker, Operations Director of MTR Corporation.



Perhaps Mr Lee wanna try our Airport Express and using our experiance for the future's Incheon Airport Railway!


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## sfgadv02

As if their airport doesnt doesnt look like HK's already....


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR Corp Jan passengers 72.90 mln vs 76.98 mln in Dec *
15 February 2006
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 72.90 mln passengers in January, down from 76.98 mln in December. 

On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.58 mln in January, unchanged from December, according to figures published on the company's website. 

The January figure for the MTR's average weekday passenger traffic covers the Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O lines, according to the data. 

The total monthly patronage of the MTR Lines and Airport Express Line for January rose 1.29 pct year-on-year, but no comparative figures were given. 

As for month-on-month figures, the website said the Airport Express carried 771,000 passengers in January, up from the 779,000 passengers in December. 

On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 24,900 people in January, against 25,100 in the preceding month.


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## vincent

hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong's MTR Corp Jan passengers 72.90 mln vs 76.98 mln in Dec *
> 15 February 2006
> AFX Asia
> 
> HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 72.90 mln passengers in January, down from 76.98 mln in December.
> 
> On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.58 mln in January, unchanged from December, according to figures published on the company's website.
> 
> The January figure for the MTR's average weekday passenger traffic covers the Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O lines, according to the data.
> 
> The total monthly patronage of the MTR Lines and Airport Express Line for January rose 1.29 pct year-on-year, but no comparative figures were given.
> 
> As for month-on-month figures, the website said the Airport Express carried 771,000 passengers in January, up from the 779,000 passengers in December.
> 
> On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 24,900 people in January, against 25,100 in the preceding month.


i didn't know around 25000 people use AEL every day. I thought the line is rarely used by public except some tourists.


----------



## sfgadv02

hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong's MTR Corp Jan passengers 72.90 mln vs 76.98 mln in Dec *
> 15 February 2006
> AFX Asia
> 
> HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 72.90 mln passengers in January, down from 76.98 mln in December.
> 
> On an average weekday basis, MTR Corp carried 2.58 mln in January, unchanged from December, according to figures published on the company's website.
> 
> The January figure for the MTR's average weekday passenger traffic covers the Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O lines, according to the data.
> 
> The total monthly patronage of the MTR Lines and Airport Express Line for January rose 1.29 pct year-on-year, but no comparative figures were given.
> 
> As for month-on-month figures, the website said the Airport Express carried 771,000 passengers in January, up from the 779,000 passengers in December.
> 
> On an average daily basis, the Airport Express carried 24,900 people in January, against 25,100 in the preceding month.


I'm surprised actually. I thought traveling would increase because of CNY.


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## hkth

From News.gov.hk:
East Rail interim repairs in order


----------



## Manila-X

sfgadv02 said:


> As if their airport doesnt doesnt look like HK's already....


Chek Lap Kok and Incheon are two different airports but I also have the feeling of a similar system to HK with an express train from Incheon to Seoul.


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## hkskyline

Design-wise, Incheon and Toronto's new T1 are very similar, but not comparable to HKIA. Incheon has its own dedicated transportation centre building, whereas HKIA's transport centre is attached to the main terminal (there is no 2nd building).


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## hkskyline

Legislative Council Brief - Northern Link 
http://www.etwb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/whats_new/transport_matters/LegCo Brief (Eng) 6-2-06.pdf


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## sfgadv02

WANCH said:


> Chek Lap Kok and Incheon are two different airports but I also have the feeling of a similar system to HK with an express train from Incheon to Seoul.


Yea I know, but have you seem the interior? When I first saw it, I thought it was HK's.


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## hkskyline

By *"thomaswu"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :

九 廣 東 鐵

































九 廣 輕 鐵

















過 境 直 通 車


----------



## hkskyline

By *thomaswu* from a Hong Kong transport forum :

地 鐵 大 嶼 山 路 線


----------



## Manila-X

The Disney trains are one of the most creative I"ve ever seen. And I like this one compared to Tokyo's


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## hkth

MTR Projects' updates can refer here. :|


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail tunnel to disrupt TST area for 18 months 
Expected noise pollution forces KCRC to book Cultural Centre for two months *
18 February 2006
South China Morning Post










(c) 2006 South China Morning Post Publishers Limited, Hong Kong. All rights reserved.
The KCRC plans to book the entire Cultural Centre for two months to avoid disrupting daytime performances after major construction work on the Kowloon Southern Link begins in September. 

State-of-the-art tunnelling methods, to be used in the city for the first time, will pass through the area and are also expected to cause major traffic disruptions in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui during the 18-month construction phase. 

Performers at the Cultural Centre, some of whom are known to demand the centre switch off air-conditioning during performances, believe such disturbances at the city's main theatre and concert venue will be unacceptable. 

Anticipating these concerns, the KCRC has booked out all the venue's daytime slots for two months, as KCRC senior director Lee Kang-kuen told legislators yesterday. 

"We scheduled our work in the morning because most major performances are carried out at night, and we will try our best to avoid working on their busy nights," Mr Lee said, when reporting to the Legco Transport Panel on the project's progress. 

If the KCRC pays the centre's going rates for full daytime functions - at a maximum rental of $28,300 a day - booking the centre for two months could cost the rail operator as much as $1.7 million. 

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said the KCRC had yet to book the Cultural Centre. 

"According to information provided by KCRC, the construction would be in closest proximity to the Cultural Centre in March and April 2007," a spokesman for the department said. 

He added that the company would not enjoy any discount in booking the centre, which for a morning session was about $16,000. 

The construction work, which will be carried out by a slurry-type tunnel boring machine, is considered by engineers to be the best alternative to a conventional cut-and-cover method, which would require excavation of Salisbury and Canton roads. 

But traffic will be disrupted in the area, as engineers expect to close lanes on Salisbury Road, after drilling starts in September. 

A site liaison group co-chaired by the KCRC, the Highways Department, police and various government departments will monitor the situation. 

The 3.8km-long extension, which will link East Rail to West Rail, will run from the East Tsim Sha Tsui terminal along Salisbury Road, Canton Road and via Olympian City in Tai Kok Tsui to the Nam Cheong Station. 

Legislator Lau Kong-wah told Mr Lee he feared the construction work might dampen business in the area and its vibrations would damage nearby buildings. 

Mr Lee said his engineers had carefully assessed the construction work's impact on the environment and were satisfied that this fell within acceptable standards.


----------



## Blackraven

Waaah, MTR and KCR are already top notch companies in the public transportation business.

Join forces and these two combined WILL ENTIRELY DOMINATE THE GLOBAL MASS TRANSIT SCENE. 

Together, they will rule the mass transit world.

Speaking of MTR Corp., the trains for Disneyland Resort Line and the Airport Express line are really sleek. No doubt that those are one hell of premium-looking coaches/train cars.

And heck after five years since my last visit, I really do want go visit Hong Kong again.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
Tender invited for Tai Wai Maintenance Centre property development project


----------



## AG

A few pics I took on the MTR while over in HK:

Typical station entrance to the MTR. This is one entrance on Nathan Road to TST MTR Station.










A Tung Chung Line train passes near Sunny Bay Station.










On a Chai Wan bound Island Line train at Admiralty. Note how the information is provided on the boards above the doors.










The Yau Ma Tei bound platform at Kowloon Tong:










A train arriving on the Tiu Keng Leng bound platform at Kowloon Tong:


----------



## hkth

AG said:


> This is one entrance on Nathan Road to TST MTR Station.


AG, I read the news a few weeks ago and it said the two MTR exits near the Going-to-tearing down Hyatt Hotel in your photo is planned to be demonished all together. It would be built a new exit under the new commerical building for the current place of the Hyatt Hotel. That would be the same way as Langham Place in Mong Kok. :|


----------



## AG

I did hear about that. AFAIK one of those entrances being ripped out is the one adjacent to The Peninsula.

This photo is actually taken further north from the southern entrances. This entrance is just north of Peking Road (C1 IIRC).


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## hkskyline

* LCQ5 : Temperature in MTRC station platforms and train compartments *
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (February 22) :

*Question: *

Many members of the public have complained to me that it is rather hot and even stifling on station platforms and in the train compartments of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) in winter. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows whether heating systems are activated in winter to raise the air temperature on station platforms and in train compartments of the two railway corporations, and how the temperature is adjusted to a suitable level in response to the passenger volume so as to avoid causing discomfort to the passengers;

(b) whether it knows the respective average air temperatures on MTR station platforms in summer and winter; whether the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) monitors such temperatures; if not, of the reasons for that; and

(c) as the authorities indicated in March 2003 that the two railway corporations were working with EPD on formulating a Practice Note for managing air quality in air-conditioned public transport facilities, whether the Practice Note includes a suitable level of air temperature; if so, of the latest progress in this respect; if not, the reasons for that?


*Reply:*

Madam President,

In winter, the preset temperature for enclosed station platforms of all railway lines of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is 26 degrees Celsius, while that for train compartments is 22 to 23 degrees Celsius. For the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), the preset temperature in winter for enclosed station platforms is 27 degrees Celsius, while that for train compartments is 26 degrees Celsius. 

Automatic sensors are installed in the air-conditioning system of the two Corporations to monitor the temperature in station platforms and inside train compartments, such that the actual temperature will not deviate from the preset temperature. In case the temperature in station platforms/inside train compartments is too high and exceeds the preset temperature, the air-conditioning system will activate its cooling function. In addition, fresh air is drawn into the station platforms and train compartments through the ventilation system to ensure airflow.

According to the Operating Agreement signed between the Government and MTRCL, the Corporation is required to monitor the environmental conditions (including temperature) throughout the enclosed areas of the railway and provide adequate ventilation facilities. In fact, to maintain the respective average temperature of station platforms and train compartments at 27 and 26 degrees Celsius or below is MTRCL's preset temperature in both summer and winter. This is also one of the items stipulated in the Corporation's pledge for service. According to MTRCL's figures, the Corporation's performance in 2004 as regards average temperature maintained in station platforms and train compartments was 99.3% and 99.9%respectively.

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) commissioned the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2000 to study the air quality in air-conditioned public transport facilities. The study found that the air quality inside air-conditioned public transport facilities in Hong Kong does not pose any alarm of health risk to the users. Based on the findings of the study and after consultation with the two railway companies and professional bodies, EPD issued in November 2003 a set of professional practice notes for managing air quality in air-conditioned railway facilities. The practice notes set out a carbon dioxide standard and provide guidelines on the design, operation and maintenance of the air-conditioned railway facilities, with an objective to encourage railway companies to achieve and maintain a comfortable air quality for passengers. It also recommends a comfortable temperature range for passengers so that railway companies could adjust the temperature range according to the preference of their passengers. Since there is no alarm of health risk to users due to air quality inside air-conditioned public transport facilities in Hong Kong, the practice notes are not monitored by EPD but implemented through the relevant professionals of the two railway Corporations on a self-regulatory basis.


----------



## hkskyline

By *KV149* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## Terrence

hkskyline,

Thanks for your information.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
Enhancement to Ffree Shuttle Bus Service for Holders of Value Added Combo of Ocean Park and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation


----------



## Momo1435

thanks for the pictures by KV149 

This is the best looking train (locomotive) in Hong Kong, nice Italian design and solid Swiss enginering. Althoug I thought that this trains run with a loc on both sides of the train.


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## hkskyline

*地鐵故障困千五客*
02/03/2006

【本報訊】地鐵將軍澳線昨午五時的繁忙時間發生信號故障，來往北角至油塘的列車延至每六分鐘一班，油塘至寶琳更需十五分鐘一班，估計多達一千五百名乘客受影響。列車服務在四十分鐘後回復正常。故障期間將軍澳線月台有大批乘客滯留，他們對地鐵無及早通知表示不滿，地鐵向受影響乘客致歉，受影響乘客在今日起的四日內可於車站的客務中心退款。


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## hkskyline

By *"F光@軍I"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## sfgadv02

Good thing TKO line doesnt have a lot of passengers like the other lines.


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## hkskyline

*地鐵斥億元改善人流 下月動工
太子站建隧道通始創中心*
25/02/2006


















【本報訊】為改善九龍區多個商業區地鐵站繁忙時間水洩不通的苦況，地鐵公司正研究延長或增建旺角、太子、尖沙咀及銅鑼灣等車站的出口，以便將車站出口變成通往區內最具發展潛力地區的必經之路，其中太子站下月起會率先動工，重建最多人使用的聯合廣場出口，斥資約一億元闢建一條地底隧道連接始創中心地庫提高出入口效率，工程預計需時兩年。

地鐵公司鐵路發展及策劃經理梁民發指出，太子站每日平均有十三萬人次出入閘，周六人次更達十五萬，當中六至七成集中在聯合廣場出口，因該出口通往區內最旺區域，令該處特別擠迫，其他商業區例如旺角、尖沙咀及銅鑼灣等車站亦面對同樣情況，故太子站的擴建模式，將可提供樣辦予其他車站參考。

梁民發續稱，地鐵下月起會自太子站興建隧道直接駁入始創中心地庫，工程期間聯合廣場出口要封閉六至八個月，原有出口方向會改向太子道，始創中心亦會在地庫增設出口，駁入橫跨彌敦道的弼街行人隧道。當工程完成後，區內便可增加一條全新的行人通道，減輕路面交通擠迫。

*新發展區擬駁通荔枝角站*
地鐵並計畫於今年底，在荔枝角長荔街地底興建一條隧道，駁通荔枝角站及海旁新發展區，減低新發展區內居民經路面往來地鐵站而引致的交通壓力。梁民發認為，地鐵車站出口若能駁通商業區的主要大廈或商場，肯定可改善路面人車爭路情況，以旺角為例，地鐵就希望可興建隧道拉近舊區與海旁新發展區的距離。


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## gakei

West Kowloon Station - Kowloon Southern Link


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## hkskyline

That's a conservative design, although I like the glass atrium on the Austin Rd. West end.


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## hkskyline

*$7b levy for KCRC Tai Wai land lifts market *
3 March 2006
South China Morning Post

The Lands Department has set a levy of about $7 billion for the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp's Tai Wai maintenance centre residential project, having learned a lesson from the Tuen Mun station tender withdrawal late last year. 

The land premium price was below what the market had expected and welcomed by developers. Surveyors said it set a precedent for residential projects which were the subject of levy negotiations. 

It also shows the Lands Department is finally capable of reacting to falling sales volume and prices since the fourth quarter of last year. 

The KCRC sent the notification of the land premium to developers yesterday. 

The premium, which is being negotiated in two phases, was about $7 billion or $3,200 per square foot for the first phase. The talks for the second phase in package one will be handled by the developer which wins the project. 

The Lands Department imposed a $3.5 billion levy or more than $3,600 per square foot on a KCRC residential project above the Tuen Mun station in December last year. The high premium resulted in only one developer bidding for the project, ultimately forcing KCRC to withdraw the tender. 

Henderson Land Development sales department general manager Tony Tse Wai-chuen said the Tai Wai land premium was reasonable and acceptable compared with the aggressive pricing for the Tuen Mun project. It showed the Lands Department had adjusted the pricing in a sluggish market. 

"We are interested in this project and are going to study the details of the tender," he said. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties director Victor Lui Ting said the premium was reasonable and the company would bid for the project. 

Hang Lung Properties executive director Terry Ng Sze-yuen said: "The group is interested in this project but we have to study the details first. We cannot tell if it is attractive or not with just the land premium pricing." 

Albert So Surveyors managing director Albert So Chun-hin said: "As the land premium pricing for Tuen Mun was more than $3,600 per square foot, we expected the Lands Department to impose a similar levy for Tai Wai, which is in a better location. 

"However, the pricing is lower than expected, which shows the Lands Department has adjusted its pricing following the drop in property prices and the withdrawal of the Tuen Mun project. 

"The developers can make a reasonable profit if the flat prices reach $5,000 to $6,000 per square foot after completion." 

Prices for units in Sha Tin ranged from $3,200 to $5,300 per square foot, said Centaline director Eddie Yuen Shek-cheung. 

The Tai Wai project, at the former bicycle park next to Tai Wai station, comprises 12 residential towers of 4,304 flats with a gross floor area of about 3.66 million square feet. The tender will close on March 17.


----------



## hkskyline

*HK MTRC 2005 Net Profit Seen Up 21% On Ppty Revaluation *
2 March 2006

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong railway operator MTR Corp. (0066.HK) will likely report a 21% rise in 2005 net profit on gains from a revaluation of investment properties and strong growth in residential property sales. 

The average estimate of 11 analysts polled by Thomson Financial put MTR's earnings at HK$5.46 billion for the year ended Dec. 31, 2005, up from HK$4.50 billion the previous year. 

The blue-chip mass transit rail operator with interests in property development and investments is scheduled to report its earnings Tuesday. 

Analysts expect the growth in MTR's net profit to be underpinned by a gain from revaluing investment properties as a result of new accounting standards, which require listed companies to include such gains into their income statement each time they announce earnings. 

MTR, which is 77%-owned by the government, has in its portfolio a number of Hong Kong shopping malls along its urban rail network, as well as stakes in several office buildings, including Hong Kong's tallest building, the International Finance Center II. 

In the first half, the company reported a revaluation gain of HK$1.02 billion in investment properties that benefited from the city's real estate boom. 

The surplus contributed to a surge in first half net profit, which more than doubled to HK$2.61 billion from HK$1.17 billion. Revenue rose 10% on year to HK$4.39 billion. 

"Stripping out the revaluation gain, we expect the company's core profit to grow at about 13% in 2005, due to strong residential property sales and improving rail revenue from higher passenger traffic," said Manfred Ho, an analyst at BOCI Research. 

He said profits from sales of the luxury development "The Arch" should be booked in 2005 instead of 2006, as a result of an earlier completion date. 

The Arch, co-owned with the city's biggest developer by market capitalization, Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016.HK), sold a flat in 2005 at HK$31,000 per square foot, the highest ever in the city's residential market. 

Gains from some earlier property sales would also be incorporated in the 2005 income statement, Ho said, due to a revised regulation that require developers to book gains from property sales only after construction is completed. 

"Higher patronage on MTR's rail network should also have helped boost its bottom line, given that costs remain fixed as fares rose slightly," said Jonas Kan, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Ltd. 

MTR carried 857.9 million passengers on its urban lines last year, up 2.9% from 2004. The company's Airport Express line recorded a 6% rise in patronage. 

However, analysts expect passenger growth in the company's core railway operations to remain sluggish going forward due to slowing population growth in Hong Kong. 

For 2006, profits from MTR's property sales will likely be lower than the 2005 level. 

"Property sales should already have been quite high in 2005, so we expect that to fall a bit this year," said BOCI's Ho. 

But the focus will remain on the proposed merger between MTR and unlisted Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. (KCR.YY), a government-owned intercity rail operator. 

The rail tie-up, which has been in the works for several years, is expected to be finalized soon. The government said late last year that the two rail companies have entered the final stage of discussions on the merger. 

"The merger, in any form, will boost the company's net asset value and profitability, which is positive for MTR's minority shareholders," said Ho. But he added it is still too early to make any forecasts on how the merger might help MTR's earnings.


----------



## hkskyline

*KCR bosses to give staff $1m bonus *
3 March 2006
South China Morning Post

Eight executives of the KCRC have decided to share $1 million of their bonuses with the railway's 6,000 frontline staff. 

The eight management committee executives, including the acting chief executive officer, Samuel Lai Man-ha, were awarded bonuses on Tuesday despite a spate of blunders at the company, including recent equipment failures and the withholding of the details from the government for weeks. The bonuses were heavily criticised by the public and some lawmakers. 

Last night, the company said the executives asked the managing board to reallocate part of their bonuses to all staff. 

According to the employment contracts of the eight, their bonus packages are a percentage of their annual salaries. Depending on their performance, the bonus rises or falls according to a formula. 

As their performance in the past year exceeded targets, the eight received extra bonuses amounting to $1 million, which is what they have asked to pass on to staff. 

No decision has been made on how to allocate the money, but KCR Officers Union chairman Rainbow Lau Choy-hung urged that it be shared evenly. 

"It is not a question of the amount of money," she said. "But then everyone will feel happy if everyone gets some."


----------



## bs_lover_boy

gakei said:


> West Kowloon Station - Kowloon Southern Link



I think this design means it will allow for future develpments on top of the station...


----------



## Mr.JACOB

Tim de Bruijn said:


> It's a bit confusing, all those different railway systems and companies with their own maps. But the stations look modern and comfortable, but empty in the last pics, but I guess pics are not taken in rush hour.


What are u talking about there are only 2 systems KCR and MTR thats it and they arent to big as well so its not confusing at all.


----------



## hkskyline

By *"S3M64~DP2157"* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## scorpion

love those shots~~


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR cuddles up to Network Rail *
Andrew Bolton in Hong Kong 
6 April 2006
New Civil Engineer

HONG KONG subway operator MTR Corporation said last week it was developing ties with Network Rail's property and track maintenance arms, in an effort to improve its prospects of breaking into the British market. 

It is especially keen to work with Network Rail in the south west, where MTR is bidding jointly with GNER for the new train operating franchise. 

Later this month, Network Rail officials are due to travel to Hong Kong to discuss its property development strategy. 

"We are talking to Network Rail about opportunities in a particular British franchise region, for example in property developments, " said MTR international business director Francis Lung. 

Network Rail is looking at a series of developments on land and air rights it owns, and has invited expressions of interest in developments at Euston, Victoria and Guildford stations (NCE 13 October 2005). 

MTR believes it can help Network Rail on property development because has acquired strong skills in this area over the last 30 years. 

It has used revenue from air rights property developments above its stations to pay for new lines in Hong Kong. 

Alongside this MTR also wants to explore ways of better co-ordinating Network Rail's track maintenance with train operations. It hopes to cut disruption to services caused by over-running engineering work. 

It also believes it could work out better ways of identifying track defects early on, to reduce damage to train wheels. 

In Hong Kong MTR operates trains and track and has developed strong working relationships between train and track divisions. 

Station staff are trained to listen for wheel fl ats on trains and are encouraged to report them on a special hot line. 

This allows maintenance teams to quickly identify trains likely to damage track.


----------



## hkskyline

*租賃形式敲定 不炒東鐵員工
兩鐵合併減費不足一成 *
07/04/2006


















【本報訊】特區政府加快兩鐵合併商討，行政會議昨日召開特別會議審議，因多個問題沒解決暫未敲定。據了解，兩鐵合併後，初步車費減幅會低於一成；兩鐵將以租賃安排合併；至於九鐵前線約五千多名員工則獲承諾不裁員。環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬召開內部會議時，力言會「加把勁」，望月內解決合併問題，港府傾向參考過往興建新機場時的模式，先與地鐵簽訂原則性的「兩鐵合併諒解備忘錄」的形式，再諮詢立法會意見，避免立法會成為橡皮圖章、硬啃協議的質疑。

*減費過低合併無意義*
政府基本上已敲定採用出租九鐵營運權予地鐵方式進行兩鐵合併；將來管理集團的地鐵，已承諾合併後首兩年不會裁減前線人員，即九鐵五千八百多名員工中，只有約四百名高級管理人員未獲提供職業保障。至於合併後車費，地鐵預計減幅會遠低於立法會要求的一成，相信長途客及需要轉車的乘客可獲較高減幅。

據悉，政府出租九鐵營運權予地鐵作價是整項兩鐵談判的關鍵，如果作價太低會被立法會批評政府是否在賤賣資產，故此政府與地鐵在九鐵營運權租金及九鐵車站新上蓋發展權作價方面，花了極多時間進行討論。

不過，兩鐵合併車費減幅遠低於一成，引來不少批評，立法會交通事務委員會主席劉江華擔心採用地鐵租九鐵方式節省不多，不能達到議員希望合併後減價一成要求。他說，如果乘客獲益不多，合併便變得意義不大。


----------



## hkskyline

*HK PRESS: Full HK Rail Merger May Be Put Off For 20 Years *
6 April 2006

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--The proposed merger between Hong Kong's two rail operators will involve an asset-leasing arrangement, with a full merger of the two companies put off for 20 years, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. 

Citing sources familiar with the situation, the paper said blue-chip MTR Corp. (0066.HK) would pay HK$6 billion, in addition to annual rent of HK$500 million for the assets of government-owned Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. (KCR.YY), and take over the running of rail services. A decision by the government could come later this month. 

The plan, which was discussed at a special Executive Council meeting Thursday, doesn't involve any transfer of asset ownership, as government officials fear a backlash if they were to sell the KCRC to the MTR immediately, the sources said, according to the report. 

They said the government was concerned that disposing of KCRC's assets at their current value, which is depressed by losses on new lines, could attract criticism that it was selling the assets too cheaply. 

The government hopes to record an additional gain of HK$4 billion from selling KCRC's property assets to the MTR or to other buyers. 

The merger between KCRC and MTR, which is 77%-owned by the government, has been in the works for over two years. The government said late last year the two rail companies had entered the final stage of discussions on the merger, which would reduce inefficiencies that exist between the two operators. 

MTR primarily runs subways in Hong Kong's densely populated urban center, while KCRC runs less-busy commuter rail lines and long-distance routes connecting Hong Kong with mainland Chinese cities. 

Newspaper Web site: http://www.scmp.com


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## hkskyline

*Unions seek secure future for rail staff after merger *
8 April 2006
South China Morning Post

The KCRC and MTR Corp unions yesterday joined forces to urge the government to disclose fully its staffing plans in the proposed merger of the two railways. 

They also sought direct participation in negotiations between the rail operators and the government. 

The joint appeal was issued by the five staff unions of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the MTR Corporation, whose combined membership accounts for more than a third of the 12,000-strong workforce of the two rail companies. 

The unions said they were worried by rumours that the government would guarantee only that there would be no changes to frontline staffing for two years after the merger. They claimed this was a softening of its promise that "frontline staff would not be affected". 

"The government should quickly announce news of the merger and not let rumours fly around," said Federation of Trade Unions legislator Kwong Chi-kin, who acts as the alliance's legal consultant. 

"In particular, it needs to clarify whether there has been any reversal in its stance over the protection of frontline workers," he said. "The notion that frontline staff would not be affected for [only] two years was something that we would oppose fiercely and we hope the government will pay attention to the opinions of the unions." 

Alliance spokesman Ko Pak-kwan, chairman of KCR Workers' Union, said their demands were very simple: there had to be no layoffs whatsoever and the workers had to be treated fairly. 

"All the time, the government has said that frontline staff will not be affected, but how to define frontline staff is something it has not explained," he said. 

The alliance was also concerned about the future of 1,600 KCRC contract employees, most of them working in train maintenance sections, as well as 600 permanent staff who joined the company on civil-service terms.


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## elkram

I'm surprised a city would still make underground stations so dark -- they could've brightened up those walls in the latest shots above.

Does the high ridership figure point to there being a need to have the MTR network pierce more HK neighbourhoods?

Cheers,
Chris


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## hkskyline

The older stations, especially some on the Island line, are darker, but still the lighting is reasonable. They're actually not bad, but taking pictures on those platforms is quite difficult. In fact, the platforms are slightly brighter than Montreal's Metro (I was on it last year). I notice the lighting has improved in stations that have been retrofitted with platform screen doors.

I don't think there is a need to build more lines to boost ridership. Hong Kong is a very centralized city. Building another line a block away is not going to do much, and oftentimes the built-up corridor is only a few blocks deep.


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## ailiton

All those stations have platform screendoors installed already so lighting has already improved.


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## mrmoopt

All stations except the elevated ones or Sunny bay with PSGs


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## bs_lover_boy

elkram said:


> I'm surprised a city would still make underground stations so dark -- they could've brightened up those walls in the latest shots above.
> 
> Does the high ridership figure point to there being a need to have the MTR network pierce more HK neighbourhoods?
> 
> Cheers,
> Chris



I know that from the pictures it looks a bit dark, but once you're inside the platform yourself, you'll find that it's not that dark and the feeling that the platform gives you is very cool!!!


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong MTR Subway Part 2*

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)


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## hkskyline

*HK MTRC Shrs Surge As KCRC Merger Talks Proceed *
10 April 2006
By Jeffrey Ng and Jon Ogden 
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong urban rail operator MTR Corp.'s (0066.HK) shares surged to an all-time intraday high Monday after the company said it is at an "advanced stage" of merger talks with government-owned Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. (KCR.YY) 

MTRC declined to comment on recent press reports about details of the proposed linkup, but investors pushed its shares as high as HK$19.50 in early dealings on speculation the terms will be favorable for the blue-chip operator of Hong Kong's subway trains. 

MTRC finished Hong Kong's morning session at HK$19.40, up 2.7% on the day following gains of 8% last week. 

As is often the case in Hong Kong, real estate could play a role in the market's assessment of the deal. 

Analyst Kevin Yim of Sun Hung Kai Financial Services said speculators are betting MTRC will attain KCRC's real estate in outlying areas of Hong Kong at an attractive price, giving it a "significant" gain in net asset value. 

MTRC issued a public notice Monday about the "advanced stage" of the merger talks, but it declined to comment on local newspaper reports from last week that the proposed merger will first involve an asset-leasing arrangement. 

Newspapers reported a full merger of the two companies will be put off for 20 years because of political pressure regarding the sale of government assets. 

MTRC said Monday it will make further disclosures regarding the merger "at the appropriate time," but reiterated it can give "no assurance that the discussions will result in an agreement in relation to a rail merger." 

The South China Morning Post reported Friday MTRC would pay the government HK$6 billion, in addition to annual rent of HK$500 million for KCRC assets, and take over the running of rail services. It said a decision by the government on the merger could come later this month. 

Yim said the sharp run-up in MTRC's price suggests investors aren't convinced MTRC would have to pay HK$6 billion up front. 

A merger between KCRC and MTRC, which is 77%-owned by the government, has been in the works for more than two years. 

Analysts say that since the deal will require approval from MTRC minority shareholders, it will have to accommodate their interests. 

Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said last month a recent management dispute at KCRC prompted authorities to accelerate the merger talks to eliminate uncertainties for KCRC employees. 

Liao said the proposal to merge the railway operators is expected to be put to legislators for discussion by May, 

The management dispute arose after KCRC's acting Chief Executive Samuel Lai wrote to the board in March complaining about Chairman Michael Tien's leadership style. The dispute ended with Lai's resignation. 

MTRC primarily runs subways in Hong Kong's densely populated urban center, while KCRC runs less-busy commuter rail lines and long-distance routes connecting Hong Kong with mainland Chinese cities.


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## dchengg

When i was in hk, taking the escalator in the hk stations.. why do they beep once in a while?


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## simhks

dchengg said:


> When i was in hk, taking the escalator in the hk stations.. why do they beep once in a while?


I believe its made for blind people.


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## sfgadv02

Yes they are....


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## hkskyline

*HK rail firms unveil $1.5 bln merger *
By Alison Leung 

HONG KONG, April 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's two railway operators, MTR Corp. and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp., on Tuesday unveiled a $1.5 billion pact to merge their rail and property businesses after years of politically charged wrangling. 

The government had approved a proposal to merge the operations of MTRC and KCRC -- both of which are government controlled -- over the course of a year, hoping to trim operating costs and make them more efficient. 

But that came after months of intense market speculation that had coloured the stop-and-go merger plan, broached years ago but hampered by fears of job losses, criticism over the inadequacy of savings, and other issues. 

MTRC is now set to win monopoly rail-operator rights in the city for a one-off payment of HK$12.04 billion ($1.55 billion) -- comprising a lower-than-expected HK$4.25 billion to lease KCRC's rail system and HK$7.79 billion to buy its property investment, development and management business. 

MTRC, whose silver trains are synonymous with downtown Hong Kong, will also pay a higher-than-expected HK$750 million in annual rent to use KCRC's network in the northern part of the territory for half a century. 

Government officials said that if annual network leasing fees, profit-sharing and other matters were factored in, the overall cost of the deal would range between HK$30 billion and HK$56.5 billion -- less than the HK$60 billion it had ploughed into KCRC over the years. 

Under the deal, the government would start sharing with MTRC profits from the operation of KCRC's former rail operations from the fourth year after the merger, taking between 10 and 35 percent, based on revenues. 

Transport Secretary Sarah Liao outlined imminent reductions of 5-10 percent in ticket prices, a move expected to hurt revenue in the short term. 

Liao added that fares would be linked to inflation in future, abolishing the companies' right to fix fares. 

Some analysts expressed doubt over the touted benefits of the deal, which include cost savings. 

"Typically, mergers remove competition and hence provide pricing power. No cigar however, as the government wants fare concessions," investment bank CLSA wrote in a report on Monday, adding a 10 percent fare cut implied lost revenue of up to HK$1 billion. 

"There is still some potential political risk," Tai Fook Securities sales director Andrew To said, adding politicians might try to protect shareholders' and employees' interests. 

SELL ON GOOD NEWS? 

MTRC executives said the firm would not sell shares but instead issue debt, while striving to keep its gearing ratio below 60 percent versus about 40 percent at the end of 2005. 

The government said the merger, which would "affect" up to 700 jobs, would take at least a year to complete. 

Shares of MTRC eased 1.5 percent to HK$19.60 in the first half-hour of trade on Tuesday before being suspended. But the stock posted a record high of HK$20 on Monday and had risen 28.5 percent so far this year on hopes of the merger, outperforming the Hang Seng Index's <.HSI> gain of 10 percent. 

MTR's 2014 bonds <XS0184198157=DBAB> had held steady at 75/71 basis points over U.S. Treasuries. 

"The news is positive to MTR but I will recommend selling the stock on good news as the current price level is high," To said. 

The merger proposal needs to be approved by Hong Kong lawmakers and MTRC shareholders. 

MTRC operates the city's sole subway network, while KCRC manages a network linking the city with areas in the New Territories, north of central Hong Kong. (Additional reporting by Daisy Ku)


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## hkskyline

*HK Govt To Lease KCRC Assets to MTRC In Merger *
11 April 2006
By Jeffrey Ng and Jon Ogden 
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong's government unveiled plans Tuesday for merging the city's two railway networks, in a deal that became so politicized it took two years to reach and is expected to take another year to finish. 

The tie-up involves blue-chip MTR Corp. (0066.HK) leasing the assets of government-owned Kowloon Canton Railway Corp. (KCR.YY) for a period of 50 years, and is renewable when that contract expires, the government said. 

MTRC, which is 77%-owned by the government, will pay HK$4.25 billion upfront and HK$750 million annually to lease KCRC's rail services, in addition to variable annual payments based on the revenues from KCRC's rail operations. 

The government will also sell property development rights along KCRC's network to MTRC for HK$7.79 billion. MTRC said the deal will be funded internally, as well as from bank borrowings. 

"The merger will reduce duplication and enhance efficiency of Hong Kong's rail network," Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao told reporters Tuesday. "We believe this is a fair and a balanced deal which balances the interests of all stakeholders." 

Liao said the deal will take at least another year to complete pending both legislative and minority shareholder approval. 

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters earlier Tuesday that the deal will "bring tremendous benefits to the community." 

MTRC primarily operates the subway network in Hong Kong's densely populated urban center, while KCRC runs commuter rail lines and long-distance routes connecting Hong Kong with cities in southern China. 

The merger had been in the works for over two years amid intense political pressures against the sale of government assets below what lawmakers consider an appropriate price. In the end, the administration opted for an asset-leasing agreement instead of an all-out sale of KCRC's assets. 

"The leasing agreement (instead of an asset sale) makes the deal more acceptable politically" and increases the chance that it will be approved by the legislature, said Manfred Ho, an analyst at BOCI Research. 

MTRC Chairman Raymond Ch'ien said the merged rail network could realize savings of about HK$400 million to HK$500 million a year, thus allowing fares to be cut by as much as 10% on some routes. 

Merger Of Rail Network To Be Earnings Accretive For MTRC 

Analysts said the merger should boost MTRC's profitability going forward. "It will enhance return on assets, particularly if MTRC can streamline the efficiency of KCRC's operations," said Louis Wong, research director of Phillip Securities. 

MTRC shareholders will be relieved the company isn't having to shoulder the cost of acquiring KCRC's railway assets, added Wong. 

Credit Suisse analyst Gary Chan said in a note after the government approved the merger that the deal is a "favorable value proposition to MTRC." 

On the surface, the terms of the deal don't look attractive. KCRC reported a net profit of HK$429 million in 2004, its last reported earnings, much lower than the HK$750 million a year MTRC will be paying to lease the railway assets. But the earnings were depressed by heavy depreciation costs on KCRC's newly completed railway networks, said analysts. 

They said MTRC will be able to extract a much higher return in terms of the operating cash-flow on KCRC's railway assets, while leaving KCRC to bear the depreciation burden of its new rail networks. Currently, KCRC has HK$19.7 billion in outstanding debt. 

In 2004, KCRC's operating profit before depreciation totaled HK$2.17 billion, down from HK$2.30 billion the previous year. The company said it will release 2005 figures later this month. 

MTRC's shareholders will probably be in favor of the property development aspect of the deal, analysts said. 

The company has the rights to develop eight property projects along KCRC's various rail lines and could mimic MTRC's successful business model of reaping sizable profits from residential complexes along its existing network. 

But MTRC's share price may not move much higher from the record closing high of HK$19.90 Monday when it resumes trading as early as Wednesday, said Phillip Securities' Wong. 

"The stock price has already moved ahead of the merger that has already been rumored for so long." 

MTRC now looks fully priced at 20 times this year's expected earnings against the Hong Kong stock market's valuation of 14 times forward earnings. 

Shares of blue-chip MTRC were suspended from trading mid-session Tuesday morning ahead of the merger announcement. They last traded down 1.5% at HK$19.60.


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## hkth

*Railway Merging in Hong Kong*

From news.gov.hk:
Railway merger proposal gets green light

Railway merger proposal strikes balance


More merging news can be found on the MTR and KCR's Press Releases. :|


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## hkskyline

There is already a thread about this :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=337079


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## jeremy1897

samsonyuen said:


> That's great, why didn't it happen earlier?


It came mainly as a result of the public pressure to bring fare down in recent years, and the government sees the merger a possible way of cutting cost. Before Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, nobody would care about the steady rise in fare (bus and rail) when property price was surging 50% a year. In years when income and price of everything drops significantly, expenditure on transportation seriously take up a sizeable portion of many family's income. With a combined management, and with a larger economy of scale, some overhead may be brought down.

Also, i personally think the Shatin-Central Link as a catalyst of the merger. The KCRC traditionally operates railway lines that connects suburban to urban (East Rail, West Rail), and was thus presumed to be a suburban railway operator. Some years ago, the HK government invites tenders from MTR and KCRC to bid for the Shatin-Central Link, which is effectively an estension of KCRC's Ma On Shan's line to the heart of HK. The line was granted to KCRC, making the position of KCRC as suburban railway blurred. If KCRC gonna run an urban line anyway, why couldn't it be combined with MTR? The fact that there are two CEO taking US$1m a year doing something similar doesn't make too much sense.

To hkskyline: I do it on purpose in order to catch the attention of those who do not usually follow the HK's thread to this big news for both HK and transportion.


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## hkth

RTHK news:
*KCRC accused of lack of transparency over redundancy issue** 2006-04-15 HKT 23:29* 

The KCRC Workers' Union has accused the rail company of not providing clear information over possible redundancies which may stem from its future merger with the Mass Transit Railway Corporation. Union chairman, Ko Po-kwan, said many workers were concerned they would be classified as non-frontline workers, thereby losing job security the K-C-R-C has promised. The union's launched a signature campaign to gauge members' opinions. The K-C-R-C and the M-T-R-C, in their announcement of a merger deal said that while all frontline staff would be retained, up to seven hundred other jobs would have to be slashed. But they believed the effects would be offset by some thirteen hundred jobs to be created for new development projects.


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## hkskyline

12 April 2006 
*West Rail’s signalling failure at Tai Lam Tunnel*
Corporate Press Release

The signalling system of KCR West Rail at Tai Lam Tunnel failed at 11:09am this morning. During the incident, the journey time between Nam Cheong Station and Tuen Mun Station was extended by 10-20 minutes and the service frequency was maintained at 8-15 minutes.

The initial investigation result reveals that a power component supplying electricity for the signalling system at the Tai Lam Tunnel section failed. KCRC is looking into the cause of the failure jointly with the supplier. Following urgent repairs, the signalling system failure was fixed at 11:51am and normal West Rail service was resumed.

KCRC would like to extend its apology to the affected passengers and had reported the incident to the concerned governmental departments.


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## hkskyline

*Critics warn of fare rises for travelers *
Jonathan Cheng 
17 April 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Tying subway fares to inflation indicators may leave travelers vulnerable to unchecked fare increases in coming years, critics of last week's merger between the city's two mass transit operators said. 

Speaking on RTHK's City Forum program at Victoria Park, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, the spokesman of the Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities, expressed fears Sunday the merged railway company could increase fares more drastically than citizens could bear. 

Under the terms of the merger between the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp and the MTR Corp, fares will not go up for the next two years, but after that, they will be determined by a formula that factors in inflation indicators such as the consumer price index. 

"We're afraid that after two years, the fares are just going to keep on going up and up,'' said Tsoi, who called the two-year freeze on fare increases "a taste of sweetness before the bitterness sets in.'' 

He added: "We find it very strange the government doesn't consider following the bus company's lead, which just uses these inflation factors as a starting point. 

"[The bus] fares will ultimately be determined by other factors, like how much the public can bear, and how much money the corporation is making.'' But government officials speaking at the forum called the current proposed mechanism reasonable, saying it will offer Hong Kong residents transparency and security. 

"This is a system that everyone can rely on,'' said Patrick Ho Chong-kee, deputy secretary for transport of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau. The deal will also give the MTRC operating rights of the KCRC system for 50 years, as well as development rights over eight lucrative KCRC-controlled properties. 

Tsoi bashed both of these terms as gifts in a deal heavily slanted in favor of the MTRC. 

Tsoi and City University of Hong Kong professor Li Kui-wai called the 50-year operating period "far too long'' and out of line with terms governing Kowloon Motor Bus and Hong Kong's two power companies. 

Li also attacked the government for trying to bury the property development details within the terms of the deal. 

But Ho rejected those charges, saying the deal is reasonable and fairly constructed. 

"If this deal only benefited one of the two parties, there's no possibility that it would go through the Legislative Council or the minority shareholders,'' he said. 

Ho also rebuffed Tsoi's suggestion that the operating rights should last no longer than 20 years, saying railway investment was much higher, and the return on investment much longer, than those in the bus-operating business. 

Ko Pak-kwun, a union leader for rail workers, said he was concerned the new company will change terms of employment after the merger is complete, affecting the livelihood of workers.


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## hkskyline

*MTR signals crackdown on offenders*
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Sweet talk and kind words did not work, so the Mass Transit Railway has decided to hit commuters where it hurts - in the pocket.

Starting Thursday, its "customer care team" are authorized to stop and prosecute commuters who eat or drink on trains or stations, rush into cars when doors are closing or who obstruct passageways with oversized luggage.

MTR's public relations manager, Helen Cheung Yuen-ling, said Sunday the company had tried the more caring, educational and friendly approach to encourage commuters to observe the rules by setting up a customer care team in mid-January.

The team found 8,000 cases of passengers misbehaving, 70 percent of whom ate or drank on trains or in paid areas of stations. Giving them warnings or reminders failed to have any effect.

The company has now told the team to become more aggressive in catching and prosecuting anyone who violates the rules. Under MTR by-laws, anyone caught eating or drinking on trains is liable to be prosecuted with a maximum penalty of a HK$2,000 fine.


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## hkth

KCRC News Release:
KCRC re-invites expressions of interests for Tuen Mun property development project


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## hkskyline

*Shenzhen rail dream revealed *
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Hong Kong Standard

MTR Corp chairman Raymond Chi'en Kuo-fung said Tuesday commuters could be shuttling between Shenzhen north and Hong Kong south soon.

Speaking in Shenzhen before the launch of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Investment Alliance, Chi'en also said that many mainland city governments are now discussing with the MTRC ways in which they could co-operate.

He said the competitive power of the MTRC would become more significant once the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp merger became a reality.

Since the move will incorporate KCRC's status as a regional rail network into the MTR Corp, it's possible that within 10 years of the merger there may be a direct rail service between Shenzhen and Hong Kong Island.

"We have a 10-year vision. We hope to provide passengers with a direct train service from northern Shenzhen to southern Hong Kong Island. It will be part of MTR Corp's one-stop services of the future," Chi'en said.

MTR Corp last May announced an investment of six billion yuan (HK$5.8 billion) in the construction of phase 2 of Shenzhen Metro Route 4.

When the 16.5-kilometer extension starts operating between Longhua new town and the Huanggang borderpoint in 2009, passengers will be able to take a direct train to Hong Kong.


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## hkskyline

*Only in HK can trains fail like this - Rail equipment problems are unique: KCRC chief executive *
19 April 2006
South China Morning Post

An internal investigation by the KCRC has found that an equipment failure plaguing its East Rail operation was due to uncommon circumstances and was unique to Hong Kong. 

KCRC chief executive James Blake, who has spent the Easter holiday studying the technical report, said the cracks discovered in the welding of 258 train components were caused by circumstances that did not occur often in railway systems in other parts of the world. 

The problem was unique to Hong Hong and was the result of "a combination of circumstances which are not common", he told journalists yesterday. 

The report concluded the problem was "preventable in the future", Mr Blake said. He said the corporation was putting final touches to the report, which he hoped could be made public within 10 days. 

On December 21, the KCRC discovered faults in equipment mounting compressors onto trains. Nylon belts were used to stop the compressors falling off. It took two weeks for the corporation to report this to its chairman, Michael Tien Puk-sun, and another day for the government to be informed. 

Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, the chairman of a five-man independent panel appointed to review the report, said he agreed that the problem was "preventable in the future {hellip} When we know the root of the problem, of course we can rectify it." 

He stopped short of disclosing the root causes of the mistakes, but in an interview with the South China Morning Post in February he said the KCRC should implement new inspection procedures for its rolling stock to ensure any newly fractured components were detected early. 

In routine checks, KCRC workers are not required to test every train component but to perform random checks - on only one component in every four carriages. 

"In a sampling inspection, there is a chance that workers miss the one with cracks and thus fail to discover the problem," he said. 

Maintenance workers did not notice more than 250 cracks in the welding until a mounting device of a compressor snapped on December 21, prompting the use of an advanced inspection method that ascertained the scale of the problem. 

After approval by the review panel, the report will require endorsement by the government before being sent to the KCRC's managing board for discussion. Only then would it be made public, probably by Mr Tien, Mr Blake said. 

The report will stress that despite the problems, at no point "was public safety compromised".


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## herenthere

Hi everyone,
I have been reading through this one entire thread for a long time and I can't believe there are so many other ppl who admire HK's transit systems! I've actually learned a lot from the messages, and have also made me miss it, having gone last year to HK. Thanks for all the info!
One thing though, somewhere earlier in the original thread, someone said that they "cleaned [the stations] up after the SARS outbreak". Does that mean b4 the stations were dreary and don't have newer items like the tiles and coherent signs?


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## superchan7

Hong Kong MTR's stations have always looked the same. Recent renovations and the installation of automated platform barriers are not related to the SARS crisis.

The signage has always been uniform and was upgraded to newer, larger signs at some point in the past 15 years.


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## herenthere

Oh thanks for clarifying!


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## hkskyline

*Critics rail against plans to link HK, Guangzhou *
Andrea Chiu
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, April 22, 2006

Legislators have strongly objected to the government's plans to link Kowloon to Guangzhou through the existing KCRC West Rail, arguing it is inconvenient, economically impractical and incomplete.

Democratic Party chief Lee Wing- tat said the government's proposal does not include financial rates of return nor an indication of the total cost. "This entire project is unacceptable," he said.

At a meeting of the Legislative Council's subcommittee on matters relating to the railway system, the government said Friday it favored developing the much-anticipated Express Rail Link on a shared corridor and not a dedicated one.

Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Thomas Chow Tat-ming told the meeting that the capital costs of the shared corridor option will be significantly lower than that for a dedicated corridor.

He estimated the service will initially handle 50,000 passengers a day but that this number will grow in tandem with the development of the Pearl River Delta.

Chow said the government anticipated eventually developing a dedicated corridor around 2030.

The Executive Council gave its approval for the project in February but legislative councillors have been more critical of the plan.

Democrat Andrew Cheng Kar-foo questioned the need for the government to spend billions of dollars twice if it anticipates there will be no demand for a dedicated rail system until 2030.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Lau Kong- wah said: "I'm worried that if growth in the mainland is very rapid, we may have to provide another rail service or network."

The lawmakers said that instead of starting off with a shared rail system, it will be better to develop a dedicated corridor from the beginning.

In its report to the subcommittee, the government estimated a dedicated track will cost about 1.5 times more than a shared track. It said the difference will be several billion dollars though it did not give a figure.

The major component of the dedicated corridor will be a 30-kilometer tunnel. If built, the tunnel will be among the longest in the world.

Chow said the shared track option had an economic internal rate of return of about 17 percent while the dedicated track had a return of 15 percent. But legislators said these figures were inconclusive.

Regardless of which option is ultimately adopted, the KCRC has already asked the government for financial support.

Song Dong Wook, assistant professor in transport and logistics management at Hong Kong University, said the government likely opted for the shared corridor because it is less risky. "If the trains share a track, it might be less risky, but at the same time less profitable," he said.

Although a dedicated corridor is financially riskier, and a 30km tunnel has a greater environmental impact, Song said he supported it over a shared corridor. He said there is the demand for an express route and a dedicated track will be more convenient.

If the Express Rail Link shares a track, a trip from West Kowloon to the boundary will take 25 minutes. A more direct route on a dedicated corridor will be reduced to 13 minutes.

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will allow passengers to travel from West Kowloon to Shibi in Guangzhou in 60 minutes on a shared track, and 48 minutes on a dedicated track.

Both tracks cut traveling time from the one hour and 40 minutes trip on the current Kowloon-Guangdong train.

The express trains will depart from a new station in West Kowloon and travel to the Kam Sheung Road station using the KCRC's West Rail tracks, continue north on the Northern Link tracks and travel to Shibi on a new track. From there, travelers will be able to connect to the national rail system.

The earliest possible completion date for the express rail is 2013 for the shared corridor and 2014 for the dedicated corridor.


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## vibs89

Wow Man. Amazing stuff. I would like to visit there once hopefully near future. My father has already been there though. I hope we have Suburban trains in Mumbai, India. I just hope they have in near future.


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## hkskyline

*屯門站項目總投資料80億 *
22/04/2006










因補地價過高，去年「流標」收場的九鐵屯門站上蓋項目，昨正式邀請發展商遞交次輪意向書。據九鐵新近給予發展商的小冊子中顯示，九鐵期望經覆核後的補地價可於未來兩個月內初步回覆發展商，該項目最新估計的總投資額由之前的95億至100億元，大幅減少15至20%，至逾80億元，按項目總樓面面積約 155.7萬方呎計算，即每方呎成本約5,200元；而測量界預期，新批出補地價金額較之前調低15至20%，方可吸引發展商入標。

市場人士稱，該項目上一次每方呎補地價3,500至3,600元，若是次補地價金額能再調低，項目將對發展商具吸引性。

*補地價料調低近兩成*
會德豐地產董事黃光耀表示，集團會詳細研究，至於一次過或分期繳付補地價，仍未有定案，況且日後的招標文件內容亦是另一個決定性因素。基營業部總經理謝偉銓則指出，集團將視乎補地價金額才決定競投與否；而新鴻基地產早前則表明對項目感興趣。

市場人士稱，九鐵今次調整項目總投資金額至逾80億元，較之前估算的95億至100億元，大幅減少15億至20億元，估計與補地價金額將會調低有關。中原測量師行聯席董事周文略認為，有關補地價金額相信要調低15至20%，才能吸引更多發展商參與競投。

*區內放盤叫價加8%*
至於區內市況，中原營業董事方啟明指出，屯門站重邀發展意向，對區內整體規劃及居民住屋環境將帶來正面影響，屯門市中心主要大型屋苑如屯門市廣場及時代廣場等，業主取態強硬，個別業主調高叫價5至8%放售，亦有收窄議價空間，現時平均呎價約2,000至2,500元水平。


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## hkskyline

*KCRC vows to prosecute East Rail shortcut users *
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, April 24, 2006

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation will prosecute any passengers who try to take shortcuts across the tracks on its East Rail line as the number of such incidents continues to rise.

The company said Sunday it will enforce bylaws allowing for the prosecution of such trespassers.

The operator of the rail line from Hong Kong to the mainland attributed the rise in trespassing in part to the growing number of mainland visitors, many of whom might not know it was illegal to cross the tracks, said Alex Lau Hing-hon, the railway's safety and quality control manager. "Most of those caught crossing the tracks are taking a shortcut to get to the opposite platform, and seem to have no knowledge of the bylaw."

The company will boost its public messages about the illegality of trespassing in the coming fortnight. After that, all trespassers will be prosecuted.

The rail operator said there were 27 cases of trespassing on tracks in 2003, 35 in 2004, 37 last year, and nine in the first three months this year.

In all except the two most recent cases, offenders received verbal warnings.

Out of the nine cases so far this year, four involved tourists from the mainland.

Trespassers face a maximun penalty of up to HK$5,000 in fines and six months in prison.

The KCRC also said Sunday it is considering installing one-meter high screen doors on stations to deal with the problem more effectively.

According to government figures, six people fell accidentally on to the tracks in 2003, five each in 2004 and 2005, and two this year.

There were also three attempted suicides in 2003, and six each in 2004 and 2005.

Deaths resulting from accidental or intentional falls totaled two in 2003, five in 2004 and four in 2005.

KCRC services were disrupted, and the company severely criticized by legislators, earlier this year when an Indonesian tourist was found walking along the line between the Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui East stations.

But Lau said there remained some technical difficulties in installing the doors. "Screen doors cannot be installed too close to the edge of the platforms, because the trains from the mainland are slighter wider than KCRC trains," he said.

The curved platforms, especially those at Mong Kok and University stations, will require a bigger gap between the screen doors and the trains, which might endanger the safety of boarding and alighting passengers.

The company is learning from the experiences of rail operators in Japan and South Korea, which have installed retractable boards to fill in the gap between the platforms and the trains, a KCRC spokesman said.

But again, as the trains from the mainland are larger and the retractable boards are still on trials in Japan and Korea, the company may have to wait some time for a solution, the spokesman said.


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## sfgadv02

Wow, are they that lazy to just go down the escalator and take it back up? Better safe than sorry, I mean seriously, how many *seconds* can you possibly save? Even when you are at the platform, you still have to wait for the train anyway.


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## AG

Hong Kong people are like that. They'll even run for the doors when they begin to close when trains are about to depart, even though they run every 2-4 minutes depending on the time of day.


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## mrmoopt

hkskyline said:


> *KCRC vows to prosecute East Rail shortcut users *
> Wendy Leung
> Hong Kong Standard
> Monday, April 24, 2006
> 
> The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation will prosecute any passengers who try to take shortcuts across the tracks on its East Rail line as the number of such incidents continues to rise.
> 
> The company said Sunday it will enforce bylaws allowing for the prosecution of such trespassers.
> 
> The operator of the rail line from Hong Kong to the mainland attributed the rise in trespassing in part to the growing number of mainland visitors, many of whom might not know it was illegal to cross the tracks, said Alex Lau Hing-hon, the railway's safety and quality control manager. "Most of those caught crossing the tracks are taking a shortcut to get to the opposite platform, and seem to have no knowledge of the bylaw."
> 
> The company will boost its public messages about the illegality of trespassing in the coming fortnight. After that, all trespassers will be prosecuted.
> 
> The rail operator said there were 27 cases of trespassing on tracks in 2003, 35 in 2004, 37 last year, and nine in the first three months this year.
> 
> In all except the two most recent cases, offenders received verbal warnings.
> 
> Out of the nine cases so far this year, four involved tourists from the mainland.
> 
> Trespassers face a maximun penalty of up to HK$5,000 in fines and six months in prison.
> 
> The KCRC also said Sunday it is considering installing one-meter high screen doors on stations to deal with the problem more effectively.
> 
> According to government figures, six people fell accidentally on to the tracks in 2003, five each in 2004 and 2005, and two this year.
> 
> There were also three attempted suicides in 2003, and six each in 2004 and 2005.
> 
> Deaths resulting from accidental or intentional falls totaled two in 2003, five in 2004 and four in 2005.
> 
> KCRC services were disrupted, and the company severely criticized by legislators, earlier this year when an Indonesian tourist was found walking along the line between the Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui East stations.
> 
> But Lau said there remained some technical difficulties in installing the doors. "Screen doors cannot be installed too close to the edge of the platforms, because the trains from the mainland are slighter wider than KCRC trains," he said.
> 
> The curved platforms, especially those at Mong Kok and University stations, will require a bigger gap between the screen doors and the trains, which might endanger the safety of boarding and alighting passengers.
> 
> The company is learning from the experiences of rail operators in Japan and South Korea, which have installed retractable boards to fill in the gap between the platforms and the trains, a KCRC spokesman said.
> 
> But again, as the trains from the mainland are larger and the retractable boards are still on trials in Japan and Korea, the company may have to wait some time for a solution, the spokesman said.


Another reason and another way to indicate that mainland Chinese people have no respect for law and are stupid.

Not all of them are but majority are rude and foul. this is from personal experience but I'm sure I've yet to meet the ones who are nice.


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
KCRC net profit after tax drops 38.2%


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## hkth

RTHK News:
*Welding and vibrations blamed for KCR problems** 2006-05-03 HKT 15:04 *

An internal investigation by the KCRC has blamed welding imperfections and excessive vibration for a spate of problems on Eastrail earlier this year. In a statement, the company's chairman Michael Tien said the problems arose when trains were travelling at 70 to 90 kilometres per hour. The report did not blame anyone for the cracks found in the undercarriage of trains. The KCRC also stressed that passenger safety was never at risk.


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## hkth

RTHK News:
*KCR to replace 36% of Eastrail track* 2006-05-03 HKT 18:39 

The KCRC's chief executive, James Blake, says 36 percent of the Eastrail track will have to be replaced, following the discovery earlier this year of fractures in the undercarriage of many trains. A report put together by the corporation found that sections of the track had minute undulations which contributed to the problem. Mr Blake said several remedial measures were planned - including track replacement.


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## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Tracks, welding behind KCR problems: report

Rail incident review panel formed


The Whole Report can refer here. :|


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## superchan7

That's what they SAY. =P


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## AG

One of the most common sounds at any MTR station, the sound of Octopus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDut7mAndM&search=hong kong


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## hkth

KCRC Press Release:

Liu Tung Mui's art pieces on display at KCR Art Corner

12 developers show interest in the Tuen Mun property development project


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## allurban

I have always been impressed with the interchange system used on the Hong Kong MTR.

It is so easy to simply cross the platform to change trains...remarkably convenient for the passengers, especially elderly and less abled.

I am also impressed by the route maps, with the lights and the information they provide.

I was in HK last week and boarded the Tung Chung line. The trains of the Tung Chung line are a different design (ADTranz), with different route map design as well.

I believe that the Tung Chung line trains are the same company as the airport express line trains. Am I correct?

Now that bombardier has taken over ADTranz, Bombardier can now offer a design that is competitive with the Siemens and Alstom designs.

Gangways between cars...are an extremely valuable feature for safety, security, and convenience of use. 

Cheers, m


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## AG

It's quite easy to have the cross platform interchanges at stations set up because there isn't a single route that crosses over any other route underground on the MTR network (except when running parallel between some places such as Mongkok and Prince Edward, and Yau Tong and Tiu Keng Leng). It's pretty convenient and minimises congestion of passengers within the interchange stations as seen in other cities.


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## hkth

RTHK news:
*KCRC says faulty rails had complied with safety standards** 2006-05-06 HKT 12:06* 

The KCRC's senior transport director Li Yan-tai has said the railway's flawed East rail tracks were delivered in 1998 - before more stringent international standards came into place. Speaking in a special legco meeting, he said the tiny ripples or undulations found on the rails - which may have caused welding cracks under KCR trains - had complied with safety standards at the time. He added that the flaws were so small they couldn't be detected by using normal equipment. Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of legco's transport panel Andrew Cheng has criticised the KCRC's recent report as being too technical. He also said the government should set up a special body to better monitor the rail operator in future. 



*KCRC to spend 100 million dollars improving East rail trains** 2006-05-06 HKT 14:08* 

The Chief Executive of the KCRC James Blake has said the railway will carry out major improvement works costing over one hundred million dollars on its East rail trains. Mr. Blake was speaking during a special legco meeting this morning into the KCRC's recent report into welding cracks on its carriages. Appearing before legislators at a special transport panel meeting - the KCRC chief James Blake pledged to upgrade all 348 of the KCR's East Rail train carriages in response to its recent internal report into how large cracks had appeared in the welding under a number of East rail trains. Mr Blake said the KCR would spend over 300 thousand dollars on overhauling each carriage, at a total cost of over 110 million dollars. He stressed however this cost wouldn't be shouldered by passengers. He added the KCRC would now seek to find staff who should be held accountable for the problems in light of the report's findings.


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## herenthere

Sometime ago in this thread, someone said that MTR might be installing Platform Screen Gates (PSGs) on at grade or above ground stations. Are they still considering that? I believe that is pointless since if Platform Screen Doors (PSD) are installed instead, the indoor environment would be more comfortable and safety would be enhanced. When I went back to HK last summer, the stations at Heng Fa Chuen and Chai Wan were extremely humid and hot. I think the only reason they would not install PSDs was if the station was not equipped with A/C.
One more thing: How many MTR stations are above ground? Before I saw pictures of some trains pulling up to doorless platforms, I always praised MTR since I thought practically all of their stations were underground, which would allow for greater flexibility in constrution and also more space for urban development.


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## superchan7

Half-height gates are not approved yet, still being "considered." So far I have not heard of any official plan to implement them throughout the network. Exposed stations such as Kwai Hing, Kwai Fong, Chai Wan, Heng Fa Chuen, etc. are always going to be humid and hot as long as it is humid and hot outside. Sealing them to make "indoor" environments would be prohibitively expensive. One thing about gates is that they cannot provide 100% suicide prevention.

The underground PSD installation is almost complete. New ceiling trim is still missing from some stations.

KCR has also been considering gates at its East Rail stations. I think putting them on MOS rail would be good, too, but I think KCR will want to wait until demand rises and put the optimal number of doors.


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## sfgadv02

True, but why didnt they just install them when they were building the station?


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## allurban

superchan7 said:


> Half-height gates are not approved yet, still being "considered." So far I have not heard of any official plan to implement them throughout the network.


I have seen half height gates on the Tung Chung Line, as well as on the new Disney line....no chance to see the KwunTong line tho.

This was at the beginning of May 06.

Cheers, m


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## superchan7

My mistake, I meant retrofitting such gates onto the rest of the network. Yes, the only two stations that have them are Sunny Bay and Disneyland. They came equipped with them.


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## allurban

superchan7 said:


> My mistake, I meant retrofitting such gates onto the rest of the network. Yes, the only two stations that have them are Sunny Bay and Disneyland. They came equipped with them.


My view is that they are helpful alternatives to the full PSD...

A major advantage of the PSG is that they can reduce suicides by preventing people from standing close to the platform and/or behind the station wall...

Perhaps a full-height glass wall at the station wall entrance, plus the PSGs, would be an effective prevention measure...when a full PSD is not possible. 

The Disney and Sunny Bay Stations also have a white-gloved, red shirted platform attendant who helpfully shoos you away from the PSG and back behind the yellow line.........

I suppose thats better than being cautioned by the fully armed security guard in the Bangkok Metro 

Cheers, m


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## AG

A new movie has been released, it's called "The Sound of MTR":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEs4yB63U5I&search=MTR


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## hkth

MTR Press Releases:
MTR Sunny Bay Station Wins HKIA Annual Merit Award

MTR's Sustainability Report named one of the Best by ACCA


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## dchengg

AG said:


> A new movie has been released, it's called "The Sound of MTR":
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEs4yB63U5I&search=MTR



that song was made by a Hong Kong radio station DJ and it really follows every single station


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## dchengg

The screen doors were made maybe because to prevent people falling into the tracks. and plus.. what would the screen doors do to prevent from sars..


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## Manila-X

dchengg said:


> The screen doors were made maybe because to prevent people falling into the tracks. and plus.. what would the screen doors do to prevent from sars..


SARS is gone in HK but god willing it won't happen again.

As for the PSDs, were there cases of people falling off the platform the past years before the PSDs were installed?


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## ailiton

dchengg said:


> The screen doors were made maybe because to prevent people falling into the tracks. and plus.. what would the screen doors do to prevent from sars..


No, the PSDs were installed mainly to prevent the cooler air from escaping the platforms.


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## AG

I have uploaded three more videos from my Hong Kong trip:

Train Arriving at Central (on platform):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2846017958994994576

Train Departing from Central (on train):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7248273917293343217

Train Departing Wan Chai (on train):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8935385950400884678

I have one more video to upload at Admiralty.


----------



## hkskyline

*KCRC vows to put end to East Rail track woes *
4 May 2006
South China Morning Post

The KCRC has promised that track unevenness blamed for putting excessive stress on the components of East Rail trains will be eliminated. 

Track purchases for lines now follow a new, European standard that will prevent the imperfections that place stress on train components. 

Senior director of capital projects Lee Kang-kuen said track unevenness such as that on East Rail was thought to have a greater impact on high-speed trains than on the medium-speed units used by the KCRC, but perceptions had changed. 

"In the past 10 years, the industry has become aware that [unevenness] might actually be a problem, so back in early 2000 they worked out a draft of the standard and put some specification on undulations. As a result, an international standard based on the European standard was published in 2004," he said. 

Chief executive James Blake said the problem would not recur because since 2004 all track for new projects had been required to comply with the new European standard. This could not be done earlier as the detailed requirements were not available. 

Investigations into the fractures found on 258 East Rail train components blamed welding imperfections and unevenness found on 36 per cent of the rail track as the causes of the problem. 

The batch of faulty track was bought in 1998 and 1999 under a track-renewal programme. Although the faulty rails had undulations of less than 1 millimetre in every 3.1-metre length, their irregular shape had created a springboard effect on the trains and imposed stresses double what the suspension system could bear. 

This placed excessive stress on the trains' underframes, and this in turn affected the substandard welding. 

Mr Lee said the supplier, which the KCRC has declined to identify, had provided rail tracks and rolling stock to other rail lines but the problems were encountered only on East Rail. 

Senior transport director Li Yun-tai said the unevenness could appear during manufacturing or be caused by persistent interaction between train wheels and the rail track. No irregularities had been identified in the wheels. 

A summary of the investigation report said that the unevenness could not be detected by conventional methods and the industry standards at the time were not set to eliminate such problems. 

Mr Blake said such problems would be prevented in future by train-based and track-based instruments that would monitor the interaction between wheels and tracks. 

The irregular rails will be replaced, while supporting brackets and the suspension systems on trains will be improved by 2007. 

For the time being, interim measures such as metal cradles, nylon straps and welds in some train components, were enough to ensure safety. Although no fault was found with maintenance, guidelines will be issued to help detect cracks earlier.


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## hkth

MTR News Release:
New Station Entrance at MTR Kwai Fong Station Opens today


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## samsonyuen

Are there different operators of the MTR (like the Underground in London)?


----------



## hkskyline

*Sarah Liao attacked over deal on rail fares *
23 May 2006
South China Morning Post

The transport minister is under attack for the fare revision system she has brokered from the two rail companies after they merge. 

At a joint Legislative Council transport and financial affairs panel meeting lawmakers expressed fears the newly merged MTR Corp and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation would move quickly on a fare rise after a two-year freeze, introduced last month, ended. 

"The period is totally misleading. By the time the companies actually merge, it may already be 11/2 years or more, which means the new company can apply for a fare rise right away," said Lee Cheuk-yan of the Confederation of Trade Unions. 

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat suggested the government should cap the rate of fare increases at a fixed level. 

But Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said this was not necessary. 

"Adoption of the fare-adjustment formula on future railway fares is already a price cap. It is a step forward from the current situation, when the two railway companies have the rights to set their own fares without the need to seek our approval," she said. 

Future fare adjustments will be calculated on a formula taking into account the market situation and the public's ability to pay. 

Dr Liao said fares were unlikely to go up soon after fare cuts were made on some routes on the first day of the merger, as it took time for economists to calculate the figures. She also vowed to maintain stability of market share between different modes of transport. 

She ruled out a proposal to include rail company property income in the formula, saying this could create large fare fluctuations. Dr Liao also said no concessions would be provided to Light Rail passengers, as one third of them already enjoyed free travel on transferring to West Rail, and the services were losing money.


----------



## hkskyline

*New MTR trains to reduce waiting time *
23 May 2006
South China Morning Post

Passengers on the MTR's Tung Chung line will save up to two minutes of waiting time during morning rush hours from the second half of this year, as the corporation introduces four new trains between the middle of next month and early next year. 

The first new train will come into service by the middle of next month, reducing waiting times by 30 seconds to 7.5 minutes between 8am and 10am. This will increase the frequency of trains from 15 to 16 an hour. 

Ultimately, the MTR Corp aims to raise the frequency to 20 trains an hour during the two morning rush hours before the end of this year. 

This will ultimately cut waiting times to just six minutes. 

However, the average waiting time outside rush hour will be maintained at the current eight to 10 minutes. 

Tony Yeung Sau-on, acting head of operations for the MTR Corp, said the new trains were bought because the company foresaw a potential increase in passengers to and from Lantau Island. 

"Adding on new trains allows us to inspect and repair our existing ones, but at the same time maintain the frequency," he said. Kwai Tsing district councillor Andy Lai Siu-tong said he was pleased to see a more frequent rail link between Tsing Yi, Tung Chung and the rest of Hong Kong. 

"[Reducing] the waiting duration from eight to six minutes can save residents 25 per cent of their time on the platform," he said. 

"I see it as a positive response to the people's demand for more frequent transport, in particular during busy hours." 

He suggested that a review should be carried out to find how long passengers will spend waiting for trains after the new service is introduced. 

The new trains, made in Korea, had the same look and colours as the ones currently in service, which were manufactured in Spain. 

However, they feature designs to improve air circulation. 

Mr Yeung said the handles for passengers to make emergency calls had also been made more accessible. 

"We have had some comments that the existing handles were 'hidden' among the crowd when the train was full," he said. 

"Now the handle is put beside the flashing system map and passengers should be able to find it quite easily."


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail merger can save MTRC $450m *
23 May 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Hong Kong's publicly listed rail operator can save about HK$450 million per year after it merges with the Kowloon- Canton Railway Corp, MTR Corp chief executive Chow Chung-kong has told legislators. 

At a joint meeting of the Legislative Council's transport and financial services panels Monday, lawmakers expressed their concerns about fare rises after the merger. 

Under the terms of the merger, fares will not rise for the following two years, but after that they will be determined by a formula including inflation indicators such as the consumer price index. 

Civic Party legislator Ronny Tong Ka-wah asked if the cost-effectiveness benefits of the merger would translate into fare cuts. Chow replied the merger will lead to reduced operating costs through economies of scale and trimming the overlapping of frontline stuff. 

"We can save about HK$450 million a year but this will only happen after three to four years. And the room for fare cuts is about HK$600 million,'' Chow said, adding the fare reduction will take place on the first day of merger. 

Fares of HK$12 or more will be cut by 10 percent and those between HK$8.50 and HK$11.90 by 5 percent. But Unionist Lee Cheuk-yan called the cuts "very trivial'' compared with the huge economic gain of the merger.


----------



## herenthere

samsonyuen said:


> Are there different operators of the MTR (like the Underground in London)?


If you mean the MTR is run by different private companies, then no. However, the rail network overall is run by 2 major companies :MTR (city) and KCR (suburbs incl. New Territories). Hope I answered your question.


----------



## staff

herenthere said:


> If you mean the MTR is run by different private companies, then no. However, the rail network overall is run by 2 major companies :MTR (city) and KCR (suburbs incl. New Territories). Hope I answered your question.


KCR operates trains to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing as well, right?


----------



## Pax Sinica

On April 11, 2006, the Hong Kong Government officially announced the details of the proposed merger. Now, the merger will be decided by minority shareholders of MTRC. 

Just wait some more months, the Chinese name of the MTRC will be changed after being granted the Service Concession while the English name will remain unchanged. *The KCRC will be a holding company of the KCR system, without actual railway operations.* In other words, KCR will be a part of MTR empire.


----------



## hkth

staff said:


> KCR operates trains to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing as well, right?


KCRC has those services BUT ALMOST ALL the trains provided are from the Mainland China. Only the KTT Train is owned by KCRC. You may refer to the website of the KCRC for more details. :|


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Railway merger package well-balanced

FSTB and You--Rail Merger


----------



## winsondikworld

IT is a controversial issue is Hong Kong.
But, if the fare is rising, it would affect the profit of MTR Coperation.
And also the citizen can not afford such kind of high transport's fare.


----------



## hkth

RTHK News:
*Govt thinking of expediting construction of MTR South Island line* 2006-06-03 HKT 17:30 

The Secretary for Transport, Sarah Liao, says the government's studying whether to expedite the construction of the MTR South Island Line. An environmental impact assessment concerning the redevelopment of Ocean Park points out that any revamp will increase traffic in Southern district and the Aberdeen tunnel. Dr Liao says a public consultation is underway. And the government will consider public opinion before reaching a final decision.


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
*MTR Chairman confident of shareholder support for merger* 2006-06-08 HKT 16:26










Chairman of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, Raymond Chien. (Photo by RTHK's Chan Ching-wah)

Chairman of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, Raymond Chien

The Chairman of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, Raymond Chien, says most minority shareholders of the listed company are inclined towards approving a planned merger with the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation. Speaking to the media following the corporation's annual general meeting, Mr Chien called the merger package - fair and balanced. However, he acknowledged that it was impossible to say whether shareholders would approve the deal.


----------



## hkskyline

*Dream City role for Nan Fung *
Raymond Wang 
10 June 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Cheung Kong (Holdings), controlled by Li Ka-shing, has brought in private firm Nan Fung Development to develop the HK$15 billion Dream City Phase 2 housing project atop MTR Corp's planned Tseung Kwan O South station. 

Cheung Kong, which won development rights to the project in a tender in January, said Friday Nan Fung would take a 15 percent stake in the joint venture for a nominal US$1 (HK$7.80). 

Nan Fung, run by billionaire Chen Din-hwa, has agreed to invest HK$678 million. It is also expected to share the project cost in proportion to its stake. 

Cheung Kong paid a land use conversion premium of HK$8.06 billion so it can build flats above the future Tseung Kwan O South subway station. Together with construction costs and interest, the MTRC said earlier that the project will cost about HK$15 billion. 

``Cheung Kong and Nan Fung have worked together on other projects and the board considers that the previous experience of working together successfully made Nan Fung a suitable partner for undertaking the Tseung Kwan O project,'' Cheung Kong company secretary Eirene Yeung said. 

Cheung Kong, the SAR's second- largest developer by market value, and Nan Fung are jointly developing a luxury residential project in Ho Man Tin for more than HK$12 billion. The site was purchased by Cheung Kong at a government land auction in 2004. Nan Fung has a 10 percent stake while the remainder is held by Cheung Kong. Nan Fung's move to share the risk and take a stake in the two projects reflects its optimism about the outlook for the market, industry observers said. 

In 2002, the two groups formed a consortium that secured a residential and retail development package at Tiu Keng Leng Station. 

Dream City Phase 2 will feature a total of 4,272 flats. The project is slated for completion in three to four years. 

Last year, Cheung Kong won the rights to the estimated HK$5 billion Dream City Phase 1 project, which will comprise 2,096 flats in five towers. It is scheduled for sale by 2008-2009. 

Cheung Kong shares rose 0.24 percent Friday to close at HK$82.30.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Find Direction in "DISorientation" "art in mtr ¡V arttube" Showcases the Work of Freeman Lau

"Rock" History at MTR Tai Koo Station


----------



## AG

Platform screen doors at Wan Chai:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g0tfGpnGfgE


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail merger sidelines mini punters *
15 June 2006
South China Morning Post

After a noisy annual general meeting at the MTR Corporation last week, a tantalising question emerged: what if its minority shareholders reject the proposed merger with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation? 

In fact, this anticipated merger of Hong Kong's two rail companies reflects a history of poor policymaking at the highest level. 

The story begins with the 1999 budget, when then financial secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced that the government would privatise the MTR Corp. When the subway company was being floated on the market the following year, its prospectus said: "[The MTR Corp] has autonomy to determine its own fares without any requirement to obtain the approval of government or any other body." 

That provision was the key to its listing success. Why would anyone have bought MTR Corp shares if the company did not have absolute autonomy in setting fares based on commercial realities? 

But the government has also been promising lower transport fares. Transport Minister Sarah Liao Sau-tung has been talking about that since 2002. She is a member of the board of the MTR Corp and of the wholly government-owned KCRC. 

Two key aspects of the merger proposal should appeal to investors and anyone interested in public policy. First, the MTR Corp would have to pay the KCRC an ever-increasing percentage of the revenue it derives from the use of the latter's assets, which it will lease for 50 years. 

Second, the MTR Corp's autonomy in setting fares would effectively vanish, except for the Airport Express, cross-border links to the mainland and the Lantau Island cable car. Future fare increases would be capped at the rate of inflation minus a productivity factor. The rate of inflation would be calculated as the average of the annual change in the consumer price index and the nominal wage index for transport workers. The productivity factor would start at 0.1 per cent per year, and would be reviewed every five years. 

What does all this mean? The proposed formula allows for no real (that is, inflation-adjusted) increase in fares; gives an ever-higher proportion of revenue to the KCRC; and saddles the MTR Corp with future capital costs. 

This is what David Webb, the astute minority-rights activist, said of the merger proposal: "The MTRC has pitched this to investors as [a scheme where] 'downside protection [is] provided by a variable annual payment structure', when in fact this is an 'upside-removed, downside-on-inflation' deal." 

This is a blatantly poor deal for the MTR Corp's minority shareholders. It seems the government's aim is to make sure that the KCRC has the best possible deal, and to use the occasion to deliver on Dr Liao's promise to reduce transport fares. 

In a paper to the Legislative Council, the government says: "KCRC [will] retain ownership of the assets, capture the upside of KCR railway's performance under a revenue-sharing mechanism, and get back a fully operational railway system at the end, or upon early termination of the service concession." 

To get legislators to approve the merger, the government sweetened the package with a two-year fare freeze and some tariff cuts, including a $2 Sunday fare for the elderly. 

The last stakeholder the government has time for is the investing public. 

Perhaps cynically, the administration does not think it needs to pay attention to them because legislators and citizens' groups are focused on lowering fares. 

But what if the deal is rejected by minority shareholders? Would officials simply accuse them of greed? 

As Mr Webb has suggested, why not just take the company private again, and stop the pretence that the merged entity is going to be a commercial enterprise?


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Tung Chung Line Train Service Enhancement


----------



## Rachmaninov

Tung Chung line will definitely get busier in the near future.


----------



## sfgadv02

Rachmaninov said:


> Tung Chung line will definitely get busier in the near future.


Indeed, especially with Disneyland now open.


----------



## Rachmaninov

^^ It was open since last year, but then they are planning to expand and then the Ngong Ping 360 will open by mid-September I reckon.


----------



## stanleycup

sfgadv02 said:


> Indeed, especially with Disneyland now open.


When I was on the Tung Chung Line this summer, at least 75% of the people were going to Disneyland. I got on at Kowloon and it was no more than 10% full i would say. There were many empty seats and no one was standing. Then as we went to Lai King I saw a stampede of people from the Tsuen Wan Line from across. The train now was pretty full. There were no seats left and many people were standing. There were definitely a lot of kids on the train. It became so noisy. Then when I arrived at Sunny Bay, pretty much everyone who boarded at Lai King went across the platform for the Disneyland train. There were probably less people getting off at Tung Chung than the amount of people there were when I got on. I would say that it would get full from Lai King to Sunny Bay no matter at what hour.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
An Artistic Journey Begins at MTR Tsing Yi Station


----------



## herenthere

Rachmaninov said:


> Tung Chung line will definitely get busier in the near future.





sfgadv02 said:


> Indeed, especially with Disneyland now open.


Right, but I thought Ocean Park's attendance exceeded Disneyland in recent months due to increased advertisements and newer attractions. I went on the Sunday before school started and it was swarming with people. However, OP still needs major improvements in management and crowd control.


----------



## sfgadv02

herenthere said:


> Right, but I thought Ocean Park's attendance exceeded Disneyland in recent months due to increased advertisements and newer attractions. I went on the Sunday before school started and it was swarming with people. However, OP still needs major improvements in management and crowd control.


Those crowds are mainly from mainland China though, not crowds from HK. I believe OP is doing the renovation in 8 phases instead of 2 now.


----------



## Rachmaninov

herenthere said:


> Right, but I thought Ocean Park's attendance exceeded Disneyland in recent months due to increased advertisements and newer attractions. I went on the Sunday before school started and it was swarming with people. However, OP still needs major improvements in management and crowd control.


Yes but I was referring to the opening of the Ngong Ping 360 which conveniently links Tung Chung to Po Lin Monastry.


----------



## officedweller

Something I didn't know about wrt MTR stations. Which stations does this apply to?

_One of the best examples of rapid transit interchanges made quick and efficient for the passengers is the Hong Kong MTR system. Where two subway lines meet, often these lines run parallel for two continuous stations, unlike most North American interchange points. At the first station trains in opposing directions from each line meet at an adjacent platform, allowing passengers to simply walk across the centre platform to exchange to the other line. At the second station one line swaps levels, allowing transferring passengers traveling in the same direction to simply walk across the centre platform. No level or platform changes are needed for transferring in any direction._


----------



## AG

The stations that serve as above are:

Mongkok: Interchange from the Tsuen Wan Line northbound to Kwun Tong Line northbound, and from the Kwun Tong Line southbound to Tsuen Wan Line southbound.

Prince Edward: Interchange from the Tsuen Wan Line southbound to Kwun Tong Line northbound, and from the Kwun Tong Line southbound to Tsuen Wan Line northbound.

Lai King: Interchange between both Tsuen Wan Line northbound and Tung Chung Line westbound, and between both Tsuen Wan Line southbound and Tung Chung Line southbound.

Admiralty: Interchange from Tsuen Wan Line westbound to Island Line eastbound, and from the Island Line westbound to the Tsuen Wan Line northbound.

North Point: Interchange from Island Line eastbound to Tseung Kwan O Line eastbound, and from the Tseung Kwan O Line westbound to Island Line westbound.

Quarry Bay: Interchange from Island Line westbound to Tseung Kwan O Line eastbound, and from the Tseung Kwan O Line westbound to Island Line eastbound. No cross platform interchange available here, only via long cross passages and escalators.

Yau Tong: Interchange from Kwun Tong Line eastbound to Tseung Kwan O Line westbound, and from Tseung Kwan O Line eastbound to Kwun Tong Line westbound.

Tiu Keng Leng: Interchange from Kwun Tong Line eastbound to Tseung Kwan O Line eastbound, and from Tseung Kwan O Line westbound to Kwun Tong Line westbound.

Sunny Bay: Interchange from Tung Chung Line westbound to Disneyland Resort Line southbound only.


----------



## herenthere

A great example that should be adopted in all of the world's new stations.


----------



## aznichiro115

you forgot Admiralty, and central is kinda one, but isn't cross platform


----------



## Rachmaninov

officedweller said:


> Something I didn't know about wrt MTR stations. Which stations does this apply to?
> 
> _One of the best examples of rapid transit interchanges made quick and efficient for the passengers is the Hong Kong MTR system. Where two subway lines meet, often these lines run parallel for two continuous stations, unlike most North American interchange points. At the first station trains in opposing directions from each line meet at an adjacent platform, allowing passengers to simply walk across the centre platform to exchange to the other line. At the second station one line swaps levels, allowing transferring passengers traveling in the same direction to simply walk across the centre platform. No level or platform changes are needed for transferring in any direction._


I think it's Prince Edward (right) and Mongkok (left) stations.


----------



## Rachmaninov

^^ To be clearer, the Red line is Tsuen Wan line while the green one is Kwun Tong line. The right hand direction is North.


----------



## AG

aznichiro115 said:


> you forgot Admiralty, and central is kinda one, but isn't cross platform


Admiralty is listed above. Central has absolutely no cross platform interchanges. The Tsuen Wan Line platforms are located in a different section of the station from the Island Line platforms, and each of the Island Line platforms are on different levels, one stacked on top of the other.


----------



## herenthere

Actually, you cant transfer from the Island Line to Tseung Kwan O line at Quarry Bay across platform. Instead you have to go down escalators, walk, escalators, walk some more, and then reach the platform. Probably not enough room.


----------



## officedweller

Thanks for the info


----------



## AG

herenthere said:


> Actually, you cant transfer from the Island Line to Tseung Kwan O line at Quarry Bay across platform. Instead you have to go down escalators, walk, escalators, walk some more, and then reach the platform. Probably not enough room.


I thought it didn't seem right, because both Island Line platforms are on the same level, as are the two Tseung Kwan O Line platforms. IIRC, the Tseung Kwan O Line platforms are on the lower level so that it can access the Eastern Harbour Crossing.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
KCRC invites expressions of interest for TW7 property development project at Tsuen Wan West Station

--Note: GFA stands for Gross Floor Area.


----------



## sfgadv02

They should had stick with the 9 beeps.


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Merged rail fares to be reviewed annually


----------



## herenthere

*Guess*



AG said:


> Only the Island Line trains have them at the moment.
> 
> The odd thing about the "doors closing" beep is that it isn't well synchronised with the closing doors at all. Sometimes the doors have closed by the time beeping begins, or beeping ends, then the doors close seconds later.


This is just an amateur's guess, but I believe that if the train is delayed, then the doors will close earlier. If the driver has a CCTV display, then they might play the doors closing message, then perhaps wait for a few more pax, and then close the doors at their discretion. In that case, they should play the beeps one more time.


----------



## brianlee

Anyone has any information about HK's Central Station? How many people use it and is it the busiest station in MTR's network?


----------



## AG

Central is the busiest and is used by somewhere between 200000 and 250000 people a day.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR on track with growth *
7 November 2006
South China Morning Post

GROWING STRONGER AND faster with further expansion in local and overseas businesses sums up the key message MTR Corporation conveys to shareholders and other stakeholders in its award-winning annual report. 

Carrying the theme of "Growing in Hong Kong, growing overseas", the railway operator's latest annual report won the Silver Award at the HKMA's 2006 Best Annual Reports Awards. This marks the 18th consecutive year since 1988 that MTR Corp's annual report has been recognised by the management association. 

Finance director Lincoln Leong said the award was testimony to the collective achievement of MTR Corp and its employees in providing a quality report that includes comprehensive financial and operational details with a highly transparent approach. 

"We have made a great deal of effort to maximise financial and management disclosures as well as enhancing transparency. The clearly structured layout also enables stakeholders to have easy access to all information in the report," he said. 

The report outlines the group's two-pronged growth strategy to create value through local and overseas business expansion. 

Mr Leong said MTR Corp sought to grow its Hong Kong business by extending its railway network, enhancing income from non-fare businesses and pursuing further property development. 

On network expansion, he said the West Island Line was in the pipeline. "We have seen organic growth in our existing businesses such as increased non-fare revenue through the introduction of new advertising formats and renovated commercial premises at railway stations," he said. 

"The property portfolio is expanding with two new shopping malls. The Edge shopping centre opened in Tseung Kwan O early this year while the flagship retail complex Elements is due to be operational next year. The proposed merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation also creates a growth opportunity for MTR." 

MTR Corp's overseas strategy focuses on pursuing metro investment opportunities in the mainland and railway operating franchises in Europe. 

Mr Leong said the group had made much headway in its mainland expansion, with commitment to the Beijing Metro Line 4 and Shenzhen Metro Line 4 projects. The Beijing metro line is expected to be operational in 2009. Relevant government approval is still pending for the Shenzhen project, which involves a substantial amount of property development. 

MTR Corp has put in bids for several train operating franchises in Britain and Scandinavia. Although the company had not won any contracts, Mr Leong said it had gained valuable experience in the bidding process.


----------



## hkskyline

*Women-only rail carriages rejected by train operators 
MTR and KCR block moves aimed to stop indecent assaults *
7 November 2006
South China Morning Post

Renewed calls for female-only compartments to stop indecent assaults on trains have been rejected by the two rail operators. 

A legislator, a feminist and women's groups said crowded carriages on the Mass Transit Railway and Kowloon-Canton Railway left women vulnerable to groping, and most cases went unreported. But the two companies said they had no plans to introduce segregated carriages. 

Police figures show 74 women complained of assault on the two railways last year and 79 the year before compared to 38 in 2003. 

The Hong Kong Women Development Association says the reported cases - including 56 from January to September this year - are just the "tip of the iceberg". 

"Many women sexually assaulted don't report," said Sha Tin district councillor Yeung Sin-hung, vice-convenor of the association's social policy committee, petitioning outside the KCRC headquarters in Fo Tan. 

"We hope that the railways can learn from overseas experience and have female-only carriages." 

Ms Yeung said she would conduct opinion polls of male and female commuters at all KCR and MTR stations on female-only carriages. 

Legislator Lau Kong-wah also plans to raise the issue in Legco, calling for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau to press to start a trial programme. 

"It is worth a trial and it is an option for women to protect themselves from sex crimes," said Mr Lau, who chairs the security panel and sits on the transport panel. 

The calls came as a 24-year-old man was charged yesterday with one count of indecent assault after being arrested on board an MTR train in Admiralty. 

Police said the man had been released on court bail and will appear in Eastern Court next Monday. 

A KCRC spokeswoman, meanwhile, said separate carriages would not be cost-effective as they would require extra staff. 

"If we reserve one carriage just for women, less space will be available to other passengers," she said. "We have to consider the impact on other passengers. We will co-operate with police to combat sex crimes." 

The MTR said it had no plans for female-only carriages. A spokeswoman said such a measure would be difficult to enforce due to the open design of carriages. 

But Ms Yeung said the idea had worked elsewhere, with women-only compartments used effectively in India, Mexico, Taiwan and Japan. 

A leader of female-rights group Gutsy Women, which conducted a 2004 internet survey in which two out of three respondents said they had been sexually assaulted on public transport, did not support gender segregation. Co-founder Lam Ying-hing said it would imply that females were "the cause of the sexual assaults". Educating men to respect women, and women reporting abuse, was the answer.


----------



## sfgadv02

They have to consider that Tokyo has a lot more cars per train than in HK. Having 7 cars for the rest and 1 car for women only is not going to work. The train is already crowded as it is.


----------



## Manila-X

brianlee said:


> Anyone has any information about HK's Central Station? How many people use it and is it the busiest station in MTR's network?


Now it's Central but before, its was either Admiralty or Mong Kok since both are interchanges.


----------



## hkskyline

*Decision on different rail fares defended *
3 November 2006
South China Morning Post

The government yesterday defended its decision to allow the merged entity of the two rail companies to adjust fares on individual routes. 

Faced with criticism from lawmakers, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation also gave an assurance that people's ability to pay would be taken into account when it set fares in the future. 

The remarks came after the government revealed in a document to the Legislative Council on Tuesday that on top of a fare adjustment rate to be reviewed every year under a formula, the merged entity would be given a variation range of 10 per cent on individual rail lines, providing the overall adjustment was no greater than the rate. 

Speaking at the Legco committee to vet the merger bill, lawmakers criticised the move, saying it would create uneven fares. 

"How can the passengers get used to a fare structure which bounces like a see-saw? What will they think if passengers on other lines enjoy lower fares at their expense?" asked Emily Lau Wai-hing from The Frontier. 

MTR senior transport planning manager Eddie So Chung-tat gave this example: "If we reduce the fare by 40 cents for 300 passengers, we must raise the fare by $1.20 for 100 other passengers to maintain the balance." 

The company did not disclose the method to be used for setting fares on individual lines, but finance director Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen told the Bills Committee fares would not spring out of control. 

He said a range of variation was particularly important to provide the company with some flexibility. 

Other lawmakers, including Lau Kong-wah, from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, questioned the decision to exclude the corporation's property development profits in the fare-adjustment formula. 

Deputy secretary for the environment, transport and works Patrick Ho Chung-kei said the profit was already reflected in thefare structure on initial setting of prices.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Beijing Mayor Visited MTR Corporation


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release from the Legisative Council for why some MTR stations do not have escalators to the ground level:
LCQ17 : Escalators leading to MTR stations' entrances/exits


----------



## EricIsHim

Source: The Standard
(http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=32420&sid=10998634&con_type=3)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Plan to expand MTR station*

Leslie Kwoh

Wednesday, November 22, 2006


If the government allows MTR Corporation to expand the Causeway Bay station concourse by up to three times, pedestrian traffic along nearby surface streets could be reduced by half, the corporation claimed Tuesday.

"This will resolve not only congestion in the area, but also the severe pollution that is unique to Causeway Bay," said senior design management engineer Albert Yuen Sing.

"At the same time, it'll bolster the district's reputation as a shopping destination."

Presenting a new proposal to the Wan Chai District Council Tuesday, senior MTRC executives argued that expanding its underground shopping concourse from 4,000 square meters to about 12,000 sqm would help reduce pedestrian congestion at the notoriously packed crosswalk in front of the Sogo department store.

According to the proposal, four exits will also be added to Causeway Bay station, in the area near Sogo and Yee Wo Street.

Company figures show that more than 220,000 commuters pass through the station each day - on par with other busy stations in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Central. However, while the other stations all have 13 or 14 exits, Causeway Bay currently has only nine.

Exit E, which opens out on to Great George Street, would be scrapped and replaced by two new exits - E1 on East Point Road and E2 further east on Great George Street.

Exit F, near Jardine's Crescent, will be supported by three additional exits - F1 and F2 on Yee Wo Street and F3 near the former Hennessy Centre buil
ding.

But the western perimeter of the station - namely, exit A at Times Square, and exits B and C at Causeway Bay Plaza - will be excluded from the plans, leaving some district councillors to accuse MTRC of placing its commercial interests first.

"Your whole proposal hides behind the pretense of relieving pedestrian volume, but in fact you just want to create more shops," said council vice- chairman John Tse Wing-ling.

"Relief is provided only for MTR commuters, not for general shoppers or visitors."

Tse recommended linking the eastern and western concourses to help boost development in high-potential areas near Causeway Bay Plaza and Lee Gardens.

However, MTRC public relations manager Wong Chiu-yung replied that a feasibility study indicated that 70 percent of commuters use the eastern exits, while only 30 percent use the western exits. Moreover, she said, such a link would add an additional 18 months to construction time, causing "a lot of nuisance to the district."

But the corporation maintained the four-year construction period for the expansion of the concourse - which would require the shutting down in phases traffic lanes on Hennessy Road and Great George Street - would cause only "minimal" disruption to the public.

MTRC's presentation to the council on Tuesday was a follow-up on an earlier concept plan submitted to the council in 2004 which was in response to the Planning Department's decision in 2001 to expand the pedestrian network in Causeway Bay.

The corporation said it is in talks with the government about the latest details, and hopes to obtain approval by 2007. Construction would begin two years later.

Council chairwoman Ada Wong Ying-kay said members approved the plan "in principle" but asked MTRC to return in six months with more details, including the number of new shops and total cost of the project.


----------



## sfgadv02

That's why make Causeway Bay unique! The crowds! Just like Times Square in New York.....


----------



## superchan7

I agree that people add atmosphere, but overcrowding is also a public safety concern. Imagine a stampede at Times Square or Shibuya.


----------



## herenthere

I went to HK this summer (mid August) and I noticed that most of the MTR's LED displays over the platforms were not working (especially Island Line). Either it had a sign that read "Work in Progress" or no sign at all. Does anyone know why? This actually lowered my impression of MTR since my last visit.


----------



## sfgadv02

I believe they were making them smaller and improving them a bit.


----------



## herenthere

MTR Corporate Social Responsibility ->PDF 4.13MB


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
New entrance at MTR Tiu Keng Leng Station to provide more convenient access


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ12: Development and financial position of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
LCQ13: Diesel locomotives on East Rail tracks


----------



## sfgadv02

Last week, one of the PSD broke in Shek Kip Mei. No one was hurt in the incident thankfully. It was fixed by the next day.


----------



## herenthere

Does any1 know if the thread Hong Kong MTR subway part 1 is still here? I wanted to see a diagram/picture of something there again.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
"KCR, Then and Now" photo exhibition


----------



## hkskyline

herenthere said:


> Does any1 know if the thread Hong Kong MTR subway part 1 is still here? I wanted to see a diagram/picture of something there again.


Yes, it is : http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=122558


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> Yes, it is : http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=122558


Thanks! Wow, I first used the search feature, but it wasn't there. Thanks!


----------



## hkskyline

*Deadline for MTR's report on fare blunder *
25 January 2007
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation has been given three days by the government to submit a report regarding the 230 commuters who were overcharged for fares deducted from their Octopus cards at Kowloon Tong station two weeks ago. 

Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung said the transport department had already asked the MTR to investigate the incident to prevent similar occurrences. "We do not wish to see such incidents happen again," she said. 

Dr Liao believed the incident was an isolated one but said the company needed to regain public confidence. 

On Tuesday, the rail company said a malfunctioning gate at Kowloon Tong next to exit C had overcharged 230 commuters between 30 HK cents and HK$3 for nearly three hours in the afternoon and early evening on January 10. 

The malfunction, caused by a faulty computer card installed earlier in the day, was discovered after two passengers reported discrepancies in the fares deducted from their cards. 

Passengers overcharged can claim one free ticket between 2pm and 8pm until Sunday at a special counter in Kowloon Tong station. 

But yesterday, some commuters complained the service counter was inconveniently located. 

A City University student, who gave his name as Mr Wong, said he travelled to Kowloon Tong daily and asked why the incident had not been reported earlier. 

"How can you expect people to remember that far back if they had been at this station at that particular time?" 

He added: "The incident happened at exit C. At least have the refund counter near that exit. Why is it on the opposite side of the concourse?" 

Lee Sui-ying, who checked her ticket and found she had not been overcharged, said: "How can you expect everyone to come here just for a few dollars? They should have made the service available at all MTR customer service counters." 

Another commuter, who gave his name as Mr Sit and who lives in Kowloon Tong, thought the compensation offer was a nice gesture. 

"It is nice to see a big company step forward and admit its mistakes." 

But he was concerned there may have been more errors: " How many cases have gone undetected?"


----------



## herenthere

So how is the 20-tone door closing signal test going on the island line? Any opinions about it?


----------



## superchan7

I don't really care, as long as it doesn't sound silly or pose a safety hazard. I think they're trying to imitate KCR.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> So how is the 20-tone door closing signal test going on the island line? Any opinions about it?


What is it? Any information? I have never heard about that.


----------



## sfgadv02

herenthere said:


> So how is the 20-tone door closing signal test going on the island line? Any opinions about it?


I believe it has spread into the Kwun Tong line as well, the latest video I saw of the Kwun Tong line has more than 9 "doot"...






EricIsHim, the MTR has changed the number of closing door "doot" from 9 to 25 times [I think?]. Which I think is not that safe because people are going to run down the escalators since they hear the "doot".


----------



## superchan7

They should go back to having no beeps, LOL


----------



## EricIsHim

sfgadv02 said:


> I believe it has spread into the Kwun Tong line as well, the latest video I saw of the Kwun Tong line has more than 9 "doot"...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EricIsHim, the MTR has changed the number of closing door "doot" from 9 to 25 times [I think?]. Which I think is not that safe because people are going to run down the escalators since they hear the "doot".


I first read superchan7's statement as "20-tons door," that's where my question come from. :lol: "What the heck is the 20-tons door in the MTR??"

Anyways, it doesn't matter 9 or 25, people are still going to run down the escalator when they hear the beeps. People are doing that now, makes no different. But 25 beeps actually allow passengers run into the train instead of getting the doors snap in front of you by the time you run to the train with 9 beeps. It is somewhat safer IMO, although no one should run for the train no matter what.


----------



## sfgadv02

Yes, considering how frequent the trains are in HK.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
Exhibition of paintings by local artists at “KCR Art Corner”


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
KCRC saddened by passing away of Mr. K. Y. Yeung

From news.gov.hk:
Sarah Liao mourns former rail chief

--Rest in Peace, Mr Leung!


----------



## hkth

Heritage goes beyond the Museum! 
Gov't Press Release:
Advertising posters of the 1920s and 30s on show at MTR

HK Heritage Museum's Promotion
ARTtube at MTR Central Station -- "Beyond the Museum" 

MTR Press Release:
Hong Kong Heritage Museum Collection on Show in the MTR


----------



## hkth

A West Rail Train on fire!!! :runaway: :runaway: :runaway:
RTHK news:
West Rail services disrupted by smoke coming from train


----------



## hkth

hkth said:


> A West Rail Train on fire!!! :runaway: :runaway: :runaway:
> RTHK news:
> West Rail services disrupted by smoke coming from train


More news from RTHK:
Passengers evacuated in West Rail train fire

Ten injured in West Rail train fire

Lawmakers concerned over train fire

KCRC checking transformers following train fire


----------



## hkskyline

*Alter rail agreements, say lawmakers *
14 February 2007
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers have called on the government to raise its performance requirements for the MTR and KCRC after the proposed merger of the two utilities' rail operations. 

At a meeting yesterday of the Legislative Council bills committee on the rail merger, lawmakers demanded that performance requirements under government "operating agreements" with the KCRC and MTR be toughened to match the corporations' own service pledges. 

The agreements stipulate nine performance requirements, by rating criteria such as train punctuality and the reliability of equipment including ticketing machines. The government-controlled corporations say their own requirements in all nine categories meet or exceed those in the operating agreements. 

For example, in the case of train punctuality, at least 99 per cent of KCRC and MTR trains in any month are delayed by no more than two minutes, exceeding the government's performance requirement of 98 per cent by one percentage point. The corporations said tougher standards would be unfair, and MTR operations director Andrew McCusker said there were limits to what its equipment could achieve. 

Democrat Andrew Cheng Kar-foo asked: "If you have been doing it [meeting higher standards] all along, why fear making it a formal requirement?" 

The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said the government would discuss the proposal with the two corporations.


----------



## Skybean

The trains are so frequent. I would never run for the MTR. I wonder about these people -- if you can't spare an extra 2 minutes to wait for the next train, then you've left your house too late.


----------



## hkth

Legislative Council Questioning on the Airport Express Service.
Gov't Press Release:
LCQ8 : Airport Express service after opening of AsiaWorld-Expo


----------



## hkskyline

*IBM starts system change at MTR *
6 March 2007
South China Morning Post

Railway operator MTR Corp is banking on an advanced enterprise asset management system to help cope with rising performance requirements as it expands operations, its senior executives say. 

IBM China/Hong Kong's global services unit is implementing the new system - the initial phase of which went live on January 22 and the final phase to be completed on April 24 - using enterprise application software from Oracle. Financial terms were not given. 

Andrew McCusker, MTR operations director, said the project would enable the firm to manage assets including railway equipment, infrastructure and networks throughout their lifecycle to minimise maintenance costs, maximise use and cut business risks. 

Having that business information technology set-up could bode well for the proposed merger of the MTR and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp which the government sees as a way to reduce duplication and enhance efficiency of the rail networks. 

Lawmakers last month urged the government to raise its performance requirements for the MTR and KCR after the proposed merger of their rail operations. For example, in the case of train punctuality, at least 99 per cent of KCR and MTR trains in any month are delayed no more than two minutes, exceeding the government's performance requirement of 98 per cent by one percentage point. 

"In our rail-plus-property model, we're not a burden on taxpayers so long as we meet all the requirements in running the business, drive continuous improvement, satisfy our customers' needs and provide affordable mass transportation," Mr McCusker said. 

The MTR operates a 91km railway network with 53 stations and more than 2.5 million passengers daily. It is also a major property developer, lifting its assets to HK$113.6 billion as of end-2005. 

The MTR has installed Oracle's Enterprise Asset Management program for maintenance management; its Purchasing & iProcurement modules for procurement management; its Inventory Management software for store management; and upgraded the Oracle Financials and Activity-based Management software. 

Mr Lai said IBM had met all of the MTR's 644 requirements for the system. "We estimate saving about 30 per cent a year on maintenance costs alone," he said.


----------



## superchan7

No kidding...as recently as 2006, station displays booted up showing Pentium MMX 233 MHz!!!

I would be terrified for them if their hard disks were also that old.


----------



## EricIsHim

^^^ Even we have a lot faster CPU now, but what is the point of upgrading all the CPUs if the Pentium MMX 233 MHz is enough to run the application station display.


----------



## sfgadv02

It would've been better if they updated those LED boards with Plasma/LCD....


----------



## superchan7

EricIsHim said:


> ^^^ Even we have a lot faster CPU now, but what is the point of upgrading all the CPUs if the Pentium MMX 233 MHz is enough to run the application station display.


My point was, hardware that is too old is prone to failure. You are correct, if the machine is only used to run those station displays then there is no need for expensive, fast computers.


----------



## hkskyline

What is the likelihood that such a simple display can die? If it does, it's probably hardware failure due to age. They can just swap a new CPU and get back online shortly.


----------



## superchan7

I meant the computers running the displays. =P


----------



## herenthere

Does any1 have any pics of the entrances? I mean, I saw them when I visited, but I'm sure some other ppl here haven't. (Not that they're unique, but, you know, this thread has kind of been lacking some imagery lately)


----------



## hkth

Historical MTR Train Compartment Photo in 1980! (Posted by gakei in gakei.com and HKiTalk.net)


----------



## Skybean

*First-Ever Legally Valid MRT Hello Kitty Dream Wedding is held at MTR Hong Kong Station*









The first-ever legally valid MTR Hello Kitty Dream Wedding took place today under the most splendid and joyful atmosphere, at the MTR Hong Kong Station.

Witnessed by relatives, friends and MTR passengers, bridegroom Jamie and his bride Horlick with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, boarded the first-ever MTR Hello Kitty Wedding Train and headed towards to MTR Hong Kong Station. The wedding train was specially designed for the occasion with images of Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel dressed as little cupids covering the train body and compartments. The interior was decorated with flowers and ribbons in the grandest and most romantic fashion.

The bridegroom Jamie and bride Horlick, dressed in th first-ever Hello Kitty wedding gowns jointly designed by the MTR Corporation, Sanrio and Wonderful Arts, were naturally the focus of attention. The bride, whose wedding gown was filled with Hello Kitty patterns made of Austrian crystals, glittered in sweetness with every step she took. Jamie and Horlick said “We have never imagined our romantic story in the MTR station would make us the chosen couple of such a wonderful event. We would like to thank the MTR Corporation and Sanrio again for this MTR Hello Kitty dream wedding — an experience we shall remember for the rest of our lives.”

Upon alighting from the Wedding Train, the couple was carried by a pair of rickshaws, amid cheers and blessing from MTR passengers, towards the ceremonial venue at MTR Hong Kong Station. Led by their two special guests — best man Dear Daniel and bridesmaid Hello Kitty, the couple then marched into Hong Kong Station, which had been transformed to a wedding hall of extravagance and romantic design. Under the witness of the Civil Celebrant - Mr. Samuel Chan (solicitor), Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel, friends and relatives, as well as MTR passengers, Jamie and Horlick made their pledge of union, and completed this fairy-tale-like MTR Hello Kitty Dream Wedding.

For the bridegroom Jamie and the bride Horlick, traveling on the MTR together is a sweet habit of their daily life routines. It was 5 years ago when Jamie and Horlick, who were classmates at a university, met up again by chance at an MTR station after graduation day. Today under the witness of friends, relatives and MTR passengers, they are married in the first-ever legally valid MTR Hello Kitty Dream Wedding in Hong Kong. The couple thanked the MTR Corporation, for providing reliable and efficient train services over the years, and for the sweet memories they had on their MTR journeys. They would also like to thank the MTR Corporation and Sanrio Wave HK Company Limited for creating 5 “fires-ever-records” for this wedding ceremony:

1. First-ever legally valid MTR wedding in Hong Kong.

2. First-ever Hello Kitty Wedding Garment in Hong Kong.

3. First-ever wedding hall in an MTR Station in Hong Kong.

4. First-ever Hello Kitty Wedding Train in Hong Kong.

5. First-ever bridesmaid and best man by Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel in Hong Kong.

To share and extend the joy of love with the MTR passengers, the MTR Hello Kitty Wedding Train will run on the Tsuen Wan Line until 14 March 2007. 

source: http://s3.blog.sanriotown.com/hk_we...ding-is-held-a-mtr-hong-kong-station/#more-24


----------



## sfgadv02

That's interesting.... I wonder if there are any more pics.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Investor Relations Ranked Amongst Asia Pacific's Best


----------



## Kaitak747

地鐵站變身摩登商場

(明報) 03月 12日 星期一 05:10AM 

【明報專訊】首個打正旗號充滿「摩登商場feel」的地鐵 站，將於今年8月誕生。為配合九龍站上蓋項目「Elements」今年第四季正式開幕，地鐵九龍站將大翻新，大增飲食、服務舖位的面積，並跟上蓋的商場整合；平日人來人往的香港站亦會翻新，站內商舖會由42間大增五成至63間。兩站的工程分別會於7月至8月期間完成，舖租收入估計可上升30%至40%。

地鐵市務及車站商務總經理楊美珍說，平時予人死氣沉沉感覺的九龍站，將大規模翻新。新設計會以摩登、簡約為主，同時，特賣場會遷出，並加入方便乘客的飲食及服務商店，如售賣湯水、快餐的商店及洗衣店等，總數23間。

至於稍後通車的


----------



## hkth

Creative KCRC Train Design Competition organized with the Radio Television Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (Chinese Only)


----------



## hkth

MTRC's 2006 Annual Report


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ15: Latest development of Shatin to Central Link


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
“Green KCR Railways” -- KCRC Tree-Planting Day


----------



## hkskyline

*Penalty point system proposed for MTR glitches *
15 March 2007
South China Morning Post

A legislator has proposed a points penalty system for MTR delays and other glitches that would result in fines for the rail company. 

Democratic Party legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo presented his proposal yesterday at a press conference. 

His suggestion came after an incident on Tuesday when an MTR train stopped at the wrong platform at Kowloon station, skipped Olympic station and only returned to the right tracks at the following Nam Cheong station. 

The MTR Corporation admitted yesterday the error was made by a traffic controller who allowed the train bound for Tung Chung to switch tracks. It ended up stopping at the Kowloon station platform for Airport Express trains. 

But the corporation insisted train passengers were never in danger. 

"We apologise to passengers who were inconvenienced," said Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man, MTR Corp's head of operations. 

He said both the Tung Chung and the Airport Express services passed through Kowloon station and the system's design allowed trains to travel on both tracks. 

"These movements are absolutely safe as, in spite of the route set, the signalling system and the railway's fail-safe design ensure that trains are kept a safe distance apart." 

But Mr Cheng, who is also the Legislative Council's transport panel chairman, asked whether the MTR had not minimised the safety implications of Tuesday's incident at 3.52pm. 

"Suppose there was an oncoming Airport Express train arriving at the time of the incident," he said. "The incident would have had unimaginably tragic consequences." 

He proposed a penalty system of two to five points for delays of eight to 45 minutes and 10 to 20 points in accidents that resulted in injuries or deaths. The MTR would be fined when it accrued 10 or more points. 

An MTR spokesman rejected the proposal. "For the time being, our system can ensure that our trains run safely," he said. "We are worried that Andrew Cheng Kar-foo's proposed measures will put unnecessary pressure on our staff."


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Fleet-wide Introduction of Extended Door Chimes Marks Launch of MTR Train Door Safety Campaign

--C'mon, Pls CUT-OFF those STUPID Trilingual Announcment BEFORE the beeps!!! hno: hno: hno:


----------



## hkth

sfgadv02 said:


> Well, there're a few along Tung Chung line..


Not the TCL but the Airport Express.


----------



## sfgadv02

hkth said:


> Not the TCL but the Airport Express.


The Tung Chung line still has toilets... :colgate:


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Change of Alternate Director to the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ5: Progress of MTR platform screen door retrofit programme by an extra charge on Octopus users


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
MTR and KCR to hold talks with unions about merger

Twenty months salary offer voluntary lay off after rail merger


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/mtr_north_point


----------



## Kaitak747

*Rail firms to push on with screens work*

Carol Chung 

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Hong Kong's two rail operators have promised to speed up the second phase of the installation of platform screen doors and automatic platform gates, the first phase of which began 10 years ago.
"The [MTR Corp] project has already taken 10 years at the expense of passengers' money and also public safety," the Legislative Council's transport panel chairman, Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, said Friday at a subcommittee meeting discussing the proposed merger between the MTRC and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.

The concept emerged in 1996 when MTRC considered the benefits and feasibility of retrofitting platform screen doors at stations to improve safety on the platforms. 

The first phase to install 74 platform screens at 30 underground stations on the Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Island lines, which was completed last year, cost HK$2 billion. Half of the project cost was to come from passengers, with the MTR adding 10 HK cents for each trip paid for with an Octopus card.

These contributions began in July 2000 and will continue until the HK$1 billion is paid up.

The MTRC promised to complete the remaining installations at its eight at- or above-ground stations by 2012, while KCRC promised to finish its seven stations by 2013.

The installation takes time because the stations are above-ground with different air ventilation conditions and require a different feasibility study than underground stations, MTRC operations director Andrew McCusker said. Before a timetable can be released next April, a feasibility study is needed and this is expected to be completed by the end of this year, he said.

KCRC chief executive James Blake said the company must also deal with the big gaps between trains and the curved platform edges at some stations by installing an automatic mechanical gap filler system before platform doors can be installed. 

Lawmakers also questioned the role of the government in monitoring a speedy completion of the project.


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
Government defends pay scheme for KCRC management

Lawmakers criticise decision to award bonuses to KCRC management


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/joejoewong/mtr&page=all


----------



## superchan7

KCR East Rail has much more than seven stations....
Did they ask about building screens for the light rail? :lol:


----------



## gladisimo

superchan7 said:


> KCR East Rail has much more than seven stations....
> Did they ask about building screens for the light rail? :lol:


Aren't the light rails out doors?


----------



## hkskyline

Most of the KCR stations are outdoors as opposed to underground (except E. Tsim Sha Tsui, etc.).


----------



## hkskyline

West Island Line Renderings & Station Location Maps 
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/extensions/sil-updatedproposal.htm


----------



## sfgadv02

I still wonder why they never built Platform Gates on the Ma On Shan rail....


----------



## en

I like how the MTR's stations are well maintained so they still feel kind of "new" even though you can tell from some stations that they are from another decade from looking at the tiles.


----------



## sfgadv02

en said:


> I like how the MTR's stations are well maintained so they still feel kind of "new" even though you can tell from some stations that they are from another decade from looking at the tiles.


The MTR has retiled stations such as Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok they look really good.


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
KCRC workers worried they may not adjust to post-merger environment


----------



## hkskyline

I can't recognize Yau Ma Tei anymore. The old colours are still well engrained in my mind. Shek Kip Mei doesn't have many tiles anymore either.


----------



## sfgadv02

hkskyline said:


> I can't recognize Yau Ma Tei anymore. The old colours are still well engrained in my mind. Shek Kip Mei doesn't have many tiles anymore either.


You mean they are starting to retiled them or you mean those white plastic walls?


----------



## zergcerebrates

[email protected] said:


> Osaka's Turumiryokuti line, worldwide first magnetic force is the subway of power. 2nd is the Oedo line of Tokyo in the world. In addition, 5,6 lines are running.
> 
> http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/画像:Subway-Nagahori_Tsurumi.jpg


^ What does that have to do with HK MTR?


----------



## hkskyline

sfgadv02 said:


> You mean they are starting to retiled them or you mean those white plastic walls?


I think Yau Ma Tei has been retiled but white plastic walls now cover much of the Shek Kip Mei platform.


----------



## sfgadv02

Yea, YMT doesnt have the red/white/blue stripes on the top now. It's all gray.


----------



## Manila-X

That's what I like about the MTR stations, the colour. The Causeway Bay is the coolest one, they use *pink*


----------



## city_thing

Causeway Bay was purple wasn't it?

I love Hong Kong station, it's so spacious and massive.


----------



## Manila-X

city_thing said:


> Causeway Bay was purple wasn't it?
> 
> I love Hong Kong station, it's so spacious and massive.


It's pink


----------



## hkth

^^ Not really pink, it should be the color the light Bauhinia, the city flower of HK. 










Bauhinia's Flower


----------



## Manila-X

Pink is still the general term for this kind of colour. Anyway, Causeway Bay is unique for this. Is it probably because the district is a major shopping centre?


----------



## hkskyline

That's not pink. It's more like purple.


----------



## ailiton

WANCH said:


> Pink is still the general term for this kind of colour. Anyway, Causeway Bay is unique for this. Is it probably because the district is a major shopping centre?


It's purple.


----------



## mrmoopt

Actually colour perception is based on:
-cultural factors (ie some pacific cultures have no word for green)
-physical 'cones' in the eye
-light source from the location
-differential threshold tolerance in each person's brain (minimum change of 50% to see the difference in colour)

so all of you are right in saying what colour it is


----------



## Manila-X

It's all good  Other than Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui has a nice colour being neon yellow.


----------



## hkskyline

*Causeway Bay MTR*



















Sources :
http://www.pbase.com/specialteam
http://www.pbase.com/sebastiansong

Looks rather purple.


----------



## hinto

Funny, CWB is the station I use the most whenever I'm in HK, but I wouldn't be able to remember which colour it is right off the top of my head (even though I would remember the red/white/blue stripes at YMT, and I never even use that station). I'm leaning more towards purple too; perhaps lavender?


----------



## Pax Sinica

hno: 
Yaumatei is grey now.


----------



## Pax Sinica

The station is under Waterloo Road and the red/white/blue stripes represent France.


----------



## city_thing

WANCH said:


> It's pink




That's purple. Heaven forbid you might be wrong....


----------



## herenthere

Let's just settle this now...its purink...


----------



## Kaitak747

herenthere said:


> Let's just settle this now...its purink...


Hahahaha you're damn humourous.


----------



## Blackraven

If I remember from my visit last week, Tsing Yi station is yellow, correct?


----------



## cyclonix

tsing yi is greyish-green


----------



## mrmoopt

Ah I didn't make my point clear so I do apologise. What I meant was if there is such easy provision for installation of toilets as the stations are outdoors in Melbourne on ground level, they don't do it because of costs due to maintenance/vandalism, then why should MTR because most of MTR stations are underground and provision of piping/ventilation is not was easy as with stations that are mostly overground.


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
Lawmakers demand review of KCRC fare structure


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Release:
KCRC West Rail One-Month Pass extended


----------



## hkskyline

Yes, above-ground stations tend to be easier to install additional facilities. For the deeper MTR stations, the sewers may actually be above the ceiling. Imagine the costs of getting all the pipes in place for a public toilet.


----------



## iampuking

Can't people just... wait to go to the loo somewhere else?


----------



## bs_lover_boy

If you have a bad tummy or if you have to go badly, just go to the customer services centre in each station and ask them for permission to use the toilets!!!

The KCR toilets smell bad and they remind me of the Colonial-era toilets... White toilet and a black seat and black backboard for the toilet!!!


----------



## herenthere

bs_lover_boy said:


> The KCR toilets smell bad and they remind me of the Colonial-era toilets...


KCR toilets don't smell...at least not the ones at East Tsim Sha Tsui. Or maybe that was only b/c it was new?


----------



## sfgadv02

That must be it.... it's a new station and I'm pretty sure they clean it out frequently, compared to toilets decades long!


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ8: Train services of KCRC


----------



## hkskyline

The Ma On Shan Line toilets are very nice and clean, but those stations aren't too busy. I can't imagine what would happen if the high-traffic MTR stations have public toilets. They'll need a few dedicated attendants cleaning them every hour at least.


----------



## sfgadv02

Especially at stations like Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, and Admiralty.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Souvenir Ticket Set Celebrates HKSAR 10th Anniversary Focusing on Infrastructure and Tourism Developments

--Would you like to buy it?


----------



## herenthere

hkth said:


> MTR Press Release:
> MTR Souvenir Ticket Set Celebrates HKSAR 10th Anniversary Focusing on Infrastructure and Tourism Developments
> 
> --Would you like to buy it?


Definitely! But the MTR preens itself so much in the above PR.

BTW, has anyone here ever purchased a souvenir set and _actually_ used the tickets? -Since if you use it then it won't be as "new" and "original".


----------



## sfgadv02

I did... it was Doraemon set back in 2000 I think, it came with a flashlight @ $88. I used the ticket and it's still in great condition.


----------



## ♣628.finst

superchan7 said:


> Kowloon Station is still very empty. I wonder how much better it will be when the developments above are all completed?


I love the spaciousness of Kowloon Station. And I am glad it is still spacious right now. 

After all, it is the best MTR station in Kowloon. It provides the fastest way to connect Central and West Kowloon (5 min on average, that's very impressive)

I visited there last year, and I was amazed by the exits of this station. It looked like a huge maze... followed by several escalators. The design is decent and functional. 

The station is not heavily used because many residents commute by their own cars. This might make it somewhat "empty", given the huge usable area of the station. This spaciousness simply show the wealth of the MTR system--- mostly related to their expensive apartments built on top of their stations, for example, on top of Kowloon Station you have The Waterfront, which is considered as "luxury" apartments in Kowloon. MTR certainly did expect very high profit from these apartments, so that they choose to have a spacious design for the station. 

The "empty space" provided the potential for future expansion of the station as well. Remember, the station is located at a prime location--- more than 100,000 passengers use the Tung Chung line & Airport Express every day. I would not prefer describing this station as "empty" or "useless". It is actually making their residents proud.


----------



## hkskyline

The design incorporates full occupancy of all the buildings in the master plan. It'll get quite busy once ICC opens. I don't think the Harbourside or the Arch are even full yet. Besides, commuting to Central from Kowloon Station is best done by MTR. The Western Harbour Crossing tunnel fee is quite steep, and it'll take longer to drive than to take the train for 1 stop.


----------



## hkth

KCRC Press Releases:
KCRC Events in Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the HKSAR

Releated PDF File


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> The design incorporates full occupancy of all the buildings in the master plan. It'll get quite busy once ICC opens. I don't think the Harbourside or the Arch are even full yet. Besides, commuting to Central from Kowloon Station is best done by MTR. The Western Harbour Crossing tunnel fee is quite steep, and it'll take longer to drive than to take the train for 1 stop.


And Union Square is coming soon near there as well...


----------



## hkth

Gherkin, hkskyline and herenthere, perhaps you don't really know why Kowloon Station was built so large.

AAMOF, there were plannings for adding a sub-line for the Tung Chung Line from Kowloon to TST just under the current TCL platform, within the West Kowloon Reclamation Plan. Within the original plan, the China Hong Kong City would be pulled down and reclamed and there would have a MTR Station called Kowloon Point within the sub-line. This plan was finally dropped because of the strong request of anti-reclamiation and that gives way to KCRC to build the Kowloon South Line and there would be a new Kowloon Station just next to the Golf Field.


----------



## herenthere

herenthere said:


> And Union Square is coming soon near there as well...





hkth said:


> Gherkin, hkskyline and herenthere, perhaps you don't really know why Kowloon Station was built so large.


FYI, what I meant was that when Union Square will open, Kowloon Station won't be as "empty" as it is now. I am not criticizing the design/openness of it.


----------



## hkskyline

*尖沙咀站增五出口 商戶憂影響生意
彌敦道一線封三年 *
28/06/2007
太陽報










【本報訊】尖沙咀地鐵站每小時人流達四萬人次，是全港人流最盛的地鐵站。為疏導人流，地鐵公司擬加建行人隧道、票務大堂及五個出入口，當工程於二○一二年竣工時，該站會成為全港最多出入口的地鐵站；而加建票務大堂的工程將採取明挖方式興建，彌敦道將有一條行車線要封閉，為期長達三年，地鐵認為工程不會對彌敦道交通帶來太大影響，但有商戶擔心施工期間會打擊生意。

地鐵公司高級統籌工程師鄧伯洪表示，新建的票務大堂位置接近重建中的東英大廈所在的彌敦道地下，工程會以明挖方式進行，施工期為三年，期間挖掘地點會間歇遷移，故此南及北行的彌敦道各一段約四十米的行車線，將輪流封閉。

預計2012年竣工
行人隧道工程則會以暗挖形式進行，新的行人隧道連同票務大堂，總長二百米，由尖沙咀北面月台開始，五個新增的出入口設於美麗華商場地庫、美麗華酒店地庫、重建後的東英大廈地庫、九龍公園及柏麗購物大道。鄧稱，工程對附近的交通不會構成太大影響。地鐵亦將於下月諮詢區議會，明年動工，預計二○一二年竣工。

位於柏麗購物大道的商戶楊小姐表示，附近一帶商舖月租由二十五萬元至四十多萬元不等，位置愈接近地鐵站，租金愈高。她擔心改善工程最終會令租金上揚，同時也擔心施工期間帶來滋擾，生意會受影響。


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> *尖沙咀站增五出口 商戶憂影響生意
> 彌敦道一線封三年 *
> 28/06/2007


It's a great plan; hope will become reality soon.


----------



## sfgadv02

Is there any plan that would help relieve the crowds in TST platforms? During rush hour people have to wait for 2 or 3 trains in order to squeeze themselves in.


----------



## mrmoopt

Admiralty is just as bad as TST if not worse, after all, it feeds people into TST


----------



## EricIsHim

sfgadv02 said:


> Is there any plan that would help relieve the crowds in TST platforms? During rush hour people have to wait for 2 or 3 trains in order to squeeze themselves in.


No. The crowds are because the service demand is over capacity.
The train is already running at every 2-3 minutes. This is extremely frequent; and increasing frequency will also lead to safety concern with trains run to close to each other. 

Having a larger platform and more room, you will feel more comfortable. But you are not going to be able to get on the train any sooner.


----------



## Manila-X

cal_t said:


> Admiralty is just as bad as TST if not worse, after all, it feeds people into TST


Of course but I don't think it's the crowded as TST. Admiralty is a main changing point. But for those coming in west, they can just ride it at Central.


----------



## hkskyline

Shouldn't the Tsuen Wan line along Nathan Road see less people these days as residents in Tsuen Wan can get there quicker using the Tung Chung Line to transfer at Lai King while east Kowloon and TKO residents can transfer at North Point instead?


----------



## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> Shouldn't the Tsuen Wan line along Nathan Road see less people these days as residents in Tsuen Wan can get there quicker using the Tung Chung Line to transfer at Lai King while east Kowloon and TKO residents can transfer at North Point instead?


That would be true. In fact I take the Tung Chung Line whenever I have to go to Mei-Foo from Central instead of going through Tsim Sha Tsui / Mongkok.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> That would be true. In fact I take the Tung Chung Line whenever I have to go to Mei-Foo from Central instead of going through Tsim Sha Tsui / Mongkok.


Well, that's the whole point of that interchange in Lai King. The Tung Chung Line serves as a relief line for the Nathan Road corridor. Hence some trains run to Tsing Yi only to accomodate the crowds.


----------



## mrmoopt

But having said that, it costs more to take the TCL to Mei Foo from Central. If I have time, I know what option I'll take!


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Fosters Caring Culture in Service Delivery


----------



## herenthere

I guess situation at TST is similar to NYC Transit system; in a recent study you can see how some lines are just packed (on 4,5,6 trains like Tokyo Metro during rush hour-sardines)  









From http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/nyregion/26mta.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


----------



## sfgadv02

cal_t said:


> Admiralty is just as bad as TST if not worse, after all, it feeds people into TST


In Admiralty, the station is much larger than TST, so it feels like there are less crowds, but in TST it's such a smaller platform compared to Admiralty. I think the crowds actually grew worst after the opening of ETST.


----------



## aznichiro115

cal_t said:


> But having said that, it costs more to take the TCL to Mei Foo from Central. If I have time, I know what option I'll take!


no it doesn't, same cost. once in the mtr system, all lines cost the same, except for AEL. from north point to prince edward, taking either way cost the same


----------



## EricIsHim

sfgadv02 said:


> In Admiralty, the station is much larger than TST, so it feels like there are less crowds, but in TST it's such a smaller platform compared to Admiralty. I think the crowds actually grew worst after the opening of ETST.


well, Admiralty was designed to be an interchange since the first day; but TST wasn't. As TST get more developed and connected with KCR, it is now handling more people than expected.


----------



## mrmoopt

aznichiro115 said:


> no it doesn't, same cost. once in the mtr system, all lines cost the same, except for AEL. from north point to prince edward, taking either way cost the same


HKG station is not the same as Central station but, and, you have to exit the fare gates at Central to get to HKG as they are two seperate stations. I've looked at the fare site to see that it is standardised now, but when first introduced it wasn't.


----------



## Rachmaninov

cal_t said:


> HKG station is not the same as Central station but, and, you have to exit the fare gates at Central to get to HKG as they are two seperate stations. I've looked at the fare site to see that it is standardised now, but when first introduced it wasn't.


No you don't need to leave Central station to get to HK station. There's a direct tunnel linking the platforms and you didn't have to pass through any barriers.


----------



## herenthere

Rachmaninov said:


> No you don't need to leave Central station to get to HK station. There's a direct tunnel linking the platforms and you didn't have to pass through any barriers.


Actually, you do have to pass through barriers. Once you pass the tunnel from Central and walk pass the two travellators, you have to exit the paid area and take an elevator to the Hong Kong station concourse (bottom of IFC mall). If anyone visits the station, you could take a pic of a map showing the entire station layout.


----------



## mrmoopt

herenthere said:


> Actually, you do have to pass through barriers. Once you pass the tunnel from Central and walk pass the two travellators, you have to exit the paid area and take an elevator to the Hong Kong station concourse (bottom of IFC mall). If anyone visits the station, you could take a pic of a map showing the entire station layout.


LOL I knew I was right all along. Thanks for the clarification. I think the travellator is what you have to take. I didn't remember having to switch levels using an escalator.


----------



## aznichiro115

herenthere said:


> Actually, you do have to pass through barriers. Once you pass the tunnel from Central and walk pass the two travellators, you have to exit the paid area and take an elevator to the Hong Kong station concourse (bottom of IFC mall). If anyone visits the station, you could take a pic of a map showing the entire station layout.





cal_t said:


> LOL I knew I was right all along. Thanks for the clarification. I think the travellator is what you have to take. I didn't remember having to switch levels using an escalator.


no you are both wrong, i will try to go there is week,


----------



## Pax Sinica

*MTR 2012 preview*


----------



## _00_deathscar

Can you resize that please?


----------



## Anekdote

I believe Admiralty is going to become the most crowded station in HK.


----------



## EricIsHim

Two "University"!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Pax Sinica




----------



## herenthere

Anekdote said:


> I believe Admiralty is going to become the most crowded station in HK.


How come East Rail doesn't interchange at Wan Chai to relieve traffic at Admiralty? Not enough room?



EricIsHim said:


> Two "University"!!!!!!!!!!


Good point! They should change one of them to make it less confusing, otherwise ppl will be saying, "Meet me at 大學!" "Which one?!?"



Pax Sinica said:


>


Interesting how MTR lists the line names by ABC order instead of separating MTR and KCR lines-I guess it will take some time to adjust to the integration.


----------



## sfgadv02

Too bad the government denied the proposals of West Island line, no more Cyberport station.


----------



## Pax Sinica

herenthere said:


> How come East Rail doesn't interchange at Wan Chai to relieve traffic at Admiralty? Not enough room?


Two reasons. The current Wan Chai station is actually quite far away from the busy exhibition centre. Also, the proposed North Island line will interchange at the Exhibition station with East Rail.


----------



## EricIsHim

sfgadv02 said:


> Too bad the government denied the proposals of West Island line, no more Cyberport station.


It is not denied. It is going to be built after the eastern loop of south island line.
There will be a Cyberport station, just later.


----------



## Manila-X

Anekdote said:


> I believe Admiralty is going to become the most crowded station in HK.


Time will tell since there are also alot of activity in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok and Kowloon Bay stations.


----------



## hkth

Merged!!!!!!! :applause: 

RTHK News:
*MTRC shareholders endorse rail merger ** 
2007-10-09 HKT 18:46*


MTRC shareholders have endorsed the merger of the two rail corporations by an overwhelming majority. Just over 82 percent voted in favour of the move - despite strong misgivings by some shareholders. The corporation's chairman, Raymond Chien, said the vote was a significant milestone. 




--In more accurate numbers: For 82.29%, Against: 17.71%


----------



## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> Merged!!!!!!! :applause:
> 
> RTHK News:
> *MTRC shareholders endorse rail merger **
> 2007-10-09 HKT 18:46*
> 
> 
> MTRC shareholders have endorsed the merger of the two rail corporations by an overwhelming majority. Just over 82 percent voted in favour of the move - despite strong misgivings by some shareholders. The corporation's chairman, Raymond Chien, said the vote was a significant milestone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --In more accurate numbers: For 82.29%, Against: 17.71%


MTR Crop Press Release http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/investrelation/sehk/Results_Announcement_e.pdf


----------



## herenthere

It's a whole new world for HKers and visitors. Hopefully all the talk about benefits will actually go thru.


----------



## hkth

We still have to wait the real merge until 28 days after the HK Gov't posted the Gazatte.


----------



## hkth

Two Urban Rail Lines confirmed in this year's Policy Address, South Island Line and Sha Tin-Central Link.

Transport Infrastructure


----------



## Skybean

Great news. Hopefully this will help make the future rail plan a reality!


----------



## Manila-X

What I'm expecting here are two things, one is the extention of The Island Line up to Kennedy Town and a line that goes through Ho Man Tin and Whampoa. 

There are alot living within The Whampoa area including a friend of mine and it would be convenient if the MTR services this area.


----------



## EricIsHim

WANCH said:


> What I'm expecting here are two things, one is the extention of The Island Line up to Kennedy Town and a line that goes through Ho Man Tin and Whampoa.
> 
> There are alot living within The Whampoa area including a friend of mine and it would be convenient if the MTR services this area.


West Island Line (terminate at Kennedy Town) is set. It should be in construction right now and schedule to be in operation by 2012.

Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations are part of Shatin-Central Line project talk by extending existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei towards Whampao. I would think the latest plan would be final one.


----------



## Manila-X

EricIsHim said:


> West Island Line (terminate at Kennedy Town) is set. It should be in construction right now and schedule to be in operation by 2012.
> 
> Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations are part of Shatin-Central Line project talk by extending existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei towards Whampao. I would think the latest plan would be final one.


I was suprised it took them that long to construct the West Island Line. 

Again its a great covenience for those living in Whampoa Gardens. Buses are common in this area but it still is time consuming


----------



## EricIsHim

WANCH said:


> I was suprised it took them that long to construct the West Island Line.


WIL will be constructed underground with only a few access points. It takes a long time to drill tunnel underground with existing structure on top of it and limited access point. The construction has to take all the precautions to avoid damaging the at grade structure. Plus geologically, the project is going through some solid rock which make the project even tougher. 5 years from start til finish, it's quick.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> There are also common in other lines as well such as The Tsueng Kwan O Line.


Just the TKO and Island lines. Not any of the others.


----------



## Manila-X

BTW, another nice feature is the use of coloured tiles in some of the station. They could have also used that scheme for the HK and Kowloon Stations.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> BTW, another nice feature is the use of coloured tiles in some of the station. They could have also used that scheme for the HK and Kowloon Stations.


Stations along the Tsuen Wan line is being renovated and some have lost the original tile colouring and the walls have been replaced with more sleek boards, somewhat similar to the Island Line.

Although these tiles come in sheets, they're actually very hard to maintain. Examine some public housing estates, and note how many missing pieces are on the facade. The problem won't be as bad in stations since they're not exposed to the elements, but I doubt the MTR will run off to fix a missing tile unless a lot of them fall off.


----------



## hkth

gladisimo said:


> ^^ I like the calligraphy on the Island line Stations





WANCH said:


> There are also common in other lines as well such as The Tsueng Kwan O Line.





hkskyline said:


> Just the TKO and Island lines. Not any of the others.


There's one more, Lam Tin Station.


----------



## sfgadv02

hkskyline said:


> Stations along the Tsuen Wan line is being renovated and some have lost the original tile colouring and the walls have been replaced with more sleek boards, somewhat similar to the Island Line.
> 
> Although these tiles come in sheets, they're actually very hard to maintain. Examine some public housing estates, and note how many missing pieces are on the facade. The problem won't be as bad in stations since they're not exposed to the elements, but I doubt the MTR will run off to fix a missing tile unless a lot of them fall off.


Don't forget the Kwun Tong line as well, stations such as Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill have gotten partial renovated tiles. Not to mention, they look great!


----------



## ailiton

hkskyline said:


> Stations along the Tsuen Wan line is being renovated and some have lost the original tile colouring and the walls have been replaced with more sleek boards, somewhat similar to the Island Line.
> 
> Although these tiles come in sheets, they're actually very hard to maintain. Examine some public housing estates, and note how many missing pieces are on the facade. The problem won't be as bad in stations since they're not exposed to the elements, but I doubt the MTR will run off to fix a missing tile unless a lot of them fall off.


Which stations on the Tsuen Wan Line have those boards?


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
Further planning and detailed design for West Island Line

RTHK News:
Govt funding most of West Island MTR line


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ17: Car park adjacent to Sunny Bay MTR Station


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ13: Revised scheme of the Shatin to Central Link


----------



## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> Gov't Press Release:
> LCQ17: Car park adjacent to Sunny Bay MTR Station


I wonder how many people are actually going to drive to Sunny Bay even when Disney is in full built condition. The park is greatly accessible by public transportation; and you can't drive in HK unless you hold a valid HK driver license meaning tourist won't drive to the park. Unlike in the US, driving on your own is a far more feasible solution to reach the park from the outside world.


----------



## herenthere

I think Ocean Park will need it since it has much greater visitor volume. But with planned rail and great bus connectivity, probably not...


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> I think Ocean Park will need it since it has much greater visitor volume. But with planned rail and great bus connectivity, probably not...


Actually, Ocean Park doesn't have great bus service. There is only one non-franchised route serve the park two entrances from Admiralty on weekday, and only a few regular routes detoured to via Ocean Park Main Entrance during weekend and holiday origin from different part of HK. It's far less accessible compares to Disneyland right now. By constructing a new line to Ocean Park, it will become far more accessible and increase the people flow in and out of the park.

There is an article in the local newspaper today about the proposed eastern loop of South Island Line. The revised plan calls for four stations at South Horizon (Ap Lei Chau West), Ocean Wong Chuk Hang, Ocean Park and Admiralty. It eliminated Lei Tung (Ap Lei Chau East) and Wan Chai from the previous proposal. Happy Valley is out of the game for sure which was debatable to include it or not before. 

Without Wan Chai as a second interchange for Island Line, I am afraid it may put too much pressures/passengers in Admiralty. And without Lei Tung, home for near 50k people, it may put too much reverse travelling between Lei Tung and South Horizon on Ap Lei Chau alone causing a bus connection problem. There is definitely a high commuter demand in Lei Tung as existing Central bus runs as frequent as two minutes headway during the morning peak. Of course, Lei Tung will cost more of construction as the community is up on the mountain and the station is going to be down below sea level requiring a long long connection just like West Island Line. Ideally, I will like to see to keep Lei Tung in the plan at the minimal.


----------



## hkth

HK Gov't Gazette:
Construction of the West Island Line

Construction of New Pedestrian Subway and Entrances for Lai Chi Kok Station


----------



## herenthere

Is it because that the MTR was partly operated by the gov't and based on London's Underground when it was first built so that it has public subways? Or do a lot of other metros have free underground public walkways connecting the nearby area?


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> Is it because that the MTR was partly operated by the gov't and based on London's Underground when it was first built so that it has public subways? Or do a lot of other metros have free underground public walkways connecting the nearby area?


All I can say..... definitely not in New York. :nuts::nuts:
You can't even walk from one platform to another without going outside in many stations.


----------



## petermandelson

:banana:


----------



## EricIsHim

Very interesting. It looks like the pictures were taken in a KCR train, does the MTR train use the same map?


----------



## gladisimo

I didn't realize until recently that they are getting rid of the KCR logo, and getting rid of the names (at least in Chinese). I would've preferred they stuck with at least one of the old names. 

Maybe something like 香港地下鐵路 (I know its not actually underground, but you can use it as a name). 

Also for the logos, I hope they will have one (and not a hideous one, the current logos are lovely)


----------



## stanleycup

gladisimo said:


> I didn't realize until recently that they are getting rid of the KCR logo, and getting rid of the names (at least in Chinese). I would've preferred they stuck with at least one of the old names.
> 
> Maybe something like 香港地下鐵路 (I know its not actually underground, but you can use it as a name).
> 
> Also for the logos, I hope they will have one (and not a hideous one, the current logos are lovely)


From what I saw online, they're keeping the MTR logo.


----------



## EricIsHim

^^^ In English, the new railway company is still MTR, stands for Mass Transit Railway which is still a true description of all the railway. But in Chinese, KCR and LRT aren't underground, so you can't say that. In full name, it's only taken "underground" away, but forced to make short form "Kong Railway." The short form does make sense although it sounds awkward. But I think for years, people are still gonna refer KCR as West Rail and East Rail, and MTR as "Underground Railway." It's just a local tradition that can't be taken away easily.


----------



## hkth

petermandelson said:


> :banana:





EricIsHim said:


> ^^Very interesting. It looks like the pictures were taken in a KCR train, does the MTR train use the same map?


Those photos were taken in MTR TRAIN!


----------



## hkth

RTHK News:
MTR South Island plans to be finalised by year's end


----------



## hkth

EricIsHim said:


> ^^^ In English, the new railway company is still MTR, stands for Mass Transit Railway which is still a true description of all the railway. But in Chinese, KCR and LRT aren't underground, so you can't say that. In full name, it's only taken "underground" away, but forced to make short form "Kong Railway." The short form does make sense although it sounds awkward. But I think for years, people are still gonna refer KCR as West Rail and East Rail, and MTR as "Underground Railway." It's just a local tradition that can't be taken away easily.


Very agree with you, many people living close to the East Rail Station still called those stations as "railway station (火車站)" even the name had already changed since 1996, where actually only the Hung Hom Station can still be called as railway station as there are also the through trains and container trains use that station.


----------



## iampuking

How many tph (trains per hour) are there on each MTR line?


----------



## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> Very agree with you, many people living close to the East Rail Station still called those stations as "railway station (火車站)" even the name had already changed since 1996, where actually only the Hung Hom Station can still be called as railway station as there are also the through trains and container trains use that station.


In Chinese, "火車" really means "charcoal powered trains." East Rail / KCR has been electrified since 1983. It would have been more terminology correct to call it "九鐵" (Kowloon Railway) between 1983 - 1996, and East Rail from 1996 on. 
For the last 24 years, East Rail is still known as "火車" and it is not gonna change even KCR will officially be gone forever. 

But MTR will still be MTR and KCR will still be KCR in the bottom of all HKer's heart.


----------



## herenthere

gladisimo said:


> I didn't realize until recently that they are getting rid of the KCR logo, and getting rid of the names (at least in Chinese). I would've preferred they stuck with at least one of the old names.


Nevertheless, newer visitors to HK will notice a difference btwn stops of MTR and KCR. MTR stations seem closer to each other than KCR and are styled/designed very, very differently.



hkth said:


> Those photos were taken in MTR TRAIN!


No way...that map is missing all the arrows and LED lights! Unless it is a separate map displayed where the ads usually are and not above the doors.


----------



## aznichiro115

herenthere said:


> Nevertheless, newer visitors to HK will notice a difference btwn stops of MTR and KCR. MTR stations seem closer to each other than KCR and are styled/designed very, very differently.
> 
> 
> No way...that map is missing all the arrows and LED lights! Unless it is a separate map displayed where the ads usually are and not above the doors.


actually it was.......

note the red hand rail and the emergency window sticker.

not the urban trains but rather it was a TCL train, where only the TCL stations are in LCD, and the rest of the system is a sticker


----------



## superchan7

iampuking said:


> How many tph (trains per hour) are there on each MTR line?


Can't count it that way; it'd be too much.

The highest interval I've seen is 8 min on the high-speed Tung Chung Line (130 km/h). I've never waited more than 2 minutes for a train on any other line.


----------



## gladisimo

^^ Yea, Tung Chung Line takes a while, about 6-8 minutes, that's why Tsing Yi station has a significant number of seats. 

Anyhow, during normal (non peak) hours trains come approx. every 2-3 minutes. During rush hours (I avoid, since I dont work, so why go with the crowd) trains come about once a minute.

At night however (12 am) frequency drops to about 5-6 minutes/train.

Additional note is that not all TC Line trains go to TC, some of them stop at Tsing Yi, so if you want to go to TC, it could be up to a 12-15 minute wait


----------



## iampuking

At peaks, trains can be close together because of long dwell times. It's not what is actually timetabled... E.g. the Central line in London sometimes has trains coming every 30 seconds, but this because of a delay and therefore a backlog of trains. It is timetabled for 30tph which is every 2 minutes.

Isn't there anywhere one could find out the exact amount? The answers have been a bit... well... vague! Thanks anyway!


----------



## EricIsHim

During off-peak hour, the Island, Tusen Wan, Kwun Tong and TKO are appro. 3-5 minutes each. Tung Chung, as everyone has said, 6-8 min.

During the peak, it can be as close as 1.5 to 2 minutes per train on all other lines and Tung Chung Line at 4-5 minutes interveral. It is almost the most frequent the train can get to provide a safety gap in between trains. There is seldom any backlog of trains on MTR since it's 100% computerized maximizing the track and platform utilities without human error. No one sits inside the tunnel and waits to move in the platform ahead. It is scheduled to operate that way and is operating that way.

Tung Chung shares track with the Airport Express, so the gap between trains needs to be a little bigger to squeeze the Airport Express train in between. The demand on Tung Chung line is not as much as the other lines, so 4-5 min headway service is working fine. And the Airport Express runs on 12 minutes schedule or 5 trains per hour throughout the day.

So to answer iampuking questions, there are 10-20 trains per hour during the off-peak hours, and as much as 30-40 trains per hour during the peak hour on the MTR depends on which line you are talking about.


----------



## hkth

hkth said:


> Those photos were taken in MTR TRAIN!





herenthere said:


> No way...that map is missing all the arrows and LED lights! Unless it is a separate map displayed where the ads usually are and not above the doors.


Do you know ALL the Tung Chung Line Trains DO NOT have the arrows and LED lights on the maps (expect for the TCL itself)? I'm really certain those were taken in a TCL MTR train. Please view the last photo, man.


----------



## gladisimo

^^ Yea, herenthere, you need to take a TCL train a couple times. 

I wasn't familiar enough with the Tung Chung Line, and without the arrows, I once rushed into a train before knowing which direction it was headed in, and couldn't tell!


----------



## gladisimo

iampuking said:


> At peaks, trains can be close together because of long dwell times. It's not what is actually timetabled... E.g. the Central line in London sometimes has trains coming every 30 seconds, but this because of a delay and therefore a backlog of trains. It is timetabled for 30tph which is every 2 minutes.
> 
> Isn't there anywhere one could find out the exact amount? The answers have been a bit... well... vague! Thanks anyway!


http://mtr.com.hk/eng/train/benefit.html
http://mtr.com.hk/eng/train/ae_timetable_e.htm


----------



## iampuking

Thanks for the replies.


----------



## micro

herenthere said:


> Is it because that the MTR was partly operated by the gov't and based on London's Underground when it was first built so that it has public subways? Or do a lot of other metros have free underground public walkways connecting the nearby area?


As far as I know, connections of metro entrances with pedestrian underpasses are common throughout the world but it is less common in old metro stations.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> Tung Chung shares track with the Airport Express, so the gap between trains needs to be a little bigger to squeeze the Airport Express train in between. The demand on Tung Chung line is not as much as the other lines, so 4-5 min headway service is working fine. And the Airport Express runs on 12 minutes schedule or 5 trains per hour throughout the day.


I thought TCL and AEL have their own tracks (AEL in btwn TCL). After all, AEL doesn't stop at most TCL stops.



gladisimo said:


> ^^ Yea, herenthere, you need to take a TCL train a couple times.
> 
> I wasn't familiar enough with the Tung Chung Line, and without the arrows, I once rushed into a train before knowing which direction it was headed in, and couldn't tell!


But the thing is TCL doesn't take me where I want to go...Maybe I'll try taking it next time.



micro said:


> As far as I know, connections of metro entrances with pedestrian underpasses are common throughout the world but it is less common in old metro stations.


That makes sense.


----------



## hkskyline

Tung Chung Line shares tracks with Airport Express in some locations, not all. During rush hour, frequencies range from 2-4 minutes, with some trains going partial-way to Tsing Yi.


----------



## gladisimo

The tracks at the station are split for sure, if you go on the TC Line you can tell easily


----------



## hkskyline

gladisimo said:


> The tracks at the station are split for sure, if you go on the TC Line you can tell easily


Definitely at Olympic and Nam Cheong. Then there is a connection and there was an incident whereby the switch was incorrectly made and a Tung Chung Line train wounded up on the Airport Express platform.


----------



## EricIsHim

Airport Express and Tung Chung Ling share the same track east of Tung Chung and west of Tsing Yi, except at Sunny Bay.
I do think they run on separate tracks between Hong Kong Station and Tsing Yi.

The top picture below was taken in between Tsing Ma Bridge and Sunny Bay station showing only two tracks, one track for each direction. 
Indeed, the picture has a Tung Chung Train on the left going towards Tsing Yi and an AE Train on the right going towards the Airport. 
The bottom one was taken at Olympic.


----------



## Kaitak747

*港鐵新制服鮮黃主調
增衫袋設計 衣料因應氣候*










30/10/2007




【本報訊】距離兩鐵合併還有約一個月，合併當日六千五百名香港鐵路公司的員工將穿上度身訂造的新制服。新制服以深藍或卡其色，配襯「搶眼」的鮮黃色為主調，以展示活力及動感的一面，制服亦設有較多及較大的衫袋、褲袋，方便員工存放必需品。地鐵將於合併前兩周會公布新收費的安排，並確保前線員工將順利過渡新公司工作，員工不用擔心。
港鐵員工包括車站經理、站務員、維修技術員、車站助理、保安員、接待員的全新制服昨率先安排兩鐵的員工行「貓步」示人。現時地鐵員工的制服主要以白恤衫及墨綠色為主色，配上「花碌碌」的領帶，九鐵則以藍色為主調。新制服則以鮮黃色配襯深藍或卡其色的底色，營造鮮明的效果。

制服分夏、冬兩季，衣料亦因應不同氣候有不同設計，如恤衫使用了混棉，長褲則使用混羊毛，外套的襯內層可拆除，在冬天還有保暖大衣。而除車站經理外，新制服不用結領帶，以加強與乘客之間的親切感。 

合併前兩周公布收費安排
負責設計新制服的著名時裝設計師鄧達智表示，花了一年時間設計有關制服，期間向二百名兩鐵員工諮詢意見，他說：「好早定用黃色，但又唔想出好似檸檬或果，當中進行多次調校。」

另外，地鐵車務總監麥國琛表示，會在合併前兩星期，公布最新的車費安排，而大部分員工在合併後可留在原來崗位，員工不用擔心。


----------



## Kaitak747

*港鐵減車費下月中公布
12月2日凌晨全線換新裝 *










2007年10月30日 




【明報專訊】兩鐵已落實於12月2日正式合併，合併後的香港鐵路有限公司(簡稱「港鐵」)，於當日早上約5時半開出的首班列車開始，為市民提供票價優惠，地鐵公司發言人表示，將在合併前兩周公布最新的具體車費安排。

地鐵雖已公布會於合併日起減價約10％，但具體車費減多少仍未全披露。地鐵公司車務總監麥國琛說，合併後具體車費暫時仍未落實，兩鐵現正忙於處理有關問題，預計新車費表和電腦系統可於12月2日的兩星期前完成，屆時再公布。

至於員工薪金及福利，他表示，兩鐵與員工有定期溝通，相信合併當日可順利過渡到新公司，尤其是前線員工，大部分可繼續在原有崗位服務，公司將發信告訴員工有關合併安排。

地下鐵路公司員工協會副主席羅泮威表示，公司仍未接觸工會商討有關問題。九廣鐵路職工會理事長高柏指出，10月初曾與兩鐵管理層開會商討九鐵員工的過渡安排，但暫時還未正式落實具體的薪酬及福利過渡方案，故仍有擔心，盼兩鐵盡快解決有關問題。

12月2日凌晨1時半左右，兩鐵的尾班車回廠後，「地鐵」及「九鐵」便正式告別市民。地鐵公司事務經理王美琪表示，兩鐵員工將於當晚「通宵」為全線的地鐵及九鐵站及列車，換上「港鐵」的新公司標誌及名稱，亦會在站內張貼新的車費表、路線圖，而由12月2日開出的首班列車開始，市民便可享有新的車費優惠。12月1日午夜後的班車，雖已過了12月2日零時，但不會減價。

她又說，1.2萬名過渡「港鐵」 員工，當中6500人亦會在12月2日開始換上新制服，其餘須穿制服上班的後勤員工，包括維修技術員，將於1年內陸續換新裝。


----------



## Kaitak747

*港 鐵 新 制 服 12 月 2 日 出 爐 *












鄧 達 智 設 計 　 黃 及 深 藍 為 主【 本 報 訊 】 兩 鐵 合 併 的 風 風 雨 雨 ， 將 於 今 年 12 月 2 日 告 一 段 落 ， 首 先 融 合 是 員 工 身 上 的 制 服 。 地 鐵 與 九 鐵 昨 日 公 佈 合 併 後 的 香 港 鐵 路 公 司 新 制 服 設 計 ， 以 黃 色 與 深 藍 色 為 主 ， 設 計 師 鄧 達 智 花 了 近 一 年 時 間 徵 詢 兩 鐵 員 工 意 見 ， 才 完 成 作 品 。 地 鐵 公 司 表 示 ， 下 月 中 公 佈 具 體 票 價 ， 合 併 當 日 全 線 車 站 將 換 上 包 羅 兩 鐵 82 個 車 站 的 路 線 圖 。 
兩 鐵 昨 日 公 佈 八 款 為 前 線 員 工 設 計 的 新 制 服 款 式 ， 包 括 車 站 職 員 與 兩 鐵 物 業 員 工 的 新 制 服 ， 跟 現 時 地 鐵 與 九 鐵 制 服 款 式 截 然 不 同 ， 以 車 站 經 理 為 例 ， 男 士 要 穿 上 深 色 西 裝 及 黃 色 恤 衫 ， 女 士 則 要 戴 上 黃 色 領 巾 ； 所 有 制 服 均 會 印 上 現 時 地 鐵 公 司 的 標 誌 ， 也 是 合 併 後 香 港 鐵 路 公 司 的 標 誌 。



「 一 見 隻 色 知 係 職 員 」
負 責 設 計 的 鄧 達 智 表 示 ， 去 年 9 月 手 構 思 時 已 定 出 現 時 這 個 款 式 ， 其 間 並 沒 有 參 考 現 時 兩 鐵 的 制 服 ， 惟 過 去 一 年 要 「 周 旋 」 於 兩 大 鐵 路 公 司 多 個 部 門 之 間 ， 聽 取 不 同 意 見 ， 「 有 時 一 個 月 要 去 開 會 三 、 四 次 ， 兩 間 鐵 路 公 司 要 求 好 唔 同 ， 我 都 驚 過 自 己 作 品 可 唔 可 以 咁 順 利 出 到 街 。 」 
鄧 說 ， 揀 選 黃 色 作 為 其 中 一 種 主 色 ， 是 因 為 覺 得 它 搶 眼 醒 目 ， 粗 略 估 計 只 有 5% 乘 客 會 穿 黃 色 服 飾 ， 「 一 見 到 隻 （ 黃 ） 色 ， 就 知 係 職 員 。 」 他 稱 不 少 兩 鐵 員 工 認 為 ， 新 制 服 設 計 類 似 一 些 歐 洲 航 空 公 司 的 制 服 ， 「 我 覺 得 新 制 服 可 以 帶 出 香 港 鐵 路 公 司 國 際 形 象 。 」 本 報 曾 查 問 部 份 地 鐵 員 工 意 見 ， 普 遍 覺 得 設 計 予 人 煥 然 一 新 的 感 覺 ， 但 也 有 人 稱 或 需 要 時 間 慢 慢 適 應 。 
兩 鐵 合 併 後 將 有 1.2 萬 名 僱 員 ， 當 中 近 萬 人 屬 前 線 員 工 。 
地 鐵 公 司 發 言 人 表 示 ， 合 併 當 日 6,500 名 前 線 員 工 會 率 先 更 換 新 制 服 ， 並 須 交 回 舊 制 服 ， 其 餘 前 線 員 工 一 年 內 更 換 。 發 言 人 重 申 ， 所 有 員 工 將 會 順 利 過 渡 到 新 崗 位 ， 稍 後 會 各 自 收 到 通 知 具 體 安 排 。



特 稿 
專 家 ： 港 鐵 制 服 不 夠 醒
理 工 大 學 紡 織 及 製 衣 學 系 副 授 吳 文 正 認 為 ， 兩 鐵 合 併 是 一 個 新 開 始 ， 但 新 制 服 卻 未 能 帶 來 眼 前 一 亮 的 新 形 象 ， 若 與 現 時 地 鐵 制 服 以 藍 、 白 色 為 主 ， 新 巴 制 服 以 橙 、 藍 色 為 主 ， 及 九 巴 制 服 以 紅 、 灰 色 為 主 比 較 ， 淡 黃 色 的 制 服 太 平 凡 ， 不 夠 醒 目 。 
吳 文 正 表 示 ， 新 巴 及 九 巴 司 機 的 制 服 設 計 重 功 用 ， 令 乘 客 一 眼 就 認 出 ， 港 鐵 採 用 黃 色 為 主 調 ， 雖 然 顯 得 比 兩 巴 制 服 斯 文 ， 但 以 黃 色 恤 衫 加 深 藍 色 西 褲 的 配 搭 ， 並 不 特 別 搶 眼 ， 若 再 穿 上 深 藍 色 的 外 套 ， 更 可 能 淹 沒 在 車 站 人 潮 中 。



黃 衫 難 穿 得 好 看
他 又 說 ， 黃 衫 少 人 穿 ， 就 是 因 為 難 以 穿 得 好 看 ， 女 性 穿 黃 衣 還 可 以 ， 男 性 穿 黃 衣 卻 會 很 怪 。 在 港 鐵 各 種 員 工 制 服 中 ， 以 女 站 務 經 理 配 黃 絲 巾 較 好 ， 站 務 員 的 黃 色 恤 衫 雙 肩 位 置 用 上 深 藍 色 ， 只 給 人 一 種 雙 肩 沉 重 的 感 覺 。 整 體 來 說 ， 以 50 分 合 格 ， 他 只 會 給 40 至 45 分 。 
本 報 記 者


----------



## hkskyline

Here's the English article on the uniforms for the non-Chinese readers :

*Models for a day: rail workers show off bright new look *
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Frontline staff of MTR Corp and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp are to sport a sharp new look from December - courtesy of fashion guru William Tang Tat-chi.

About 6,500 fresh and innovative uniforms will be distributed to workers to mark the long-awaited merger of the corporations. 

The uniforms were showcased by selected staff at Hong Kong Station yesterday, much to the delight of commuters. 

"We have taken the chance to reflect in these new uniforms the idea of harmony - one company, one team," MTR operations director Andrew McCusker said while introducing the show.

The collection includes eight different designs for station managers, station staff, maintenance workers, station assistants, security guards, receptionists, and those involved in property management and manning shopping centers. 

Tang, who won the 2006 outstanding Greater China design award, worked closely with 200 MTRC and KCRC employees during the year-long design process.

The bright uniforms - shades of navy blue, khaki and yellow - project a more customer-friendly and caring attitude, Tang said. 

The uniforms, with five different levels of warmth, have bigger pockets, higher slits in jackets, and are more practical for railway workers. 

"If they are uncomfortable, the staff will lose confidence and cannot work. They're very comfortable and I'm very happy to wear a uniform designed by William Tang," said Peggy Wan, a station operator at Yuen Long and a model at the fashion show. 

The show attracted the attention of railway passengers at Hong Kong Station. "I think the new uniforms are energetic and depict the company's new energy," onlooker Summer Ha said.

Commuter Kenneth Lau said: "The uniforms are much sharper and noticeable." 

In an effort to promote the uniforms, MTRC and the KCRC will be selling MTR Hello Kitty Heroes dressed in the new uniforms from November 4 for HK$40.


----------



## Manila-X

The uniforms don't look that bad at all. Much better compared to those of other metro systems.


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## hkskyline

It's actually a very different style than the general trend of Hong Kong uniforms these days. Banks still use very formal dressing for customer-facing staff, and even Star Ferry has a rather rigid blue uniform. Bus drivers are slightly more casual but it seems the MTR is even more bold to introduce a fairly new style of uniform.

That being said, the general trend around the world is to drop uniforms these days.


----------



## Kaitak747

*Hong Kong Subway (MTR + KCR) 港鐵*

*Hong Kong Subway (MTR + KCR) 港鐵*






















MTR Corp Ltd, or Mass Transit Railway, first serviced in 1979 operates the subway network in HK. Its efficiency and affordability makes the MTR system a convenient mode of public transport in HK, with about 2.6 million journeys recorded each day as of May 2007. 

KCRC Ltd, operates the rail system in HK. The HK government with a 75% ownership in MTR had proposed to merge the KCRC with MTRC to expand the network in the areas of HK Island, Kowloon and Lantau Island.

Hong Kong's Executive Council formally approved the deal on April 11, 2006 by leasing the KCR's operation to the MTR for 50 years. The merger proposal with KCRC has recently been approved by the minority shareholders in a Special General Meeting on 9 October 2007. The merger will see effect of an immediate price reduction to parts of the MTR service-networks. Recently, the HK government has committed funding to the development of new subway lines in HK Island.

MTR Subway
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=337079

Hong Kong KCR 
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=364645


----------



## Kaitak747

*港鐵減車費下月中公布
12月2日凌晨全線換新裝 *










2007年10月30日 




【明報專訊】兩鐵已落實於12月2日正式合併，合併後的香港鐵路有限公司(簡稱「港鐵」)，於當日早上約5時半開出的首班列車開始，為市民提供票價優惠，地鐵公司發言人表示，將在合併前兩周公布最新的具體車費安排。

地鐵雖已公布會於合併日起減價約10％，但具體車費減多少仍未全披露。地鐵公司車務總監麥國琛說，合併後具體車費暫時仍未落實，兩鐵現正忙於處理有關問題，預計新車費表和電腦系統可於12月2日的兩星期前完成，屆時再公布。

至於員工薪金及福利，他表示，兩鐵與員工有定期溝通，相信合併當日可順利過渡到新公司，尤其是前線員工，大部分可繼續在原有崗位服務，公司將發信告訴員工有關合併安排。

地下鐵路公司員工協會副主席羅泮威表示，公司仍未接觸工會商討有關問題。九廣鐵路職工會理事長高柏指出，10月初曾與兩鐵管理層開會商討九鐵員工的過渡安排，但暫時還未正式落實具體的薪酬及福利過渡方案，故仍有擔心，盼兩鐵盡快解決有關問題。

12月2日凌晨1時半左右，兩鐵的尾班車回廠後，「地鐵」及「九鐵」便正式告別市民。地鐵公司事務經理王美琪表示，兩鐵員工將於當晚「通宵」為全線的地鐵及九鐵站及列車，換上「港鐵」的新公司標誌及名稱，亦會在站內張貼新的車費表、路線圖，而由12月2日開出的首班列車開始，市民便可享有新的車費優惠。12月1日午夜後的班車，雖已過了12月2日零時，但不會減價。

她又說，1.2萬名過渡「港鐵」 員工，當中6500人亦會在12月2日開始換上新制服，其餘須穿制服上班的後勤員工，包括維修技術員，將於1年內陸續換新裝。


----------



## Kaitak747

*港鐵新制服鮮黃主調
增衫袋設計 衣料因應氣候*










30/10/2007




【本報訊】距離兩鐵合併還有約一個月，合併當日六千五百名香港鐵路公司的員工將穿上度身訂造的新制服。新制服以深藍或卡其色，配襯「搶眼」的鮮黃色為主調，以展示活力及動感的一面，制服亦設有較多及較大的衫袋、褲袋，方便員工存放必需品。地鐵將於合併前兩周會公布新收費的安排，並確保前線員工將順利過渡新公司工作，員工不用擔心。
港鐵員工包括車站經理、站務員、維修技術員、車站助理、保安員、接待員的全新制服昨率先安排兩鐵的員工行「貓步」示人。現時地鐵員工的制服主要以白恤衫及墨綠色為主色，配上「花碌碌」的領帶，九鐵則以藍色為主調。新制服則以鮮黃色配襯深藍或卡其色的底色，營造鮮明的效果。

制服分夏、冬兩季，衣料亦因應不同氣候有不同設計，如恤衫使用了混棉，長褲則使用混羊毛，外套的襯內層可拆除，在冬天還有保暖大衣。而除車站經理外，新制服不用結領帶，以加強與乘客之間的親切感。 

合併前兩周公布收費安排
負責設計新制服的著名時裝設計師鄧達智表示，花了一年時間設計有關制服，期間向二百名兩鐵員工諮詢意見，他說：「好早定用黃色，但又唔想出好似檸檬或果，當中進行多次調校。」

另外，地鐵車務總監麥國琛表示，會在合併前兩星期，公布最新的車費安排，而大部分員工在合併後可留在原來崗位，員工不用擔心。


----------



## superchan7

I would oppose eliminating uniforms. I'd greatly prefer a consistent uniform as they are easy to spot, and I must say the new MTR uniforms are surprisingly creative.


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## gladisimo

So they will be keeping the MTR and MTR Logo??


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## Kaitak747

gladisimo said:


> So they will be keeping the MTR and MTR Logo??


New Logo










地鐵公司其實在外地也有不少的營運合約,作為一間提供技術支援的公司
MTR及那個標誌已為人所熟識

至於標誌的中文名會有甚麼變更就不得而知,只知道會改名為港鐵公司,香港鐵路


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## Manila-X

Hell yeah The MTR map just gotten bigger. Looking forward to see HK's metro in full effect and a full-map kinda like those of NY, Tokyo or Mexico City


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## hkskyline

The map is too busy. The space above the door is far too small to put all those lines in.


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## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ1: Site for the Shatin to Central Link depot


----------



## deasine

hkskyline said:


> The map is too busy. The space above the door is far too small to put all those lines in.


That's exactly what I thought... It's beginning to look really messy... And the reason i don't like the Japanese Metro networks are their maps being way too messy and complicated...


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## gladisimo

WANCH said:


> Hell yeah The MTR map just gotten bigger. Looking forward to see HK's metro in full effect and a full-map kinda like those of NY, Tokyo or Mexico City












Includes theoretical routes.


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## gladisimo

They need to improve the design of their signs now. There's no way for them to put that onto the thing on top of the door.


----------



## hkskyline

*Accidents on MTR escalators increase *
27 October 2007
South China Morning Post

The MTR yesterday reported a rise in accidents on escalators and train platforms. A spokeswoman said passengers wearing sandals should take special care to avoid getting their footwear caught between the escalator and side panel. 

In the year to September 30 the rail operator recorded 522 accidents on escalators, up 21 per cent from the 432 accidents in the previous 12 months. Nearly 50 children were hurt when they got a shoe caught. 

MTR managers have deployed 50 "safety ambassadors" in stations to remind passengers to beware of getting their feet caught on escalators. The government's Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has recorded a sharp increase in accidents on escalators. They have risen from about 600 in 2003 to 1,092, or three per day, last year. 

In Singapore last year, a young child wearing a pair of rubber clogs had a toe torn off when one of her feet was sucked into the gap between the escalator steps and side panel. 

In Hong Kong, at least four children wearing rubber clogs have got their feet caught in escalators. 

The MTR spokeswoman said standing in the middle of the step was the best way to ensure safety.


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## EricIsHim

Happy Valley is gone~~


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Rail Merger Marks A Time To Remember With Commemorative Ticket and Train Models Set


----------



## hkskyline

I doubt Happy Valley residents would appreciate mass redevelopment and passenger traffic in their exclusive, quiet enclave.


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## hkskyline

*兩鐵紀念車票 合併日無限乘搭 *
11月 02日 星期五 05:30AM
星島日報 

距離九鐵與地鐵合併還有一個月時間，兩鐵已急不及待，率先在本月推出「兩鐵合併 紀念票」及一套三車的「兩鐵合併紀念列車模型──經典系統套裝」。紀念票上印有兩鐵的標誌和合併年份「二○○七」字樣（圖右），只可在合併日無限次乘搭。紀念票及列車模型分別會在本月十一日及十八日推出，各款數量不足五萬個。

列車模型套裝本月推

十二月二日兩鐵正式合併，地鐵公司市務策劃經理梁靜雯指出，兩鐵花近一年時間，終為兩鐵合併特製一款可以一張車票，搭齊兩個列車系統的紀念車票，「車票對角位置印有地鐵及九鐵的標誌，乘客根據相應鐵路標誌方向插進入閘機，便可入閘。」紀念票可在合併日無限次使用，票價港幣五十元，本月十一日發售。車票上印有「二○○七」字樣，票套印上兩鐵不同年代發展里程碑。而一套三車的列車模型套裝（圖左）將在本月十八日推出，除了有九鐵四十年代使用的「Vulcan」蒸汽機車，及五十年代至○四年使用的「亞歷山大爵士」號柴油車，還有地鐵自一九七九年始投入服務的「Metro-Cammell M Train」載客列車，全套售價為港幣一百八十八元。套裝更包括一套兩鐵里程碑紀念明信片。記者 陳意婷


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> I doubt Happy Valley residents would appreciate mass redevelopment and passenger traffic in their exclusive, quiet enclave.


I would think so, too.

But the rail can help the racecourse traffic. Instead of closing off the whole Wong Nai Chung Gap Road towards Aberdeen Tunnel every time there is a event at the racecourse in order to set up a bus terminus, and have all traffic detours out to Gloucester Road and turns around by Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. MTR can move all people and event buses off the road and maintain the traffic flow on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road towards Aberdeen Tunnel. The road closure usually creates massive delay all over HKI and possibly a grid lock.


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## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> I would think so, too.
> 
> But the rail can help the racecourse traffic. Instead of closing off the whole Wong Nai Chung Gap Road towards Aberdeen Tunnel every time there is a event at the racecourse in order to set up a bus terminus, and have all traffic detours out to Gloucester Road and turns around by Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. MTR can move all people and event buses off the road and maintain the traffic flow on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road towards Aberdeen Tunnel. The road closure usually creates massive delay all over HKI and possibly a grid lock.


The racecourse entrance is actually away from the posh residential areas, so a station there may be feasible, but it may prompt some skyscrapers in the vicinity that will look down on the rich people's homes nearby, so the problem still remains.


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> The racecourse entrance is actually away from the posh residential areas, so a station there may be feasible, but it may prompt some skyscrapers in the vicinity that will look down on the rich people's homes nearby, so the problem still remains.


There is no room to build a complex to financially support MTRC there. If Happy Valley were built, it would have been just a station with no property. Something like what is in WIL. It's all about financial feasibility, not in term of traffic/transportation. I am sure that's the reason why Happy Valley was rejected in the SIL. From traffic point of view, a rail is needed to support the racecourse moveing people out of the area quick without disturbing the area road network. The outcome will be we still have to face traffic problem every race day at Happy Valley.


----------



## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> There is no room to build a complex to financially support MTRC there. If Happy Valley were built, it would have been just a station with no property. Something like what is in WIL. It's all about financial feasibility, not in term of traffic/transportation. I am sure that's the reason why Happy Valley was rejected in the SIL. From traffic point of view, a rail is needed to support the racecourse moveing people out of the area quick without disturbing the area road network. The outcome will be we still have to face traffic problem every race day at Happy Valley.


I somehow doubt whether the subsidy model can be used for yet another new subway line. Although revolutionary, I don't think the government wants to build another loss-making line, especially when there is opposition from the area residents. WIL was a bit different. There was much neighborhood desire to bring the MTR there.


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## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> I somehow doubt whether the subsidy model can be used for yet another new subway line. Although revolutionary, I don't think the government wants to build another loss-making line, especially when there is opposition from the area residents. WIL was a bit different. There was much neighborhood desire to bring the MTR there.


SIL is half and half. MTRC more likely will get the development right at the existing Wong Chuk Hang Estate above the depot. But besides that, there is no another piece of land for MTRC to build anything, the government will still need to subsidy, but not majority like in WIL. 

Also MTRC is also a listed company at the stock market, it can't really do anything that is obvious that will be a lost on the company itself, although the infrastructure will benefit the community and all the users along the route.

HK's MTRC is the only subway in the world runs like a private cooperate without full subsidy from the government. The idea is great and helps a lot, but I think we now see the negative side of it. Transportation infrastructures sometimes just can't be done without subsidy and only built when there is a benefit to the operator.


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## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> SIL is half and half. MTRC more likely will get the development right at the existing Wong Chuk Hang Estate above the depot. But besides that, there is no another piece of land for MTRC to build anything, the government will still need to subsidy, but not majority like in WIL.
> 
> Also MTRC is also a listed company at the stock market, it can't really do anything that is obvious that will be a lost on the company itself, although the infrastructure will benefit the community and all the users along the route.
> 
> HK's MTRC is the only subway in the world runs like a private cooperate without full subsidy from the government. The idea is great and helps a lot, but I think we now see the negative side of it. Transportation infrastructures sometimes just can't be done without subsidy and only built when there is a benefit to the operator.


When I first heard the news, I thought it'd be great that the MTR can get the construction bill partially paid off, while retaining the revenue proceeds. That should drive up the stock price (free capital investment), but come to think of it, if the revenues are not sufficient to cover the construction costs in the first place, what is the long-term sustainability of the line when we already know the population is not large enough to support the extension? That should drag down the stock price in the long run.


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## Kaitak747

*環 境 所 限 　 可 能 不 設 中 環 站 
沙 中 線 或 變 金 沙 線*


【 本 報 訊 】 約 100 萬 名 東 鐵 及 馬 鐵 乘 客 要 轉 乘 地 鐵 過 海 ， 將 會 成 為 集 體 回 憶 。 特 首 曾 蔭 權 在 施 政 報 告 承 諾 興 建 由 紅 磡 過 海 的 東 鐵 新 線 沙 田 至 中 環 線 ， 當 局 即 將 公 佈 計 劃 詳 情 ， 新 線 會 設 鑽 石 山 、 德 及 何 文 田 等 十 個 車 站 ， 工 程 則 分 兩 階 段 ， 2015 年 大 圍 至 紅 磡 段 通 車 ， 2018 年 則 東 鐵 由 紅 磡 過 海 往 中 環 通 車 。 由 於 中 環 地 理 環 境 所 限 ， 不 排 除 總 站 不 設 在 中 環 而 設 在 金 鐘 ， 沙 中 線 將 會 隨 時 變 成 「 金 沙 線 」 。 　

政 府 早 於 2000 年 提 出 第 四 條 過 海 鐵 路 沙 中 線 計 劃 ， 列 為 優 先 發 展 鐵 路 項 目 ， 但 受 德 發 展 規 劃 及 兩 鐵 合 併 計 劃 阻 延 。 兩 鐵 現 已 正 式 宣 佈 下 月 合 併 ， 房 屋 及 運 輸 局 也 確 定 明 年 初 公 佈 沙 中 線 詳 情 。 據 悉 ， 沙 中 線 全 長 17 公 里 ， 共 設 10 個 站 ， 由 大 圍 起 ， 經 鑽 石 山 、 德 、 土 瓜 灣 、 馬 頭 圍 、 何 文 田 、 紅 磡 ， 長 約 11 公 里 ， 由 紅 磡 過 海 往 灣 仔 會 展 、 金 鐘 ， 以 中 環 為 總 站 ， 過 海 段 則 長 約 6 公 里 。 
不 過 ， 由 於 中 環 站 地 理 環 境 所 限 ， 仍 在 研 究 解 決 技 術 上 困 難 ， 不 排 除 最 後 可 能 不 設 中 環 站 ， 而 改 為 以 金 鐘 為 總 站 ， 沙 中 線 變 成 「 金 沙 線 」 。



2010 動 工 建 費 300 億





新 線 每 列 車 長 八 卡 ， 每 小 時 載 客 量 達 9 萬 人 ， 最 多 每 小 時 走 34 班 ， 即 少 於 兩 分 鐘 便 有 一 班 。 當 房 屋 及 運 輸 局 公 佈 計 劃 後 ， 會 到 區 議 會 諮 詢 ， 兩 鐵 合 併 後 的 香 港 鐵 路 公 司 會 同 步 進 行 工 程 設 計 ， 預 計 2010 年 動 工 ， 2015 年 先 完 成 大 圍 至 紅 磡 段 ， 2018 年 全 部 竣 工 。 
由 於 沙 中 線 經 紅 磡 過 海 ， 海 底 隧 道 的 走 線 非 常 接 近 現 有 的 舊 紅 磡 海 底 隧 道 ， 故 設 計 上 要 作 出 遷 就 ， 施 工 時 間 也 較 長 。 整 項 工 程 費 用 達 300 億 元 ， 政 府 預 算 負 責 所 有 費 用 ， 建 成 後 如 東 鐵 般 出 租 給 港 鐵 營 運 。



鑽 石 山 車 廠 深 入 地 底
沙 中 線 車 廠 設 於 地 鐵 鑽 石 山 站 附 近 ， 即 現 時 私 人 屋 苑 星 河 明 居 對 面 ， 為 避 免 建 築 物 造 成 屏 風 效 應 ， 車 廠 會 深 入 地 底 興 建 ， 伸 延 至 地 面 數 米 高 。 上 蓋 將 不 會 批 給 港 鐵 作 物 業 發 展 。 沙 中 線 大 圍 站 與 東 鐵 及 馬 鐵 大 圍 站 相 連 ； 紅 磡 站 是 現 東 鐵 紅 磡 站 擴 建 ； 何 文 田 站 位 於 山 谷 道 原 址 挖 掘 山 洞 而 建 ； 金 鐘 站 則 是 港 島 線 金 鐘 站 擴 建 而 成 ， 乘 客 可 轉 乘 港 島 線 。 
港 鐵 會 同 時 興 建 觀 塘 線 延 長 線 ， 終 站 由 油 麻 地 伸 延 經 黃 埔 然 後 以 何 文 田 為 終 站 ， 延 長 線 為 黃 埔 提 供 鐵 路 服 務 ， 黃 埔 居 民 花 數 分 鐘 便 可 抵 旺 角 ， 或 在 何 文 田 站 轉 沙 中 線 過 海 。 觀 塘 線 何 文 田 站 與 沙 中 線 何 文 田 站 設 計 將 會 是 「 上 下 鋪 」 ， 轉 車 乘 客 要 上 落 一 層 。


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## gladisimo

Haha, gum sha, just like the chocolate


----------



## hkskyline

*Police searching for MTR attacker *
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, November 05, 2007

Police are searching for a man after a 20-year-old woman claimed she was indecently assaulted at an MTR station.

The woman, known only as Miss Tai, said she was followed by a man in his 20s and with whom she had earlier quarrelled. Then man then pushed her into a train and fled.

The incident took place at 5.15pm on Friday at Admiralty and follows concerns over the safety of women at MTR stations.

Tai told police she was walking in the station to catch a train heading for Chai Wan when she and a long-haired man bumped into each other.

After exchanging a few heated words, she continued walking toward the train stop without realizing the man was following her.

As the train arrived and the doors opened, the man allegedly used his knee to hit her lower abdomen, causing her to bend her body at which time she was pushed into the compartment.

The woman got off at the next stop and returned to Admiralty where she reported to the police.

Police said they are looking for a man in his 20s, with long hair and of a slim build.

Police confirmed they are investigating the case and have classified it as an alleged assault.

The case follows a survey of 406 women conducted in 2004 by the Gutsy Women group which revealed the extent of the problem.

Two-thirds of respondents said they had been indecently assaulted on public transport but most did not seek help from bus drivers or train staff.

The survey found more than 40 percent of the alleged sexual offenses took place on MTR and KCRC trains and 38 percent on buses. There were 991 reported cases of indecent assault in 2002, but only 73 were alleged to have occurred on trains.


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## EricIsHim

gladisimo said:


> Haha, gum sha, just like the chocolate [/QUOT
> 
> I am thinking the Sands, the casino in Macao.


----------



## littlearea

And also Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.:lol:


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail firm urged to build for elderly 
MTR Corp should redevelop its properties into homes for retirees, report says *
5 November 2007
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation - a property development giant as well as a rail company - should consider offering housing specially designed for the elderly, a soon-to-be-released consultancy report suggests. 

The report, commissioned by the Housing Society, itself a major housing supplier, says the move would help address problems of an ageing population. 

Existing public housing failed to address the needs of elderly people who could not afford middle-class housing, but wanted something better than the cheapest public flats, the report said. 

But sources in the Housing Society said talks on the issue with the rail company were on hold because there was no government population policy. 

The society, a non-profit organisation that provides housing for the middle-income group, commissioned the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University last year to investigate the demand for housing for the elderly. The preliminary report is expected to be completed next month. 

Ernest Chui Wing-tak, a professor of social work at HKU who led the study, said it comprised an extensive survey of people over 50, who would be joining the ranks of the elderly in five to 10 years. 

Future development models for housing for the elderly were also explored, he added. 

Among the models, Dr Chui said railway properties and redevelopment projects in old districts were seen as "convenient nodes" for such housing. 

Financial incentives such as specially priced tickets could be offered by the rail company, to make the elderly feel cared for, and to encourage them to go out and socialise, he said. 

Dr Chui said existing residential developments did not fully cater to the needs of the elderly. 

"Old people like to do tai chi on ground level or up on a hill. They do not enjoy exercising in sky gardens." 

Sources close to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, which will merge its rail operations with the MTR Corp next month, said stations along the West Rail line - such as Pat Heung - had potential as low-rise housing because the natural landscape offered a good living environment for the elderly. 

Frequent use of trains by older people would also increase passenger numbers on the underused line in off-peak hours. 

A Housing Society source said negotiations with the MTR Corp on developing housing for the elderly along the West Rail line, including Nam Cheong station, were on hold. 

"Housing for the elderly is not a profitable business, and there are high land premiums and costs. There must be a long-term government policy to support the projects." 

Although Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said in his policy address that the scheme for the elderly launched by the Housing Society should be expanded, it faced a shortage of land. 

According to government projections, the percentage of those aged over 65 will increase from 12 per cent last year to over 26 per cent by 2033. 

The Council for Sustainable Development submitted a proposal to the government in June urging it to encourage a universal design for buildings and facilities for the elderly. 

It also said public housing policy should be reviewed to support the care of extended family members. 

A spokesman for the MTR Corp said the company had no plan to build housing for the elderly, but would act as a government agent after the merger to develop stations along the West Rail line. 

A spokesman for Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said a steering committee on population policy would call meetings soon.


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## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> *Police searching for MTR attacker *
> Hong Kong Standard
> Monday, November 05, 2007
> 
> Police are searching for a man after a 20-year-old woman claimed she was indecently assaulted at an MTR station.
> 
> The woman, known only as Miss Tai, said she was followed by a man in his 20s and with whom she had earlier quarrelled. Then man then pushed her into a train and fled.
> 
> The incident took place at 5.15pm on Friday at Admiralty and follows concerns over the safety of women at MTR stations.
> 
> Tai told police she was walking in the station to catch a train heading for Chai Wan when she and a long-haired man bumped into each other.
> 
> After exchanging a few heated words, she continued walking toward the train stop without realizing the man was following her.
> 
> As the train arrived and the doors opened, the man allegedly used his knee to hit her lower abdomen, causing her to bend her body at which time she was pushed into the compartment.
> 
> The woman got off at the next stop and returned to Admiralty where she reported to the police.
> 
> Police said they are looking for a man in his 20s, with long hair and of a slim build.
> 
> Police confirmed they are investigating the case and have classified it as an alleged assault.
> 
> The case follows a survey of 406 women conducted in 2004 by the Gutsy Women group which revealed the extent of the problem.
> 
> Two-thirds of respondents said they had been indecently assaulted on public transport but most did not seek help from bus drivers or train staff.
> 
> The survey found more than 40 percent of the alleged sexual offenses took place on MTR and KCRC trains and 38 percent on buses. There were 991 reported cases of indecent assault in 2002, but only 73 were alleged to have occurred on trains.


MTR stations have CCTVs don't they?


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## Skybean

WANCH said:


> MTR stations have CCTVs don't they?


Definitely. There's no doubt there would be CCTVs in operation at Admiralty as well.


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## EricIsHim

At the stations, including platforms, yes. I believe there is no CCTV in the train though.


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## hkskyline

*地鐵擬推出月票優惠 *
10/11/2007









【本報訊】兩鐵下月正式合併，各條鐵路的票務系統正進行協調，為配合九鐵現有的月票及季票優惠，地鐵亦構思推出月票優惠，但暫未確定售價及使用方式。民間團體要求地鐵的月票收費必須合理及真正惠及乘客。

立法會交通事務委員會鐵路事宜小組委員會昨討論西港島線的財務安排，議員鄭家富認為港府計劃「真金白銀」注資六十億元資助地鐵興建西港島線，應乘勢要求地鐵減價一成。王國興亦認為，今次是政府打本興建新線，票價上應有發言權。

鄭汝樺回應時透露，地鐵正研究日後提供月票形式的優惠，並考慮在兩鐵合併後繼續為市民提供東鐵及西鐵月票等優惠，但鄭未有進一步透露月票計劃內容。現時九鐵推出的月票優惠形式十分簡單，市民只需付指定金額，該月份便可「任搭」指定鐵路的列車。

倡分設長短途計劃
民間監管公共事業聯委會發言人蔡耀昌指，歡迎地鐵考慮推出月票計劃，但有關優惠必須收費合理，否則難以惠及乘客。他認為，由於兩鐵合併後鐵路的票務系統變得複雜，建議地鐵分長、短途月票計劃，令較多人受惠。

另外，鄭汝樺表示，將分兩期注資地鐵興建西港島線，第一期四億元撥款用作詳細設計，而該線的票價會以現有票價為標準。對於議員質疑注資有利益輸送之嫌，鄭指西港島線回報率低，若無政府資助，地鐵根本不會興建。

運輸及房屋局副秘書長容偉雄則謂，據評估二○一六年西港島線將有二十萬人次客量，其他交通工具將有超過一成乘客轉搭新線，但其他公共交通工具若接駁好鐵路，仍有營運空間。


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## hkskyline

By *Ku.Hiker* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


----------



## hkskyline

*KCR Videos*

九廣東鐵MLR列車發車及到站（九龍塘站）
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6271295223953886557&hl=en

大陸直通車通過九龍塘站及九廣東鐵MLR列車到站
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6217447283354050547&hl=en

九廣東鐵SP1900列車（大圍 -> 大學）
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=93331716337555689&hl=en

大陸直通車通過大學站
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3519797414493196738&hl=en

九廣東鐵MLR（大學 ->紅磡） 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3856515689086038714&hl=en


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## hkskyline

By *S3N232 * from a Hong Kong transport forum :


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## hkskyline

*MTR Videos*

東涌線韓國列車開關門（奧運站）
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7219968590378005705&hl=en

荃灣線往中環列車發車
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5380823867591960166&hl=en

地鐵荃灣線 荔景->葵芳 風景
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3820267448884068629&hl=en

荃灣線列車到站及發車 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-363912511738544405&hl=en


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## hkskyline

*Regina Ip sleeps on noise problem *
5 November 2007
South China Morning Post

Legislative Council by-election candidate Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee spent last night in one of the noisiest flats next to the Mass Transit Railway track in Chai Wan. 

She said she wanted to see if she could have a good sleep, and to experience first-hand the noise of MTR trains running on the elevated track that threads through the public housing estates in the area. 

"It is the first time I have stayed in a public housing flat. I think I should experience the grass-roots life. I have been quite lucky in the past; the places where I have lived were not crowded and had no noise problems," she said. 

Mrs Ip slept in one of three bedrooms in a 600-square-foot flat owned by the Lee family at Tsui Shou House in Tsui Wan Estate, Chai Wan. 

Flat owner Lee Sang, 75, said he was happy about Mrs Ip's visit as his many complaints about the noise problems in the past had been ignored. Mr Lee has been living in the flat with his wife Kwong Kuen-hop, 70, for 20 years. The bedroom Mrs Ip stayed in belonged to their daughter, who moved out for the night. 

Mrs Ip met the Lees during a visit to the district last Friday and the Lees invited her to stay there one night to experience for herself how bad the noise problem was. 

Last Tuesday Mrs Ip's election rival Anson Chan Fang On-sang also went to rundown homes of grass-roots families in Sham Shui Po and Western. Mrs Chan distributed election leaflets in Stanley yesterday afternoon. 

Commenting on reports that the gap between her popularity rating and that of Mrs Ip was narrowing, Mrs Chan said she would not underestimate her rival and might revise strategies if needed. 

Other candidates in next month's by-election are unionist Stanley Chaing, social activist Ho Loy, barrister Lee Wing-kin, solicitor Siu See-kong, company director Cecilia Ling, and worker Lau Yuk-shing.


----------



## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> By *Ku.Hiker* from a Hong Kong transport forum :


It seems trainwrapping is starting to get into the MTR.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> It seems trainwrapping is starting to get into the MTR.


They've done this type of advertising before (I recall it was McDonald's).


----------



## superchan7

I think more specifically, it's the first time I've seen it on TCL. I've seen plenty on the urban lines.


----------



## allurban

Sorry to say Im out of touch...I read about the plans for WIL and SIL...and about the KCR-MTR merger...

what stage have the WIL, SIL, and merger reached? I was in HK only last year, but didnt have time to check out the southwest of the island or use the KCR...

Cheers, m


----------



## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> They've done this type of advertising before (I recall it was McDonald's).


Yes it was Mc Donalds but it was not as fully wrap as the recent one. They did it graffiti style similar to the NY subway cars of the 70s-80s.

Anyway, I like the idea of train-wrapping at least the K and M-stocks. They look too plain on the side. On the other hand, I don't think people don't pay too much attention since most MTR station have double-screen doors.


----------



## EricIsHim

allurban said:


> Sorry to say Im out of touch...I read about the plans for WIL and SIL...and about the KCR-MTR merger...
> 
> what stage have the WIL, SIL, and merger reached? I was in HK only last year, but didnt have time to check out the southwest of the island or use the KCR...
> 
> Cheers, m


WIL is firmed and approved. It should start construction next year.

SIL is still in talk and being finalized. It should be concluded in the next few months, rumors are saying by the end of this year.

The merge is approved as well. The two will officially merge into one on Dec. 2, 2007.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> Yes it was Mc Donalds but it was not as fully wrap as the recent one. They did it graffiti style similar to the NY subway cars of the 70s-80s.
> 
> Anyway, I like the idea of train-wrapping at least the K and M-stocks. They look too plain on the side. On the other hand, I don't think people don't pay too much attention since most MTR station have double-screen doors.


The Elements ad isn't for the whole train either. It's only for certain cars.


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## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> The Elements ad isn't for the whole train either. It's only for certain cars.


Most likely the red one lines or The Tung Chung Line.

Anyway, here's the MTR Mc Donalds ad


----------



## hkskyline

*Flashback - West Rail Opening *


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong Metro Firm Could Run Crossrail *
12 November 2007
The Evening Standard

CROSSRAIL could be run by the Chinese company that operates the Hong Kong metro, it emerged today. 

Mayor Ken Livingstone said MTR was one of a number of firms interested in the £16 billion scheme. Crossrail will provide a link through London, from Berkshire and Heathrow in the west to Canary Wharf and Essex in the east. 

MTR has already teamed up with construction giant Laing to run London Overground - the former Silverlink metro services that Transport for London has just taken overall charge of. 

The Chinese operator, whose Hong Kong metro is rated a success, is keen to expand its European operations. 

Mr Livingstone was speaking as he launched the Overground today. He wants control of other overland rail franchises in London and said, only semi-jokingly, Silverlink was 'the first of 11 rail franchises to be transferred to TfL'. 

Under the new regime, MTR and Laing will together own the holding company London Overground Rail Operations Ltd. It will manage what was the North London line, West London line, Barking-Gospel Oak line, and services run between Watford Junction and Euston 

The Mayor rejected claims by the RMT rail union that service and safety would be 'undermined' by the Overground scheme with MTR. He said Bob Crow, the RMT leader, 'should come here and see for himself the extra security and better service with trains starting an hour earlier and finishing an hour later.'


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*鄭汝樺：港鐵研推月票周票 *
11月 10日 星期六 05:10AM

【明報專訊】市民等待已久的鐵路月票有眉目；運輸及房屋局長鄭汝樺 昨日向立法會 議員表示，港鐵正研究日後推出月票或周票，地鐵 回應時只表示不時檢討票務優惠。當局又估計，西港島線落成啟用後兩年，平均每天可吸引20萬人次乘客，預計會搶走其他交通工具約一成客量。

西港島線料搶其他交通一成客量

立法會交通事務委員會屬下的鐵路事宜小組，昨天舉行會議討論西港島線。民主黨 鄭家富 不滿當局大力注資地鐵，但無要求提供任何票務優惠。鄭汝樺回應時透露，兩鐵合併 後的港鐵公司，會研究推出月票及周票，但她沒有透露更多有關細節。

運輸及房屋局發言人其後補充，明白市民對鐵路票價關注，政府會繼續鼓勵鐵路公司因應其營運狀和社會需要，盡可能推出優惠措施。本身是交通事務委員會主席的鄭家富認為，政府大筆注資地鐵，應有較強議價能力：「所有大城市（鐵路服務）都有月票，不明為何香港沒有？這種交通補助，對地鐵來說是除笨有精。」

地鐵發言人回覆本報查詢時重申，西港島線作為港島線延續，使用的票價模式亦和港島線收費系統相同；地鐵亦會不時檢討有關票務優惠。

小巴業界憂難有策略應戰

西港島線預計在2013年至2014年期間落成並啟用，立法會鐵路事宜小組主席劉健儀 認為西港島線車站覆蓋範圍相當大，要求當局交代對其他交通工具的影響。運輸及房屋局副秘書長容偉雄透露，當局估計直至2016年，西港島線每天會有20萬人次使用，會減低其他交通工具的客量約10%。

新巴、城巴 發言人表示，因有關支線仍未落成，現時不作評估。公共專線小型巴士聯合總商會主席梁雄坦言難有策略應戰：「政府好像歧視小巴……這些大型交通工具有人認同， 又有優惠，肯定打擊業界。」

另外鐵路事宜小組昨天通過政府對西港島線首期約4億元注資安排，有關撥款申請將於本月22日工務小組再議決，並訂於下月14日在財務委員會上審議。


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ18: Passenger seats on platforms of railway stations


----------



## hkskyline

*Flashback - Tseung Kwan O Line Opening *


----------



## hkskyline

MTR & KCR Station Location Maps 
http://www.hk365day.com/mtr/Railway/Special/lo_map/main.html


----------



## allurban

gladisimo said:


> I agree, but this is usually the procedure in HK. Many people are held to very high standards, and it is usually standard procedure to suspend the driver pending a complete investigation.
> 
> It's not a surprise to those in HK


Well, were it me I'd definitely want to investigate and of course I would not have the driver operating any trains for a while...

but I wouldnt call it a suspension...the term "reassignment" would be more appropriate. The term "suspension" is harsh and sets the blame onto the driver.

HK has a great system and they have managed to organize public transportation very well. I recall when I was in HK in July/01, the #8 warning was lifted but I didnt realize how bad things were going to be.

I dropped off my lady friend in Ma On Shan and we spent lots of time chatting outside, then when I tried to make my way home there were no buses. I ended up walking to the KCR train line...in what I thought was a very light drizzle...but when I got to the Sha Tin Canal then I realized how much rain had been dropped...the water was up to the level of the bridges...

Anyways I took the KCR and MTR back to the island. About 5 minutes after I got to my hall, the skies opened up!

Cheers, m


----------



## EricIsHim

deasine said:


> I wonder what will happen if the entire Metro network just broke down for one hour during rush hour. That happened in Vancouver and all our automated trains just sat there for an hour and a half because of a huge computer glitch. And there wasn't a big fuss about it.
> 
> I really want to see that happen (sorry to say) and see the results of it =) XD *wink*


It's a little different. The Vancouver SkyTrain is fully automated with no driver on board. A crack down on the computer is the same as system shut down.

The MTR is automated, but it's also possible to run the train manually (except Disney Line). A crack down of the control system doesn't necessary mean a complete shut down on the rail system. MTR can run the trains manually and increase the gap between services for safety. It won't be as efficient as ran by computer, but still capable to provide limited services.

I agree that we, HKers, are just so spoiled about the high standard and quality transit services we have. A small thing can mean nothing to other cities, but a big deal here. But the superb class services are also a HK proud that can't be found anywhere else.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> I agree the punishment is a little over the top, but for someone with 17 yrs experience, he should know better. Besides, I thought MTR trains had ATO, or is that for new A and K-stock only?


As far as I know, all the trains are ATO. The doors open on there own upon arrival at each platform and lined up with the screen door. The driver is responsible to close the door only, because the boarding and unboarding time varies from train to train. If he saw nobody was boarding and unboarding on the CCTV screen assuming everyone had got on and off the train, then pushed that "door close" button and continued the journey without realized the doors had never been opened.


----------



## deasine

EricIsHim said:


> It's a little different. The Vancouver SkyTrain is fully automated with no driver on board. A crack down on the computer is the same as system shut down.
> 
> The MTR is automated, but it's also possible to run the train manually (except Disney Line). A crack down of the control system doesn't necessary mean a complete shut down on the rail system. MTR can run the trains manually and increase the gap between services for safety. It won't be as efficient as ran by computer, but still capable to provide limited services.
> 
> I agree that we, HKers, are just so spoiled about the high standard and quality transit services we have. A small thing can mean nothing to other cities, but a big deal here. But the superb class services are also a HK proud that can't be found anywhere else.


Well I know that the two systems are completely different. I was just wondering what will happen if the MTR brokedown completely. But you brought up a good point: at least it can still be functional as there are drivers that can manually drive the trains.


----------



## EricIsHim

Skybean said:


> I was there as well . Luckily I didn't have to take the MTR (took the bus) and as I got off work quite early, I was able to avoid most of the rush. In any case, a T8 is a rare occurance. The MTR was closing some of the entrances to some stations... really not much you can do when the entire working population + are rushing onto transit at the same time. Any other metro in the world would also have this type of overcrowding.
> 
> But of course you had some people who complained about poor crowd control on the part of MTR....


A T8 isn't something rare actually. It occurs typically a few times a year, but they are usually raised with hours of warning in advance which allow workers to go home in different hours and let the transportation providers to prepare. This T8 happened earlier this year was a surprise came back of a earlier typhoon. From the time the observatory issued the T8 warning to its actually being raised, it was less than an hour, less than the usual amount of time. Everyone rushed out of the office to go home. We're talking about probably millions of people moving around the city in an hour. No matter how good the system is, there is just no way to handle the flood of people at once.


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## hkskyline

Actually, we've only had 1 T8 this year, and there were none last year. Wonder where did all the storms go?


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR plans extra concessions for commuters in remote areas *
13 December 2007
South China Morning Post

Railway commuters in remote areas will soon be able to enjoy extra concessions on top of the fare cuts introduced this month as a result of the rail merger. 

The fare saver - a device that offers HK$2 discounts to commuters who are willing to walk some distance to take the MTR - will be extended to cover the West Rail and East Rail lines. The two lines were absorbed by the MTR Corporation following the merger that saw it take over the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation's rail operations. 

MTR general manager for marketing and station business Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said the company was searching for possible locations where the devices could be installed, but in time that would happen, she said. 

The MTR Corp's move is expected to increase the competitive pressure on other public transport operators, as the device is meant to attract passengers some distance away from the railway stations who may otherwise not take the MTR without the HK$2 fare discount. 

Meanwhile, MTR also revealed that it plans to expand its Wi-fi network to cover all stations along the Airport Express. It would also expand Wi-fi access on the MTR to other carriers besides PCCW. 

At present, only PCCW users can access Wi-fi services at the MTR stations such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and all 14 Island line stations. 

"Not only will we develop more IT partners, but we are also exploring the possibilities to extend Wi-fi services into train carriages and some West Rail stations," Ms Yeung said. 

The Wi-fi expansion scheme is part of a HK$30 million investment to extending the scope of e-service to rail lines previously under the KCRC. 

That includes the installation of e-instant bonus terminals - a device where registered MTR passengers can download online games, songs and other discount coupons with points they collected from trips in five stations along West Rail, East Rail and the Ma On Shan extension. Seven more will be introduced into the system next year, but the locations were yet to be determined. 

The number of stations with computers will also be doubled from seven to 14 within the coming two months.


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## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Actually, we've only had 1 T8 this year, and there were none last year. Wonder where did all the storms go?


I think the number of tropical storms and typhoons were actually higher than average in the past few years with the warmer water and air temperature out in the South China Sea and Pacific. But they just don't go anywhere near PRD, either way north or way south. I don't know is that 100% true, I'll have to do some researches to confirm my thought.

Maybe the pollutants are doing something keeping the typhoon out of PRD. Who knows what the pollutants are doing to the storms.


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## EricIsHim

*Hong Kong's MTR Corp Nov passengers 76.36 mln vs 77.01 mln in October*
December 17, 2007: 05:46 AM EST


Dec. 17, 2007 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- 

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp Ltd said it carried 76.36 mln passengers in November, down from 77.01 mln in October.

On the average weekday, MTR Corp carried 2.665 mln passengers in November, compared with an average of 2.664 mln during the preceding month, according to data published on the company's website.

The passenger traffic figures cover the subway system's Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung, Tseung Kwan O and Disneyland (NYSECQ) (NYSEIS) Resort lines.

Meanwhile, its Airport Express operations reported a total of 862,000 passengers in November, against 984,000 recorded in the previous month.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like the national holiday in the beginning of October did bring some extra amount of passengers to the system.


----------



## mrmoopt

Can someone close this thread or merge it with the "Kong Tiet" MTR subway thread please?


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## hkskyline

This thread should close actually, since there are over 500 posts.


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## hkskyline

*Nod for rail line, but stops up in air Exco split on Happy Valley station *
19 December 2007
South China Morning Post










The Executive Council has given approval for the long-awaited South Island (East) railway line but members remain divided over whether it should include a station at Happy Valley, sources say. 

Sources close to the council and the government said the Executive Council had adopted the shortest of three route options proposed by the MTR Corporation.

That option has three stations between Admiralty and South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau, excluding Happy Valley and Wan Chai. 

However, some members suggested the MTR should further study the option of including Happy Valley, following the example of the East Rail's Racecourse station, which serves the Sha Tin course. 

There has been a persistent clamour for a station at Happy Valley to ease traffic congestion in the area, especially on race days, and a district councillor yesterday foreshadowed protests if it was excluded. 

One source said development rights for part of the Wong Chuk Hang station site - previously estimated to be worth more than HK$44 billion - would be granted to the MTR to pay for construction of the line. The same source said the Transport and Housing Bureau would announce the decision today. 

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said in his policy address that the line, expected to enter service no later than 2015, would cost taxpayers about HK$7 billion. 

The MTR Corp submitted three options for the line to the government in 2005. The cheapest and shortest one comprises Admiralty, Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons. 

The most expensive includes Wan Chai and Happy Valley in the network and the other omits Wan Chai. 

Legislative Council documents at the time suggested the two stations would each add HK$1 billion to the cost. 

Wan Chai district councillor Stephen Ng Kam-chun said members would protest vigorously if the Happy Valley station was excluded. 

"How many years have we been expressing our needs? If the government simply ignores us we will be very disappointed," he said. 

A proposal the council submitted to the MTR Corp two years ago suggested the station concourse be built directly beneath the racecourse, with three exits, one at the junction of Blue Pool Road and Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, one at Shing Wo Road and one at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital. 

Mr Ng said traffic congestion on Friday and Saturday evenings and the nights with horse racing was becoming more and more intolerable. "A trip between Happy Valley and Causeway Bay could take more than 30 minutes in those busy hours." 

The councillor said 86 per cent of more than 800 Happy Valley residents polled said they hoped the railway would serve their district. 

But he admitted not everyone in the area agreed. 

Affluent residents of the upper slopes have not been keen on the idea, fearing the railway will disturb their pleasant environment. 

Southern District councillor Chai Man-hon said he had no objection to Happy Valley being included provided the discussion did not cause too much delay.


----------



## hkth

Press Releases from the HKSAR Gov't and MTR:
MTR to start preliminary planning and design of South Island Line (East)

South Island Line (East) to proceed

MTR Corporation welcomes Government's decision on South Island Line (East)


----------



## Epi

Well at least the MTR CEO didn't have to step down, with the driver committing suicide like they would in Japan.

We get major delays and problems at least once a week in Toronto, I guess we're just used to it here.


----------



## hkskyline

*Jockey club may fund MTR stop near racetrack *
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, December 20, 2007



















The HK$7-billion MTR Corporation (0066) South Island Line may include a stop at the Happy Valley racecourse for the convenience of punters, a senior government official said yesterday.

The additional stop, which will cost HK$1.3 billion, will be funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and should not cause any delay to the construction of the seven-kilometer line, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yu- wah said. Construction is set to begin in 2011 with completion targeted for 2015.

If the new stop is approved, it will take South Horizons residents only 2 minutes to get to the racecourse.

The stop will be in addition to those already proposed at Admiralty, Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons.

The racetrack stop was not on the original plan, but was considered after the club suggested it would greatly ease raceday traffic.

The MTRC is expected to reach an agreement with the Jockey Club in six months regarding the proposed station.

In a statement, the club said a stop at the racecourse, in addition to those at Ocean Park and the Aberdeen waterfront, would help boost tourist traffic.

However, it said it would have to carefully consider the proposal.

The Executive Council on Tuesday gave the MTRC the green light to proceed with the preliminary design of the South Island Line.

MTR chief executive Chow Chung- kong said it is not clear yet if the additional racecourse station would only be used on race days or will operate throughout the year.

A previously-proposed Happy Valley station was dropped from the plan due to geological issues and opposition from residents in the area. 

A stop at Wan Chai was also cast aside due to inconvenience in transferring to other lines. 

According to projections, the medium capacity railway is expected to carry a daily load of 170,000 passengers by 2020. Chow said it will relieve traffic congestion in the Southern District and alleviate jams at Aberdeen Tunnel, Causeway Bay and the Cross Harbour Tunnel.

When completed, Ocean Park will be merely four minutes away from Admiralty and 10 minutes from Tsim Sha Tsui, trips which currently take 25 to 45 minutes by bus.

The speedy ride may also boost redevelopment in Island South, attracting tourists to the district where attractions such as a Fisherman's Wharf have been proposed.

"The link will inject a new economic drive into Southern district," Cheng said.

The railway extension topped the list of 10 major infrastructure projects set out in the chief executive's policy address in October. The transport bureau has said the plan will not be financially viable and would require the "rail plus property" model used by the MTRC to bridge the funding gap. Cheng would not comment on the funding deficit yesterday, but said estimates could only be drawn up after the preliminary design is complete.


----------



## gladisimo

Finally a way to get to Ocean Park quickly and relatively cheaply, and most importantly, easily!

I find myself using the MTR more than anything else when I'm in HK.


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*MTR urged to speed up South Island line project *
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, December 24, 2007

South island residents yesterday urged the speedy construction of the much delayed South Island line (East) and aired fears the lengthy discussion on an extra stop at the Happy Valley racecourse could slow progress.

Critics also voiced concerns at the possible unfair financial advantage the MTR Corporation (0066) could get by way of property development rights at two sites in Aberdeen.

At RTHK's City Forum yesterday, residents from Southern District called for the speedy construction of the railway to ease traffic congestion in Island South.

The HK$7 billion, seven-kilometer- long railway will run from Admiralty, via Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang and Lei Tung to South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau. Work is set to begin in 2011 with the line becoming operational in 2015.

Legco transport panel chairman Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said the 2015 deadline is a far cry from the scheduled date of 2008 when the South Island line was first mooted in the Railway Development Strategy report in 2000.

A proposed Happy Valley stop was scrapped as projections indicated a population of just 19,000 in the area. Instead, the Hong Kong Jockey Club proposed a stop at the racecourse.

However, Happy Valley residents pleaded for the stop to be reconsidered as the daily traffic jams during peak hours extended their journeys to nearby Wan Chai to around 50 minutes.

Southern district councillor Lam Kai-fai feared the debate over whether to build a stop at Happy Valley for residents or at the racecourse would further delay the project.

In reply, MTRC external affairs and government relations manager Maggie So Man-Kit said that, while the railway understood the needs of residents, the initial planning and design works would take at least three years.

Meanwhile, critics feared the land premium to be paid by the company to the government would be far less than what the site's value would be after the line was operational.

Cheng said the government should be careful in the funding of such projects, especially as the MTRC is a listed company. The government is expected to grant the MTRC property development rights to land in Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park, which is estimated at more than HK$30 billion.

The MTRC said that, after paying the land premium, the property sales profits would be split with developers and injected back into railway development.


----------



## Aboveday

*MTR South Island line project 
*


----------



## sfgadv02

Found 2 videos of the new announcements.

New announcement for Kowloon Tong.
I'm still not used to the new name for the line. I think it sounds better before when it was "KCR East Rail". 






New announcement for Mong Kok East.


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## Anekdote

I actually like the new announcements, but I dont like "Mong Kok East" one...


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR outlines rail extension plan *
28 December 2007
South China Morning Post

An extension of the Sha Tin-Central Rail Link connecting Yau Ma Tei and Whampoa can be constructed separately from the project, a top MTR official said yesterday. 

In the final draft submitted to the government earlier this year, the MTR and the then Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation agreed to build a station in Whampoa through an east-west extension from the Yau Ma Tei station on the Kwun Tong Line through Ho Man Tin - an interchange station to the Sha Tin-Central Rail Link. 

The official, who declined to be identified, said it was possible the extension - which consists of only three stations - would be built first. "It is all subject to the government's decision, and it should be announced in one to two months," he said. 

He said he hoped the extension, along with other routes including the South Island Line and the West Island Line - for which the consultation period ended yesterday - would be finished in five to six years. 

In a Legislative Council document released in July, the government proposed that the link include 10 stations - Tai Wai, Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, Ho Man Tin, Hung Hom, Exhibition, Admiralty and Central West. 

The new link is supposed to converge with East Rail at Hung Hom station before crossing the harbour, but it has not been decided if the fourth harbour crossing would extend from East Rail or the Sha Tin-Central Line, which will determine which passengers get direct cross-harbour access. 

Meanwhile, the MTR has seen a surge in passenger trips on West Rail and East Rail lines since the railway merger on December 2. Exact figures will not be available until the end of this month, but the official said he believed more passengers were taking the MTR given the savings on offer.


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## Yappofloyd

Good to see that things are finally moving ahead on the main South Line.

I don't really understand why there has previously been a commencment in building the western extension of the Island Line to Kennedy Town. The need has been there for years and I had understood that detailed plans were finished some time ago?

On the South Line it seems that if the HKJC is willing to pay for the station in Happy Valley then why not build it, Happy Valley does get very jammed during peak periods and it would take some burden off the tram as well. Given how much tunneling will be undertaken for the South Line I guess that the geological problems can be resolved? (I'm assuming that it easier to tunnel south to Ocean Park in the route indicated than via Happy Valley).

And the west south Line is planned for when?


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## sfgadv02

I think that it was supposed to be parallel with the Aberdeen Tunnel.


----------



## ddes

So the Admiralty- Ocean Park station will be the longest nonstop sector? How long will this single sector actually take on train?


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## EricIsHim

sfgadv02 said:


> I think that it was supposed to be parallel with the Aberdeen Tunnel.


If you look at the preliminary layout posted by Aboveday, obviously the railway won't be parallel to Aberdeen Tunnel.

But if Happy Valley Racecourse station gets a green light, it will change the whole alignment between Admiralty and Ocean Park. In that case, I can see it to be parallel to Aberdeen Tunnel, and the Admiralty platform will probably be rotated 90 degree with tracks going east-west, rather the north-south as shown. 



ddarkdom said:


> So the Admiralty- Ocean Park station will be the longest nonstop sector? How long will this single sector actually take on train?


It is approx. 5 km long between Admiralty and Ocean Park take about 4 minutes to travel between two stations. The number are based on existing alignment without Happy Valley.

This won't make this section becomes the longest non-stop sector or longest tunnel. The longest will still be on West Rail between Tsuen Wan West and Kam Sheung Road; it takes 8 minutes just travel the 9 km section.


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## gladisimo

Not liking the new announcements. East rail and west rail sucks without KCR. 

I would rather them name West Rail Tuen Mun line or something, and East Rail Sheung Shui or Sha tin line, or call them NT East, and NT West. 

East and West sounds too generic, it doesn't give the line enough definition, imho


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## hkskyline

gladisimo said:


> Not liking the new announcements. East rail and west rail sucks without KCR.
> 
> I would rather them name West Rail Tuen Mun line or something, and East Rail Sheung Shui or Sha tin line, or call them NT East, and NT West.
> 
> East and West sounds too generic, it doesn't give the line enough definition, imho


We've been using East Rail and West Rail for years now. Don't think people will suddenly forget what these mean when we only add the word Line to both names.


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## hkskyline

*Signaling glitch slows MTR trains *
28 December 2007
Hong Kong Standard

A signaling glitch between the MTR Corp's Tsing Yi and Sunny Bay stations early yesterday caused delays of up to 37 minutes on the Tung Chung line and a temporary suspension of the Airport Express service.

About 400 passengers heading for the airport had to be transported by 14 shuttle buses.

Train services returned to normal at 8.06am after engineers completed repairs, nearly an hour after the glitch occurred at 7.15am and nearly half an hour after the Airport Express service was suspended for safety reasons.

"MTR trains traveling between Tung Chung and Tsing Yi stations were delayed, running at 15-minute intervals instead of the normal eight minutes," MTRC's corporation relations manager May Wong said.

"Train services between Hong Kong and Tsing Yi stations remained normal, running at four-minute intervals."

However, an anonymous caller to RTHK said he boarded a train at Tung Chung at 7.20am but it did not leave until 7.57am.

Other callers had mixed reactions to the halt.

One said the delay had caused him great inconvenience, while another, who was heading to the airport, said she was not significantly affected since she had made provisions for delays.


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## xeror

EricIsHim said:


> This won't make this section becomes the longest non-stop sector or longest tunnel. The longest will still be on West Rail between Tsuen Wan West and Kam Sheung Road; it takes 8 minutes just travel the 9 km section.


The longest section should be Airport Express from Tsing Yi Station to Airport Station, which takes 12 minutes.


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## StanleyJ

EricIsHim said:


> But if Happy Valley Racecourse station gets a green light, it will change the whole alignment between Admiralty and Ocean Park. In that case, I can see it to be parallel to Aberdeen Tunnel, and the Admiralty platform will probably be rotated 90 degree with tracks going east-west, rather the north-south as shown.


The current alignment and the fact that the HKJC's addition of the Happy Valley stop not affecting the schedule for the South Island Lane (East section), probably means they'll do something like this old proposal where the line is in an "S" shape:












gladisimo said:


> Not liking the new announcements. East rail and west rail sucks without KCR.
> 
> I would rather them name West Rail Tuen Mun line or something, and East Rail Sheung Shui or Sha tin line, or call them NT East, and NT West.
> 
> East and West sounds too generic, it doesn't give the line enough definition, imho


Once the Kowloon Southern link and Shatin-Central link are done, the old East Rail Line will apparently be renamed "North South Line" and the West Rail Line + Ma On Shan Line renamed to "East West Line".


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## EricIsHim

StanleyJ said:


> The current alignment and the fact that the HKJC's addition of the Happy Valley stop not affecting the schedule for the South Island Lane (East section), probably means they'll do something like this old proposal where the line is in an "S" shape:


That's one possibly way to build the Happy Valley station by extending the ESIL. 
But the overall length of track will be longer to have terminus at Happy Valley rather than via Happy Valley.


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## hkskyline

*Riders on spur line rising but still falling short 
Lack of taxis cited as one deterrent to using Lok Ma Chau rail service *
7 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Use of the MTR Lok Ma Chau spur line has increased steadily since its launch in mid-August, but is still falling short of the expected 60,000 passengers a day. 

Passengers said one reason for the shortfall might be the lack of taxi stands on the Shenzhen side, although transport links in general were continuing to improve. 

In the 10 days to December 31, the spur line had a daily average of 44,277 passengers - higher than November's 36,172. 

The former operator, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, had estimated that 60,000 passengers would travel on the Lok Ma Chau spur line every day within a year, eventually diverting about a quarter of the Lo Wu line's passengers. 

The purpose of diverting traffic away from the busy Lo Wu checkpoint seems to have been met. Passenger volumes have generally declined at Lo Wu and the old Lok Ma Chau checkpoint since the opening of the spur line control point, only 800 metres from the old Lok Ma Chau checkpoint. 

The railway link's passenger volume is nearing one-sixth of the Lo Wu figure and a third of the number on the Lok Ma Chau road crossing. 

Businessman Sam Chan, 63, switched to using the rail crossing in October from ferry services between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. 

"At least the spur line is clean and comfy with no need to squeeze myself into crowded compartments," said. Mr Chan, who takes the line about three times a week. "Getting off and on the vehicle at the border - if you take the cross-boundary buses - is quite a hassle." . 

But Mr Chan said the lack of taxi stands on the Shenzhen side of the spur line was annoying. 

There were only three bus routes connecting with the checkpoint when it was opened, but three more have since been introduced. An inter-city bus is now taking travellers to Changping, Dongguan , a popular destination for Hongkongers. 

But passengers say they are disappointed that the Shenzhen Metro trains run infrequently from the checkpoint. 

Shopkeepers on the Hong Kong side of the checkpoint said business was slow. One China Unicom phone-card store had a daily turnover of only HK$1,000 to HK$1,500, a staff member said. 

Passenger Lo Kwan, 59, said the line should reduce the 10-minute interval between trains to attract more people. "A small shuttle train could run on the spur line between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau more often." 

The MTR Corporation said it would constantly review the train frequency according to passengers' demands. But general manager for marketing and station business Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said it had no plans to reduce fares or cut rents for tenants at the terminal. 

But she said there were not enough transport links on the mainland side. The corporation has been trying to convince the Shenzhen government to allow more types of transport into the control point. 

In a campaign ending today, the corporation has been offering up to 3,000 passes a day, allowing passengers to travel for free on East Rail to the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint. But the response has been lukewarm. 

This follows the discounting of a weekly pass to HK$240, introduced in November by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation - and resulting in disappointing sales. 

Lok Ma Chau-bound trains leave Tsim Sha Tsui East and take the same route as Lo Wu-bound trains, until the last leg from Sheung Shui.


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## hkskyline

*MTR hits record as property play *
4 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Shares of rail giant MTR Corp bucked the stock market's broad decline yesterday, ploughing ahead to a record high as investors chased the stock as a viable property play. 

The stock added 3.25 per cent to HK$31.80 as the Hang Seng Index plunged 2.44 per cent to 26,887.28 points on global economic jitters. 

Some analysts attributed MTR Corp's advance to "buying of laggards", but others said new rail projects in the pipeline fuelled buying interest, following the merger of underground services with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp's rail network last month. 

The stock's closing price yesterday exceeded the target prices of two major brokerages set in November - HK$29.10 by Merrill Lynch and HK$28.90 by Citi. 

"MTRC was a laggard compared with other major property developers, which saw their share prices gain handsomely on recent interest rate cuts," JP Morgan analyst Raymond Ngai said. "Investors appear to be attracted to the corporation's potential in lucrative property development on new rail projects, especially the highly rumoured Sha Tin to Central rail link." 

Rumours spread that the government would offer MTR property development rights above a planned depot at the former Kai Tak airport in east Kowloon to make the Sha Tin-Central rail project financially viable. 

The government promised at MTR Corp's listing in 2000 that all new underground projects would generate a commercial return equivalent to 1 to 3 per cent, plus the corporation's weighted average cost of capital. 

Negotiations on the Sha Tin-Central link project are continuing with the government, but an MTR official said last week that an extension linking Yau Ma Tei and Kwun Tong through Ho Man Tin could be built first. The Sha Tin-Central rail link and two other recently announced projects - South Island Line and West Island Line - were expected to be completed in five to six years, the official said. 

UBS analyst Eric Wong expected MTR's profit in the next two to three years to be driven primarily by property development along the existing Tseung Kwan O rail line and the Elements shopping mall above Kowloon Station. 

"Although the new projects won't be completed in a few years, they will be able to achieve a commercial return as the government promises," he said. 

A Thomson First Call poll showed a consensus on MTR Corp's net profit of HK$6.13 billion for last year, a drop of 20.95 per cent from 2006, and earnings of HK$6.53 billion for this year.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR plans shorter platform doors *
8 January 2008
Hong Kong Standard

The MTR Corp will spend HK$300 million installing 1.5-meter-tall platform screen doors at nine elevated stations, it announced yesterday. 

The company also plans to build public washrooms on the ground floor in three stations. 

Before MTRC and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp merged last month, the MTR had installed platform screen doors at 30 stations. 

The screen doors at Tsuen Wan, Kwai Hing, Kwai Fong, Heng Fa Chuen, Chai Wan, Kowloon Bay, Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong will be completed by 2012. 

MTR said installing full-size screen doors on elevated platforms was as complicated as rebuilding an entire station since ventilation systems had to be completely remodeled. 

In addition, some platforms could not support the weight of screen doors. 

It therefore decided shorter gates, such as those used at the Disneyland Resort station, were more suitable for elevated platforms. 

The washrooms will be built at Prince Edward, Quarry Bay and Ngau Tau Kok stations. 

Less than half of the 82 MTR stations have washrooms, although there are facilities within four minutes' walking distance of 90 percent of the stations. 

The company said it will find more sites for washrooms before seeking approval. 

It will spend HK$13 million on the washroom project, which should be completed in 12 months.


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> MTR said installing full-size screen doors on elevated platforms was as complicated as rebuilding an entire station since ventilation systems had to be completely remodeled.
> 
> In addition, some platforms could not support the weight of screen doors.


But how would installing these 1.5m tall doors affect the conditions on the platform since it is elevated? Would it be more humid/warmer since the wind cannot directly blow through?


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## hkskyline

herenthere said:


> But how would installing these 1.5m tall doors affect the conditions on the platform since it is elevated? Would it be more humid/warmer since the wind cannot directly blow through?


I think ventilation at elevated stations is minimal at present since there is plenty of circulation with the outside. Once the platforms are boxed in, they need to install a lot of fans and maybe AC as well to keep temperatures comfortable.


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## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> But how would installing these 1.5m tall doors affect the conditions on the platform since it is elevated? Would it be more humid/warmer since the wind cannot directly blow through?


In the article, it is saying if the full-size screen door is built, it will require to construct a ventilation system at these elevated platforms after they're boxed in as they are open to outside today. And constructing the ventilation system is just a complete reconstruction the whole platform since there is nothing out there now.

By installing the 1.5m high door, it eliminates the need of constructing a new ventilation system, consequently reconstruction of the platform.

I wonder why it's 1.5m high now. It's shorter than most adults, so your head/eyes are above the door. But then they are taller than those gates in Disney and Sunny Bay. Why not 2m? So it's a typical door height and taller than everyone.


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## hkskyline

I don't think the PSDs need to be taller than the average adult. As long as the average person can't jump over it so easily, then it should suffice. 1.5m should be enough for that threshold.


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## EricIsHim

Yes, they don't have to be taller to serve the function.

But 1.5m is just a funny height where top of the door line up with your eyes, and all you see is nothing but a thick horizontal line in front of you instead of a clear wall-mounted ads or street view across the platform. It's an optical obstruction to say it the easy way.


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## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> Yes, they don't have to be taller to serve the function.
> 
> But 1.5m is just a funny height where top of the door line up with your eyes, and all you see is nothing but a thick horizontal line in front of you instead of a clear wall-mounted ads or street view across the platform. It's an optical obstruction to say it the easy way.


I would hate to be staring at that while waiting for a train. But luckily MTR has frequent trains!


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## sfgadv02

EricIsHim said:


> Yes, they don't have to be taller to serve the function.
> 
> But 1.5m is just a funny height where top of the door line up with your eyes, and all you see is nothing but a thick horizontal line in front of you instead of a clear wall-mounted ads or street view across the platform. It's an optical obstruction to say it the easy way.


Well, 1.5m is 4.92ft, so technically most people will be looking above the horizontal line.


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## superchan7

The people who suffer most from half-height doors are photographers :lol:


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## hkskyline

*Jockey Club baulks at paying for rail station *
12 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Hopes for a Happy Valley racecourse railway station receded yesterday when the Hong Kong Jockey Club said expectations that the club foot a HK$1.3 billion construction bill were unfair. 

The club's statement followed a Legco railway subcommittee meeting at which both government and MTR Corporation officials said a line through the sparsely populated district could not be justified from a transport point of view. 

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yu-wah said last month that the club should shoulder construction costs if it wanted a station near its racecourse. 

The government decided against such a station because of public opinion, technical obstacles and the time the rail extension would add to a subway journey between South Horizons and Admiralty under current plans. 

The club said it would be difficult to continue negotiations if the government maintained its stance. 

"As a not-for-profit organisation, the club should not subsidise the start-up costs of a railway line that will create long-term profits for the shareholders of a listed company but diminish the club's ability to donate back to the community," the Jockey Club statement said. 

"We are of the opinion that a Happy Valley station would serve the wider interests of Hong Kong and its citizens. Transport infrastructure is a matter of public interest and should be the responsibility of the government." 

Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges had said that the cost of the station exceeded the amount of donations the club had made to more than 100 charity projects last year. 

MTR Corp head of project engineering Malcolm Gibson told lawmakers that the club had expressed interest in a station to support its plans to build further convention facilities at the racecourse. 

Ms Cheng said not all Happy Valley residents wanted a station. 

"Some of my colleagues [who live in Happy Valley] told me they have disputes with their families about whether they need the station," she said. 

"Can they tolerate the cut-and-cover method that will unearth the tram terminus for three to four years? There will also be road diversion." 

Wan Chai district councillor Ng Kam-chun, who has advocated building the station, said the government and MTR Corp should consider sharing some of the costs so negotiations with the club could continue.


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## hkskyline

*Henderson urges MTR site auction *
11 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Henderson Land Development has joined the clamour for the government to drop its proposal to grant development rights over precious sites to MTR Corp to help finance the HK$7 billion South Island Line. 

Tony Tse Wai-chuen, the general manager for sales at Henderson Land, said it would be fairer to offer the sites for public tender or auction instead. 

"Then, other developers also would have a chance to participate in the bidding," he said. 

Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu, an executive director of Wheelock Properties, said all government land should be sold through an open system. 

"This has been a common practice in Hong Kong for a long time," he said, pointing out that the government opted for a cash-funding model rather than awarding the development rights to build the West Island Line last year. 

The property industry has been questioning the government's grant of land to a listed corporation that is allowed to resell the sites to developers for profit. 

The latest debate came when Stewart Leung Chi-kin, a vice-chairman of the Real Estate Developers' Association, said on Wednesday the government would maximise its revenue if it auctioned the sites instead of granting them to MTR. 

Mr Leung, who is also an executive director at New World Development, said the association would consider submitting its views to the government, but he did not give a timetable. 

The stock soared to a 52-week high of HK$36 on Tuesday on rumours the government also would award property development rights above a planned depot at the former Kai Tak airport in East Kowloon to make the Sha Tin-Central rail project financially viable. 

However, the government has made no final decision on granting the development rights to MTR so far. 

Industry observers believe developers are getting nervous because the proposed Sha Tin-Central rail projects would involve more property developments in terms of area. They also criticised MTR for imposing tough requirements when it offered the sites for tender, with some projects asking for profit sharing of up to 80 per cent. 

A spokesman for MTR, however, defended the rail-plus-property approach as an efficient model in Hong Kong. 

With the integration of the building of the railway, the land's development potential would also be maximised, the spokesman said. 

Alnwick Chan Chi-hing, an executive director at Knight Frank, said the rail-plus-property model has been widely adopted worldwide. 

"Otherwise, the rail projects will not be financially viable unless the government injects funds or charges higher fares to cover the operating costs," Mr Chan said.


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Tests Wi-Fi Connected CCTV on Train


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## sfgadv02

hkth said:


> MTR Press Release:
> MTR Tests Wi-Fi Connected CCTV on Train


It looks bulky...


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## hkskyline

*JCDecaux signs 5-year Hong Kong metro ad contract *

PARIS, Jan 15 (Reuters) - JC Decaux said on Tuesday its Pearl & Dean subsidiary had signed an exclusive five-year contract with MTR Corporation in Hong Kong to manage outdoor advertising on six urban metro lines and the Airport Express. 

In a statement, JC Decaux said advertising revenues of 3.428 billion Hong Kong dollars ($439.7 million) were expected to be generated over the period of the contract.


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## herenthere

Wish NYC's subway advertising was on par with Hong Kong's.


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## sfgadv02

herenthere said:


> Wish NYC's subway advertising was on par with Hong Kong's.


They do have a few nice one from Starbucks, though.


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## hkskyline

* 東 鐵 路 軌 發 現 裂 紋 　 港 鐵 今 晚 收 車 後 更 換*
2008-01-19 HKT 18:23
Audio : http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/video/ram/mfile_462213_1.ram
RTHK

東 鐵 九 龍 塘 站 至 旺 角 東 站 一 段 路 軌 ， 發 現 一 條 幾 吋 長 的 裂 紋 ， 伸 延 至 路 軌 的 底 部 ， 工 程 人 員 用 鐵 板 鎖 實 該 段 路 軌 ， 列 車 服 務 維 持 正 常 。

港 鐵 表 示 ， 會 在 今 晚 收 車 後 ， 更 換 該 段 路 軌 。


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## hkskyline

*MTR to replace crossings of suspect quality *
22 January 2008
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation is replacing 13 rail crossings on the East Rail Line made by the manufacturer of three other rail crossings that have cracked prematurely in recent months. 

It also addressed safety concerns over rail settlement between the Nam Cheong and Olympic stations, and unveiled a HK$110 million plan to improve old East Rail trains. 

MTR head of operations Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man yesterday reiterated that the recently found cracked rails would not affect operational safety. 

"The rail components are fixed by steel plates and bolts," Mr Lau said. "Passengers may feel only a bit bumpy when travelling on the tracks. 

"We are working with the maker to identify the cause of the cracks. We are also stepping up checks and maintenance at the crossings produced by the same company." 

Three cracked crossings - located in Lo Wu, Mong Kok East and Tai Wai - were found between December and last weekend. All involved the same European manufacturer, which MTR Corp declined to name. 

The cracks originated from the welded joints of the crossings. 

Infrastructure manager David Leung Cheun-choi said MTR Corp may consider seeking compensation from the manufacturer. 

The cracks occurred after three years of use, Mr Leung said, compared with the five years such products are meant to last. 

Mr Lau said the settlement of rails found between Nam Cheong and Olympic was a result of the construction of the Kowloon Southern Link. 

"The settlement was anticipated when plans about the link were made {hellip} The settlement will not affect operational safety, and we will continue to monitor it closely." 

MTR Corp also outlined four of the major measures in a HK$110 million plan to reduce noise and make more energy efficient the 29 East Rail Line trains dated to the 1980s. 

Conventional motor alternators will be replaced with the quieter and more effective static inverters by the end of next year at a cost of HK$35 million, while train skirting to absorb noise will be installed for HK$47 million. About HK$4 million will go towards replacing cables and HK$2.3 million will be spent on upgrading the present monitoring system.


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## herenthere

You know how on the MTR platforms, they have this "Emergency Stop Train" button on the walls? Do they get rid of that after they have installed PSD/Gs or are they still there? And do a lot of people abuse that safety feature?


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## gladisimo

As far as abuse, HK ppl are very ordered, and I dont immediately remember abuse of the button in recent memory.

Asfor the removal, I havent noticed


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## Manila-X

gladisimo said:


> As far as abuse, HK ppl are very ordered, and I dont immediately remember abuse of the button in recent memory.
> 
> Asfor the removal, I havent noticed


True, its rare to see unruly people on the MTR.


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## hkskyline

The button is gone? It's not meant for reporting crimes or unruly people. It's also a safety mechanism as well. Can't imagine why they'd get rid of it.


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## EricIsHim

What do we do if someone pass out on the platform or someone feel sick? 
Call 999 on your cell phone rather than letting the MTR staff right a way?

It's more than just letting the staff know someone falls off the platform.


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## hkskyline

*LCQ2: Safety measures at Light Rail platforms *
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Daniel Lam and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (January 23):

Question:

It has been reported that accidents in which Light Rail (LR) passengers who are blind fell from platforms onto railway tracks had occurred time and again recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a) at present, which LR stations have tactile guide paths installed at their platforms and the details of such facilities, and whether the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) will install such facilities at all other LR platforms; if so, of the details of the installation plan; and

(b) in addition to the above facilities and other relevant existing facilities, whether MTRCL has studied the adoption of other measures to enhance the safety of passengers, especially blind people, when awaiting or boarding trains at LR platforms?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) The design of the trains, stations and platforms of the Light Rail system complies with international safety standards in order to provide a safe and reliable service to passengers.

To facilitate visually impaired passengers to use the Light Rail service, the pre-merger Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) installed tactile guide paths at parts of the platforms of 12 Light Rail stations so as to guide visually impaired passengers to wait at the first door of the first train compartment, such that train drivers can render assistance to such passengers when need arises. These 12 stations include Tuen Mun Station which was renovated to tie in with the commissioning of West Rail Line in December 2003, as well as the 11 stations along the Light Rail Tin Shui Wai Extension which was opened in December 2003. These stations are Chung Fu, Tin Fu, Tin Yat, Tin Heng, Wetland Park, Tin Sau, Tin Yuet, Ginza, Tin Wu, Tin Tsz and Tin Shui Wai Stations.

To further facilitate visually impaired passengers to use the Light Rail service more conveniently, and after consultation with the groups representing the visually impaired, MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) will carry out enhancement works at 159 platforms of the 68 Light Rail stations. In other words, all Light Rail platforms will have tactile guide paths of full platform length in future, and these tactile guide paths will also lead visually impaired passengers to await trains at the position of the first door of the first train compartment.

The above-mentioned enhancement works have commenced since 2007 and have already been completed at 3 stations, namely Tin Wing, Lung Mun and Town Centre Stations. MTRCL has indicated that while such works are scheduled to be completed by 2010, the Corporation will try to expedite the progress as far as practicable in the light of the concerns arising from the incidents involving visually impaired passengers falling onto rail tracks.

(b) Apart from tactile guide paths, the Corporation has also adopted the following measures to ensure the safety of passengers, including those who are visually impaired, at platforms and for boarding trains -

(i) yellow tactile lines have been installed at all Light Rail platforms to remind visually impaired passengers that they are close to the front edge of the platform. MTRCL has also enhanced its public announcement at Light Rail platforms to remind passengers to stand behind the yellow lines and to beware of the platform gap;

(ii) before the rail merger, KCRC already commenced works in 2005 to install plastic fillers at the edge of platforms by phases at 37 Light Rail stations with wide platform gaps so as to narrow the gap. At present, platform gap fillers have been installed at 34 such stations. Works for the remaining 3 stations are expected to be completed before the first quarter of 2008;

(iii) trains are required to operate at low speed when entering and leaving stations. Train drivers will also stay alert to monitor traffic at crossings and the situation of passengers awaiting trains at platforms and be ready to take necessary action if the need arises;

(iv) to facilitate visually impaired passengers, when a Light Rail train arrives at stations and train doors open, in-train announcement on route number and destination of the train will be broadcast. Before train doors close, a buzzing sound together with in-train announcement will be made to remind passengers that train doors are about to close and to stay away from the train doors; and

(v) Passenger Service Assistants and Traffic Regulators patrol Light Rail stations regularly and maintain close contact with the Operation Control Centre to provide assistance for passengers in need. During rush hours, the Corporation also deploys Platforms Assistants at stations with larger passenger flow to assist passengers in boarding and alighting.

MTRCL will continue to maintain regular liaison with groups representing disabled persons to listen to their views with an aim to enhancing or improving the facilities as far as practicable to meet their needs.


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## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> What do we do if someone pass out on the platform or someone feel sick?
> Call 999 on your cell phone rather than letting the MTR staff right a way?
> 
> It's more than just letting the staff know someone falls off the platform.


There are two different types of buttons though right? One for emergency train stopping and another for help.


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## hkskyline

*Sex attacks go off the rails as victims clam up *
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, January 31, 2008

More women are being groped or sexually assaulted on public transport but only about one in four reports it to the police, a survey has revealed. 

And victims may be staying silent because they are not sure how they can go about reporting such attacks, concern group Anti480 said.

Anti480 said yesterday that police figures did not tell the whole story of sexual abuse on public transport.

According to the police, there were 300 reported incidents last year, a rise of 33.6 percent compared to 2006.

Assaults on the Mass Transit Railway doubled from 29 in 2006 to 58, while incidents on minibuses and ferries grew by 36.8 percent from 125 to 167.

Assaults on the light rail grew by 21 percent to 23 reported cases while incidents on franchised buses rose by 3.4 percent to 60.

"The number of reported cases represent less than half the probable number of incidents," Anti480's Emy Law Yee-ming said.

"A lot of women are rendered speechless when it happens. All agree they are not sure how to seek help," she said.

The group is calling for more public messages on station posters, advertisement space, stickers and television time to publicize the law and the penalties for sexual assault.

They are also asking for better staff training and for clearer reporting methods so victims can find help more easily. 

A sign containing a sexual harassment hotline on a Kowloon Motor Bus was found to be less then one-third the size of an adjacent sign prohibiting eating or drinking.

A survey conducted by Anti480 through the post and the internet found 45 percent of the respondents to have suffered some form of sexual assault on public transport.

However, 34 percent of them did nothing while 10 percent were in denial.

Thirty-five percent were so frightened after being assaulted they fled the scene of the attack immediately. 

About 16.9 percent told a friend or a companion at the scene.

Only 8.5 percent cried out for help, while 27.1 percent filed police reports.

None of the respondents informed the drivers or station staff of the attacks.

More than 75 percent said they were sexually assaulted on the newly merged MTR-KCR network, 43 percent said they were assaulted on franchised buses, 13 percent on trams and 9 percent on minibuses.

Fewer than 1 percent said they had experienced a sexual assault in taxis.

Asked if public transport provided sufficient prevention, protection and support for victims, 86 percent said existing measures were "very inadequate" or "inadequate," 11 percent said it was fair and 1 percent said it was sufficient.

Law neither supported or rejected the idea of female-only compartments for trains and buses but preferred public education.

Anti480 received 265 responses from women in October and November. More than 60 percent of the respondents were aged between 19 and 30 and 24 percent were aged 31 to 40. 

Just under 4 percent were under 18.


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## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *Sex attacks go off the rails as victims clam up *
> Hong Kong Standard
> Thursday, January 31, 2008
> 
> More women are being groped or sexually assaulted on public transport but only about one in four reports it to the police, a survey has revealed.
> 
> A survey conducted by Anti480 through the post and the internet found 45 percent of the respondents to have suffered some form of sexual assault on public transport.


I am not doubting that more women are being violated but since part of the survey was done through the internet, was it random? Because if it was not, then this survey may not be accurate enough to portray what is truly happening.


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## hkth

Bad News, No more Tsz Wan Shan Station! hno:

Gov't Press Release:
Government to study Tsz Wan Shan pedestrian access to rail station


----------



## _Night City Dream_

Having seen so many photos of HongKong here, i really wonder how they solve traffic problem? The subway is not so well developed for such a huge city where the most of the buildings have 40 storeys and more. As I also see, it should be very very difficult to get around on the surface.
What about passenger flow in HK metro? Is the system really functional? it seems to me HK should have more than 15 lines.


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## hkskyline

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Having seen so many photos of HongKong here, i really wonder how they solve traffic problem? The subway is not so well developed for such a huge city where the most of the buildings have 40 storeys and more. As I also see, it should be very very difficult to get around on the surface.
> What about passenger flow in HK metro? Is the system really functional? it seems to me HK should have more than 15 lines.


Actually, traffic isn't so bad here at all since most people take public transit.

Only about 25% of Hong Kong's land area is developed. The other 75% is countryside, including hills and islands that don't need subway connection, hence from the look at the maps alone, it may seem coverage is low, but in fact, all the key population clusters are connected by rail.

In fact, for many of the new lines, the 40+ storey complexes sit right above the stations.

For December 2007, almost 104 million passengers took the MTR lines (including the former KCR lines), averaging about 3.5 million a day.

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/investrelation/patronage.php


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## allurban

hkskyline said:


> Actually, traffic isn't so bad here at all since most people take public transit.
> 
> Only about 25% of Hong Kong's land area is developed. The other 75% is countryside, including hills and islands that don't need subway connection, hence from the look at the maps alone, it may seem coverage is low, but in fact, all the key population clusters are connected by rail.


Another factor is because of the intense development, most people can find what they need within a short distance...either by public transit or even walking.

But I would agree that an expansion of the existing rail line would be very useful...or perhaps converting some of the main line buses in Kowloon (like all of those nathan road buses), into a more organized "higher order" service....but overall, I dont think that would be popular....transfers are generally unpopular...my ex-gf used to take the 87D direct from Ma On Shan to Tsim Sha Tsui then cross the harbour using the ferry...never ever thought of taking the 87K to the University KCR station and taking the KCR train down...even after they extended it to TST. She only started using the KCR regularly after the MOS rail line came out to her home.

Cheers, m


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## mrmoopt

I agree, on the whole many pax are lazy to xfer between mode, even if it offers discounts.


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## EricIsHim

point-to-point service is always more welcome and passenger-friendly than point-to-hub service; which doesn't necessarily mean it will help the traffic problem in a place like hong kong where has very low rate of car ownership. even with so many overlapped services, there is still such a demand to support everyone and still has a profit from it.

and time is money in hk. even the rail may offer discount, but if riding the bus faster and more convenience for only a few more dollars, most people are willing to pay for the extra cost.


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## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> Bad News, No more Tsz Wan Shan Station! hno:
> 
> Gov't Press Release:
> Government to study Tsz Wan Shan pedestrian access to rail station


No more world deepest station in HK either. hno::nuts:


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## hkskyline

*港鐵拒打救 七成店新年拉閘
落馬洲站人稀商戶零生意*
10/02/2008



















【專案組記者李嘉怡、馮溢華報道】農曆新年是出入境高峰期，但客流量稀疏的落馬洲支線依然未見起色，商場部分商戶更創下全日零生意額紀錄，約七成店舖索性在農曆新年期間「停業」，另又炮轟港鐵不肯寬減租金，等如見死不救。部分立法會議員直斥港鐵為昂坪360做盡救亡措施，卻拒絕為落馬洲支線的商戶施以援手，道義上說不通。

政府統計處資料顯示，去年十二月經落馬洲支線管制站出入境的人次有六十三萬，但比起毗鄰落馬洲管制站（皇巴士）的一百九十多萬和羅湖的四百一十多萬，落馬洲支線旅客流量明顯落後。

本報在年初二到落馬洲支線管制站了解，看見人流稀少，在商場約七成商店關門大吉，其中一間沒有營業的連鎖零食店，貨架更是空無一物。而一間時裝店的負責人彭小姐無奈道：「我覺得畀九鐵（現港鐵）呃畄，好似畀人賣豬仔咁！」她在去年八月開業至今，曾有多天都是「零生意額」，她說：「最好生意碹日都只係幾百蚊，連租都唔夠交！對面一間大型連鎖時裝店，兩個月前就索性關門。」

拉閘唔做要罰款
「我都想拉閘唔做，但租約規定要開門營業，否則罰款。」另一間零食店負責人王先生指出，九鐵（現港鐵）去年宣傳落馬洲站時，聲稱會有大量乘客從羅湖分流過來，故連租兩個舖位，豈料門堪羅雀，每月蝕約十萬元租金。

立法會議員王國興指出，昂坪360早前發生事故，港鐵也幫助昂坪市集商戶，故在道義上同樣有責任協助落馬洲支線管制站的商戶渡過難關。他認為港鐵應寬減商戶租金、加強宣傳及減票價。

港鐵表示，目前周日落馬洲支線的客量約維持二至三萬人次，已積極舉辦宣傳活動；至於商戶方面，港鐵亦會加強宣傳，並已因應個別商戶要求，讓其調整營業時間。


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## iampuking

EricIsHim said:


> No more world deepest station in HK either. hno::nuts:


How deep was it planned to be? Arsenalna in Kiev is 102m (334ft)


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## EricIsHim

iampuking said:


> How deep was it planned to be? Arsenalna in Kiev is 102m (334ft)


From memory, it's like a hundred and teens.


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## hkskyline

*Former KCRC managers axed after MTRC takeover *
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The MTRC has started laying off long- serving senior staff of the former KCRC just two months after the two railways were merged, The Standard has learned.

The MTRC had assured the Legislative Council during meetings in November last year - and before the merger took place on December 2 - that staff of both railways would retain their jobs.

But according to one MTRC worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the company had placed a "generous offer" before former KCRC staff under which those leaving the company would get additional compensation amounting to one month's salary for every year of service. The offer is valid for three months.

"Three officials were told to accept the early retirement package on the eve of the Lunar New Year," the source said. "The three have worked for us for at least eight years and include a senior inspector and resident engineer who mainly oversees rail safety and monitors the progress of the contracted projects in the MTR Kowloon Southern Link project."

The source said at least seven people from the original team of 40, or 18 percent of senior management staff, had left their jobs since the merger.

The initial target is staff at grade eight, or senior management grade with a monthly salary of more than HK$40,000.

The Standard was also told the rail company had hired a human resources consultancy firm to set up interviews with the senior managers to assess whether they should continue to stay in their jobs.

Those found to be unnecessary, and who are not willing to accept the early retirement package, will be relocated to other departments.

To avoid complaints from staff, the source said the MTRC had paid extra compensation on top of the amount required under the law.

"The additional amount is determined by staff seniority. But it is demoralizing. 

"People are worried the redundancy plan will be extended to workers at lower grades. I have prepared for the worst and have already started looking for a new job," the source said.

A spokesman for MTRC said yesterday the company did not have data on staff turnover rate since the merger.

KCRC officers' union chairwoman Rainbow Lau Choy-hung said she was not aware of the scheme but was prepared to help workers fight for continued and sincere talks with the company.


----------



## iampuking

EricIsHim said:


> From memory, it's like a hundred and teens.


How come it is so deep? Was it to be situated under a hill? How was the station to be accessed? If you know any of this, do tell!


----------



## ♣628.finst

Due to the level constraint of the MTR DIH Station, the TWS
Station has to be located 100m below the ground level which is not easily accessible for the travelling public. In the event of emergency, evacuation of passengers will be difficult. Extensive investigation of the ground conditions confirmed the absence of competent rock suitable for the construction of a
station cavern. Thus, the Corporation does not consider it prudent to propose such a station.


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## EricIsHim

iampuking said:


> How come it is so deep? Was it to be situated under a hill? How was the station to be accessed? If you know any of this, do tell!


Yes, the station was planned to sit deep down under the hill. The tunnel was designed at an elevation to be under foundations, utilities etc. at the low elevation area like Kai Tak. 

It's a combination of relatively deep tunnel plus the geography to make it more than 100m below ground surface. 

The original access plan was simply sections of escalators and evaluators connecting the lobby and all access points.


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## Aboveday

South Island Link (East) Project Profile:
http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/profile/latest/esb181/esb181.pdf


----------



## Aboveday

The West Island Line and South Island Line


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## herenthere

Aboveday said:


> The West Island Line and South Island Line


Why not just make one South Island Line by combining the proposed WIL and SIL? Aberdeen and South Horizons are not that "unaligned" with each other, and could save some money.


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## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> Why not just make one South Island Line by combining the proposed WIL and SIL? Aberdeen and South Horizons are not that "unaligned" with each other, and could save some money.


WIL is a heavy rail, an extension of existing Island using same rail system. SIL is a medium rail, using a smaller train for less demand from the Southern District.
The two has a different demand of services. That's why they aren't combined.

Combining SILE and SILW doesn't necessary save money. The cost of construction is still the full length of the system. It was determined it would be more beneficial to construct the SIL in stages cause of the construction cost.
SILE doesn't require to build stations under high mountain, which significantly simplifies the system and cost of construction. Plus, stations along SILE have a higher service demand than SILW.


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## hkskyline

*Noise from new rail line 'reduced' *
11 February 2008
South China Morning Post

Extra measures taken during construction of the Tseung Kwan O rail line extension will reduce noise and vibration for nearby - and future - residents, the MTR Corporation has said. 

The measures included the laying of a ballast mat beneath the track that isolated the noise, MTR Corp construction manager Mark Cuzner said. 

This measure would diminish the noise heard in residents' flats, he said. Rubber baseplates clipped to the track would also reduce vibration. 

He did not say by how much the vibration and noise would be reduced by, but said these measures had been proven to be effective elsewhere in the MTR system. 

Mr Cuzner said 60 per cent of the project, involving 3.5km of track works, had been completed. 

The station was also made more accessible to the visually impaired, he said. 

An MTR spokeswoman said the name of the new station had not been decided. 

The station will initially have two exits, one leading to the Lohas Park property development and the other to a transport interchange. 

The new station is expected to start operating next year.


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## hkskyline

* Viaduct plan an option for new MTR line Stretch of South Island Line may be designed to offer scenic views *
29 February 2008
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation has proposed building a viaduct for part of the South Island Line (East) to allow tourists to enjoy scenic views of the Southern District. 

Presenting initial planning for construction of the railway line, the senior co-ordinating engineer, Tang Pak-hung, said that since tourism was a major part of the district, building a viaduct for the segment between the Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza and the Ap Lei Chau residential development was a preferred option. 

"The view along the South Island Line is magnificent, and it will be a good experience for visitors to Hong Kong to get a glimpse of this scenic vista when they are taking an MTR ride," Mr Tang told Southern District councillors. 

Another option was to build an tunnel to connect the toll plaza and Ap Lei Chau - with stops for Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang and Lei Tung in between. A bridge will be constructed between Ap Lei Chau and Wong Chuk Hang alongside the existing Ap Lei Chau Bridge. 

"If the underground option is chosen, tourists heading to Southern District from Admiralty will miss the chance to enjoy the beautiful overview of the district," Mr Tang said. 

The company yesterday also revealed its initial planning for the location of stations and exits for the four stops along the South Island Line (East), which will begin at Admiralty. 

It proposes that an exit for Ocean Park would be put at the former site of the Hong Kong School of Motoring. Three exits would be provided for Lei Tung - at Yue On Estate, near Main Street Ap Lei Chau and at Lei Tung Estate. Two exits are planned for Wong Chuk Hang - in Heung Yip Road near Police School Road and another near Nam Long Shan Road. 

Two exits are proposed for South Horizons, both along South Horizons Drive. 

Mr Tang said consultations would be conducted next month and in April to collect the opinions of residents who lived along the line. 

"We will seek their views on train stations, location of exits for all train stops and the method of construction," he said. 

"The opinions collected will be used for our reference and consideration." 

The first consultation will be held on March 10 at South Horizons. 

The rail company plans to invite tenders for the project in 2010 and start construction in 2011. It will complete the project in 2015, according to the proposed timetable. 

District councillor Chai Man-hon said the MTR Corp should not wait until 2015 to complete the rail extension because hotel projects at Ocean Park would be completed in 2011. 

"Many more tourists will come to Southern District and it is important that we have timely traffic measures for the increasing number of visitors," he said. 

District councillor Tsui Yuen-wa said he was disappointed there were no detailed plans for bridges connecting Wong Chuk Hang station and nearby residential areas and hotels. District councillor Fung Wai-kwong expressed concern that the project would cause noise problems for South Horizons residents because the proposed exits were close to residential areas.


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## deasine

That would be great actually =D


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## EricIsHim

Proposed Stations' Access Points for SIL:

South Horizon - 2 Access Points 
(South Horizon by Blk 2 and Ap Lei Chau Est near Lei Yee Hse/Market)









Lei Tung - 3 Access Points (Ap Lei Chau Main Street near Hing Fat Street, Yue On Court at Centre court & Lei Tung Estate near Tung Sing Hse.)









Wong Chuk Hang - 2 Access Points (Near Nam Long Shan Road and west of Police School Road)









Ocean Park - 1 Main Station (In front of existing Ocean Park Entrance)









More details can be seen at:
http://mtr.com.hk/eng/projects/future_wil_sil_east_proposal.html


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## hkth

41 years of planning finally approved! 

Gov't Press Release:
Green light for Shatin to Central Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension

MTR Press Release:
MTR Corporation welcomes Government's decision on Shatin to Central Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension


----------



## Aboveday

*Green light for Shatin to Central Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension *
**********************************************************

The Executive Council has approved the further planning of the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) and the Kwun Tong Line Extension by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL).

A Government spokesman said today (March 11) that the 17-kilometre SCL will have nine stations, namely, Tai Wai, Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, Homantin, Hung Hom, Exhibition and Admiralty.

It will serve a residential population of 300,000 and working population of 280,000, connecting the Northeast New Territories and Hong Kong Island via South East Kowloon.

The SCL will link up several existing railway lines, creating two distinctive east-west and north-south railway corridors. From east to west, it will connect the Ma On Shan Line, the Kowloon Southern Link and the West Rail Line, allowing commuters to travel in a direct line from Ma On Shan to Tuen Mun.

The north-south corridor will be formed by extending the existing East Rail Line across the harbour, which will allow passengers to travel from Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau to the heart of Hong Kong Island without having to switch trains.

“The SCL will also provide interchanges with other railway lines. Six of the nine SCL stations - Tai Wai, Diamond Hill, Homantin, Hung Hom, Exhibition and Admiralty - will provide passengers with either an inter-platform or inter-level interchange for other lines,” the spokesman said.

“Among them, Tai Wai and Admiralty will be the two key interchange stations. The former is where the Ma On Shan Line, East Rail Line and SCL will converge whereas the latter will allow SCL passengers to change trains for the Tsuen Wan Line, the Island Line and the future South Island Line.”

The SCL can effectively redistribute the passenger flow and hence relieve pressure on the existing railway lines in urban Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. It will also help relieve the reliance on road-based public transport and thus alleviate traffic congestion and environmental nuisance on existing road networks.

It is estimated that the SCL will carry about one million passengers per day in 2021 and generate an annual economic benefit of $4 billion in terms of travel time saving.

“The project will provide essential support for the proposed new commercial and residential developments as well as leisure facilities planned at Kai Tak, including the Multi-purpose Stadium Complex and the Metro Park,” the spokesman said.

“Old districts such as To Kwa Wan and Kowloon City are expected to see a surge of redevelopment opportunities with the improved public transport infrastructure.”

The new railway will create 11,000 jobs during construction and another 9,600 during its operation.

The train depot for the SCL will be built at Diamond Hill, for which an environmental impact assessment will be conducted and suitable mitigation measures adopted to minimise its impact on the surroundings.

The spokesman pointed out that as it is technically difficult and unsafe to build a station at Tsz Wan Shan, the Government will consider increasing pedestrian facilities and review the minibus services to improve transport services and connectivity with the SCL.

In the light of future railway service demands, and in consideration of the interfaces between the SCL and the various development plans and infrastructure projects along its alignment, the Government intends to have the SCL completed in phases, with the Tai Wai to Hung Hom section by 2015 and the cross harbour section by 2019. 

After careful consideration of both the operational and financial implications, the Government has decided to adopt a concession approach to fund the estimated construction cost of $37.4 billion. Upon completion, the MTRCL will be granted a service concession for the subsequent operation and pay the Government annually for the concession.

Apart from the SCL, the Government will also implement the Kwun Tong Line Extension to provide a railway service for the Whampoa area. The scheme will involve an extension of the existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei Station to Whampoa with an intermediate station at Homantin, scheduled for completion by 2015.

The extension will serve the 140,000 people living in Whampoa and Homantin with an estimated daily patronage of 180,000 in 2016.

“With this extension, passengers from Whampoa will be able to reach Mong Kok in five minutes, compared with 25 minutes by road-based transport during today’s rush hour. Furthermore, Homantin Station will be an integrated interchange station, which will allow passengers to change from there to other stations,” the spokesman said. 

The Kwun Tong Line Extension will be implemented as an MTR project under an ownership approach. The Government will discuss with the MTRCL how the funding gap of $2.2 billion should be bridged.

The Government will further consult the public on both projects in order to formulate a first-rate and efficient railway scheme that will best serve Hong Kong.

Works for both projects are expected to start in 2010.

Ends/Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:13


----------



## hkth

Profit of the MTR reaches high.

MTR Press Release:
Announcement of Audited Results for the year ended 31 December 2007

Net Profit: HK$ 15.18 Billion (US$ 1.95 Billion)(1 Billion = 10^10 and US$1= HK$7.8)
Dividend: HK$ 0.31 (US$0.04)


----------



## hala




----------



## herenthere

hkth said:


> Profit of the MTR reaches high.
> 
> MTR Press Release:
> Announcement of Audited Results for the year ended 31 December 2007
> 
> Net Profit: HK$ 15.18 Billion (US$ 1.95 Billion)(1 Billion = 10^10 and US$1= HK$7.8)
> Dividend: HK$ 0.31 (US$0.04)


Makes other metros around the world look like crap...That's why MTRC should buy out other metros one day...lol

"MTR:NYC"


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## davee08

Even more extention of MTR with so much profit going on i'm not surprised i wouldn't travel through hong kong any other way since its so convenient and well maintained


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## sfgadv02

So they are building a new station adjacent to the current Hung Hom station for SCL?


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## Skybean

herenthere said:


> Makes other metros around the world look like crap..."


I agree. The MTR is ridiculously profitable. $2B is an insane amount... rivaling major banking institutions. While many metros -- especially in North America crumble and fall apart. The MTR is flush with cash and their system is already top notch. Cities around the world should look at the MTR as a model for developing an excellent system with great service.


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## hkskyline

Ironically, the way to make more money is to spend a lot more building, then let the property developers feast. Quite a non-intuitive way to score a profit.


----------



## hkskyline

*Passengers feel the crush after fare reductions *
10 March 2008
South China Morning Post

The MTR's Admiralty station has always been packed during evening peak hours, but passengers say it is more so now. 

"In the past, you could almost always get into the train at the two ends of the platform, but now you must wait there for at least one more train, and sometimes even two trains," said Peter Chong, who takes the MTR to Mong Kok most days from his Central office. 

Mr Chong said he has been using the MTR more since it reduced fares in December, when it merged with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation.

Causeway Bay office worker Fiona Chan shared his feelings. "The Tsuen Wan-bound platform of the Admiralty station is so stuffy during the peak hour that sometimes I feel like I will faint." She said she had seen people's fingers get caught in the closing doors while struggling to squeeze in. 

An MTR spokesman said the control room despatched extra trains when necessary to disperse queues, although train frequency during evening peak hours was close to the maximum of one every 2.1 minutes. 

As passengers jam the railways, average daily patronage of the three bus companies - Kowloon Motor Bus, New World First Bus and Citybus - all edged downwards by between 0.8 and 3.2 per cent in December compared with one year earlier, Transport Department figures show. 

Similar trends were also observed on cross-harbour bus routes. Traffic analyst Hung Wing-tat said it would be unlikely that KMB - which applied for a 9 per cent fare rise - would impose a big increase on the most profitable cross-harbour routes. 

Red-minibus operators have also lost an average of 25,300 passengers a day since the merger, according to Transport Department figures. But Ling Chi-keung, an operator of routes between city centres and remote areas - those that should have been hit the hardest by the merger - said he had not heard any complaints about bad business. 

Au-yeung Ming, a Hong Kong Island minibus operator, said the impact of the railway merger might not be direct. "The bus companies could have realigned their routes in response to the railway merger, like deploying more buses to a certain route, and that in turn would affect our business."


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## EricIsHim

I can't imagine what will happen at Admiralty when SIL is in service.


----------



## sfgadv02

Why don't they just send empty trains to admiralty?


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Tunnel boring works of the MTR Kowloon Southern Link successfully completed


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
New Fare Saver at Panda Place

-- PS: My 2000th Post!


----------



## gladisimo

Wow, I've never heard of Panda Place before.

congrats on ur 2000th post!


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## hkth

gladisimo said:


> Wow, I've never heard of Panda Place before.


Actually it is a basement shopping mall inside the Panda Hotel in Tsuen Wan. It was originally owned by Yaohan.


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## gladisimo

hkth said:


> Actually it is a basement shopping mall inside the Panda Hotel in Tsuen Wan. It was originally owned by Yaohan.


Ah, I thought as much, I actually passed by the Panda hotel on our way to the airport.

But I didn't know it was owned by Yaohan.


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Station topping-out celebration at Kowloon Southern Link


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## hkskyline

*MTR allocates RMB6bn to Shenzhen Metro Line 4 project*
Ta Kung Pao
24 April 2008

Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation invests about RMB6 billion to build phase two of Metro Line Four in China's Shenzhen Metro system. The Metro Line Four, currently renamed Longhua Line, will link Futian border checkpoint with Qinghu county in Longhua district and include 15 stations. Phase two from Shaoniangong station to Qinghu station is scheduled to complete for operation in 2009. MTR also owns an exploration right in 2.9 million sq. m. along this line in terms of floor area for construction as well as a franchise operation right of up to 30 years. Phase one connecting Futian border checkpoint station with Shaoniangong station has completed construction and is in-service so far.


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## Songoten2554

wow thats great Hong Kong and China is really stepping up man i am impressed this will be a wonderful project, i can't imagine the scale for it.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR tests additional multi-user areas on trains

--More space for standing, less space for sitting.


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## EricIsHim

^^ so it carries more passengers, too.


----------



## gladisimo

^^ Not a big deal anyway, I always stand on the MTR, the best (funnest) place to stand is in between two cars, where the joints move around. Otherwise I like leaning against the glass by the side of the seats. 

Anyone know whether MTR has or has any realistic plans of bringing wifi to the stations/trains?


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## herenthere

^^ They should have put in the glass partition between the "multi-user area" and the seats like they usually do near the doorways.


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## Pax Sinica

delete


----------



## Pax Sinica

*MTR project in Beijing*

Metro Line 4










The 29km Beijing Metro Line 4 is an underground metro line running from Gongyixiqiao Station on the South Fourth Ring Road at Fengtai District to the north-west Haidian District and terminating at Anheqiao North Station. There are a total of 24 stations (with 23 underground) along the line including major stops at Beijing South Railway Station, Xuanwumen, Xidan, Xizhimen, Beijing Zoo, Zhongguancun, East Gate of Peking University and Xiyuan Stations, threading through Fengtai, Xuanwu, Xicheng and Haidian Districts. Line 4 will be one of the main north-to-south traffic arteries of Beijing. The single journey travelling time is approximately 47 minutes.


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## Pax Sinica

*MTR project in Shanghai*

Metro Line 9 Phase I










The Line 9 Phase I project is a 31 km (Tunnels 12 km, Viaducts 17 km, At-grade 2 km) metro line comprising 13 stations (Underground 9, Elevated 4) from Songjiang New Town Station to Yishan Road Station.


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## Pax Sinica

*MTR project in Shenzhen*

Metro Line 4 Phase 2










The Shenzhen Metro Line 4 Phase 2 project is a vital part of the Shenzhen overall rail expansion plan. It forms a logical extension of the Line 4 Phase 1 rail line, extending northwards from Shaoniangong Station (Juvenile Activity Centre) to Qinghu Station.

Line 4 Phase 2 is approximately 15.8 km long, consisting of approximately 5 km of underground section and 10.8 km of at-grade and elevated sections. It has 10 stations, i.e., two underground stations, one at-grade station, and seven elevated stations. In addition, a maintenance depot will be constructed at Longsheng Station. The two underground stations and the associated tunnels will be constructed using drill-and-blast method and Tunnel Boring Machine which is specially built for this project.


----------



## Pax Sinica

*Metro Line 4 (red line) in future Shenzhen Network*


----------



## _00_deathscar

That's all very well, but this has what to do with Hong Kong?


----------



## Pax Sinica

^^Just some projects by MTR.


----------



## herenthere

Does MTR get a cut of the profits? And for how long?


----------



## Pax Sinica




----------



## EricIsHim

^^ WOW!!!!!

How often do you see four trains come and go at the same time?


----------



## gladisimo

Maybe it's just me, but it looks... fake, something about it is not right.


----------



## mr.x

^ it's real, this track section is right next to the port across the harbour....though I've never ever seen so many trains all at once.


----------



## hkskyline

.. approach to Lai King interchange.


----------



## hkskyline

I've seen cameras on the new "KCR" trains. They're right by the door.


----------



## Manila-X

EricIsHim said:


> Well.... there isn't routine police patrol on the train. there isn't camera on the train either. a typical hker would have just walked away from the scene and not brother to call the train operator or the station staff. so it's hard to catch them on the scene even if it happens.


Unless the cops are *plain-clothed*. And most HKers would care that much with their gimmicks unless they are concerned citizens.


----------



## hkskyline

I don't think we should confront criminals. We should leave that job to the police. We can snap a picture of them with our cameras to help as evidence though.


----------



## superchan7

I think most people would be content just watching, unless they happen to be very conservative parents who want to block their children from seeing it.


----------



## sfgadv02

EricIsHim said:


> Well.... there isn't routine police patrol on the train. there isn't camera on the train either. a typical hker would have just walked away from the scene and not brother to call the train operator or the station staff. so it's hard to catch them on the scene even if it happens.


Aren't they testing CCTV on MTR trains??


----------



## hkskyline

*Screen doors at stations help reduce suicides 
Fewer people jumping in front of trains, study shows *
21 September 2008
South China Morning Post

Suicides on Hong Kong's railway lines have declined by more than half since platform screen doors were installed at MTR stations, an expert study has found.

The number of people jumping to their deaths in front of trains annually has dropped from 10.2 to 4.4 in the five years since the barriers began to be put up across the station network. Platform screen doors should now be installed at all MTR stations "without any delay", said the University of Hong Kong academics who carried out the survey.

However, the MTR Corporation responded that it would take four more years to complete the fitting of the barriers at remaining stations and indicated it had no intention to speed up or expand the project.

Passengers using Octopus cards have been charged an extra 10 cents a ticket since 2000 to pay for the scheme. Eight above-ground MTR stations and former KCR stations along the East Line still have no platform screen doors.

The remaining work was taking more time to avoid night-time noise, the MTR Corp said last month after an inquest jury called for safety improvements following the death of a 75-year-old Alzheimer's patient who wandered onto the Island Line.

Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the university's Suicide Research and Prevention Centre and co-author of the study into railway suicides, said the findings should add urgency to the work of installing the screen doors.

"These barriers need to be installed as soon as feasible," he said. "Noise at night should not be an issue. Residents will be tolerant because the work is being done to stop accidents and save lives.

"It is us, the passengers, who are paying for the safety doors, and tens of millions of dollars have already been collected since the surcharge was imposed. We think the work should therefore be done as quickly as possible. Our message is: 'Please just do it'."

The study, to be published in an international journal, found that the barriers were particularly effective in deterring psychotic patients from suicide as their decision to jump in front of a train was often sudden and impulsive.

It also found no evidence of them attempting an alternative method of suicide after the "effective and lethal" option of railway suicides was removed, meaning lives were saved in real terms.

"Some suicide attempts by psychotic patients are very impulsive and they may not be fully aware of the consequences," Dr Yip said. "These safety barriers stop them killing themselves and help this vulnerable group in the community."

The MTR Corp refused to co-operate with the study, declining to release data to the university on suicide rates at railway stations on privacy grounds until forced to do so by the Ombudsman.

Responding to questions about the report, media relations manager James Tsui said installing the barriers would take until 2012 as it involved "highly complicated works including major modifications to the platform structure, ventilation system and earthing protection system".

Mr Tsui added: "The safety level in the design of trains, stations and platforms of the MTR system are all up to international standards [and] support the corporation in providing a safe and reliable railway service.

"At present, we have adequate facilities and procedures for all MTR stations to ensure platform safety. Apart from deploying platform supervisors to look after passengers' safety, we also make public announcements to remind passengers of safety issues.

"We have CCTV cameras at each station to monitor platform safety and we will enhance the overall safety awareness of passengers [by] organising ongoing publicity and education activities."


----------



## deasine

of course -__-


----------



## DJZG

it's a good thing ofcourse... i wonder when we will get these doors on our railways... 

although, people can jump between stations... are there any safety measures for that?
somehow i think, people will always find a way to commit suicide... everybody has their own reasons...


----------



## hkth

Direct Interchange in Kowloon Tong, Nam Cheong and Mei Foo Stations. 

MTR Press Release:
New Cross Platform Interchange Takes MTR Towards Truly Seamless Travel


----------



## superchan7

DJZG said:


> it's a good thing ofcourse... i wonder when we will get these doors on our railways...
> 
> although, people can jump between stations... are there any safety measures for that?
> somehow i think, people will always find a way to commit suicide... everybody has their own reasons...


I think the rationale for MTR was that most of the suicides involved impulsive behaviour by mentally unbalanced people. Therefore, safety doors would effectively prevent the behaviour from ending the lives of such people.


----------



## Scion

Not to mention the delays it can cause


----------



## mrmoopt

Any video clips of the MTR episodes on Jade TVB?


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
International Award Names MTR Annual Report 2007 Best Design in Hong Kong


----------



## Manila-X

*Subway plan takes the lead at Happy Valley*

Bonnie Chen 
_The Standard_
Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The government is considering building a subway instead of an MTR station to link Happy Valley to Causeway Bay, a source said.
MTR Corp, according to the source, is likely to give up the idea of a station at the racecourse because the government believes it is better to link Happy Valley to popular areas in Causeway Bay, such as Times Square and Victoria Park, through a subway system.

The subway plan also includes building a mall.

"It is technically more viable to do so," said the source, who explained that if the MTRC was to build a station at the racecourse, the railway would have to pass through narrow Wong Nei Chung Road.

"We would need to block one lane for construction and keep the other open for traffic."

The new plan is also more economically sound, the source said, because it is easier to build a subway than a railway.

As well as generating revenue from shops through rentals, the project would give Happy Valley residents easier access to Causeway Bay.

The government has allotted HK$7 billion to building the South Island Line, which will link Aberdeen with Admiralty.

However, it will not pass through Happy Valley despite a request from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The club is not keen to pay HK$1.3 billion for a station at the racecourse.

It will take only nine minutes to travel from South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau to Admiralty when the line is completed in 2015, but 11.5 minutes if it were to pass through Happy Valley.

The railway would have to be extended from seven to nine kilometers.

The government believes the 19,000 people living in Happy Valley by 2016 will not need an MTR link.

Happy Valley residents have yet to reach a consensus over the building of an MTR station.

While some favor it because of convenience, others do not want to be put out by the construction.


----------



## EricIsHim

How many people walk between Happy Valley and CWB today?

I still believe the main purpose for Happy Valley station is to move people in and out of the area as quick as possible when there is an event at the racecourse, and so that no roadways have to be closed. It is not necessarily just for the 19,000 resident.

Having a subway between HV and CWB isn't going to solve the traffic congestion problem on Leighton Rd, Canal Rd and Wong Nai Chung Rd on a daily or on event(weekly) basis. 

If the Happy Valley station is out, don't even brother wasting the money to build a subway.

p.s. Subway = Underground Pedestrian Walkway, not the American's/NY's term for underground heavy rail.


----------



## Scion

Maybe they'll put in several travelator in the subway so the people can be moved more quickly...still, a subway tunnel is better than nothing


----------



## gladisimo

It would be cool if they had an APM of some sort as a connection. If they build an MTR station, I agree that it should be bypassed on non-race days, like it is on the KCR.


----------



## EricIsHim

If it ever happens, I am sure there will be APM.
Walking from Happy Valley to the actually CWB platforms (not the closest access point at Times Square), is like walking from Central to Admiralty.


----------



## Manila-X

Scion said:


> Maybe they'll put in several travelator in the subway so the people can be moved more quickly...still, a subway tunnel is better than nothing


If this plan is put in effect, what we will be seeing here is something similar to the subway connecting the TST station with TST east.


----------



## allurban

superchan7 said:


> I think the rationale for MTR was that most of the suicides involved impulsive behaviour by mentally unbalanced people. Therefore, safety doors would effectively prevent the behaviour from ending the lives of such people.


In some cities they dont even talk about suicides in the metro for fear of encouraging people to commit suicide.

HK at least is acknowledging the problem and doing something about it. But safety doors are only part of the solution.

Cheers, m


----------



## hkskyline

gladisimo said:


> Why should such a compensation come from a reduction in their MTR fare though? That aside, I find this to be a totally ridiculous and illogical argument to begin with anyway.


This practice is alive and well in Toronto. The safety of the public and prevention of similar suicides triumphs over press freedom in this one.


----------



## EricIsHim

iampuking said:


> I thought this was a given. Facilities such as wheelchairs come from the health service, all buildings should be accessible, hence equal oppurtunities...


The supporting hardware is improving in HK, but has not yet given everywhere even in MTR.


----------



## herenthere

Since this thread is mainly about issues relating directly to the MTR, anyone who would like to comment on the philosophy of those issues may feel free to email me.


----------



## Skybean

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2981930496


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Releases:
LCQ2: Connecting the airports in Hong Kong and Shenzhen with a rail link

LCQ10: Light Rail services

LCQ16: Ventilation shaft of West Hong Kong Island Line


----------



## hkskyline

*屯門兩列輕鐵首尾相撞24人受傷 *
【22:34】2008年10月30日





































【on.cc專訊】 晚上10時30分，警方接獲報告，兩列輕鐵列車由友愛開往安定站途中，發生首尾相撞，意外中有多人受傷，警方及多輛救護車正趕往現場救援，初步有24人受傷。


----------



## hkskyline

*24 hurt as train runs into back of another *
31 October 2008
South China Morning Post

At least 24 people were injured when two Light Rail trains collided in Tuen Mun last night. The trains, on routes 751 and 507, were heading north on the same rail on Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road when they collided head to tail at Yau Oi Road, 10 metres out of On Ting Station, at 10.30pm.

Eleven men and 13 women, including a train driver, were injured when thrown about inside the carriage. Eight suffered serious injuries and some had to be carried off the train on stretchers. The rest suffered minor injuries and received first aid before being taken to Tuen Mun, Pok Oi and North District hospitals.

No apparent damage was visible on either of the trains, which were later driven from the scene.

Witnesses said a car had cut in front of the 751 train, causing it to brake suddenly.

MTR Corporation head of operations Wilfred Lau Cheuk-man expressed deepest sympathies to the injured and said an investigation was under way to find out the cause of the accident.

"Our engineers will check over the train parts and look into the train records. We are also working with police on the investigation," he said.

Former Institution of Engineers president Alex Chan Siu-kun said Light Rail trains were mainly controlled by the drivers and the crash might be a result of human error. But he would not rule out other possibilities such as mechanical faults.

Five routes - 505, 507, 614, 614P and 751 - had to make detours for an hour after the collision.


----------



## allurban

hkskyline said:


> *24 hurt as train runs into back of another *
> The trains, on routes 751 and 507, were heading north on the same rail on Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road when they collided head to tail
> 
> Witnesses said a car had cut in front of the 751 train, causing it to brake suddenly.


Im guessing here that the 751 train (which was cut off) was in the lead and was hit by the 507 train? 

Looks like driver error is the cause...most likely the car driver :bash:

Cheers, m


----------



## DJZG

how is possible for two trains to be so close in between...


----------



## EricIsHim

DJZG said:


> how is possible for two trains to be so close in between...


It were just like two buses departed the station and approached the intersection at the same time. The distance between the two vehicles may only be 2 seconds or so. And when the one in the front stopped suddenly, the operator in the back couldn't react quick enough to stop the train. It's a rear-ended collision, but in light rail. These are light rail which doesn't need the minutes long headway between trains like the medium or heavy one at stations.


----------



## slashcruise

I thought it was a collision proof system and automatic brakes come in action as soon as it gets closer to another train??????


----------



## EricIsHim

slashcruise said:


> I thought it was a collision proof system and automatic brakes come in action as soon as it gets closer to another train??????


Not on the light rail system, but the regular heavy rail.
The light rail is 100% human operated.


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Recognised For Best Practice in Training and People Development


----------



## hkskyline

Kowloon Southern Link Progress Update - September 2008

The construction works of Kowloon Southern Link was 96% completed. Building services and architectural works for Austin Station were 90% completed. All tracks were laid in tunnels and trackside E&M installation was close to completion. Testing of E&M systems has been commenced.


----------



## StanleyJ

Ah... sanity prevails. What a mess it would have been had they continued to call it "West Kowloon Station", even though it is physically east of the existing MTR/AEL "Kowloon Station".

Heh, maybe they'll rename "Mong Kok Station" and "Yau Ma Tei Station" back to "Argyle" and "Waterloo" respectively?


----------



## hkth

StanleyJ said:


> Ah... sanity prevails. What a mess it would have been had they continued to call it "West Kowloon Station", even though it is physically east of the existing MTR/AEL "Kowloon Station".


This Station called Austin Station due to it is close to Austin Road and Austin Road West. But I prefer name it as Kwun Chung as it was the original name for the currect Jordan Road Area.



StanleyJ said:


> Heh, maybe they'll rename "Mong Kok Station" and "Yau Ma Tei Station" back to "Argyle" and "Waterloo" respectively?


I really doubt if MTR would rename "Mong Kok Station" and "Yau Ma Tei Station" back to "Argyle" and "Waterloo" as every one in HK tells Mong Kok and YMT!


----------



## hkskyline

Mei Foo Station
By * HM2518* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


----------



## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> This Station called Austin Station due to it is close to Austin Road and Austin Road West. But I prefer name it as Kwun Chung as it was the original name for the currect Jordan Road Area.


Be honest, how many people know Jordan original name is Kwun Chung? Not much.



hkth said:


> I really doubt if MTR would rename "Mong Kok Station" and "Yau Ma Tei Station" back to "Argyle" and "Waterloo" as every one in HK tells Mong Kok and YMT!


Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei are still relatively in the same district where calls Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei. It is far better than Lai Chi Kok is in Cheung Sha Wan.

Kowloon Station in Kowloon is suitable for the Airport Express or the future HSR since they are more regional. But for line that serves local area is getting less appropriate, but district wide name is good as most stations are using. Going down to Argyle or Waterloo in street level is too microscopic. A station is far beyond only serving one street, but the whole district.

(Mong Kok can still be Mong Kok, since there is a Mong Kok Road. :nuts


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ1:Construction works for South Island Line (East)


----------



## hkskyline

*港鐵（０００６６）與京地鐵簽１５億新管理合約*
經濟通
11月6日 星期四 09:57

北京市投資促進局局長張吉福表示，港鐵（０００６６）與北京地鐵已達成新支線的管理協議，涉及金額約１５億元人民幣，相關合約將於本月２６至２７日在港舉行的「第十二屆北京－香港經濟合作研討洽談會」上簽署。而北京市市長郭金龍、副市長苟仲文屆時將會率領代表團來港參加本屆京港洽談會。

據有關資料，目前港鐵已參與投資的北京地鐵４號線，是內地軌道交通領域第一個引入外資的項目，計劃於明年９月開通試行營運。

另外，本屆京港洽談會吸引多間北京市老字號組團參加，包括全聚德、東來順、張一元、瑞蚨祥、六必居等２０多間企業，主要是希望引進香港營銷、設計方面的經驗，包括與港企合作在京港兩地開設連鎖店等。


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's MTR orders 10 trains from mainland manufacturer for 1.1 bln hkd*
17 November 2008

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - MTR Corp said it has ordered 10 trains from Changchun Railway Vehicles Co for delivery in 2011 and 2012, the first time it has purchased rolling stock from a mainland China manufacturer. The company, which operates Hong Kong's subway and commuter rail systems, did not reveal the value of the deal. However, China's official Xinhua News agency said the contract is worth 1.1 bln hkd. MTR said the new trains will allow for increased frequency to meet traffic growth on the Island, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Tseung Kwan O subway lines.


----------



## superchan7

Hope they turn out better-looking than the clone trains with laboratory-white interiors that are all over the mainland subways. Then again, when each car costs the same HK$14 million as with the Rotem stock, they probably will look more upscale.


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
On track for smooth rail development


----------



## sfgadv02

superchan7 said:


> Hope they turn out better-looking than the clone trains with laboratory-white interiors that are all over the mainland subways. Then again, when each car costs the same HK$14 million as with the Rotem stock, they probably will look more upscale.


:lol: I would think that MTR's standard is higher than the Mainland's.


----------



## hkskyline

*Lawmakers decry failure to provide underpass link *
22 November 2008
South China Morning Post

Although the Kowloon Southern Link to open next year connects East Rail to West Rail, the new station at Austin Road fails to provide direct and convenient passage to the Airport Express and Canton Road.

The MTR Corporation confirmed there was no plan for an underpass to link the new Austin station to Canton Road and the Hong Kong-Macau ferry pier at China Hong Kong City.

Commuters at East Rail station going to the airport by railway would have to make a transit at Hung Hom station and then carry their luggage up a footbridge and walk to the Kowloon station of the Airport Express.

Lawmakers said this was totally unacceptable. "I don't know if you think Hong Kong people would accept this kind of transit arrangement. I can tell you no one will take this route, especially when it is such a long footbridge," the Civic Party's Ronny Tong Ka-wah said.

Lau Kong-wah, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said it was impossible for luggage-laden West Rail passengers to walk from Austin Road to the China Hong Kong City pier at Canton Road on the ground because there was no proper pedestrian path.

"KCRC promised to build a web of underpasses between Austin station and Canton Road, but when the [MTR Corp] took over KCRC's project you refused to fulfil its promise."

The 3.8km extension connects West Rail's Nam Cheong station to East Rail's East Tsim Sha Tsui station. The KCRC, the link's original planner, had wanted to build a station at the Harbour City shopping complex, but it was moved to Austin Road after negotiations with mall owner Wharf (Holdings) fell through.

MTR Corp senior manager for projects and property communications Maggie So Man-kit said the MTR Corp would follow up on the issue to see if anyone had "overlooked" any promise made previously.

She said the underpass was never part of the blueprint when the MTR Corp took over the project from the KCRC after the merger last December. But there would be an underpass network connecting East Tsim Sha Tsui station to Canton Road.


----------



## hkskyline

*港鐵故障千五乘客狼狽 *
23/11/2008
東方日報



















港 鐵 故 障 停 不 了 ！ 繼 上 周 一 東 鐵 線 架 空 電 力 系 統 出 現 故 障 後 ， 昨 午 將 軍 澳 線 及 東 鐵線 分 別 發 生 故 障 ， 其 中 將 軍 澳 站 至 寶 琳 站 因 訊 號 故 障 ， 一 度 暫 停 服 務 四 十 五 分 鐘 ，逾 千 五 名 乘 客 受 影 響 ， 有 乘 客 被 困 車 廂 廿 分 鐘 ， 有 人 指 責 港 鐵 指 示 不 清 ， 累 他 東 奔西 撲 。 此 外 ， 東 鐵 線 一 班 前 往 落 馬 洲 的 列 車 昨 午 壞 車 ， 服 務 延 誤 約 十 分 鐘 。

昨 午 三 時 ， 將 軍 澳 線 來 回 將 軍 澳 站 及 寶 琳 站 的 列 車 服 務 突 然 暫 停 ， 當 時 四 班 列 車 尚未 埋 站 ， 七 百 多 名 乘 客 被 困 車 廂 ， 部 分 乘 客 焦 急 鼓 譟 ， 有 人 按 緊 急 掣 求 助 ， 平 均 約二 十 分 鐘 後 ， 四 班 列 車 始 成 功 進 入 車 站 讓 乘 客 下 車 。

期 間 ， 寶 琳 站 大 堂 及 月 台 擠 滿 乘 客 ， 不 少 人 抵 達 月 台 後 ， 才 發 現 列 車 服 務 暫 停 ， 頓時 不 知 所 措 ， 部 分 乘 客 索 性 退 票 ， 擠 在 票 務 處 前 輪 候 ， 其 後 職 員 表 示 乘 客 毋 須 辦 理退 票 ， 不 會 收 取 車 資 。 大 批 乘 客 轉 乘 其 他 交 通 工 具 ， 的 士 站 及 小 巴 站 大 排 長 龍 。

「 等 五 分 鐘 又 五 分 鐘 」
乘 客 鄭 先 生 炮 轟 「 港 鐵 都 唔 知 點 做 ， 又 話 咁 ， 又 話 咁 ， 搞 到 我 撲 撲 去 」 。 他 表 示 ， 在 北 角 站 上 車 後 ， 廿 分 鐘 後 才 開 車 ， 至 油 塘 站 聽 從 港 鐵 的 廣 播 ， 結 果 在 站 內 不 斷 走 上 走 落 ， 直 至 列 車 恢 復 正 常 。

楊 小 姐 抱 小 孩 奔 波 轉 車 ， 怒 斥 港 鐵 「 既 然 要 成 個 鐘 先 可 恢 復 行 車 ， 就 唔 好 講 五 分 鐘 又 五 分 鐘」 ； 另 張 先 生 不 滿 被 困 車 廂 近 半 小 時 ， 雖 有 乘 客 按 動 緊 急 掣 ， 但 港 鐵 沒 有 清 楚 指 示。

港 鐵 發 言 人 解 釋 ， 因 寶 琳 站 訊 號 系 統 電 腦 故 障 ， 工 程 人 員 需 以 人 手 調校 訊 號 系 統 設 備 ， 然 後 以 人 手 操 控 列 車 駛 入 月 台 ， 來 往 將 軍 澳 站 及 寶 琳 站 的 列 車 服務 暫 停 四 十 五 分 鐘 ， 來 往 北 角 及 油 塘 的 服 務 維 持 五 分 鐘 一 班 ， 期 間 沒 有 安 排 接 駁 巴士 。

另 外 ， 昨 午 五 時 許 ， 東 鐵 線 一 班 前 往 落 馬 洲 的 列 車 ， 車 長 發 現 壞 車 ， 列 車 進 入 沙 田 站 後 ， 乘 客 均 須 下 車 等 候 下 一 班 。


----------



## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Principle Agreements for Shenyang Metro Lines Project Signed


----------



## hkskyline

*港鐵叁與北京地鐵大興線營運項目 *
27 November 2008

香港 (XFN-ASIA) - 港鐵(66.HK)與北京巿基礎設施投資、及北京首都創業集團合組的北京京港地鐵三方代表, 與北京巿政府全資擁有的北京軌道交通大興線投資, 就北京地鐵大興線的營運及維修項目, 簽署了諒解備忘錄, 將進一步洽商, 以特許經營模式營運大興線。

港鐵行政總裁周松崗表示, 希望將港鐵在香港的成功經驗帶到北京大興區。

大興線是北京地鐵四號線的延線, 全長22公里, 共11個車站, 該線路於去年12月動工, 預計2010年通車, 屆時大興新城至西單只需35分鐘。


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## hkth

hkskyline said:


> *港鐵叁與北京地鐵大興線營運項目 *
> 27 November 2008
> 
> 香港 (XFN-ASIA) - 港鐵(66.HK)與北京巿基礎設施投資、及北京首都創業集團合組的北京京港地鐵三方代表, 與北京巿政府全資擁有的北京軌道交通大興線投資, 就北京地鐵大興線的營運及維修項目, 簽署了諒解備忘錄, 將進一步洽商, 以特許經營模式營運大興線。
> 
> 港鐵行政總裁周松崗表示, 希望將港鐵在香港的成功經驗帶到北京大興區。
> 
> 大興線是北京地鐵四號線的延線, 全長22公里, 共11個車站, 該線路於去年12月動工, 預計2010年通車, 屆時大興新城至西單只需35分鐘。


Releated English Press Release from MTR:

MOU for Operations of Beijing Daxing Line Signed


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
Passengers in Oil at MTR Central Station


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## hkskyline

Looks like there is more art in the city these days. They've put up a bunch of children's paintings along the walls that board up the reclamation site at the old Star Ferry. They're probably replicas though.


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## hkskyline

*兩鐵合併一年 仍見九鐵標誌
鐵路標誌亂旅客陀陀擰 *
02/12/2008









【本報訊】地鐵及九鐵今日剛好合併一周年，惟港鐵公司去年承諾在合併五星期內，換走所有九鐵標誌，卻一直無法完成，其中尖沙咀區至今仍有大量九鐵標誌的指示牌及路標。港鐵錦田大樓、西鐵車站、輕鐵車廠及站內警告牌，亦留有大量九鐵標誌，令乘客感到混淆。當局並未解釋拖延更換原因，但強調最快要再過兩、三個月才能全面更換。

兩鐵合併前，尖沙咀區內分別有地鐵站及九鐵站，旅遊事務署特別在區內豎立指示牌，運輸署亦在該區的路面及行人隧道路牌上，加入地鐵及九鐵的標誌來提示方向。但合併至今一年，區內指示牌及路牌仍沒有除去九鐵的標誌，令乘客及遊客感到困惑。 

以為地鐵標誌是籃球場
馬來西亞旅客李小姐謂，在行人隧道看見地鐵及九鐵標誌，不知道代表鐵路，還以為地鐵標誌代表籃球場。她指現時香港只有一家鐵路公司，應盡快統一標誌。

而輕鐵站內的警告牌亦只簡單貼上港鐵標誌，告示的中、英文內容仍保留「九鐵輕鐵」及「KCR Light Rail」等字眼；港鐵錦田大樓以及鄰近的錦上路站牆身，九鐵標誌仍原封不動；新屯門中心地下的輕鐵車廠入口，亦保留雙紅箭嘴標誌。

旅遊事務署解釋，為配合兩鐵合併，去年十二月起已分階段更換指示標誌，而尖沙咀區屬工程最後一期，預計今年底完成。運輸署表示，尖沙咀中間道一帶行人隧道的九鐵標誌，預計明年三月會完成更換。港鐵發言人稱，主要標誌已更換，未來一、兩個月會完成有關工作。 

港府「慢吞吞」考慮不周
立法會議員王國興狠批港府及港鐵做事「慢吞吞」，考慮不周，尤其是尖沙咀是旅遊區，更不可能定為最後更換指示牌的地區。

城大專業進修學院學術統籌宋立功稱，港鐵更換指示牌進度緩慢，真是「莫名其妙」，他說：「咁大間公司，連咁複雜訊號系統都搞得掂，無理由呢手板眼見工夫做唔好。」他又表示，合併後原先兩鐵的管理層需要時間融合，也大大拖慢合併後的行政及管理進度，他建議港鐵需內部重整，重新審視資源分配，否則更多事會表面化，加強管治難度。 

兩鐵合併後部分事故
2008/11/22 港鐵將軍澳線訊號故障，服務停頓四十五分鐘，七百名受影響乘客滯留車廂，離開後亦沒有安排接駁巴士，乘客怨聲載道。

2008/11/16 何文田配電站出現故障，令東鐵線列車來往服務受阻，七百五十名乘客受影響，故障估計是配電站的絕緣體「日久失修」，致漏電及短路。

2008/11/12 中環港鐵站升降機發生罕見意外，五名乘客被困在連續三升三降的升降機內達一小時，事後需消防員出動救援。

2008/08/07 港鐵港島線列車於筲箕灣與杏花站之間管道冒煙，一百五十名乘客被困，服務停頓七十分鐘，消防車及救護車趕往救援。

2008/07/17 一名疑有精神病老婦於未有安裝月台幕門的荃灣線葵芳站墮軌，遭列車撞倒及捲入車底，婦人當場死亡。

2007/12/27 東鐵線一段大圍站往尖東方向路軌發現裂紋，列車經過時均要減速，工程人員以兩塊鐵片鎖緊裂紋路軌應急，防止裂紋擴大，港鐵當晚才更換問題部分路軌，並全面進行檢查。


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## hkskyline

[短片]九廣鐵路


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## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> [短片]九廣鐵路


Thanks! Love these historical documentaries!
Favorite part: "Even worse is if a carriage of livestock (pigs) stops right next to your car."


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## jasonchan

Does anyone have a recording of the music they play at the MTR stations, especially the Holiday one that they are playing now?


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## hkskyline

*Human error to blame for electrical fault that delayed commuters for 3 hours, says MTR *
13 December 2008
South China Morning Post

Human error caused delays to more than 18,000 commuters for more than three hours on December 8, an MTR investigation has found.

An overhead power cable was damaged, causing train services between Yau Tong and Tiu Keng Leng stations on the Kwun Tong line to be suspended until 11.10pm.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, head of operations engineering, said each train drew electricity from four overhead cables supported by a manually operated device known as an "isolator". The device, which is always locked in a "closed" state, regulates electrical power among the cables.

But the investigation found that on the night of the incident, the isolator was in an "open" state.

The misplacement caused damage to one of the power cables which triggered the direct current circuit breaker, another power control device, to cut electricity to trains.

Mr Kam said such incidents were rare and staff negligence was to blame. The error had gone unnoticed for one month after the last inspection on November 10.

"This has never happened before throughout the 30 years of operation [of the MTR]," Mr Kam said. "We have [subsequently] checked all the other isolators and found that they are in the proper order. But even if they are left "open", the safety and normal operation of train service would not be affected."

He said the system was designed so trains would immediately stop if damage was detected. He added that improvements would be implemented, including strengthening training, stepping up inspections and putting up notices to remind staff to keep the isolator in a closed position.

Acting head of operations Choi Tak-tsan said more than 18,000 commuters had been affected.

"We mobilised 40 shuttle buses which ran 156 trips to disperse over 8,000 passengers," he said. "We estimated that about 10,000 passengers had their trips delayed."

At 7.23pm on December 8, three trains on the Kwun Tong line, two loaded with passengers, came to a halt between Yau Tong and Lam Tin.

The MTR issued a "red alert" at 7.30pm, a signal to indicate that a serious disruption has continued or is expected to continue for more than 20 minutes. Power resumed 10 minutes after it was cut, and the first two trains left, leaving the third stranded at Yau Tong station. About 300 passengers were stuck on the train until 7.57pm when arrangements were made for them to disembark.

The vacated train started to move four minutes later, but was halted by another power failure. About 18 minutes later, a maintenance crew discovered that a power cable was damaged 10 metres from Yau Tong station. The MTR issued another red alert informing the public that Kwun Tong line services between Kwun Tong and Tiu Keng Leng stations would be suspended, and the emergency shuttle bus was activated.


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## hkskyline

*10-year-old Airport Express to get a facelift *
16 December 2008
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation will spend HK$27 million to give the 10-year-old Airport Express a facelift, with new seat covers and carpets.

And four stations along the Tung Chung line will be renovated, with Tsing Yi seeing one of the largest overhauls, MTR chief architect Wilfred Yeung Sze-wai said yesterday.

Two more passages will be added to connect Tung Chung line platforms to Maritime Square, the largest shopping mall in Tsing Yi. By the end of next year, passengers will be able to enter the station directly from the second and third floors of the mall.

The project in Tsing Yi would cost "tens of millions" of dollars, Mr Yeung said at a press conference, declining to reveal the exact amount.

The grey seat covers of the airport trains will be replaced with purple and green ones, with indigo carpets.

The renovation announcement comes as the Tung Chung line and the Airport Express have been in operation for 10 years.

Mr Yeung said shops would be rearranged and redecorated at Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tung Chung stations to match the style of their respective shopping malls.

Some stations along the Tung Chung line attract few visitors, but Mr Yeung did not express concern over the shops.

"This is a business decision," he said. "If the station did not have enough customer flow, we would not add new shops."

The makeover project will be carried out in phases and is expected to finish by the beginning of 2010.

Mr Yeung said the company had no plans to increase the frequency of trains on the Tung Chung line, which can run at 10-minute intervals during non-peak hours.

"We have already strengthened the Tung Chung line service," he said. "The current frequency is able to handle the passenger flow."

The MTR is also not planning to connect Kowloon station with its neighbour Austin station, a stop on the extended West Rail line that is to open next year.

"If people want to change between West Rail and the Tung Chung line, they can do it in Nam Cheong," Mr Yeung said. "They do not need to use Austin station."


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## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *10-year-old Airport Express to get a facelift *
> 16 December 2008
> South China Morning Post
> 
> The MTR Corporation will spend HK$27 million to give the 10-year-old Airport Express a facelift, with new seat covers and carpets.
> And four stations along the Tung Chung line will be renovated, with Tsing Yi seeing one of the largest overhauls, MTR chief architect Wilfred Yeung Sze-wai said yesterday.


10 years and a face lift already? Kind of a little wasteful isn't it? Might as well spend it towards new bathrooms.


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## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> 10 years and a face lift already? Kind of a little wasteful isn't it? Might as well spend it towards new bathrooms.


I took it once a few months ago. But the interior was really not as nice as it used to be in the first few years of service. The trains have been really deteriorated after ten years. It isn't offering the quality of service for the price you pay beside the high speed travel.

After all, the Airport Express is the second impress image of Hong Kong. A face lift is needed for imaging, more than operational.


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## hkskyline

I do agree 10 years is quite soon. Usually train sets can last 20-30 years before a major overhaul is needed. The interiors aren't falling apart though. The upholstery still seems quite good and I've never seen broken seats or luggage compartments.


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## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ9: Fare concessions offered to elderly passengers by MTRC


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## ARailSystemsEngineer

hkskyline said:


> *10-year-old Airport Express to get a facelift *
> 16 December 2008
> South China Morning Post
> 
> ...The MTR is also not planning to connect Kowloon station with its neighbour Austin station, a stop on the extended West Rail line that is to open next year.
> 
> "If people want to change between West Rail and the Tung Chung line, they can do it in Nam Cheong," Mr Yeung said. "They do not need to use Austin station."


But the Airport Express Line remains unconnected to anything except on Tsing Yi island to the Tung Chung Line and HK island via a very long walkway to the Island Line and Tsuen Wan Line...


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## hkskyline

Source : http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll33/bensson2303/?start=all


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## city_thing

Has it really been 10 years since it opened? Geez time flies. 

When I was in HK last year, I was very impressed by the airport express. It might be 'in need' of a face-lift in _someone's_ mind but it's certainly miles ahead of many other airport connections around the world.

It's clean, quick, efficient with an amazing view - you couldn't ask for much more.


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## Skybean

....Toronto has no rail connection to the city from airport and HK is already updating their trains. You guys are so spoiled.


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## deasine

Skybean said:


> ....Toronto has no rail connection to the city from airport and HK is already updating their trains. You guys are so spoiled.


Demanding chinese? =) *big smile*


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## neogeo24

Scion said:


> I'm not sure if Australian rail workers will live up to the employee standards that the MTR requires...


Too true. I am an Aussie staying in HK for Xmas, as we do every year. The work attitude in Australia goes something like this "She'll be right mate, near enough is good enough"


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
MTR Enhances Train Service for Christmas and New Year


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## harsh1802

neogeo24 said:


> Too true. I am an Aussie staying in HK for Xmas, as we do every year. The work attitude in Australia goes something like this "She'll be right mate, near enough is good enough"




Well it is lot better than the Indian attitude...."Sab Chalta Hai Boss....." (Anything goes....).


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## hkskyline

As some of the lines near 30 years old ... I wonder whether large-scale maintenance or replacement of infrastructure is needed. The train sets have been revitalized, but it seems quite a lot of breakdowns related to wires and signals lately.


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## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> As some of the lines near 30 years old ... I wonder whether large-scale maintenance or replacement of infrastructure is needed. The train sets have been revitalized, but it seems quite a lot of breakdowns related to wires and signals lately.


^^ All the hardware are subjected to be replaced routinely piece by piece on a daily basis overnight without interrupting the regular service. I doubt any non-structure equipments have been used for the whole life of MTR.

Although it may seem like the system seems to get more and more break down and service delay, but a lot of the minor delays and break downs were not required to report to the public and to the government immediately within minutes after the incident occurs or even afterward in the past. We are now getting reports on the service being disrupted for as little as like 5 to 10 minutes. 

According to the MTR's Performance Achievements reports, the system operated at 99.7+% on time in the first three quarters of 2008. The percentage has maintained high for a long time, and where else in the world can you get this accuracy? I think the impression of the system were falling apart has a lot to do with the high transparency we have and massive media coverage.

MTR's Performance Achievements Reports:
1st Quarter of 2008 (Dec 2007-Mar 2008): http://mtr.com.hk/eng/publications/images/performance_08q1.pdf
2nd Quarter of 2008 (Apr-Jun): http://mtr.com.hk/eng/publications/images/performance_08q2.pdf
3rd Quarter of 2008 (Jul-Sep): http://mtr.com.hk/eng/publications/images/performance_08q3.pdf


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## sfgadv02

hkskyline said:


> As some of the lines near 30 years old ... I wonder whether large-scale maintenance or replacement of infrastructure is needed. The train sets have been revitalized, but it seems quite a lot of breakdowns related to wires and signals lately.


It seemed that the electrical problem occured on the new section between Lam Tin and TKL last time, though. I noticed that they started to redo the tiles in some station, which is always nice since the tiles had been there since the stations opened. I guess their primary focus now is to renovate the stations along East Rail line first before commencing to other lines.


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## Skybean

source: http://flickr.com/photos/ruelala/sets/72157611866060576/


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## hkskyline

*MTR gives elderly $2 tickets to ride - Wednesdays only *
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The good news for senior citizens is that theyll soon get to ride the MTR for just HK$2. The bad news V its only valid for Wednesdays and public holidays.

The HK$2 rides for seniors using an Elder Octopus card take effect on New Years Day and continue until August 31.

An MTR Corp spokeswoman would not say whether concessions will be extended after that date, saying only that the company will consider promotions according to future market and operating situations.

The new discount comes after mounting political pressure from the government and legislators following the expiration of a previous concession on December 1 that offered the HK$2 flat fare on holidays and Sundays.

The concession does not include the Airport Express, MTR buses, East Rail Line, first class journeys from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations, or the Light Rail.

Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities spokesman Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong described the change from discounted Sunday rides to Wednesday rides as strange.

The elderly would prefer to have fares discounted on Sundays because thats when they are best able to see their families who are off from work and school.

The only reason we can think for the change is that they are trying to discourage the elderly from taking advantage of the discount.

The MTR said the new promotion is different from last years and should not be compared.

It added: Bus companies offer a concession on Sundays, so by offering a Wednesday discount we hope to provide an alternative and greater flexibility for elderly passengers.

The regular price for a senior MTR journey is half the price of an adult fare.

The MTR also announced a promotion that gives the elderly 50 percent off rides on Ngong Ping 360 when they take the MTR to the cable car through February 28.

Also yesterday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the government will expedite its processing of the recent increases in Old Age Allowance to ensure the 480,000 senior citizens eligible will receive the new funds.

On January 1, the Normal Old Age Allowance and Higher Old Age Allowance will increase from HK$625 and HK$705, respectively, to HK$1,000.

The means tests for allowances will remain the same as before.


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## hkth

Gov't Press Releases:
LCQ10: MTRCL property development projects

LCQ19: Day pass and monthly pass concessionary schemes offered by the MTR Corporation Limited


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## hkskyline

*Making train stations a draw for everyone *
20 December 2008
South China Morning Post










In Asia's world-class cities, such as Hong Kong, the efficient flow of people through stations is no longer the only benchmark that makes them stand out. Commercial value and lifestyle have become equally important, and architects must strive to achieve this.

"In our modern, competitive Asian cities our train stations need to be more than efficient people-movement systems," said Keith Griffiths, chairman of Aedas. "They will be places of beauty where people will enjoy spending time at shops, galleries and exhibitions {hellip} they will celebrate architecture and provide much-needed public space for the enjoyment of our people."

Stations of the future need to become fully integrated with other transport systems and retail, office and residential buildings, with the power to affect the immediate environment.

Of the stations Aedas has worked on, the company's director, Max Connop, said that the most significant lifestyle station design was the Sunny Bay above-ground station on Lantau Island. As a window to Disneyland, the station had to embody a sense of drama and expectation, he said.

This was achieved by adopting a large fabric canopy roof over the main interchange hall, carefully engineered to optimise its performance while promoting a sense of festivals and special occasions. This way of design was carried forward to the design of the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car project.

Mr Connop said station design had become a discipline in its own right. "The complexity of services and design codes that define a safe and efficient design require a great amount of detailed knowledge and this in turn nurtures a very particular response in the design solution," he said.

While the company continues to strive towards excellence in this achievement, Mr Connop said: "The stations will act as catalysts for improvement and developments which will change the future way we use and appreciate Hong Kong, and that is an exciting prospect for everyone."


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## Skybean

source: http://flickr.com/photos/vanhooveld/3168260612/in/set-72157611957053550/


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## hkth

No Happy Valley Station! hno:

RTHK News:
MTR decision disappoints Jockey Club


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## herenthere

hkth said:


> No Happy Valley Station! hno:
> 
> RTHK News:
> MTR decision disappoints Jockey Club


Well, I guess HK Tramways and the bus companies and taxis will be happy about this.


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## EricIsHim

^^ Very disappointed with the decision on opting out HV station.
Traffic problem won't be solved on horse racing days or nights, but at least the Southerners won't have to stuck with traffic and sat in the bus for a 25-min detours for a 2-min normal ride to the Aberdeen Tunnel. Oh well.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp in move against parallel traders *
2 March 2009
South China Morning Post

In a move to combat parallel traders, the MTR Corporation will prosecute passengers who ignore warnings to move on and linger too long on platforms at Lo Wu and Sheung Shui stations, railway officials said yesterday.

The announcement comes as the MTR Corp has noticed increasing numbers of parallel-import traders waiting on station platforms to meet their collaborators - who bring goods to them bought in areas around the stations. To save ticket fees, traders often stay on the platforms.

Yesterday, temporary barriers were set up on the two stations' platform areas that connect the second, third and fourth cars of Lo Wu-bound trains. The barriers separate boarding from alighting passengers.

"Our staff will first advise people to leave if they stay on the platform for a long time, and will prosecute them if they continue to stay after repeated advice," MTR deputy operations director Li Yun-tai said.

Asked how long a wait on a platform would lead to prosecution, Mr Li said it would depend on the "actual situation".

The maximum penalty for ignoring such warnings is HK$2,000 under MTR Corp bylaws. The measure would be reviewed in a month. Dozens of staff would be recruited to implement the measure, Mr Li said. "We are looking for people with prosecution experience, and we will also hire from security service companies."

Democrat lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said the measure was an understandable effort to tackle the problem of the traders, but the MTR Corp should specify how long a wait would trigger prosecution.

Meanwhile, at Lo Wu station the firm will install turnstile gates to crack down on fare dodgers.

The existing ticket gates, which make passage easier for passengers carrying large-size luggage, will be replaced early next month. One gate will be retained at both the departure and the arrival concourses.

Fare dodgers walk close together so they can both get through using only one Octopus card. Mr Li said turnstiles would be more effective in deterring fare dodgers.

The MTR Corp said more than 27,000 cases of fare dodging were detected last month, and 29 station employees were assaulted during ticket inspections last year. Attempts to cheat were particularly prevalent at stations along the East Rail Line.

As a result of MTR Corp staff and police working together to crack down on fare dodgers last month, no staff members were assaulted, Mr Li said. The number of fare dodgers dropped slightly from 2,772 in January to 2,623 last month.


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## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *MTR Corp in move against parallel traders *
> 2 March 2009
> South China Morning Post
> Meanwhile, at Lo Wu station the firm will install turnstile gates to crack down on fare dodgers.
> The existing ticket gates, which make passage easier for passengers carrying large-size luggage, will be replaced early next month. One gate will be retained at both the departure and the arrival concourses.
> Fare dodgers walk close together so they can both get through using only one Octopus card. Mr Li said turnstiles would be more effective in deterring fare dodgers.


Although I think that replacing modern gates with turnstiles is a step backwards, I only hope that this is temporary until the smuggling problem decreases (or finds another way).


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## sfgadv02

herenthere said:


> Although I think that replacing modern gates with turnstiles is a step backwards, I only hope that this is temporary until the smuggling problem decreases (or finds another way).


The problem with these modern gates is that they don't close fast enough. However, i do agree that using traditional turnstiles are a step backwards, but if it stops these prosecutors, then why not.


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## hkskyline

By *bennyyung * from dchome :


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## hkth

MTR Press Releases:

2008 Annual Results

MTR CORPORATION LIMITED ANNOUNCEMENT OF AUDITED RESULTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2008


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## Skybean

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fufai/3343688172/




























source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwcpaul/sets/72157614947890467/


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## hkskyline

*HK's MTRC 2008 underlying net profit down 4.5 pct *

HONG KONG, March 10 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's subway operator and property developer MTR Corp posted a 4.5 percent drop in underlying profit attributable to equity shareholders in 2008 as the global economic downturn weighed on housing demand.

MTRC, which runs the rail link between Guangzhou and Hong Kong and other transport operations in various cities in China, earned HK$8.18 billion in the year ended December, excluding investment property revaluation and related deferred tax. That compares with 2007 net profit of HK$8.6 billion or HK$1.54 per share.

Including investment property revaluation, net profit in 2008 stood at HK$8.28 billion, down sharply from HK$15.2 billion in the year earlier, company figures show.

The reported earnings per share were HK$1.45 before investment property revaluation and HK$1.47 after revaluation.

MTRC said profit on property development fell 43.8 percent to HK$4.67 billion in 2008 due to significant development profits booked in 2007.

The company said it hopes five new local rail projects on the drawing board and the Kowloon Southern Link project, when completed, would represent the most significant network expansion in its history and become a key contributor to its future growth.

"We are taking a cautious approach to 2009. Our rail business is by nature defensive. It is, however, sensitive to the level of unemployment," said chief executive officer C.K. Chow in the statement.


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## hkth

MTR Press Release:
New LOHAS Park Station on Tseung Kwan O Line Ready for Opening Soon


----------



## herenthere

hkth said:


> MTR Press Release:
> New LOHAS Park Station on Tseung Kwan O Line Ready for Opening Soon


The schedule arrangements sounds pretty confusing-but I guess when more people live at LOHAS park, trains will run more rapidly.


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## hkskyline

*MTR link to Shenzhen to grow *
19 March 2009
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation will build an extension of the Shenzhen Metro that will help connect Hong Kong and a new town north of Shenzhen city.

Phase two of the Shenzhen Metro Line 4 will consist of 10 stations running through northern Shenzhen, including Lianhuabei, Longhua new town and Qinghu.

It will connect with the line's phase one, which is managed by Shenzhen and comprises five stations starting from the Futian checkpoint. This means that passengers using the MTR's Lok Ma Chau spur line can get off at Lok Ma Chau, walk through the station lobby to Futian and board the metro to reach northern Shenzhen.

The MTR Corporation (Shenzhen) signed a concession agreement yesterday with the Shenzhen municipal government to operate Line 4 for 30 years. Investing HK$5.8 billion, the company will design and build the extension, which is expected to start operating in 2011.

But the company was not granted the right to develop property along the extension.

Chow Chung-kong, chief executive officer of the MTR Corp, said the Shenzhen municipal government would extend appropriate financial support to the project, and fares would remain stable.

He described the project as the biggest infrastructure item jointly developed across the two cities.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve Shenzhen and contribute to its closer connection with Hong Kong," he said.

The MTR Corp is also working on arrangements to enable passengers to commute with the Octopus card and a Shenzhen equivalent system in both cities. A team of railway staff from Hong Kong and the mainland were to undertake the development, Mr Chow said.

Transport minister Eva Cheng said the governments would study whether the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link could be connected to the extension to improve the regional network.


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## Skybean

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mischiru/sets/72157604562622564/


----------



## hkskyline

*Mainland projects best hope for MTR 
HK ridership down, fare outlook unclear *
16 March 2009
South China Morning Post

Rail powerhouse MTR Corp may be running out of steam in recession-hit Hong Kong, but the mainland's multitrillion-yuan infrastructure spending binge could provide the firm with a much-needed engine of growth.

The project, in which MTR has a 100 per cent stake, will get an undisclosed subsidy from the Shenzhen municipal government.

In January, the company signed an agreement in principle with state rail firm Hangzhou Metro Group for the building, operation and maintenance of the 22 billion yuan Metro Line 1 project in Hangzhou, the first of eight planned subway lines in the city.

Although these projects are in the start-up stage, they have made marked progress as a result of the central government's 4 trillion yuan stimulus package.

The spending plan presents MTR with abundant growth opportunities, analysts say, as the firm's property-based funding model no longer works in Hong Kong, while the recession has been keeping some passengers off its trains.

UBS analyst Eric Wong said MTR, one of the word's few profitable rail operators, could leverage its experience and expertise in planning, building, operating and maintaining rail systems on the mainland.

"MTR is a prime candidate to catch any boats, but there are too many projects to catch within too short a time," Mr Wong said. "The question is whether the company has sufficient capacity to take these projects."

Hangzhou, Jiangxi and Wuhan are among hundreds of populous cities that rely on more polluting road transport.

Analysts say MTR is financially solid and can fund projects on the mainland. At the end of last year, net cash generated from operations stood at HK$3.69 billion, against net cash use in 2007 of HK$5.13 billion, as cash rolled in from the merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp in late 2007. This lowered the net debt-equity ratio 6.4 percentage points to 42.1 per cent.

MTR finance director Lincoln Leong said the corporation was under no pressure to raise fresh funds, since it has available bank facilities of HK$10 billion.

Analysts say MTR can replicate its business model across the border by developing non-rail businesses such as station advertising, telecommunications rental, retail spaces and property development along rail lines.

In Hong Kong, the non-rail operations generated a 72.3 per cent jump in revenue to HK$6.16 billion last year, thanks to the merger. This complemented its fare revenue well. Fare revenue grew 61.2 per cent to HK$11.46 billion last year.

Under the HK$12.4 billion merger, train fares are dictated by a fare adjustment regime linked to consumer price inflation in the city and wages of the transport sector.

MTR chief executive Chow Chung-kong conceded the corporation had limited flexibility in determining fare levels and said it was too early to predict any adjustment. A fare review is due in July, but brokerage Morgan Stanley cautions that Hong Kong's deepening deflationary trend could lead to a fare cut.

Mr Chow also conceded that worsening unemployment has been keeping people off the MTR.

Investors reacted positively to last year's results, with the stock gaining 3.24 per cent or 54 HK cents since the results were announced. On Friday, it closed 2 HK cents or 0.71 per cent higher at HK$17.02.


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## hkth

No Fare Adjust This Year. 

Gov't Press Release:
Government responds to enquiries about MTRCL fare adjustment


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## Micke

Swede said:


> Yay!
> 
> Indeed. Stockholm SSCers are all liking this.
> 
> SL gets, hopefully, a better running and cleaner subway than Veolia (aka Connex) has provided. The stockholm subway is run on subsidies and ticketsales combined anyway, so SL never makes a profit.


I have to protest. ^^ 

As SL are the ones paying for the service MTR gives them and decide how much and what should be done. Nothing will change. If they only want trains cleaned once a month then they will only pay for that and Connex/Veolia/MTR will only clean them once a month. You get what you pay for. A lot of the problems with Connex/Veolia was not their fault is was SL:s fault. I'm not saying Connex/Veolia is entirely without blame. It is just so easy to be fooled by SL when they have a scapegoat theny can blame.

Plus, the subway would be so filthy if the people that live in Stockholm weren't acting like pigs and peed, pooed, threw up, littered, had their dirty shoes on the seats, wrote tags and grafitti everywhere, prevented the doors on the trains from closing so the trains can't keep their scheduals, pulling the emergency breaks just for fun et.c. I'm sure that MTR don't have all those problems in Hong Kong.


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## hkskyline

*港鐵荃灣高架段淨身美化 *
24 March 2009

【東方日報專訊】本港空氣污染嚴重，飽歷風霜的鐵路高架橋牆身亦變得「烏卒卒」。港鐵計劃耗資七百萬元，今年內替荃灣線一段長一點九公里的高架橋「淨身」，以免烏黑的橋身影響景觀。同時，荃灣站在翻新後亦會加入藝術元素，讓學生將車站外的行人通道設計成藝術長廊。

中小學生參與粉飾

港鐵總建築師楊思偉指出，荃灣線通車超過二十年，車站及高架橋均需要翻新，其中荃灣、葵芳及葵興站，去年已花了四百二十萬元重新髹油。而該線由葵興至荔景一段一點九公里長的高架橋，去年中開始以高壓水槍「洗白白」，並髹上高耐用性的油漆，今年將完成翻新工程。

楊思偉表示，將為荃灣站加入藝術元素，由廿二家荃灣及葵青區中、小學，共五百名學生，一同設計車站旁全長三百呎的西樓角路行人天橋，主要是以馬賽克方式拼湊富地區特色的圖案，然後安裝到牆上，預料明年初將可完成。

他說，去年已完成５魚涌、柴灣、九龍灣、牛頭角及觀塘等八個車站的翻新工程，共耗資八百萬元，而觀塘線高架段翻新亦已完工，費用為一千三百萬元。


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## superchan7

That's great news for TWL. Next please get the ERL stations cleaned up.


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## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ12: Lifts and escalators installed at the entrances/exits of MTR stations


----------



## Skybean

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mischiru/sets/72157604562622564/


----------



## hkth

Another Documentary Video for the MTRC produced in 1990! This time for the first three MTR Lines (Kwan Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line and Island Line). Posted by tpbvideo and Narrated in English. Enjoy! kay:

Underground Pride Part I:





Underground Pride Part II:


----------



## The Terminator

did anyone watch the news today? (Technically, 22 minutes late for yesterday in HK) 

A woman fell off the platform at around 9:00 am in Kwai Fong Station. Two people who witnessed the fall immediatly grabbed the woman to help her get up. The MTR staff didn't even seem to notice until the woman was brought to the hospital and another passenger reported the incident to a staff member. Luckily there were no trains passing by at the time, and the woman only suffered minor injuries including a broken ankle.

Also according to the news, the MTR has proposed to build platform screen doors on 8 new stations by 2012.


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## HSBC

after I watched the video again, I realized one thing. The woman and the child are actually Korean. She did speak Korean to the boy. 

The man has mistaken them as China Mainlander the whole time. 

So that's why the woman did not leave at the beginning as she didn't understand what he was saying. 

Don't know what that Korean woman have thought about Hong Kong from here. Her impression of Hong Kong would have changed forever and ever!
What an embarrassment!


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## HSBC

If this kind of thing happens in say like Singapore, Australia or Canada, the people would have informed the train station controller or someone in charge, someone will be waiting for this man in the next station to kick his butt.


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## Skybean

:lol: It is possible that he has deep psychological problems which would cause his unusual behaviour. I would hope that people would take a rational approach instead of jumping to conclusions. Violence is not the key.


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## sfgadv02

Hey guys, I found an interesting clip showing the new journey between Lohas Park [aka Tseung Kwan O South] to Tseung Kwan O. The journey seems to take 3 min!


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## EricIsHim

^^ Sounds like it was some kind of testing between Lohas and TKO.
It feels like you were riding that Disney "Space Mountain" roller coaster which run in a complete darkness. lol


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## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ9: Commissioning of Kowloon Southern Link


----------



## hkskyline

*Free trips offered in safety drive as MTR mishaps rise *
19 May 2009
South China Morning Post

Railway passengers can win a free trip on the MTR from today if they follow all the safety rules when riding on its escalators.

MTR Corp announced its latest tactic yesterday in a fresh round of safety promotion as accidents on escalators continued to rise.

The enlarged railway network saw 812 such accidents last year, up 14.7 per cent from 2007 before the merger of MTR Corp and Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation operations. The number has been rising over the past two years. There were also 257 accidents involving train doors last year.

In the light of the problem, for the coming month the MTR Corp will reward 50 passengers per day who follow all the safety guidelines. They include holding on to handrails, not walking on escalators and not standing at edges of steps.

Passengers are also advised against rushing when the train doors are closing and carrying bulky items onto the escalators.

MTR deputy operations director Li Yan-tai said 100 ambassadors, mostly secondary school students, would pick the winners. "The secret agents will go undercover and observe our passengers. They will select those who show particular awareness of the safety rules."

The free ticket is not valid for cross-boundary routes and the airport express.

Meanwhile, losing balance and standing too close to step edges continued to top the list of reasons behind the accidents.

Winton Au Wing-tung, Chinese University associate professor of psychology, said a lack of safety awareness was one of the factors, although in many other cases commuters were aware of the risks and chose to ignore them.

In a survey commissioned by Dr Au on 1,003 passengers this month, 41 per cent said they did not feel unsafe not holding onto the escalator handrail, and 51 per cent thought it was safe walking on escalators.

The survey found 67 per cent of the respondents had walked on the escalators before, while 44 per cent said they had carried bulky luggage on the electric belts, although 71 per cent knew this was not a safe practice.

Nine in 10 respondents knew they should not stand close to the step edge, but 9 per cent admitted they had done so before.

On rushing between train doors that were about to close, 87 per cent of those polled said the practice was unsafe but 41 per cent had done it anyway.

"Many passengers know what is the right thing to do but they don't always put that knowledge into practice," Dr Au said. "Many of the interviewees believe they can handle the risks, or they think it will not happen to them."

Accidents involving escalators were very common across the city. Seven people and a cat were injured in one day last month in Lei Yue Mun Plaza in Yau Tong. The cat almost lost its left front paw and its left rear leg after being trapped between the steps of the escalator.

And three people fell down the stairs after an elderly woman lost her balance and fell on them in 2006.


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## hkth

MTR Press Releases:
MTR Corporation Recognised for Excellence in Sustainability

Newest MTR Travel Counter Welcomes Visitors at Hung Hom Station

MTR Proposes Half Fare Promotion for Eligible Persons with Disabilities

MTR Extends Monthly Pass Promotions for One Year


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## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
West Island Line to proceed with Government's funding support


----------



## hkskyline

*HK Govt To More Than Double Funding For MTR's New Rail Proj *
26 May 2009

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--The Hong Kong government said Tuesday it will more than double its funding support for the construction of MTR Corp.'s (0066.HK) new rail project.

The government will increase its funding to up to HK$12.7 billion from the HK$6 billion originally planned in 2006, it said in a statement.

The increase is 'a reflection mainly of price escalation and increase in the scope of the works,' the government said.

Construction of the West Island Line, the extension of the MTR network to the Western District of Hong Kong Island, will start as soon as legislature approves the plan, the statement said.

The project will create 3,000 jobs during the construction period up to 2014, and another 2,500 jobs during its operation, it said.


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## hkskyline

By *LovingNikon* from HKADB :


----------



## EricIsHim

> *Wiring thieves strike at MTR*
> 
> Diana Lee
> 
> Monday, June 08, 2009
> 
> Thirty meters of electrical wiring were stolen from the MTR tracks last week but passengers were never in danger, the corporation said yesterday.
> 
> The wiring was stolen from the tunnel connecting Tsing Yi and Sunny Bay stations last Tuesday and Wednesday, with a third instance of theft on Thursday from the Tsing Yi station area itself.
> 
> "The wires were discovered to be missing after operating hours during routine checks by MTR maintenance staff. The situation was immediately addressed and train services were not affected," a spokeswoman said.
> 
> The corporation would not speculate on the motive behind the theft, though the cost runs into thousands of dollars.
> 
> Police said MTR staff had reported early on Tuesday and again on Wednesday that 15 meters of electric wiring at the Tsing Yi tunnel valued at HK$21,000 was missing.
> 
> On Thursday, a further 18 meters of wires were cut away. The cost has yet to be ascertained.
> 
> Police have classified the case as theft and the Kwai Tsing District Crime Investigation Team has taken over the case. No arrests have been made as yet.
> 
> District Councillor Leung Chi-shing, himself an MTR train captain, said the removal of cables is easily detected by the central operator and would not affect train safety.
> 
> It is unlikely to have been an inside job, he added.
> 
> "Every MTR employee knows very well the railway is under surveillance 24 hours a day. Not only permanent staff but also the outsourced workers should understand the consequences of committing crimes of such a nature," he said.


Source: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...1&sid=24141682&con_type=1&d_str=20090608&fc=1


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## hkskyline

*Rail staff want union for casuals after theft *
8 June 2009
South China Morning Post

MTR Corporation staff plan to set up a union to monitor the work of contract workers, following the loss of 33 metres of power cables from the track at Tsing Yi station last week.

Police are investigating the theft and no arrest has been made. A police source and a veteran repairs and maintenance staff member both said the thief was likely to be someone familiar with rail operations.

Tse Hon-bun of the Hong Kong Railway General Union said it would seek approval from the MTR Corp to form a union for contract and casual workers. Many contract workers worked on the railway tracks at night, he said, but not all of them were required to register. "Sometimes only their supervisor is required to do so."

Currently, only management-level staff members are responsible for monitoring such workers, but Mr Tse said frontline staff should also be allowed to assist. The MTR Corp should also step up its nighttime security measures, he said.

Last Tuesday before operations began, MTR Corp staff discovered that 15 metres of power cabling worth about HK$21,000 had gone missing from a tunnel near Tsing Yi station on the Airport Express line. The problem was promptly fixed and service was not interrupted.

The company reported the theft to police on Wednesday, but another 18 metres of cabling was found to be missing on Thursday.

Mr Tse said: "This time the damage did not affect our operations, but if it was the signalling system that the thief fiddled with, there could be more serious consequences."

Last week's incidents were the latest in a series of such thefts - others being at various construction sites. The copper inside the power cables can be recycled.

Mr Tse said the cables stolen last week were not used for the main power supply and a backup system was available. The more important cables were usually covered so it would be more difficult for outsiders to gain access to them.


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## hkskyline

*Asia's efficient metros show the world how to do it *
5 June 2009
Financial Times 

When Phil Gaffney, then chief executive of Hong Kong's MTR Corporation, visited the Tokyo Metro, he encountered a problem. He repeatedly asked what the metro's target for train reliability was, without receiving an answer. He was asking the wrong question, it eventually emerged. On the Tokyo metro, it was unacceptable for any train ever to break down.

The story illustrates the demanding standards of the metros in the richest Asian countries, one of the world's fastest growing markets for urban mass transit. Many of the cities such metros serve - including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei - are among the world's most heavily populated and densely packed. These conditions make the cities perfect environments for metros and poor territory for competitors such as the private car.

This reliance on metros puts heavy pressure on operators to maintain the highest standards. As a result, people familiar with reliability figures circulated privately among operators say large Asian metros - particularly Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong - regularly feature in the top five.

These high standards come at a cost. The Tokyo system has considerable built-in redundancy - much signalling and other key equipment is expensively duplicated, so a spare can be used if one breaks down. Many systems were financed by very high property values in the largest Asian cities. Nearly every station on Hong Kong's metro is in the middle of a huge shopping development.

There are lessons for others in the excellent records of Asian metros.

According to Nigel Astell, an associate at Steer, Davies, Gleave, a transport consultancy, it is no coincidence that the admired Asian systems are mostly newer than counterparts in Europe and North America. They were constructed using the latest techniques - in contrast with New York, where platforms are lined with awkward iron pillars supporting the roof. More is known about metro design than in 1863, when London's first line opened, or in 1900, when the Paris metro started operation.

"With an older system, you have to make the best of a bad job," Mr Astell says. "If you have one that was built more recently, it's a much easier job to achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction, because you're starting with something that feels more modern and spacious."

At the heart of Asian metros' success, says Mr Gaffney, is the ability to run trains as tight as two minutes apart. That results from good technology and station management. During its first 12 years, the Hong Kong system experienced severe overcrowding partly because its train control system was unreliable. "When people don't have that certainty of delivery, you then have people pushing on and your platform dwell times go up." A new signalling system persuaded passengers that trains would follow at regular intervals.

"When passengers felt confident in that system, they would make their choice on the platform and, if the train was crowded, wouldn't try to get in because they knew in two minutes there would be another," he says.

Automatic driving systems - where trains drive themselves between stations, without driver intervention - have numerous other advantages.

"You're taking one of your variables out," Mr Gaffney says, referring to the variations in service caused by different drivers' styles. "As soon as you have automatic driving, you get other benefits. It's more efficient."

Automatic driving opens the way for platform-edge doors - which line up with the precise spot where the automatic system will stop the train's doors and open only when a train is in the station. Such doors - in widespread use in Hong Kong and on Singapore's highly-regarded system - help to stop passengers wedging open doors and prevent falls on to the track, and suicides.

On a more prosaic level, Mr Gaffney praises the Tokyo metro's resistance to the long-term trend of cutting platform staff. It often has six staff on each platform shepherding passengers on board. The time saved is huge.

"You can probably save 15 to 20 seconds' dwell time by managing that operation better," he says.

Yet Asian metros' excellent record is not all bad news for western Europe and North America. In some cases, it is a tribute to the expertise of longer-established systems. London Underground engineers advised on the building of the Hong Kong and Taipei systems, while Singapore's system was closely based on that in Hong Kong.

That expertise is now flowing the other way. Mr Gaffney produced an influential report that was part of turning round performance on London Underground's Northern Line, while Singaporean engineers have been upgrading the city's Victoria Line.


----------



## iampuking

That article is stupid, it makes a meal of automatic trains and HK's two minute frequencies when Paris uses automatic trains and has higher frequencies. Funnily enough it's one of those "old systems" that the article lambasts.


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## salaverryo

Can you explain why the tunnel is so completely dark?


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/annfran


----------



## KSD101

iampuking said:


> That article is stupid, it makes a meal of automatic trains and HK's two minute frequencies when Paris uses automatic trains and has higher frequencies. Funnily enough it's one of those "old systems" that the article lambasts.



It doesn't really give all the details to make a valid comparison between different systems.

In Hong Kong, the critical issue is the interchange at Admiralty between 2 of the lines where one train will empty out several hundred people who walk 20 metres across the platform to get on another train. On a 2 minute frequency, you don't need much delay from one or two trains for your schedule to go out the window. It is quite possible for two trains to arrive and unload, before there havebeen a departure on the opposite platform.

Hong Kong people are also not that patient and will try and push on into almost non existent spaces, despite the fact it holds up the train.

Cheers

Stuart


----------



## hkth

New Exits are going to be built under TST MTR Station.

Gov't Gazette on June 12 2009:
MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Northern Subway(Underpass) and Entrance Modification Works

Drafts from the Highway Dep't:
Draft 1

Draft 2

Draft 3


----------



## iampuking

KSD101 said:


> It doesn't really give all the details to make a valid comparison between different systems.
> 
> In Hong Kong, the critical issue is the interchange at Admiralty between 2 of the lines where one train will empty out several hundred people who walk 20 metres across the platform to get on another train. On a 2 minute frequency, you don't need much delay from one or two trains for your schedule to go out the window. It is quite possible for two trains to arrive and unload, before there havebeen a departure on the opposite platform.
> 
> Hong Kong people are also not that patient and will try and push on into almost non existent spaces, despite the fact it holds up the train.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Stuart


If you didn't notice, I used the logic of the article to highlight it's stupidity. The reasons for the differences in frequency are rather insignificant to me.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR ambassador army smooths Lohas line*
The Standard
Monday, July 20, 2009

An army of 400 MTR ambassadors were on duty this morning to help passengers on the Tseung Kwan O line as trials on the Lohas Park station spur line began. 

Also helping to avoid confusion were new LCD monitors on the Po Lam or Lohas Park-bound platforms at North Point and Tseung Kwan O stations to display the destination of each arriving train, MTR head of operations Choi Tak- tsan said.

The frequency of trains between Po Lam and North Point has been reduced to 18 an hour from 22, Choi said.

The new southern spur line from Tseung Kwan O to Lohas Park, formerly known as Dream City, will be officially launched on July 26.

During rush hours - 7.30am to 9.30am and 5.30pm to 7.30pm - trains between Po Lam and North Point will run more frequently.

Choi said passengers boarding at Po Lam station may have to wait five minutes for a train.

In non-peak hours, there will be shuttle trains every 12 minutes between Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng stations, which will be extended to Lohas Park after the full launch.

The operations manager also advised passengers to leave home earlier to take the train.

Between July 20 and August 14, passengers at Po Lam and Hang Hau stations before 8am from Monday to Friday can get a bonus point when using Octopus cards.

Those accumulating five points will receive a HK$10 MTR shopping coupon.

Stelly Wong, who lives near Tseung Kwan O station, said the new schedule would mean leaving home 10 minutes earlier to get to her office in Admiralty.


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## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *MTR ambassador army smooths Lohas line*
> The Standard
> Monday, July 20, 2009
> 
> The frequency of trains between Po Lam and North Point has been reduced to 18 an hour from 22, Choi said.
> 
> Choi said passengers boarding at Po Lam station may have to wait five minutes for a train.


5 minutes is something to dream about on pretty much every other line except for the 7 train during rush hours here in NYC, but in HK it seems like forever, esp. if it's someone in the CBD.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> 5 minutes is something to dream about on pretty much every other line except for the 7 train during rush hours here in NYC, but in HK it seems like forever, esp. if it's someone in the CBD.


Recently, I stood at the smelly, hot, dirty, dark, noisy...... (any negative word you can think of...) platform, steered at the big fat rats chasing around the rails, hopping over soda cans, for 20-25 minutes for the 6 train to come in Manhattan on a Saturday late afternoon. After 10 minutes, I started to ask myself is the service operating??

Although it is something new to HK for the major line to have two lines run to two different termini on a same platform, but there are so many station instant information to remind you where is the next train going, flat screen TV, announcement, MTR representatives, and people start complain it's too confusing and like it's end of the world. In NYC, two three four different trains stop at the same platform, no flat screen TV, no announcements, no representatives, barely find yourself on which train inside the train. People just need time to learn about the system and get use to it. If you take the wrong train, it's only a 2.5 minutes wait at TKO to get back on the right one. Be cool.

HKers are so spoiled!!!!!!! :lol:


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## hkskyline

Actually, East Rail has been running trains on the same line to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau for some time. It just needs some adjustment among the passengers. 5 minute frequency once every few trains isn't too bad.


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## ISO25600

The new dual terminals was in planning for ages. Finally they did it. Again 1 in four trains isn't bad. MTR service is generally quick. As for the time savings or losses I would have to travel back to HK to figure that out. But at a regular interval, that beats Toronto by a longshot!


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## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Actually, East Rail has been running trains on the same line to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau for some time. It just needs some adjustment among the passengers. 5 minute frequency once every few trains isn't too bad.


Ye, but it isn't as heavily used as the TKO lines.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> Recently, I stood at the smelly, hot, dirty, dark, noisy...... (any negative word you can think of...) platform, steered at the big fat rats chasing around the rails, hopping over soda cans, for 20-25 minutes for the 6 train to come in Manhattan on a Saturday late afternoon. After 10 minutes, I started to ask myself is the service operating??


We should meet up sometime haha.



EricIsHim said:


> Although it is something new to HK for the major line to have two lines run to two different termini on a same platform, but there are so many station instant information to remind you where is the next train going, flat screen TV, announcement, MTR representatives, and people start complain it's too confusing and like it's end of the world. In NYC, two three four different trains stop at the same platform, no flat screen TV, no announcements, no representatives, barely find yourself on which train inside the train. People just need time to learn about the system and get use to it. If you take the wrong train, it's only a 2.5 minutes wait at TKO to get back on the right one. Be cool.


Hey-that's what makes New Yorkers so cranky...or "unique" lol
There are occasionally announcements, depending on which line you take. For instance, likelihood of announcements (by live people) are made on the lines I ride frequently in decreasing order: 7, 6, N/W, F.



EricIsHim said:


> HKers are so spoiled!!!!!!! :lol:


Amen.


----------



## Skybean




----------



## hkskyline

*MTR station opening attracts fans and foes *
27 July 2009
South China Morning Post










The opening of the Lohas Park MTR station yesterday attracted not only railway fans but also protesters and criticism.

About 20 rail enthusiasts were on hand when the first train pulled out to Tseung Kwan O station at 5.57am.

Among them was Kei Chun-on, 15, who arrived at Lohas Park station at 3.30am with four of his friends. They waited at the station entrance until it opened at 5.47am.

Chun-on said the launch was quite a big event for the MTR and he and his friends were excited to be part of history.

But not everyone is happy with the new station.

A Democratic Party survey after a trial of the so-called 3+1 service found half of the 228 passengers interviewed were not satisfied with the arrangement, and 48 per cent had found the trains more crowded.

Every fourth train on the North Point-Po Lam line will run to Lohas Park during peak hours. A shuttle train service will run between Lohas Park and Tiu Keng Leng every 12 minutes during non-peak periods.

Party member and Sai Kung district councillor Cheung Kwok-keung suggested the MTR Corporation run a train to the new station after every fourth train to Po Lam, or "4+1", so the waiting time for passengers going to Po Lam would be shortened.

The Democratic Party said it had also received complaints about guides in the station.

Two new pairs of LCD screens have been installed in each station along the Tseung Kwan O line.

The party said that was not enough for passengers to know the trains' destinations clearly, especially later when no ambassadors would be deployed on the platform to guide passengers.

Passenger Andy Chan said at Lohas Park that the 12-minute wait for a train to the station was too long, but the signs and guides were fine.

Meanwhile, about 40 villagers from Choi Yuen Tsuen, who might be evicted to make way for the express train between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, took the opportunity to protest.

They chanted slogans and distributed leaflets in their farming clothes in the Lohas Park station and then travelled to Tseung Kwan O station with their shoes off, to show they were "just kind and harmless people".

They handed a letter to a representative of the MTR Corp and demanded to talk to Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng.

The protesters said the government had been ignoring their views and they hoped their village would not be demolished because of the rail link.

An alliance of residents from MTR Corp properties also turned out, seeking lower management fees.


----------



## herenthere

Skybean said:


>





hkskyline said:


> *MTR station opening attracts fans and foes *
> 27 July 2009
> South China Morning Post
> 
> The opening of the Lohas Park MTR station yesterday attracted not only railway fans but also protesters and criticism.
> 
> A Democratic Party survey after a trial of the so-called 3+1 service found half of the 228 passengers interviewed were not satisfied with the arrangement, and 48 per cent had found the trains more crowded.


@the people who protested b/c the trains were too crowded: get a life.
People will get used to this new arrangement...although I had always praised the MTR for keeping each line separate, each train stopping at its own distinct platform to keep it simple...lol


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> @the people who protested b/c the trains were too crowded: get a life.
> People will get used to this new arrangement...although I had always praised the MTR for keeping each line separate, each train stopping at its own distinct platform to keep it simple...lol


When LOHAs is completely occupied in many years to come, its population still won't be over 100,000 people. It is not sufficient to support a single heavy rail line. The other way to go around it is to build a smaller scale rail for just a short segment to the more heavily populated area. However, in the mean time, LOHAs is the depot for TKO line, so the heavy rail does have to go in to and out of LOHAs, that would make more sense to just have trains run with Po Lam.

It's just always the big deal opposition for small things when something opens and change the way of life for the communities. The same controversy happened when TKO opened, and people complained about the reduction in bus services. They just need time to adjust the way of life.


----------



## ISO25600

hK's get it light. Naturally there will always be complaints, but I really see that alot of people from HK do over look how good their public transport is....

It really makes you think after riding regularly on a North American route


----------



## allurban

can you post a few images of the latest MTR map, including the new rail links?

Also, I could not see the map of the kowloon southern link.

If anyone can find an image of that it would be much appreciated.

Cheers, m


----------



## hkskyline

allurban said:


> can you post a few images of the latest MTR map, including the new rail links?
> 
> Also, I could not see the map of the kowloon southern link.
> 
> If anyone can find an image of that it would be much appreciated.
> 
> Cheers, m


The latest addition is just 1 more station - LOHAS Park.

Kowloon Southern Link will open by end of summer / early autumn, so the maps have not yet been updated for that.

Map : http://www.mtr.com.hk/jplanner/images/maps/routemap.pdf


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Kowloon Southern Link will open by end of summer / early autumn, so the maps have not yet been updated for that.


Couple chinese newspaper mentioned it's opening in Aug 16, but yet to hear officially.


----------



## hkth

Finally confirmed! August 16! kay:
MTR Press Release:
Kowloon Southern Link Opens on 16 August


----------



## hkskyline

Wow .. so fast .. in about 3 weeks?

So will K16 go? Have to take more photos of those buses!


----------



## gladisimo

I've been on the TKO line and it's really nothing compared to the trunk lines like the Tsuen Wan line. I do sympathize with those that got on the wrong train, though, it does get a little confusing. When I first looked at the map for Lohas Park I was curious how MTR was going to do it. It is quite inconvenient for Hong Kong standards, but having exprience with BART, I can say it's nothing major at all.


----------



## City's Architect

I've been on the East Rail line today and noticed the couple of the announcements have changed to the typical MTR Island Line format.

For example:
Instead of "The next station is Kowloon Tong", now the announcement is "Next Station Kowloon Tong"
Instead of "Please alight on the left", now the annoucement is "The door on the leftside will open"
Instead of "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform", now the annoucement is "Please mind the gap"


----------



## herenthere

City's Architect said:


> I've been on the East Rail line today and noticed the couple of the announcements have changed to the typical MTR Island Line format.
> 
> For example:
> Instead of "The next station is Kowloon Tong", now the announcement is "Next Station Kowloon Tong"
> Instead of "Please alight on the left", now the annoucement is "The door on the leftside will open"
> Instead of "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform", now the annoucement is "Please mind the gap"


Isn't it all the lines' format?
And I thought it was "The doors will open on the left"..?


----------



## Anekdote

Looks like the Hung Hom station got a little renovation, almost couldn't recognize the station..


----------



## quanghuynhchung

Things changing!


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> So can anyone tell me how long this extension took and its length and cost? Or is this available via Wikipedia? B/c it seemed only a year ago that it started, and its already complete so fast given the extreme density of HK, I find that to be amazing.


3.8km began construction in late 2005, so it took about three years to construct the section between Nam Cheong and TST.

As you said, it's constructed in the compact and busy in TST. Instead of cut-and-cover, a lot of the works in TST were done using blast and drill underground, so it didn't seem to have much work done, but it actually happened relatively quite.


----------



## hkskyline

By *ezguy* from dchome :


----------



## superchan7

Just watched some newscasts about KSL opening. Looking forward to more trainspotting pictures + video now.


----------



## Skybean

Some videos of the Kowloon Southern Link extension of the West Rail Line 

TVB




Future 電車男 in the making.

ATV





Fancam


----------



## hkth

The following video news link from HK's Cable TV could be find interesting to you. Two news reporters, WONG Wing-kok (with glasses) and SIN Cheung-fung took the West Rail Line and Kowloon Motor Bus Route 260X seperately from Tuen Mun to East Tsim Sha Tsui on the first day of West Rail Line open. Guess who arrived first? :lol:

乘 西 鐵 與 巴 士 至 尖 東 之 分 別


----------



## EricIsHim

hkth said:


> The following video news link from HK's Cable TV could be find interesting to you. Two news reporters, WONG Wing-kok (with glasses) and SIN Cheung-fung took the West Rail Line and Kowloon Motor Bus Route 260X seperately from Tuen Mun to East Tsim Sha Tsui on the first day of West Rail Line open. Guess who arrived first? :lol:
> 
> 乘 西 鐵 與 巴 士 至 尖 東 之 分 別


Not surprised. West Rail heads north to Tin Shui Wai and Yuen Long first and go around before heading south; the bus heads directly onto the expressway going south. West Rail actually has a longer travel distance than the bus although it goes faster without traffic.


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> By *ezguy* from dchome :


Woman: You're blocking the exit! What a lousy customer rep you are!
Man: At least I'm not the one wearing all pink and sporting a pink sign...oh wait...dammit


----------



## hkth

New LRV hits the Road! kay:

Photo Link from HKiTalk, posted by cy211


----------



## Skybean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157622149221086/


----------



## Cosmin

Skybean said:


> Yummy... some nice eye candy in this episode.


True, true.:tongue4:

Btw, seems to me that these guys, Ben and Jason, are living in the subway. Talk about rail enthusiasts...:shifty:


----------



## herenthere

Skybean said:


> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157622149221086/


I think the new entrances and station signage designs (metal, red stripes) are supposed to look futuristic, but they just look tacky...perhaps if they somehow could illuminate the metal panels at night or use a different metal. Looks kind of Frank Lloyd Wright futuristic to me.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> I think the new entrances and station signage designs (metal, red stripes) are supposed to look futuristic, but they just look tacky...perhaps if they somehow could illuminate the metal panels at night or use a different metal. Looks kind of Frank Lloyd Wright futuristic to me.


The MTR logo portion of the sign is illuminated at night.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> The MTR logo portion of the sign is illuminated at night.


But maybe they could have a translucent panel instead of the metal that would glow at night with LEDs; or an uplight reflecting off the metal at night? IDK


----------



## hkskyline

By *fanhoi * from dchome :


----------



## EricIsHim

^^ It's pretty neat.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> ^^ It's pretty neat.


It's not neat...it's frickin' cool!


----------



## Skybean




----------



## sfgadv02

Is that art going to be permanent in Lai King?


----------



## Cosmin

Lol!:lol: What's the deal with Space Man?


----------



## zergcerebrates

herenthere said:


> I think the new entrances and station signage designs (metal, red stripes) are supposed to look futuristic, but they just look tacky...perhaps if they somehow could illuminate the metal panels at night or use a different metal. Looks kind of Frank Lloyd Wright futuristic to me.




I thought they look great. Hong Kong's metro entrances are among the best in the world in my opinion. Its clear and simple yet modern not over done. Its actually quite nice at night considering how big the side glass are, the lights from the station illuminates through.


----------



## herenthere

Cosmin said:


> Lol!:lol: What's the deal with Space Man?


Was his music on though? 



zergcerebrates said:


> I thought they look great. Hong Kong's metro entrances are among the best in the world in my opinion. Its clear and simple yet modern not over done. Its actually quite nice at night considering how big the side glass are, the lights from the station illuminates through.



Don't get me wrong: I love how it has all that glass to let in natural sunlight, but I think it's the red stripes with metal that makes me sigh...trust me, it's a heck of a lot better than most entrances I've seen in other cities.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> Was his music on though?


It was. 

From the description on YouTube:


> Morning rush hour on the MTR has never been this lively, with passengers on the Island line treated to the unusual sight of a visitor from outer space boarding their train.
> 
> Dressed in his distinctive astronaut outfit and accompanied by his trademark 80s ghetto blaster, music producer/DJ Spaace Maan *blasted out his own brand of retro-futuristic electro-pop for morning commuters*.
> 
> However the fun ended when the DJ returned to Central station, where MTR staff and police were waiting to detain Spaace Maan. After being detained for approximately three hours, Spaace Maan was eventually released.


----------



## hkskyline

Get rid of that thing, and 20 more people can squeeze into the train during rush hour.


----------



## MIKERU Z

I love the underground system in Hong kong!!..i remember i could buy at Mcdonalds with my octopus card!


----------



## herenthere

MIKERU Z said:


> I love the underground system in Hong kong!!..i remember i could buy at Mcdonalds with my octopus card!


Yay! Another convert!


----------



## maldini

How come they don't have screen doors for this station?


----------



## superchan7

Hung Hom was formerly a KCR station until the 2007 merger.

KCR did not perform PSD retrofits, and MTR's programme was begun back in 2001. There are plans to build cheaper half-height gates at ex-KCR open-air stations.


----------



## EricIsHim

maldini said:


> How come they don't have screen doors for this station?


This is Hung Hum, one of the former KCR East Rail stations that hasn't installed PSD yet.


----------



## Skybean




----------



## herenthere

superchan7 said:


> Hung Hom was formerly a KCR station until the 2007 merger.
> 
> KCR did not perform PSD retrofits, and MTR's programme was begun back in 2001. There are plans to build cheaper half-height gates at ex-KCR open-air stations.


Hmm I dunno-I don't like half-height gates since the station isn't climate controlled, but I guess for outdoors platforms, it could be more inviting...? (Of course, I would probably disagree if I were in the hot, humid HK summers right now :lol:


----------



## herenthere

Skybean said:


>


I can see him being verbally abused by bus uncle hahaha


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR urged to see the light over energy *
7 September 2009
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation is being urged to modify the lighting at three stations on the West Rail which, critics say, is wasting power.

A million kilowatts of electricity could be saved annually by changing the lighting system at the Yuen Long, Long Ping and Tin Shui Wai stations, according to a green group.

The existing system is a so-called refractive design, in which the light is diffused by panels installed on the ceilings before being directed to the platform. All lights are also shielded from below to prevent glare.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president of Green Sense, estimated that there were 6,800 lights in the concourses of the three stations but, with modifications, only half that number would be required.

"The lighting designer for the station should not have adopted the refractive design," he said.

"The poor design has created a lock-in effect that is set to cost the rail operator tens of thousands of dollars each year."

Tam said the shield should be removed and lights should shine directly on the concourse. A more advanced lighting technology could minimise the glare without compromising energy efficiency.

He said the cost would be minimal and could be recouped with power bill savings in the first year. Slightly more than one million kilowatt hours of electricity could be saved, representing a financial saving of about HK$800,000.

The MTR Corp said it would take any measures to save energy that did not compromise safety, but a spokesman said the corporation believed the existing lighting systems at the three stations gave those using the stations more comfortable and balanced lighting.

"We have no idea how the group's figures on savings are derived," he said.

The West Rail links the western New Territories to urban areas.


----------



## city_thing

MIKERU Z said:


> I love the underground system in Hong kong!!..i remember i could buy at Mcdonalds with my octopus card!


I still have my Octopus card from when I visited in 2008. One day I'll return and make use of it again. The money on it has probably expired now though :lol:


----------



## StanleyJ

city_thing said:


> I still have my Octopus card from when I visited in 2008. One day I'll return and make use of it again. The money on it has probably expired now though :lol:


They are valid for 3 years (new ones anyway) now apparently... used to be 2 years, so actually not too sure if it's retroactive. Still... you've got a whole year to get to HK.


----------



## EricIsHim

StanleyJ said:


> They are valid for 3 years (new ones anyway) now apparently... used to be 2 years, so actually not too sure if it's retroactive. Still... you've got a whole year to get to HK.


the longest time i have not used my octopus card was 2 years and 9 months a few years ago. i think 3 years is the correct number. but even if you don't use your card, you can still go to the mtr kiosk to ask to reactive the card.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> the longest time i have not used my octopus card was 2 years and 9 months a few years ago. i think 3 years is the correct number. but even if you don't use your card, you can still go to the mtr kiosk to ask to reactive the card.


So it won't technically expire right.


----------



## Skybean




----------



## Cosmin

LOL! Hello there.:naughty:

Btw, do they really have to make those guys stay there with those signs?


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *港鐵兩月5故障 運署擔心成「慣性」 *
> http://paper.wenweipo.com [2009-10-11]


If something like this does happen, does the MTR refund/waive passengers who have already entered the paid area, if they choose not to take the shuttle buses?


----------



## sfgadv02

HK people are just spoiled... lol Come to NYC to see the real deal of delays.


----------



## Manila-X

sfgadv02 said:


> HK people are just spoiled... lol Come to NYC to see the real deal of delays.


HKers are just used to efficiency


----------



## hkskyline

sfgadv02 said:


> HK people are just spoiled... lol Come to NYC to see the real deal of delays.


Oooo .. ooo ... or try the Underground!


----------



## pookgai

hkskyline said:


> Oooo .. ooo ... or try the Underground!


Yup, the Underground is a total joke.


----------



## herenthere

pookgai said:


> Yup, the Underground is a total joke.


Really? I've always thought the LU was pretty good compared to NYC's..


----------



## hkskyline

herenthere said:


> Really? I've always thought the LU was pretty good compared to NYC's..


New York's system is worse from a usage perspective. London did clean up some of its stations. But London seems to have far more outages.


----------



## iampuking

'Tis true. On weekends numerous lines are closed for 'engineering works'. But at least that signals a better service in the future...


----------



## pookgai

iampuking said:


> 'Tis true. On weekends numerous lines are closed for 'engineering works'. But at least that signals a better service in the future...


The Mayor of London has just announced that TfL will be ditching numerous station upgrades due to the current spiralling budget... sigh.

The HK MTR is just so well run when compared with most subway systems around the globe. It is funny how relatively small disruptions (in comparison to London/NYC) make headlines in HK. The Tube has numerous disruptions on a daily basis!


----------



## herenthere

pookgai said:


> The Mayor of London has just announced that TfL will be ditching numerous station upgrades due to the current spiralling budget... sigh.
> 
> The HK MTR is just so well run when compared with most subway systems around the globe. It is funny how relatively small disruptions (in comparison to London/NYC) make headlines in HK. The Tube has numerous disruptions on a daily basis!


Well, that's probably because Jay Walder's presence is no longer in London lol...he's with us now hooray!

Well, in HK news, it's either MTR disruption or celebrity sex scandal-you pick.


----------



## Skybean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teacher_evan/4030112645/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/teacher_evan/4030813668/




























Train from Mainland China









http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnett/sets/72157622624876328/with/4029188302/


----------



## superchan7

Those DF11s and SS8s are not the prettiest locomotives. Bring SS9 to HK!


----------



## eddie2369

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum and found it very helpful for a project I'm doing, therefore I want to ask you guys some questions regarding my project.

Should 'women only carriages' be introduce in the MTR?

How should it be implemented e.g. more signs? new rules? etc.

What else should MTR do to reduce sexual crimes within the carriages?

Also, please add your own views regarding this issue.

Many Thanks in advance


----------



## herenthere

Skybean said:


> Train from Mainland China
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnett/sets/72157622624876328/with/4029188302/


I sense a bit of sarcasm there lol...is this at the border?


----------



## gladisimo

You know it's strange that I've never ridden the Light Rail in HK... gotta go try it once...



herenthere said:


> I sense a bit of sarcasm there lol...is this at the border?


I hate these really old 70-80s (I think?) Russian looking locomotives... so ugly and bland, kinda like the cars from the same era.

If you click the link it says its Shatin... and clicky the Original picture and zooming in will say that it's shatin, though I had no idea the station looked like that...I always come out under the shopping center and go straight into it through the escalator


----------



## EricIsHim

^^ That's the southern end of the platform at Shatin. 
The shopping centre is the big building in the picture right above the tracks.


----------



## Skybean

Admiralty




























http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157622514158495/


----------



## EricIsHim

^^ Why there are aerials on the floor?


----------



## eddie2369

eddie2369 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm new to this forum and found it very helpful for a project I'm doing, therefore I want to ask you guys some questions regarding my project.
> 
> Should 'women only carriages' be introduce in the MTR?
> 
> How should it be implemented e.g. more signs? new rules? etc.
> 
> What else should MTR do to reduce sexual crimes within the carriages?
> 
> Also, please add your own views regarding this issue.
> 
> Many Thanks in advance


Please give me some feedback.
Thanks


----------



## pookgai

Skybean said:


> Admiralty
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157622514158495/


I'm hungry! Pass me the bui meen.... Argh - I'm such a sucker for OTT consumer marketing. 

Brain: "Oh look, noodles!"
Stomach: "Gimme!"

Olgivy/Saatchi etc.: "rubbing hands with glee"

BTW - always wondered. Is the MTR planning to incorporate LCD monitors into the carriages ala new KCR stock? I noticed that trains in Shenzhen have them.


----------



## EricIsHim

eddie2369 said:


> Please give me some feedback.
> Thanks


Tokyo system is the place you want to look at.
JR has implemented the "women carriage only," and from what I heard, it's pretty successful.
I believe it's either the first or last carriage, so JR can manage to have female passengers to board and alight without running into male for the most part.

I don't know is it necessary to implement the same system in HK, since crime against female in MTR isn't that outrageous, like it was in Tokyo. 

Police does patrol in the MTR, if something happens, be active to report the crime. It is the best way to fight out the criminal rather than providing same gender carriage.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> ^^ Why there are aerials on the floor?


So you can see where you can get some of their noodles! :nuts:


----------



## BJC450Chicago

eddie2369 said:


> Please give me some feedback.
> Thanks


You also might want to look at the Mexico City Metro which has women-only carriages during rush hour. They also recently instituted women-only buses on the MetroBus express routes. From what I understand it's popular with women.

If a society has issues with inappropriate public behavior towards women by men, then by all means it's a good idea to separate them.


----------



## hkskyline

Looks like a coordinated cup noodle campaign on the MTR and also trams!


----------



## Kaitak747

新輕鐵列車將以新形象示人


----------



## sfgadv02

I remember a long time ago when they were white and orange... good to see MTR is taking care of the light rail as well, and not just all focused on their heavily used system.


----------



## EricIsHim

The new colour scheme looks really sharp, but the problem with white is it gets really very easily, and become ugly... unless MTR is spending more resources to clean the carriage body.


----------



## Skybean

Some footage of train doors not closing


----------



## EricIsHim

^^ Possibly someone is holding the door at the other carriage causing this door not closing. It doesn't necessarily mean the train is malfunction.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> ^^ Possibly someone is holding the door at the other carriage causing this door not closing. It doesn't necessarily mean the train is malfunction.


It doesn't look like it-the train doors don't even close the first time around for both occasions in that video but do the second time. I'm not sure about how exactly the HK rolling stock works, but if you hold a door on another car, it shouldn't affect the operation of the rest of the doors.


----------



## Petr

^^
In Warsaw irritated train drivers sometimes are opening and closing the doors a few times to prevent people from standing against them.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR passengers taken for ride in Octopus fare glitch*
12 November 2009
The Standard

Human error caused about 2,000 Octopus card holders to be overcharged by a total of HK$5,000 while taking a trip on the MTR West Rail from November 6-10.

The MTR Corp found that its automatic fare collection system overcharged some passengers 20 cents to HK$2, instead of allowing them to enjoy a cash rebate promotion.

Those taking the West Rail after taking the Light Rail or MTR buses are affected, but not those whose West Rail trip was cheaper than the Light Rail or bus trip.

``For example, if the West Rail trip cost HK$3.40 and the Light Rail cost the client HK$3.70, the client would not enjoy the cash rebate of the HK$3.70 and lose 30 cents instead,'' the MTR spokesman explained.

He said the discrepancy was caused by human error during the programming process to upgrade the system to offer planned fare promotion.

The company apologized for the error.

A list of the affected Octopus card numbers will be available today on the MTR website, www.mtr.com.hk. Those affected may register their cards at special counters at Tuen Mun, Siu Hong, Tin Shui Wai, Long Ping, Yuen Long and Kam Sheung Road stations starting from today to next Wednesday, from 7am to 10pm.

They may have a free single journey ticket for each journey that was incorrectly deducted as compensation. Passengers may also call the MTR hotline on 2881-8888.

``This is a serious matter, and we have launched a thorough review of the process involved in upgrading the Automatic Fare Collection system software,'' said head of operations Choi Tak-tsan.

Legislator Wong Kwok-hing, of the New Territories East constituency, said the incident again showed the unreliability of electronic money.

``We are urging the government to have a penalty system for either MTR or the Octopus card company if there are any more wrong deductions,'' Wong said.


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *MTR passengers taken for ride in Octopus fare glitch*
> 12 November 2009
> The Standard
> 
> Legislator Wong Kwok-hing, of the New Territories East constituency, said the incident again showed the unreliability of electronic money.
> 
> ``We are urging the government to have a penalty system for either MTR or the Octopus card company if there are any more wrong deductions,'' Wong said.


What kind of BS is this guy trying to pull ... yes, it cost people some money but this isn't a bank or the stock market. If electronic money is so unreliable, then the world would be set back several decades. And a "wrong deduction" incident for the MTR only occurs about once or twice every year and it is instantly reported and corrected - shows that the MTR is honest. Penalizing the MTR for such a small non-fatal glitch would send a message that if a company screws up a little, the government might ostracize them.


----------



## EricIsHim

herenthere said:


> What kind of BS is this guy trying to pull ... yes, it cost people some money but this isn't a bank or the stock market. If electronic money is so unreliable, then the world would be set back several decades. And a "wrong deduction" incident for the MTR only occurs about once or twice every year and it is instantly reported and corrected - shows that the MTR is honest. Penalizing the MTR for such a small non-fatal glitch would send a message that if a company screws up a little, the government might ostracize them.


HK has the highest standard, and error is not allowed.


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## StanleyJ

EricIsHim said:


> HK has the highest standard, and error is not allowed.


How does this explain Tung Chee Wah and Donald Tsang? :tongue3:


----------



## EricIsHim

StanleyJ said:


> How does this explain Tung Chee Wah and Donald Tsang? :tongue3:


We have higher standard than what they can perform.


----------



## herenthere

StanleyJ said:


> How does this explain Tung Chee Wah and Donald Tsang? :tongue3:





EricIsHim said:


> We have higher standard than what they can perform.


Well that just sounds like a lovely reason for continuing to keep him in office. LOL anyways...well let's see if the penalty system actually gets through the bureaucratic red tape first and then re-evaluate


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR takes cultural track *
The Standard
Friday, November 20, 2009

Jordan is to spearhead a multi-million dollar network-wide move to transform the city's coldly-efficient MTR stations into areas akin to art galleries.

System chiefs say passenger feedback has convinced them of the need to move away from the use of metallic materials to soften the station experience as the MTR becomes more than just a people-moving operation.

Jordan has been chosen as the first to get a HK$2 million makeover because it is a typical first-generation station with diverse traffic.

Hi-tech and green concepts will be incorporated in the renovation project scheduled for completion next January. 

MTR Corporation's chief of operation Morris Cheung Siu-wa said the MTR's role has evolved from just an efficient form of public transportation into a multifunctional service provider over the past three decades.

"Younger passengers, particularly secondary school students, are looking for more open, environment-friendly, lifestyle-orientated and interesting stations," Cheung said.

One idea generated by youngsters in focus groups, and still being looked at, is transparent ceilings for trains. The use of metallic materials, signifying efficiency, will fade out and warmer and more welcoming designs will be introduced.

Customer service centers will become more spacious. Glass panels will be lowered and LCD monitors will be installed to provide a new multi-media platform for easier interaction between staff and passengers. Stone facades as well as energy-saving light bulbs will be used in the newly designed center.

Another initiative will be LCD displays next to the ticket gates to provide real-time updates on train services, general information and promotions.

Ergonomically designed seats and resting ledges placed next to art displays on the platform will create a sophisticated environment resembling that of an art gallery, Cheung said.

Reactions from passengers will be studied and taken on board.

More stations will undergo renovations in 2010, with Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong targeted.

The designs will be modified to match the special characteristics and theme color of each station.

Cheung added that screen door installations will be completed at eight elevated stations by 2011.


----------



## Kaitak747

(2004-04-22)無線電視-香港名牌(地鐵公司 - Part 1)




(2004-04-22)無線電視-香港名牌(地鐵公司 - Part 2)





Arson @ MTR 2004





無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 1




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 2




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 3




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 4




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 5




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 6





無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 7




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 8




 無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城9




無線電視-港鐵拉近東西貫全城 10


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *MTR takes cultural track *
> The Standard
> Friday, November 20, 2009
> 
> One idea generated by youngsters in focus groups, and still being looked at, is transparent ceilings for trains. The use of metallic materials, signifying efficiency, will fade out and warmer and more welcoming designs will be introduced.


I like the concept, but since most of the MTR is underground anyways- you would be staring at the catenary cables and the ceiling...


----------



## allurban

Kaitak747 said:


> (2009-11-27)TVB News-MTR unveils Yaumatei-Whampoa plans


A very good idea...Whampoa is massive and the development will make a big difference.

Wonder if they will extend it beyond Whampoa tho...would it be crazy to imagine an extension across the bay to Kai Tak?

Cheers, m


----------



## hkskyline

From Whampoa, passengers can connect to the Shatin - Central link to Kai Tak.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR Corp JV To Operate Extension Of Beijing Metro Line 4 *
30 December 2009

HONG KONG - (Dow Jones)- MTR Corp. (MTRJY) said Wednesday its Beijing MTR Corp. joint venture has signed an agreement to operate the Daxing line of the Beijing metro for 10 years after the line is completed in 2010.

The 22-kilometer Daxing line is an extension of Beijing Metro Line 4, which is already operated by Beijing MTR Corp., a joint venture between MTR Corp., Beijing Infrastructure Investment and Beijing Capital Group.

The joint venture will have the option to renew the agreement to operate the Daxing line, the Hong Kong rail operator said in a statement.


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## hkskyline

*Passport denied for public transport *
2 January 2010
The Australian

Why do our state governments find it so hard to upgrade their ticketing systems?

FEW things seem as difficult for governments in this country to achieve as implementing new transport ticketing systems.

NSW has given up on a combined smartcard for now and Victoria's troubled myki system has proved no exception.

This week's promised start-up turned into a fiasco, not all that surprising given the chequered history of the project.

The state Labor government announced midweek that instead of a full beginning by year's end, myki would only begin on trains, with buses and trams to follow in the first six months of 2010.

The system was already more than two years late and hundreds of millions over budget.

The staggered start is just the latest in a string of disappointments.

Myki is supposed to be a state-of-the-art multimodal system that automatically calculates and deducts the correct fare from a user's card.

It was designed from scratch despite similar multimodal systems operating effectively in Hong Kong and several other cities, including Singapore and London.

The Brumby government points to the complexities in catering for trains, buses and trams as an excuse for its late introduction.

It's a poor excuse when you consider that Hong Kong's Octopus card, which has been around since 1997, is also used for trams, trains and buses along with convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks, and other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines.

Many Melbourne commuters use a combination of trams, trains and buses to get to and from work, so myki's takeup rate is expected to be slow.

Perhaps that's a good thing for the operators, because glitches are already appearing with the system operating in train-only mode.

There have been reports of 300 customers being incorrectly informed that $155 would be charged to their credit cards and passengers have told of problems swiping cards. This has further undermined faith in the beleaguered system, which has become almost a byword for bungling.

As disastrous as the myki project has been, it has at least got further down the road to implementation than Sydney's Tcard system which was scrapped by the NSW government in 2007.

Melbourne's current Metcard system also suffered technical issues and glitches during its introduction, although it eventually became a reliable and relatively trouble-free system.

Public Transport User's Association president Daniel Bowen says new ticketing systems are notoriously trouble-prone in Australia. ``They all seem to fall foul of glitches. Sydney never made it beyond the early stages,'' Bowen says.

``However Perth and Brisbane have introduced their systems with relatively little fuss so it's not really clear why myki has taken so long and been so troublesome.

``It was really a bad decision to roll it out on only part of the network. Melbourne has had a multimodal ticketing system for 25 years and to throw that out the window, even temporarily, for the sake of meeting a commitment just seems a really foolish thing to do.''

So far, the bill for myki has hit $1.35 billion, which includes 10 years of operating costs, and the only result so far seems to be confusion among the travelling public.

The Victorian Government has already turned to Hong Kong in selecting metro train operator MTR to run Melbourne's unreliable train network.

Perhaps it should have done the same when it came to selecting a new ticketing system by opting for a modified version of Hong Kong's excellent Octopus card, with which you can even shop.


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## Swede

hkskyline said:


> *Passport denied for public transport *
> 2 January 2010
> The Australian
> 
> Why do our state governments find it so hard to upgrade their ticketing systems?
> [...]
> The Brumby government points to the complexities in catering for trains, buses and trams as an excuse for its late introduction.
> 
> It's a poor excuse when you consider that Hong Kong's Octopus card, which has been around since 1997, is also used for trams, trains and buses along with convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks, and other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines.
> [...]


I was wondering about exactly this for Stockholm when it kept getting delayed time and time again. It's still not up and running fully, a year after introduction I can't even buy a season-pass on the new system at stations!

One thing I do kinda like tho is seeing the MTR logo every day  To be fair I haven't really noticed anything different since MTR took over operations here.


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## KSD101

One of the big reasons for the success of the Hong Kong Octopus system was that the main driving force behind it were the 2 railway companies, (not the government). The needs of the KCR in particular with their requirement for monthly tickets, LRT fares, first class processing, buses, etc etc meant that the system was always going to be able to incorporate a wide range of fare processing abilities. The MTR were also very smart in getting 2 of the main bus operators on board at the beginning, so the system was designed and built with multi-modal functionality from day one. 

The Hong Kong government was not involved in the design at all, they were only involved in some financial regulatory issues.

The MTR it has to be said had a brilliant vision for the Octopus system back in the early 90's and a team of very capable people to see it through.

Stuart


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *Passport denied for public transport *
> 2 January 2010
> The Australian
> The system was already more than two years late and hundreds of millions over budget.
> 
> The staggered start is just the latest in a string of disappointments.


Hey-sounds like what happens all the time with the New York City Subway!


hkskyline said:


> The Victorian Government has already turned to Hong Kong in selecting metro train operator MTR to run Melbourne's unreliable train network.
> 
> Perhaps it should have done the same when it came to selecting a new ticketing system by opting for a modified version of Hong Kong's excellent Octopus card, with which you can even shop.


Muahaha...my dream of MTR's worldwide domination is getting more true!


----------



## hkskyline

*10,000 hit as East Rail grinds to peak-hour halt *
The Standard
Friday, January 22, 2010

Some 10,000 passengers were affected when the East Rail line was brought to a halt by a technical problem during peak hours last night.
A signal error led to the train service being suspended for an hour from 7.20pm. This marked the first time the whole of the East Rail service was disrupted for a full hour. 

The MTR Corp arranged shuttle buses for passengers who were stranded inside the stations. But even when the rail service resumed at 8.20pm, train frequencies had not returned to normal and passengers faced a longer wait for trains.

Many passengers were unhappy about the delays. A man at the Tai Wo station said the train he boarded suddenly stopped and the driver announced that the delay was due to a signal failure.

He said many passengers left the train after the announcement that there were shuttle buses available. 

But many passengers complained about the shuttle bus service after waiting about 20 minutes outside the Mong Kok East MTR station.

Wendy Ma, 35, a clerk, heard the announcement about a faulty signal at the Tai Po Market station but said no further information was given.

"They [the MTRC] said it would offer shuttle buses, but didn't say when. I didn't know how long I would have to wait, and I was in a rush to attend a class," she said. "They could have given a clearer announcement and have had better arrangements."

At the Sha Tin MTR station, Chong Yuen-ting, 23, said even when the MTR announced a faulty signal, other passengers kept entering the train. 

"It felt very stuffy," she said. "After 10 minutes, I saw people leaving. I was angry because the arrangements were really bad. I just stood inside the coach for more than 20 minutes, and staff did not tell us what was going on." 

MTR head of operations Choi Tak-tsan said the cause was a problem in the East Rail's digital transmissions. Technicians were despatched to examine and repair the system and train services were suspended as a safety precaution.

More than 30 emergency shuttle buses were arranged during the suspension of service, Choi said.


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## Kaitak747

Hong Kong KCR TV ad 1986


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## hkskyline

*MTR delays blamed on computer error *
23 January 2010
South China Morning Post

A blunder by a data transmission operator was blamed for a shutdown of MTR trains on Thursday night that stranded 10,000 passengers.

The operator made a mistake while running a computer program as he inspected a data transmission network for the East Rail Line, disabling the centralised monitoring of trains along the line, said Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui, head of operations engineering for MTR Corporation.

"Since we could no longer centrally monitor the trains, we decided to halt the service out of concern for safety," Kam said.

Train services from Hung Hom to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau were suspended from 7.20pm to 8.20pm.

Passengers crowded ticketing windows at various stations, complaining about refund arrangements and yelling at station staff. The company arranged for buses to transport passengers, and long queues to board the vehicles quickly formed.

Legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said it was unacceptable that there was no emergency plan in place to fix computer problems more quickly. "It's puzzling that no software was available to correct the mistake, with MTR often boasting of its 'excellent' services," Cheng said.

The government should introduce rules imposing penalties when train delays lasted longer than eight minutes, he said.

The operator who made the mistake worked for a supplier of the MTR Corp's data transmission network, Kam said. The MTR Corp would tighten rules on external experts visiting its facilities and set up a standby control station, he said.

"We'll create a standby work station to allow the central control room to continue functioning even when the data network is faulty," he said. The shutdown is among the most serious disruptions in recent memory on the MTR network.

The Transport Department said late on Thursday it had asked the MTR Corp to submit a report on the case as soon as possible.

On August 1 last year, about 1,200 passengers were affected when train services between Mong Kok East and East Tsim Sha Tsui shut down for 40 minutes after a transformer station at Ho Man Tin broke down.


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## allurban

hkskyline said:


> From Whampoa, passengers can connect to the Shatin - Central link to Kai Tak.


the north end, yes...

Im thinking of going from Whampoa to the other end of Kai Tak...in the middle of the harbour....then onwards

yes, yes, it is a crazy idea but I said that already. 

Cheers, m


----------



## hkskyline

*Pok Fu Lam anger over route for trucks moving MTR waste*
30 January 2010
South China Morning Post

Parents and other residents of Pok Fu Lam will protest today against the relocation of a barge-loading site that will handle soil and rock excavated for construction of the MTR's South Island Line. The work will mean up to 300 dumper trucks a day plying the area's roads.

The MTR Corporation plans to move the loading site from Kellett Bay, near the Wah Kwai Estate, to Telegraph Bay, near Cyberport and several luxury residential estates including Residence Bel-Air and Baguio Villa. The barging point will handle part of the 1.5 million cubic metres of soil and rock.

About 100 residents will gather at the barging point today demanding it be moved elsewhere.

They say the new point is farther away from the construction site than the original location, which means the trucks will have to travel farther.

Ronald Chan Ngok-pang, the area's district councillor, said: "The trucks will have to travel two kilometres farther every day to the construction site, and that creates more pollution and safety issues." He will lead two more protests outside the Legislative Council next week.

The parent-teacher association of the Independent Schools Foundation Academy - one of four private schools in the neighbourhood - said a sudden increase in the number of trucks would pose a danger to pupils who walk, jog or cycle along the roads. "Our youngest pupil is just five years old," Edna Wong of the association said. "The roads are narrow and windy, and the trucks always move at high speed."

David Kidd, the chairman of the board of Kellett School, a British international school, said it was strongly opposed to the proposal.

Not only would the trucks worsen the traffic congestion, the air and noise pollution they caused would affect teaching, and use of the playgrounds.

A traffic bottleneck at the intersection of Pok Fu Lam Road and Victoria Road, in front of Kellett Primary School, would heighten the impact of these problems, he said.

More than 9,000 residents in the area have signed a petition demanding that the MTR Corporation move the barging point elsewhere.

The residents say the barging point at Telegraph Bay is already being used by the Drainage Services Department for a flood-prevention project. More than 100 trucks pass through the area every day.

The MTR Corp says it will only use the site after the department finishes its work early next year. Up to 300 trucks will be deployed at peak hours, but the average will be about 200.

"We believe this site is better than Kellett Bay, as it affects fewer households and the connecting roads are also less busy," a spokeswoman said.

The only road connecting the Kellett Bay barging point to the construction site is the dual-lane Tin Wan Praya Road, which is already busy with buses and trucks from a concrete plant and a sewage treatment plant. The trucks will now carry their loads to Wong Chuk Hang via Sha Wan Drive, Victoria Road and Shek Pai Wan Road.

Some residents suggested trucks should use separate routes to and from the barging point. They said departing trucks should use Cyberport Road, passing Bel-Air on the Peak before turning into Victoria Road. However, residents of Bel-Air on the Peak are not expected to support that.

The MTR said it would consider all proposals and would widen the affected roads and junctions.


----------



## Kaitak747

*機場快斥千萬換新裝*










【明報專訊】自1998年投入服務的機場快，迄今為逾億人提供機場及市區接駁服務，平均每日有約3萬名乘客量。港鐵車務營運總管張少華表示，將為*機場快換上「新裝」，由本來藍色主調設計，改為湖水綠及白色，希望為設計添上活力和現代化感覺，整個換「新裝」計劃將涉逾1000萬元。*

張少華指自1月底起，*機場快已陸續為市區預辦登機大堂更換新設計，包括把標誌上「機場快」四字由黑色改為綠色、在穿梭巴士等候區增添電子顯示屏，以及翻新列車內的地氈、座椅等配合新設計。*

擬旺季加強班次


按目前進度，機場快將在今年年底全面以綠白兩色登場，所有服務員工也會換上更有活力的新服裝。本月中便是農曆新年，張少華預計，屆時外遊及抵港遊客人次將會提升，機場快正計劃在旅遊旺季加強班次，及加強宣傳目前提供的二、三、四人同行優惠套餐，配合不同旅客的需要。


----------



## hkskyline

You may have noticed a change in the format of this thread and the number of posts has skyrocketed. The _Subways and Urban Transport_ section is being reorganized, and each city will have a standard thread name much like in the _World Development News Forums_. The thread has also merged with 2 other predecessor threads about the MTR back from the day when threads are locked after 500 posts. So now this thread goes back to 2004. Enjoy!


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## EricIsHim

^^ I seriously hate the new logo. You can't read the thinner words from a distance!!!


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> You may have noticed a change in the format of this thread and the number of posts has skyrocketed. The _Subways and Urban Transport_ section is being reorganized, and each city will have a standard thread name much like in the _World Development News Forums_. The thread has also merged with 2 other predecessor threads about the MTR back from the day when threads are locked after 500 posts. So now this thread goes back to 2004. Enjoy!


Can we change the title from "Subway" to something else, like "Mass Transit Railway (MTR)?
"Subway" is just so not a HK term for the same thing, but an underground walking instead.


----------



## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> Can we change the title from "Subway" to something else, like "Mass Transit Railway (MTR)?
> "Subway" is just so not a HK term for the same thing, but an underground walking instead.


I think the intention is to have standardized naming during the reorganization. Let me take it up and understand further with the relevant mods in this section.


----------



## deasine

I'm sure they are fine with it, as Vancouver has SkyTrain, Paris has RER and Metro, etc.

Agreed that there is a need to have it changed to HONG KONG | MTR


----------



## maldini

deasine said:


> I'm sure they are fine with it, as Vancouver has SkyTrain, Paris has RER and Metro, etc.
> 
> Agreed that there is a need to have it changed to HONG KONG | MTR


Skytrain is not even the whole thing. It is managed by an organization called by Translink. But there are lines called Expo line, Millennium line, Canada line with underground stations.


----------



## deasine

maldini said:


> Skytrain is not even the whole thing. It is managed by an organization called by Translink. But there are lines called Expo line, Millennium line, Canada line with underground stations.


The thread name itself does not have to reflect the operator. Why would I not know my own city? 

In the case of MTR, you would only call it the MTR because that's how everyone refers to the system as. Same with Paris and Metro/RER, Vancouver with SkyTrain (reference to the rapid transit lines), London and Underground, etc.


----------



## EricIsHim

gladisimo said:


> The route maps on the KMB bus are actually quite clear, always on the lower floor just past the driver, but you don't always know what station you got on at, and the bus driver doesn't always update the next stop...


Technology has improving. There are three ways to do it...
Manually changed by the driver is one way, cheapest, easiest to install, but least accurate and more works for the driver besides driving.
By mileage, and odometer tracks the distance traveled from the starting point and changes the announcement automatically as the bus goes.
By GPS, this is where everyone going with these days. The system just changes the announcement at certain location, very simple. I suppose there is a build in odometer as well to compensate the loss of satellite signal in urban canyon, under bridges and tunnels, too.

So things are going to get better with less human error in it.



gladisimo said:


> You know what's more annoying is that during peak hours, you get all these people who try to run for it, and inevitably gets clamped by the door, then the doors get stuck for moment, all open up, then the announcement repeats (please stand back from the door, in all three languages, plus the obligatory beep beep beep x9)
> 
> And sometimes, because people are just selfish and stupid like that, and can't wait the extra 30 seconds for the next train to come, and should know that in the extra minute it took for them to cram themselves into the crowded train, it could've left and the second one could've come...
> 
> the whole process repeats 2-3 times! The worst I've seen we actually got stuck for 90 extra seconds while the doors tried to close 5 times! And with all those announcements, all the while moving nowhere.


The worse is, the incident happens at one of carriages on the train, but not yours. You have no idea what is going on, but just think it's stupid the doors just keep open-and-close for no reason. Some people would get so scared and thought the train isn't working right.

And one train is stuck at one station has a ripple effect on every other train behind it. A delay of 90 sec, is a mis-schedule of many other trains since we run train at 90 sec interval.


----------



## herenthere

gladisimo said:


> You know what's more annoying is that during peak hours, you get all these people who try to run for it, and inevitably gets clamped by the door, then the doors get stuck for moment, all open up, then the announcement repeats (please stand back from the door, in all three languages, plus the obligatory beep beep beep x9)


Wow, really? Isn't there a way for the driver to override the announcement and go straight to the door chimes? This would make more sense instead of repeating...

And yeah, in NYC you might occasionally find someone holding the doors for 30sec. If the conductor is nice, he might open the doors all the way before re-closing them. But usually it's the passenger's selfishness, so they rapidly open and close the doors so as to tell the passenger to get the f out and make them feel bad. 



EricIsHim said:


> And one train is stuck at one station has a ripple effect on every other train behind it. A delay of 90 sec, is a mis-schedule of many other trains since we run train at 90 sec interval.


That's the bad apart about having trains running so frequent (I am jealous of course). Closest thing here would be on the downtown 6 line during AM rush hour. Sometimes trains are forced to skip a station or two if trains are too close together due to delays.


----------



## hkskyline

*Lawmakers rail at MTR refusal to rule out a rise in fares *
The Standard
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Commuters may have to fork out more to ride on the MTR after the corporation refused to rule out a fares rise yesterday.

MTR Corp (0066) said it will decide in an annual review in June, sparking criticism from lawmakers who oppose any hike.

Company bosses say fares will be reviewed under the Fare Adjustment Mechanism which is based on the consumer price index and wage index of transport services.

Inflation in 2009 was 1.3 percent, but only half - 0.65 percent - will be applied, as growth in CPI and the wage index account for 50 percent of the adjustment rate, respectively.

"I dare not predict whether the change in transport wage index for the whole industry will be positive or negative. We'll wait for the government statistics before decide on any adjustment," MTR Corp chief executive Chow Chung-kong said.

He said MTR wages went up 0.8 percent on average, but had no information if other transport services like taxis had pay rises too.

Rail fares will be adjusted only if the overall adjustment rate reaches a trigger point of 1.5 percent, and last year's adjustment rate of 0.7 percent will be carried over to this year's review, Chow said.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party legislator Wong Sing-chi attacked any attempt to raise fares, saying no excuse justified such a move.

He said more than 1,000 cross- boundary commuters from New Territories East seldom enjoy fare discounts, and he would rally residents against any fare rise.

Legislator Leung Yiu-chung, who represents New Territories West, said increasing MTR fares may lead to inflation.

"MTRC has gained lots of profit over the past years. There is no reason to increase the fares," he said.

Leung stressed it would be "unfair" to long-distance commuters and the working class. "How can they bear a heavier burden for living and daily transportation?" he asked.


----------



## gladisimo

EricIsHim said:


> Technology has improving. There are three ways to do it...
> Manually changed by the driver is one way, cheapest, easiest to install, but least accurate and more works for the driver besides driving.
> By mileage, and odometer tracks the distance traveled from the starting point and changes the announcement automatically as the bus goes.
> By GPS, this is where everyone going with these days. The system just changes the announcement at certain location, very simple. I suppose there is a build in odometer as well to compensate the loss of satellite signal in urban canyon, under bridges and tunnels, too.
> 
> So things are going to get better with less human error in it.


GPS is a good idea, but with the turnover rate of KMB, I don't know how long it'll take for that to be implemented. I think odometer is possible, but may be flawed, since we can have stops every 500 meters or so, if the odometer is just a simple program, the errors from changing lanes, etc... can quickly mount.

I think GPS has the ability to continue extrapolating your course for 30 sec or so if the signal is lost, it's what my GPS does.



> The worse is, the incident happens at one of carriages on the train, but not yours. You have no idea what is going on, but just think it's stupid the doors just keep open-and-close for no reason. Some people would get so scared and thought the train isn't working right.
> 
> And one train is stuck at one station has a ripple effect on every other train behind it. A delay of 90 sec, is a mis-schedule of many other trains since we run train at 90 sec interval.


You get used to the doors opening and closing if you're a local, it's just an annoyance.

But of course, like you say the schedule is so dense at peak hours that I find it ironic people try to jam into the trains, resulting in delays, and ironically, if they hadn't tried to force themselves in, the next train might've been there already.


----------



## Skybean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/with/4447091424/


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Can't believe it's more expensive than Tung Chung - Lok Ma Chau.


Well... the actual journey trip by MTR is quite a long ride... even though the origin and destination are only a few km away.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR Corp: To Raise Average HK Train Fares 2.05% This Year*
25 March 2010

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--MTR Corp. (0066.HK), Hong Kong's sole railway operator, said Thursday it plans to raise average train fares by 2.05% this year, in the government-controlled company's first fare increase in 13 years.

The blue-chip company follows a rigid fare adjustment mechanism, which is linked to consumer price data, when determining fare changes.

MTRC, which is 77%-owned by the Hong Kong government, adopted the mechanism as a condition set by the government of its merger with commuter and intercity rail operator Kowloon Canton Railway Corp. in 2007.

The rail operator said the average single journey fare of HK$7.20 will rise by HK$0.15 per journey, though specific fare increases on various routes haven't been determined.

MTRC last hiked fares in 1997, the company said.

MTRC had a 42.6% share of Hong Kong's transportation market in 2009.


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## EricIsHim

^^ So the politicians should hunt down MTR Corp. when the mechanism shows the fare should be reduced.

Seriously, I bet 95% of the people don't even know exactly how much they are paying to ride each trip with the Octopus card, just "dud," and go.

P.S.
Just went through this:
http://www.mtr.com.hk/chi/whatsnew/images/single_journey_fare_day0908.pdf
The most expensive non-AE, non-Octopus ride costs $49, from Yuen Long to Lok Ma Chau. :nuts::nuts::nuts:


----------



## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> ^^ So the politicians should hunt down MTR Corp. when the mechanism shows the fare should be reduced.
> 
> Seriously, I bet 95% of the people don't even know exactly how much they are paying to ride each trip with the Octopus card, just "dud," and go.
> 
> P.S.
> Just went through this:
> http://www.mtr.com.hk/chi/whatsnew/images/single_journey_fare_day0908.pdf
> The most expensive non-AE, non-Octopus ride costs $49, from Yuen Long to Lok Ma Chau. :nuts::nuts::nuts:


Can't believe it's more expensive than Tung Chung - Lok Ma Chau.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR fares up 15 cents*
The Standard
Friday, March 26, 2010

An estimated four million passengers will have to pay an average of 15 cents a trip more from June 1.

MTR marketing and station business general manager Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said the 2.05 percent hike - forecast by The Standard yesterday - is the result of the fare adjustment mechanism, as agreed with the government.

"The mechanism is legally binding," Yeung said. "It is linked to the consumer price index and transport wage index so the result is objective, fair and transparent."

She said it will be the first increase in MTR fares for 13 years.

As the average fare is HK$7.20 per trip, the increase will be around 15 cents a journey.

But Yeung added the rise will only be implemented after a third party audits the result of the mechanism.

The Census and Statistics Department announced yesterday the nominal wage change in the transport sector in the fourth quarter of last year was 1.4 percent - a figure that was used to calculate the new fare.

According to the latest wage index, bus companies may also apply for a fare increase of 1.25 percent but KMB, Citybus and First Bus said they have no plans to do so.

Democratic Party legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said the public must not accept a fare rise - no matter how small - when the company is making a huge profit. He also suggested the government set up a fund from MTRC share dividends to stabilize fares.

A spokeswoman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said the adjustment mechanism has taken into consideration how much the public can afford.

"We will continue to encourage every public transport operator, including the rail company, to provide concessions to the public," she said.

University of Science and Technology economics professor Francis Lui Ting-ming said it is reasonable for the MTRC to increase fares.

"You cannot say only accept a fall and not a rise," he said. "There is no free lunch in this world."

But Cheng, vice chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, criticized MTR Corp for making the move even though it has turned in a profit of HK$77.2 billion over the past 10 years and HK$9.6 billion last year.

Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities spokesman Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong said the formula ignores important factors such as MTRC profits and changes in wages among the general public.

"If you consider the wages of the general public you cannot agree with a fare increase," Tsoi said.

"If you dig deeper into the MTRC profits, you will never agree with it."


----------



## Skybean

A fare increase of 15 HK cents after 13 years?! 

And there are complaints? HKers are spoiled.


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## hkskyline

Yes - considering fares did drop when the MTR and KCR merged.


----------



## Martini87

For those who live in HK:

I always wanted to understand the commuting patterns in East Rail Line. I mean, it links Kowloon and many new towns in NT, but it does not connect them directly to HK Island. Is it very common for people to make the two transfers at Kowloon Tong and Mong Kok? Or does downton Kowloon absorbs well the huge number of people coming from the northern suburbs? 

This is something I think it's missing in HK system. It has a lot of lines, but its network effect is not so great. For instance, if you want to go from Causeway Bay to Lo Wu you have to make 3 transfers! Of course, if some projects become reality (like the North Island Line, Shatin-Central Link and the recently built Kowloon Southern Link) the situation will get A LOT better. By the way, how's the North Island Line project doing? Is it still alive?


----------



## herenthere

Skybean said:


> A fare increase of 15 HK cents after 13 years?!
> 
> And there are complaints? HKers are spoiled.


Jeeze...that comes down to less than $0.02USD and an average fare of <$1USD. No wonder mass transit is the lifeblood of HK. It's low compared to other cities, but I guess since a lot of things in HK are inexpensive (other than housing), it's probably about right.


----------



## EricIsHim

Martini87 said:


> For those who live in HK:
> 
> I always wanted to understand the commuting patterns in East Rail Line. I mean, it links Kowloon and many new towns in NT, but it does not connect them directly to HK Island. Is it very common for people to make the two transfers at Kowloon Tong and Mong Kok? Or does downton Kowloon absorbs well the huge number of people coming from the northern suburbs?
> 
> This is something I think it's missing in HK system. It has a lot of lines, but its network effect is not so great. For instance, if you want to go from Causeway Bay to Lo Wu you have to make 3 transfers! Of course, if some projects become reality (like the North Island Line, Shatin-Central Link and the recently built Kowloon Southern Link) the situation will get A LOT better. By the way, how's the North Island Line project doing? Is it still alive?


The East Rail was originally built as a freight line to connect HK and Canton (Guangzhou) in the late 1890s with HK terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui. (Hints: KCRC, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.) It was then upgraded to become a freight and commuter lines in 1980s as part of the new town developments. Those who wish to cross the harbour were planned to transfer either to MTR at Kowloon Tong, or to buses at Hung Ham with the Cross Harbour Tunnel. Thus not all people live in the NT East work across the harbour, but in Kowloon as well.

And don't forget, the rail system was operated by TWO companies before the they merged in 2007.


----------



## Skybean

herenthere said:


> Jeeze...that comes down to less than $0.02USD and an average fare of <$1USD. No wonder mass transit is the lifeblood of HK. It's low compared to other cities, but I guess since a lot of things in HK are inexpensive (other than housing), it's probably about right.



Yes, it's equivalent to $0.02.... 

I know with regards to the complaints that it's not the amount of increase, but the precendent that it sets that says it's okay to raise fares even if the MTR is raking in huge profits. But as a private corporation, profits are the main objective (even if it's mostly for filling government coffers).


----------



## EricIsHim

Skybean said:


> Yes, it's equivalent to $0.02....
> 
> I know with regards to the complaints that it's not the amount of increase, but the precendent that it sets that says it's okay to raise fares even if the MTR is raking in huge profits. But as a private corporation, profits are the main objective (even if it mostly for filling government coffers).


Well... but the majority of the people see MTR as a public transport operator like the TTA and MTA, and they are those who complain about any fare increase.
It is not just the MTR, people always complain about all other public service corporations raising its fee in HK, i.e. KMB, Citybus/NWFB, CLP, HK Electric, CLP, Town Gas etc. etc.


----------



## Skybean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spirosk/sets/72157623554941983/


----------



## Martini87

EricIsHim said:


> The East Rail was originally built as a freight line to connect HK and Canton (Guangzhou) in the late 1890s with HK terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui. (Hints: KCRC, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.) It was then upgraded to become a freight and commuter lines in 1980s as part of the new town developments. Those who wish to cross the harbour were planned to transfer either to MTR at Kowloon Tong, or to buses at Hung Ham with the Cross Harbour Tunnel. Thus not all people live in the NT East work across the harbour, but in Kowloon as well.
> 
> And don't forget, the rail system was operated by TWO companies before the they merged in 2007.


Thanks


----------



## allurban

EricIsHim said:


> Well... but the majority of the people see MTR as a public transport operator like the TTA and MTA, and they are those who complain about any fare increase.
> It is not just the MTR, people always complain about all other public service corporations raising its fee in HK, i.e. KMB, Citybus/NWFB, CLP, HK Electric, CLP, Town Gas etc. etc.


to complain is human.

Martini87 there is a plan for a direct "Sha Tin to Central Link" that would take people from the Eastern New Territories to Central without any transfers.

And the extension of the KCR to Tsim Sha Tsui East made transfers from KCR to MTR quite a bit easier in Tsim Sha Tsui - way more comfortable and faster than the earlier transfer at Mong Kong or the Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui walk

yet I recall that my girlfriend of the time used to prefer to take the bus directly from her housing estate all the way down to the bus interchange at the Kowloon Ferry Terminal.

That's the nice thing about HK - all the public transport options.

Cheers, m


----------



## EricIsHim

allurban said:


> .
> 
> And the extension of the KCR to Tsim Sha Tsui East made transfers from KCR to MTR quite a bit easier in Tsim Sha Tsui - way more comfortable and faster than the earlier transfer at Mong Kong or the Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui walk
> 
> Cheers, m


Actually, no one transfer between the KCR/East Rail and the MTR at Mong Kok and Hung Hom/Tsim Sha Tsui. The stations between two lines are a good 20+ minutes walk. East Rail doesn't go to TST anymore, passengers have to transfer tot he West Rail for TST now, which isn't attractive for East Rail/MTR transfer.
Plus the gated area for MTR and the gated area for West Rail isn't connected.

Kowloon Tong is still the main East Rail/MTR transfer point.


----------



## allurban

EricIsHim said:


> Actually, no one transfer between the KCR/East Rail and the MTR at Mong Kok and Hung Hom/Tsim Sha Tsui. The stations between two lines are a good 20+ minutes walk. East Rail doesn't go to TST anymore, passengers have to transfer tot he West Rail for TST now, which isn't attractive for East Rail/MTR transfer.
> Plus the gated area for MTR and the gated area for West Rail isn't connected.
> 
> Kowloon Tong is still the main East Rail/MTR transfer point.


hahaha yeah, Im a bit out of date - last time I was in HK was in 2006 before West Rail was extended down to Tsim Sha Tsui.

As for 'no one' making those connections - it's not common, of course - but I did it regularly because it was an enjoyable experience and I had the time. 

I stayed near Kowloon Tong the 2nd time I was in Hong Kong - it was a very convenient place to base myself for traveling in and around HK.

Cheers, m


----------



## EricIsHim

allurban said:


> As for 'no one' making those connections - it's not common, of course - but I did it regularly because it was an enjoyable experience and I had the time.


Well, "no one" was just a general term for residents.
You're a tourist in town, doesn't count.


----------



## xeror

gladisimo said:


> Those tunnels are so dull, when I lived in TST hotels I walked across them quite often to get to TST east to eat, etc... and I couldn't help but wonder how much nicer it would be if there were some shops (I know there are some towards the ends, but not throughout much of the area), or at least some advertisements to give me something to look at.


These underground walkways are built by the KCRC under the agreement with the government to serve as subways (underpasses). They are not considered as regular exits of either Tsim Sha Tsui Station or East Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Hence, no retail shops or advertisements are allowed in these underground walkways. If you consider the width of the streets above the walkways, there is plenty of room to make the walkways wider to fit retail shops. And consider other regular MTR station exits, you will see walkways with plenty of advertisements along them but not these ones. And as a result, MTR cannot link the paid areas of the two stations together by using one of these walkways.


hinto said:


> Well blind passengers can't, for one thing. I'm sure there's some sort of accessibility standards that the MTR follows. Not to mention that station announcements aren't some kind of novel invention... they're there because at least some passengers find them useful. I concede that hearing everything 3 times in multiple languages gets repetitive... but that's where the iPod comes in. For me, the announcements usually just fade into the background anyway.
> 
> If anything, these 2 things about MTR annoy me more:
> 1/ changing the closing chime from 9 beeps to 20 beeps. A tad excessive, no? If someone wants to rush on a train, they'll do it regardless.
> 2/ using one announcer for the Cantonese and English announcements, and a separate one for the Mandarin announcements. I'm sure there are announcers out there fluent in all 3 languages.


I agree that the 20 beeps are annoying. I suggest they just keep the 20 beeps but get rid of the announcement in words - "Please stand back from the doors". The beeps are enough to warn the people the doors are closing.


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## allurban

EricIsHim said:


> Well, "no one" was just a general term for residents.
> You're a tourist in town, doesn't count.


As you like. Actually, I wasnt a 'tourist', I just liked to walk and I had lots of time to do so.

So there. :lol:

Cheers, m


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## EricIsHim

allurban said:


> As you like. Actually, I wasnt a 'tourist', I just liked to walk and I had lots of time to do so.
> 
> So there. :lol:
> 
> Cheers, m


OK, I change my word "no one", to "majority don't."


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## Kaitak747




----------



## EricIsHim

The world of advertisement... it's so overwhelmed.


----------



## herenthere

EricIsHim said:


> The world of advertisement... it's so overwhelmed.


I really like the Nissin one with the people eating-they always have the most unique advertising in Asia (or any Asian company in general)


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## Manila-X

EricIsHim said:


> The world of advertisement... it's so overwhelmed.


At least the MTR trains are spared from *wrap advertising* at least on the outside. There were only a few exceptions though!


----------



## Blackraven

xeror said:


> I agree that the 20 beeps are annoying. I suggest they just keep the 20 beeps but get rid of the announcement in words - "Please stand back from the doors". The beeps are enough to warn the people the doors are closing.


Hmm.......you seem to be referring to the Airport Express trains. From what I recall, there are the 20 beeps......then it's around 5 seconds (on-average) then the doors close.

In normal trains, it's mostly follows this:
1) Zheng bat kaw kun che mun
2) Qing bu yao kaw kin che men
3) Please stand back from the doors

then 20 beeps

then door closure

Personally, I prefer more announcements and stuff then beeps before the door closure. Hence I like it the way it is now hehe 

P.S.
Btw, when an Airport Express train arrives at a station, how long is the average time duration from when the train doors open.....up to the warning buzzer then door closure?


----------



## Martini87

EricIsHim said:


> Actually, no one transfer between the KCR/East Rail and the MTR at Mong Kok and Hung Hom/Tsim Sha Tsui. The stations between two lines are a good 20+ minutes walk. East Rail doesn't go to TST anymore, passengers have to transfer tot he West Rail for TST now, which isn't attractive for East Rail/MTR transfer.
> Plus the gated area for MTR and the gated area for West Rail isn't connected.
> 
> Kowloon Tong is still the main East Rail/MTR transfer point.


I was just wondering...isn't it possible for East Rail users to change to West Rail at Hung Hom and to Tung Chung line at Nam Cheong heading for Hong Kong station? At least for people going to Central this is a decent alternative, I guess, due to the cross-platform transfers (I love them!), and you avoid taking both Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong line (and they don't need any more riders, heheh)


----------



## Manila-X

Martini87 said:


> I was just wondering...isn't it possible for East Rail users to change to West Rail at Hung Hom and to Tung Chung line at Nam Cheong heading for Hong Kong station? At least for people going to Central this is a decent alternative, I guess, due to the cross-platform transfers (I love them!), and you avoid taking both Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong line (and they don't need any more riders, heheh)


Its your choice man. I tried other alternatives getting from point A to point B. Nothing will go wrong to your ticket.


----------



## hkskyline

Martini87 said:


> I was just wondering...isn't it possible for East Rail users to change to West Rail at Hung Hom and to Tung Chung line at Nam Cheong heading for Hong Kong station? At least for people going to Central this is a decent alternative, I guess, due to the cross-platform transfers (I love them!), and you avoid taking both Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong line (and they don't need any more riders, heheh)


Probably faster to do the Kowloon Tong connection. It's a few more stops along the line to do Nam Cheong, and Tung Chung Line trains don't come as frequently.


----------



## StanleyJ

hkskyline said:


> Probably faster to do the Kowloon Tong connection. It's a few more stops along the line to do Nam Cheong, and Tung Chung Line trains don't come as frequently.


Having actually done the route, it is actually quickest from the East Rail line to switch to West Rail and then to Tung Chung Line at Nam Cheong if and only if you are going to Hong Kong... trains are timed as such that a Tung Chung line train arrives about 3 minutes after the West Rail one.

Island Line, it's quickest to switch at East-TST or Kowloon Tong depending which side of the Fortress Hill/North Point pair you are going...


----------



## Skybean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chouchou0209/sets/72157623671150283/with/4506751060/


----------



## hkskyline

StanleyJ said:


> Having actually done the route, it is actually quickest from the East Rail line to switch to West Rail and then to Tung Chung Line at Nam Cheong if and only if you are going to Hong Kong... trains are timed as such that a Tung Chung line train arrives about 3 minutes after the West Rail one.
> 
> Island Line, it's quickest to switch at East-TST or Kowloon Tong depending which side of the Fortress Hill/North Point pair you are going...


Last night when I got off at Nam Cheong West Rail, the next Tung Chung Line train for Hong Kong was scheduled to arrive in 9 minutes.


----------



## StanleyJ

hkskyline said:


> Last night when I got off at Nam Cheong West Rail, the next Tung Chung Line train for Hong Kong was scheduled to arrive in 9 minutes.


You would have just missed one then (plus headway is 8 minutes, so there "should" have been one 1 minute away...) and can blame that on the West Rail one leaving late, which usually is because of the idiots that insist on running through the doors making it late. But idiots aside, it generally works. :nuts:

PS: Also the times given on the MTR site is *worse case* interchanges at Hung Hom and Nam Cheong respectively... and even then changing at those places rather than Hung Hom/E-TST/Central, where the tunnel sections of the latter two take 5 minutes a piece even when walking fast (and no one blocking the moving walkways... AARGH).


----------



## hkskyline

StanleyJ said:


> You would have just missed one then (plus headway is 8 minutes, so there "should" have been one 1 minute away...) and can blame that on the West Rail one leaving late, which usually is because of the idiots that insist on running through the doors making it late. But idiots aside, it generally works. :nuts:
> 
> PS: Also the times given on the MTR site is *worse case* interchanges at Hung Hom and Nam Cheong respectively... and even then changing at those places rather than Hung Hom/E-TST/Central, where the tunnel sections of the latter two take 5 minutes a piece even when walking fast (and no one blocking the moving walkways... AARGH).


The headway during non-peak is up to 10 minutes :
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/train/service_hours.html


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## allurban

StanleyJ said:


> Having actually done the route, it is actually quickest from the East Rail line to switch to West Rail and then to Tung Chung Line at Nam Cheong if and only if you are going to Hong Kong... trains are timed as such that a Tung Chung line train arrives about 3 minutes after the West Rail one.
> 
> Island Line, it's quickest to switch at East-TST or Kowloon Tong depending which side of the Fortress Hill/North Point pair you are going...


how far / how long is the walk between Austin & Kowloon station?

Cheers, m


----------



## iampuking

^^ Talk about sense of humour bypass.


----------



## hkskyline

*Fare hikes spawn protests at MTR stations*
The Standard
Monday, June 14, 2010










About 100 protesters rallied at MTR stations yesterday on the first day yesterday of 2 percent fare hikes.

Ninety percent of passengers have to pay between 10 and 70 cents more per journey.

The Federation of Trade Unions staged the protests at seven stations to urge MTR Corp to cancel the increases, as well as the 10 HK cents it is charging per trip for installing platform screen doors, as not all stations have them.

At Tai Wai station, FTU lawmaker Ip Wai-ming criticized the MTRC for raising fares despite reaping HK$9.6 billion in profit last year.

"The MTRC has not improved services despite higher charges," Ip said, noting that 100 routes are now more expensive for Octopus card users. 

"Technical problems are not an acceptable explanation for these irregularities in Octopus charges," said Ip, who called on the Legislative Council and Executive Council to review the fare adjustment mechanism.

Notices were put up at ticket-vending machines and customer service centers to notify passengers of the fare hikes and the abnormal charges on Octopus.

A few said the new fares are acceptable because the increments involve such small amounts. But some said they may consider buying single journey tickets or switching to buses altogether.

Chan Pak-hung, 71, said he didn't mind paying extra for traveling from Tai Wai to Jordan to meet friends.

"Since using the Octopus is very convenient, I won't bother changing to single journey tickets as the extra charge is so little. But I feel the company is so mean to passengers," he said.

An MTRC spokeswoman said it is collecting 10 cents per journey from Octopus cardholders from 2000 until 2017 for retrofitting platform screen doors.

The project costs HK$2 billion, which was not covered in the original investment plan of the urban lines of MTR. Lawmakers then decided that half of the project's cost should be shared by passengers. By the end of last year, HK$730 million had been collected.


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## EricIsHim

Sigh... HKers are too spoiled in good and cheap public transportation service.

The notice I saw in San Francisco last month was 25% hike in fare with service reduction.......


----------



## hkskyline

The fares are still cheaper than before the MTR-KCR merger.


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## Skybean

Max fare increase of 70 cents per journey (10 cents USD)...:cripes:

Good grief... and the time of these protestors is not worth money?


----------



## TeriyakiJack

Skybean said:


> Max fare increase of 70 cents per journey (10 cents USD)...:cripes:
> 
> Good grief... and the time of these protestors is not worth money?


I guess you have to chalk it up to, arguing for the principle of the matter and not the amount itself. 

But yes, the increase seems muniscule in comparison to other fare-hikes (especially those seen in Vancouver where the transit system is consistently in the red)


----------



## deasine

TeriyakiJack said:


> But yes, the increase seems muniscule in comparison to other fare-hikes (especially those seen in Vancouver where the transit system is consistently in the red)


At least we haven't been doing any fare hikes yet. I feel really bad for some of the fellow American Systems, like San Francisco, with a hike and a service reduction.


----------



## herenthere

deasine said:


> At least we haven't been doing any fare hikes yet. I feel really bad for some of the fellow American Systems, like San Francisco, with a hike and a service reduction.


Well we get used to it...and lament it because we realize we will never see the fare hike or service reduction reversed.


----------



## hkskyline

By *林峯~_☆_* from a Hong Kong bus forum :


----------



## Manila-X

hkskyline said:


> By *林峯~_☆_* from a Hong Kong bus forum :


The new LRV stock looks so much better except for the outer design.


----------



## hkskyline

The new livery is slowly being implemented in the bus fleet as well.


----------



## hkskyline

*Users of online map want their MTR exits back*
5 July 2010
South China Morning Post

Over the past few months, locals and tourists have lamented the loss of a key tool in their struggle to navigate the concrete jungle: MTR exit markers on Google Maps.

The mapping application is ubiquitous in the city's increasingly smartphone-reliant culture, as it is pre-installed on many of the world's most popular handheld devices. And for riders on the MTR, the display of station exits provided a time-saving method of navigation on their way from the trains to the streets.

In April, those handy dots literally dropped off the map.

"Hong Kong streets can be very confusing if you aren't familiar with the area, and having the exits on Google Maps was essential for quickly finding where you needed to go!" user SJEM wrote in a Google discussion about the exits' disappearance. "BRING THE EXITS BACK!!!" pleaded user maestroch.

User syls said, "I would say more than 90% of the people who use goole [sic] map for Hong Kong would use the information of MTR exits."

In late May, a Google employee named Amanda L. replied: "Hi all - Thanks for your reports on this. I've escalated to our engineering team, and they are looking into it. I do not have an ETA [estimated time of arrival] for a fix, but please know that we understand the importance and are working on a solution."

Two weeks went by, and there was another missive from Amanda L.

"Hi all. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you! I've been tracking this bug internally and I'm happy to report that the team has made some progress in resolving it. However, with a product as large and complex as Google Maps, there are often bugs that take a bit more time to fix - unfortunately, this is one of them. While the team has identified the problem, it may be another few weeks before the fix is fully implemented, tested, and released," she wrote.

"Please know that the team is taking this very seriously (many of them rely on the same exit data!) and are doing all they can to fix the issue as soon as possible."

Google did not respond to questions about the source of the bug or the timing of the fix.

Meanwhile, there is always Centamap.com, managed by the Lands Department. Its digital maps provide street names, street numbers - and MTR station exit locations.


----------



## sterlinglush

Thanks for posting the article about the missing exits on Google Maps. I had noticed that, and was annoyed by it, but I hadn't thought to investigate. Good information to have.


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## deasine

It was miserable to find information when I was in HK without those google maps exits. I thought they just removed it because people thought it was too cluttered, but good to know they are changing it back.


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## hkskyline

You can still use Centamap to find the exit labels.


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## deasine

hkskyline said:


> You can still use Centamap to find the exit labels.


To be honest, I didn't know about it until it was mentioned in the article. What I did was StreetViewed the area to see where there exits were =P


----------



## EricIsHim

Just happened to see these on youtube, starts off with Melbourne, but ends with story from Hong Kong


----------



## hkskyline

*Octopus chief facing exit as MTRC meets*
The Standard
Friday, July 30, 2010

The fate of Octopus Cards chief executive Prudence Chan Pik-wah is in the balance as its major stakeholder, MTR Corporation, holds a special board meeting today to discuss the selling of cardholders' data to merchants.

Issues that board members will discuss are expected to include whether MTR should impose a more direct control over the operations of Octopus Holdings. MTR is not directly involved in Octopus' operation, although it has representation on its board.

The Octopus scandal has escalated with Chan accused of lying about how the company had handled personal data of millions of its customers.

The government hardened its rhetoric yesterday, with a spokesman saying an investigation was under way to determine whether Chan had broken any rules. The spokesman stressed that the government was concerned about how Octopus was governed.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Trade Unions provided another account of what they said breached privacy by the company. It said three days ago, a former employee of the marketing research company Cimigo told the group that Octopus was profiting from questionnaires sent to cardholders. The confederation's Judy Ng Wai-ling said the former staffer, who worked at Cimigo from 2006 to 2009, had handled at least one million questionnaires to be sent through Octopus.

The surveys on lifestyle and habits were sent to cardholders via e-mail.

Octopus would charge the company for every survey sent, completed or not, and pass the data collected to Cimigo, all this without clients' consent, Ng said.

For each completed questionnaire, Octopus would make HK$10 or more. The confederation's general secretary, legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, called Octupus' profit-making "unethical" and called for making the act a criminal offense as a deterrent.

Lee, who has filed the complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, urged the government and MTR to intervene and have Octupus disclose the number of companies to whom data has been sold and the amount of the transactions.

In a statement issued last night, Cimigo said all kinds of market research activities conducted are within the law and in compliance with international standards. The company stressed clients participated in the survey voluntarily.

Octopus last night confirmed that it had worked with Cimigo in carrying out electronic and telephone surveys but the contract had already ended. It said its records show about 30,000 customer records had been provided to Cimigo.

It earlier revealed to the privacy commissioner that it provided personal data to six merchant partners.

Apart from Cimigo and two firms named earlier, Octopus said the others were researcher TNS, distributor Magazines International and AIA/AIU.


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## deasine

> *港鐵算死草拆椅改企位*
> [本報訊] 港鐵今年六月平均加價百分之二點○五，令每年收入增加逾二億元。乘客多付了車資，但所得服務水平卻未見相應提升，本報發現港鐵有列車車廂的部分座位被拆去，增加企位數目。有立法會議員批評港鐵「見錢開眼」，為求增加載客量而剝削乘客的權利；有關注團體指，港鐵應增加班次以滿足乘客需求，而不是隨便削減座位數目。
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *裝小斜板 半企半坐*
> 港鐵最近將部分車廂內的座位整列拆去，然後在車廂牆身加裝一塊六、七呎長的金屬斜板，可供約三至四名乘客將臀部靠着小斜板，半站半坐地乘車，設計類似外國廉價航空採用的「站座」（vertical seat）。有關安排可增加企位的空間，讓更多乘客可擠進車廂內，每趟車因此可運載更多乘客。
> 
> 立法會交通事務委員會成員王國興批評，港鐵拆走座位，簡直是「見錢開眼」，漠視乘客的座位需要，強迫他們進一步變成「沙甸魚」。他指，港鐵如果發現列車載客量不足，應嘗試增加班次或增加車卡數目，而不是剝奪乘客的權利。乘客林先生則不滿，減少座位對孕婦及長者帶來不便。
> 
> 民間監管公共事業聯委會發言人蔡耀昌則指，港鐵事前應先諮詢乘客，是否希望減少座位以增加企位，否則應增加班次以解決載客量不足的問題。
> 
> 港鐵回應指，○八年開始在港島線列車進行試驗，增設多用途空間，包括在車廂內增設欄杆，方便乘客。發言人續指，試驗計劃並於去年擴展至荃灣線、觀塘線及將軍澳線列車，預計今年底完成試驗。


(Oriental Daily, 2010)


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## littlearea

deasine said:


> (Oriental Daily, 2010)


The same thing happen in Singapore C151 train.


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## EricIsHim

_hno:hno:

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

Time to fill up that Octopus Card._

*MTR fares set to rise	*
25-03-2011

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

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

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


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## Silly_Walks

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

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


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> What measures can the Hong Kong government take to stop fare hikes by a monopolist company, even though the company is doing well financially and can't really justify the fare hike?
> 
> Just wondering what kind of sticks they have to hit with.


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


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## hkskyline

By *淮海陳* from a Chinese photography forum :


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## Rachmaninov

EricIsHim said:


> _hno:hno:
> 
> After MTRC got a $2.8 billion of profit, 32% hike, from local rail operation last year, we get a 2.3% fare raise in June! Bravo.
> 
> Time to fill up that Octopus Card._
> 
> *MTR fares set to rise	*
> 25-03-2011
> 
> The Mass Transit Railway Corporation has announced it will raise fares by 2.3 percent from June. Passengers will have to pay 10 to 20 cents more for each journey.
> The increase has been calculated under a fare adjustment mechanism linked to rises in the consumer price index and wage indices.
> 
> A spokesman for the Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities, Richard Tsoi, opposed the move, saying it would add to the already high cost of living. He said it could not be justified financially because the Corporation posted a big profit last year.
> 
> http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?hightlight&20110325&56&743641


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


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## EricIsHim

Rachmaninov said:


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


Yes, $2.8 billion profit from rail operation alone, I quoted it from the article in post 2342.


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## Rachmaninov

No excuses for them really then...


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## dinoaizuddin

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


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## StanleyJ

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


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## hkskyline

StanleyJ said:


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


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


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## StanleyJ

hkskyline said:


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


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


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## EricIsHim

StanleyJ said:


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


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

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

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


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## sterlinglush

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


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## hkskyline

StanleyJ said:


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


We should look at fare revenue, which has been profitable these past few years. This is denominated in HKD. Given CNY's appreciation, all that consulting work in China is getting more lucrative and profitable as the earnings are repatriated back to HK. Wouldn't that mean they should be able to pressure to increase fares?


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## hkskyline

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










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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

*HK to review MTR fare mechanism*

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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


----------



## superchan7

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

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


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## EricIsHim

superchan7 said:


> As usual, the Bombardier JV is conveniently omitted. Still looking forward to the actual product; I heard it's not exactly cheap even though it's manufactured in the mainland.
> 
> Edit: Just saw loading photos from Liaoning on another forum. It looks quite good from the outside.


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

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

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

*年內投入服務 可駛40年*

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

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

*防火噪音控制世界級*

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

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


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## hkskyline

By *飞雪寒冰* from a Chinese photography forum :


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## SydneyCity

Those Disney trains look awesome.


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## sasalove

港式服務 引進深圳


----------



## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## urgel23

http://www.cityrailtransit.com/maps/hong_kong_map.htm


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## Silly_Walks

urgel23 said:


> http://www.cityrailtransit.com/maps/hong_kong_map.htm


That map is missing it's top.


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## hkskyline

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

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

Question:

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

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

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

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

Reply:

President,

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

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

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

Information on accidents involving injuries or fatalities of passengers in the past 3 years as provided by MTRCL is set out in Annex 1. 

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

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

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

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

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

The amount of compensation paid in relation to accidents that occurred within the MTR premises in the past three years and the number of accidents concerned are set out in Annex 2. 

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## ARailSystemsEngineer

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

Rse


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## Blackraven

hkskyline said:


> *Heavy luggage weighs on MTR escalator safety*
> The Standard
> Tuesday, July 05, 2011
> 
> Nearly one in every five escalator accidents at MTR stations this year was due to passengers carrying bulky luggage. What's more, most happened in busy stations such as Hung Hom, Kowloon Tong and Central.
> 
> MTR head of operations Ivan Lai Ching-kai said the sad aspect is that since 2008, 60 percent of those involved are either elderly or young children.
> 
> Overall, there were 307 escalator accidents from January to May this year, a fall of 10 percent compared with the same period last year.
> 
> However, the number of accidents involving bulky luggage increased from 39 to 58, a rise of 49 percent.
> 
> "This is because those carrying heavy luggage are unable to hold the handrail," Lai said.
> 
> The elderly are apt to lose their balance while children under 10 often misjudge their footing.
> 
> The MTR will deploy 130 safety ambassadors in 50 stations to remind passengers how to use escalators until July 31. Fifty free single-journey tickets will be given away every day to those who use escalators correctly.


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

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

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

Save yourself the inconvenience and get a taxi instead.


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## Svartmetall

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


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## DanielFigFoz

sasalove said:


> 港式服務 引進深圳


I noticed something very sad at 0:20

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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










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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shares soared 4.46 percent to HK$24.60 yesterday.


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## StanleyJ

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


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## EricIsHim

StanleyJ said:


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


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


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## hkskyline

By *ATE123LF6005* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## Fan Railer

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


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## Fan Railer




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## hkskyline

Mainland-made train taken out of service due to height discrepancy with the station platform. The train was taken out of service Saturday night, the 3rd day of operations.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> Mainland-made train taken out of service due to height discrepancy with the station platform. The train was taken out of service Saturday night, the 3rd day of operations.


Haha i love Google Translate:

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

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


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Haha i love Google Translate:
> 
> Passengers criticism "on the new fast train Han bad, good ghost child's play."
> 
> Failure of domestic trains, was officially opened this week with God.


I like my translation better.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> I like my translation better.


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


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## Fan Railer

hkskyline said:


> Mainland-made train taken out of service due to height discrepancy with the station platform. The train was taken out of service Saturday night, the 3rd day of operations.


Meh, that's a pretty simple fix....


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## deasine

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

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

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


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## anonymous_filipino

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


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## sfgadv02

anonymous_filipino said:


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


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


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## gladisimo

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## anonymous_filipino

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

It allows adjustments for inflation and increases in wages.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I am here to stay," Walder said.


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## Silly_Walks

> He said he will make sure the five new rail lines are constructed in a "seamless and effective" way.
> 
> The new routes include the West Island and South Island lines.


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

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


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Which are the other 3 lines? I think the MTR is also constructing the HK part of the HSR to Guangzhou, so if that is one, then that leaves two.
> 
> Are they talking about the East Rail line extension, etc?


My guesses :

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

The extra trains will boost capacity by 20 percent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

Question:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reply:

President,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

Increasing shop space is not a consideration, Yeung said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

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

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

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

MTRC reports its 2011 results tomorrow.

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

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

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

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

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


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## hkskyline

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

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

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

He did not specify whether prices will go up or down, but fares will be reviewed "according to the fare adjustment mechanism" by which fares are set by inflation and wages.

The MTRC announced record high underlying profit, excluding property re-evaluation, of HK$10.47 billion, up 20.9 percent for the year ended December 31 and beating market estimates of HK$9.63 billion. Net income was up 22 percent to HK$14.72 billion, or HK$2.55 per share. Total revenue rose 13.2 percent to HK$33.4 billion.

Fare revenue in Hong Kong from rail and bus services was HK$13.35 billion, up 7.2 percent from 2010. MTRC carried 1.68 billion rail and bus passengers, up 5.1 percent year on year.

The company will spend HK$1 billion to improve station facilities. Walder said four trains will also be purchased.

He also plans to expand the MTRC's presence overseas, including tendering to operate two railways in the UK.

Profit from property development was HK$4.93 billion, mainly from sales at Festival City and rentals from Popcorn, a shopping mall in Tseung Kwan O.

As of December, 73 percent of the 4,264 units in the three phases of Festival City had been sold. Another 42 units in Palazzo in Fo Tan and 34 units in Lake Silver at Wu Kai Sha had also been sold.

Festival City was jointly developed with Cheung Kong (Holdings) (0001), while Sino Land (0083) is the partner for Palazzo and Lake Silver. This year, MTRC plans to sell four residential projects in Tai Wai, Tin Shui Wai, Long Ping West and Long Ping East through public tenders. The tender for the Bayside project in Tsuen Wan, withdrawn earlier this year, will be relaunched in the second half.

A final dividend of 51 HK cents was proposed. The shares rose 0.74 percent to HK$27.45 yesterday.


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## hkskyline

*More trains to take strain from travelers *
The Standard
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Peak-hour congestion on MTR lines is expected to ease later this month when five more trains are introduced.

MTR Corp said yesterday there will be an additional 368 trips on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines, while waiting times during evening peak hours on the Tsuen Wan Line will be 10 to 20 seconds shorter.

The extra trains and increased frequency will boost carrying capacity by 800,000-passenger trips per week.

The changes will come into force from March 24-26.

"We believe the enhancements will allow passengers to enjoy an even more efficient train service and a more comfortable traveling environment that is less crowded," MTR Corp chief executive Jay Walder said.

The improvements are part of the company's listening-responding program for which it has set aside more than HK$1 billion.

Operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said services will be improved where demand is heaviest, such as the "peak of the peak" periods on the Tsuen Wan Line and during weekends on all three lines. Waiting times for morning peak services on the Tsuen Wan Line will be shortened to two minutes, an improvement of eight seconds.

The stepped-up evening peak services will begin earlier at 5pm to ease passenger buildup on platforms.

Waiting times for weekend services will also be shortened on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines, but only on Sundays for the Island Line.

The Sunday wait for Kwun Tong trains from 8.45am to 8.30pm, for example, will be shortened to 3.5 to four minutes, from the current five minutes.

Half a minute will be shaved off the waiting times for trains on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines during meal times on Saturdays.

Kam said there will be no fare increases despite the changes.

More than 500 new staff will be recruited to assist at stations and ensure smooth passenger flows.

Orders for four more trains have been placed, to be delivered in two years.

The company conducted a trial a week ago by increasing train frequency on the Tsuen Wan Line during the evening rush hour.

Footage from Admiralty station at 5.50pm showed congestion had eased by about a third, compared with the same time the previous evening.


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## hkskyline

*Octopus whiz-kid held over $430,000 machine scam*
The Standard
Thursday, March 08, 2012

In the first case of its kind, a technician and his family have been arrested in connection with a scam that milked the MTR Corporation of HK$430,000 through a home-made Octopus card add-value machine.

Police said the 26-year-old technician previously worked for an MTR outsourcing company and was responsible for maintaining the Octopus add-value devices. He was with the company for around one year from 2010.

It was alleged that he stole authentic parts from the storeroom of the Nam Cheong MTR station, where he worked, in September and subsequently reassembled the device in his Yuen Long home two months later.

He allegedly used the device to add value to 61 cards used in a HK$430,000 spending spree that brought in, among other things, more than 100 cans of baby milk powder.

Some of the milk powder was then sold through the internet to buy gold ornaments.

Officers seized the device from his home as well as many tins of the milk powder from his father's company warehouse in Kwai Chung.

The technician's wife, elder sister and parents were also arrested.

Senior inspector Collins Li Ka-wai said police were alerted when the MTRC and Octopus Holdings detected unusual activity.

Because the homemade machine used by the suspect was not connected to Octopus servers, the information in the cards used in the scam did not match records in the network. Li said this is the first time Octopus cards have been topped up illegally.

According to the police, Octopus users top up their cards by slotting in banknotes through add-value machines at MTR stations that are connected to the subway operator's servers.

The amount is then registered as being paid into the MTRC accounts, and the information is also shared with Octopus Holdings.

The suspect employed the same means to top up his cards, using banknotes of various denominations to suit his needs and targeted purchases.

The discrepancies became obvious when the MTRC compared details in its accounts with those of Octopus Holdings.

The police said retailers did not suffer any losses, only the MTRC.

Lo Kwok-kwong of Hong Kong Polytechnic University's mechanical engineering department believes the average mechanic cannot build the add-value maching without authentic parts.


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## shree711

^^

Greed really gets one mad! I cannot believe this.


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## Blackraven

Haha that's hardcore.

Imba hacking :nuts::lol:

:cheers:

Btw, for those who do not know:
It takes EXTREMELY high level of skill and knowledge to even break through Sony Felica encryption technology.

The crytography and cypher encryption of Sony Felica devices is unbelievably strong..............so anyone who can break through it is beyond your mere amateur computer programmers.


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## Silly_Walks

Blackraven said:


> Haha that's hardcore.
> 
> Imba hacking :nuts::lol:
> 
> :cheers:
> 
> Btw, for those who do not know:
> It takes EXTREMELY high level of skill and knowledge to even break through Sony Felica encryption technology.
> 
> The crytography and cypher encryption of Sony Felica devices is unbelievably strong..............so anyone who can break through it is beyond your mere amateur computer programmers.


From what I read, it seems using original components made it so no breaking of encryption was needed.


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## hkskyline

*MTR splashes out with toilets*
The Standard
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Public toilets at three of the busiest MTR interchange stations will be installed as part of a HK$1 billion investment to improve services.

The toilets will be in place at Mong Kok, Prince Edward and Admiralty stations by 2015, with the remaining seven interchange stations earmarked to receive similar facilities by 2020.

At present only 10 of the 20 interchange stations have toilets.

The company will also install new external lifts at 13 stations to connect concourses with street levels.

Lifts at four of the stations are slated to be completed by the end of the year, while the rest will have them within three years. 

"The initiatives are directly related to what customers are asking us to do more of, which includes easing crowding, improving access to stations, adding public toilet facilities and speeding up the installation of automatic platform gates," MTR Corp chief executive Jay Walder said yesterday.

Chief of operations engineering David Leung Chuen-choi said the company's new direction on public toilets follows the success of installing facilities at Sheung Wan station when it was modified as part of the West Island Line works.

The facilities will make journeys more convenient and comfortable for the elderly, wheelchair-bound commuters and those traveling with prams or large items, Leung said.

He added it will be difficult to put toilets in all MTR stations owing to technical difficulties with plumbing and sewage lines.

Other initiatives include installing 52 more wide gates in 30 stations by mid-2013, and the addition of 231 platform seats in 50 stations by the end of this year.

The company has boosted train frequency with an additional 368 trips on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines.

Commuters have welcomed the new initiatives.

Retiree Chan Kin-hung likes the external elevator plan because after taking the lift to the station concourse at Shau Kei Wan he still has to walk some distance to get out of the building.

But others, like student Derek Kwok Yu- fan, are unhappy that commuters will have to wait until 2020 for toilets at all interchange stations. "I wonder why it takes eight years to build a simple toilet," Kwok said.


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## Kaitak747




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## hkskyline

Source : http://johnblog.phychembio.com/


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## Silly_Walks

^^^

What station is that? Is it on the West Rail Line?


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> ^^^
> 
> What station is that? Is it on the West Rail Line?


My guess is it is Yuen Long on the West Rail Line.


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## StanleyJ

hkskyline said:


> My guess is it is Yuen Long on the West Rail Line.


It's Tin Shui Wai, actually... http://g.co/maps/fhe96

Yuen Long has the massive Yoho/New Yuen Long Centre complex above it.


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## hkskyline

*Return of $900m divi urged in rail fares row*
The Standard
Friday, April 13, 2012

Authorities have been urged to return HK$900 million paid as dividend by the MTR Corp to offset the latest proposed fare hikes.

The call yesterday came in the form of a nonbinding motion by members of the Legislative Council transport panel.

The panel also passed a motion calling on the company not to raise fares in the wake of last year's HK$14.7 billion profit.

MTR chief executive Jay Walder pledged the company will consider launching a new round of fare promotions.

"I would like to assure you here today that based on the views we have heard, we will be looking even harder at the promotions we offer in 2012," Walder told legislators. "We are listening to the views of our passengers and working to come up with a package of promotions that they will find attractive." 

He said fare discounts and concessions cost the company HK$1.7 billion last year. From June, rail fares will go up by 5.4 percent - the third and largest increase since a fare- adjustment formula came into effect in 2007.

The hike will amount to an average of 39 HK cents extra for each journey based on an average ticket price of HK$7.40.

The adjustment formula was supposed to allow for fare increases during periods of inflation and reductions in times of recession. So far, it has only resulted in fares going up.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yu-wah said the fare adjustment mechanism will be reviewed by an independent consultant in the second half of the year.

"It will take the MTR's profitability as well as people's affordability into account," Cheng added.

The consultant will investigate whether factors other than the composite consumer price index and wage indices for the transport sector, such as MTR Corp earnings and costs, should be taken into account, Cheng said.

The government would not say if it would return the dividend. "Dividends received by the government from the MTR Corp is considered part of the general revenue," a spokesman said.


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## phoenixboi08

The Shanghai metro looks so similar?! Is it operated by the same company?


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## hkskyline

Many mainland Chinese metros are designed after Hong Kong's MTR, and MTR does a lot of consultancy work for metro works in China as well.


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## phoenixboi08

hkskyline said:


> Many mainland Chinese metros are designed after Hong Kong's MTR, and MTR does a lot of consultancy work for metro works in China as well.


What I mean is, the stations (coloring, fonts, design) are practically identical...haha Just wondering if it's the same company; hence using the same designs...I've ridden Beijing's and Nanjing's and they don't resemble this style very much (granted I only took the old lines - and older ones in Shanghai are also different).


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## Taiwan Junior

FM 2258 said:


> I was about to ask for a map of the West Island Line, there was one posted on Wikipedia. Are the other lines below also under construction?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Island_Line


The construction of MTR South Island Line East Section is ongoing,

but the project of West Section is still undetermined.


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## xavier114fch

AG said:


> How is construction on the West Island Line extension going?


Construction updates are updated on this page:
http://www.mtr-westislandline.hk/en/construction/progress-update.html/

Click on "Progress of Work" can see the latest photos of those sites.


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## xavier114fch

FM 2258 said:


> I was about to ask for a map of the West Island Line, there was one posted on Wikipedia. Are the other lines below also under construction?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Island_Line


West Island Line - Under construction / due 2014
South Island Line (East section) - Under construction / due 2015
South Island Line (West section) - Still on planning stages, no commitment date
Shatin-Central Link (now under MTR after the merger) - Under construction / due 2020 for North South Corridor as seen on map above. Station under Central (called Central South) is a future extension with no commitment date


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## hkskyline

Ride 10 Get 1 Free 









_"From 18 June to 30 December 2012, with 10 fare-paying journeys on MTR using your Octopus from Monday to Friday in the same week, you can get a single journey ticket for free. You can redeem your ticket on or before Sunday within the same week at Customer Service Centres, designated counters at stations and MTR Malls. You can also get a redemption coupon from e-Instant Bonus Terminals first and redeem your ticket at Customer Service Centres on or before the following Sunday."_

http://mtr.com.hk/eng/whatsnew/ride10_2012.html


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## FM 2258

xavier114fch said:


> West Island Line - Under construction / due 2014
> South Island Line (East section) - Under construction / due 2015
> South Island Line (West section) - Still on planning stages, no commitment date
> Shatin-Central Link (now under MTR after the merger) - Under construction / due 2020 for North South Corridor as seen on map above. Station under Central (called Central South) is a future extension with no commitment date


Thanks for the info. Good to see some lines are under construction.


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## hkskyline

*Rail lesson in crisis management*
The Standard
Thursday, July 26, 2012














































Scores of commuters were forced to spend a restless night on trains or in MTR stations the night Typhoon Vicente caught Hong Kong out.

The rail drama was unprecedented, at least in recent memory.

Understandably, complaints abounded, with the MTR Corp accused of keeping passengers in the dark and of being unable to cope with passengers' needs.

Even the decision to give a cash handout to some stranded commuters to catch taxis home was impromptu. The rail corporation is well known for the professionalism of its service delivery, but what happened on Monday night tarnished its corporate image.

Frontline staff, however, deserved kudos for doing their best with the resources available at hand to ensure passenger safety, which should always be of paramount importance. They shouldn't be blamed for the fact that there wasn't a contingency plan in place for the emergency that had developed. That is the responsibility of higher management.

Had the situation happened during the day, a large part of the chaos would have likely been avoided.

In general, issues associated with the breakdown can be grouped under three major concerns: safety, communication with passengers, and handling.

A lot more can be done to improve communications in the future. A major source of complaints this time stemmed from people not knowing what was going on as they were stuck in trains and on platforms in inclement weather.

But can the MTRC prepare itself better for similar emergencies in future?

The airport was the other place where even more people were stranded, but it survived the situation largely without incident. How did the Airport Authority manage this, and could its experience be a reference point for the mass transit system?

The authority could have been lucky, but it can't have been luck alone. It has learned from the past.

In August 2006, the airport was reduced to a state of total chaos after Typhoon Prapiroon swept past the SAR. The Observatory hoisted only signal No 3 because of moderate wind at Victoria Harbour. But it was a different story in the outskirts.

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted - the highest since the airport opened in 1998 - affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

A source at the authority recalled it was like a battlefield. Unprepared for the hungry and thirsty crowds, even top managers ran around gathering materials such as blankets, water and food for stranded passengers.

Since then, the authority has kept a regular stock of emergency provisions at Chek Lap Kok to aid passengers - just in case the feared nightmare recurs.

It even audits the inventory to ensure items are not past their expiry dates. This week, there was a recurrence of the nightmare, but the airport's having a contingency plan in place allowed it to cope.

Perhaps the MTRC can learn a lesson from this ordeal and beef up readiness for emergencies - by turning stations into temporary shelters should the need arise.


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## sterlinglush

Thanks for this article. I live in HK and I didn't know this had happened on/to the MTR when Vicente struck. A big portion of the blame should be directed at the HK Observatory for bungling its warning signals. Even though Vicente intensified faster and took a more northerly track than was initially forecast, the HKO screwed up when it waited until 6pm to issue a signal 8 warning. Waiting until rush hour was a disaster: the system is already crowded at that time of day and because the weather was deteriorating so fast by then that it would have made for some truly hellish, dangerous homeward commutes. At 4pm, the HKO announced that it was going to issue signal 8 at 6; they ought to have gone on and done it in order to allow people to get home safely without taxing the public transport system. I don't buy the excuse (if it were to be used) that the storm's rapid gain in intensity took the HKO by surprise because it's not the point. They have an excellent track record for the accuracy of their forecasting once a typhoon is in the South China Sea. It is widely rumored here that there is a political (which in HK means financial) element to issuing a signal 8 warning (and thereby shutting down the markets for the day); I don't know if this is true or not, but the way the Vicente warnings were handled makes me wonder. To bring this back to the MTR, I think they were more likely the victim in this situation than the perpetrators. They were probably dealing with the same tardy, faulty warning everybody else got, and it looks like they did the best they could in a very dangerous storm.


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## Fan Railer

Things are always a mess when there's a heavy storm warning in Hong Kong. I was caught in one back in maybe 2007 during a month long trip, and everything was jam packed coming from downtown back up to the new territories. Buses were overflowing, with people boarding from the rear door, and if you wanted to get on an MTR ERL train from what was then its southern terminus at Tsim Tsa Tsui, you had to wait for about 5-6 trains to cycle through the station before being able to squeeze yourself on one.


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## DanielFigFoz

I watched the Macanese news the other day and they mentioned the storm, said that the ferry connection was cut.


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## hkskyline

Regardless of whether 6pm is the rush hour or not, any signal hoisting would mean everyone would get off work at around the same time. Hence, the rush of passengers is inevitable, and expected.


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## hkskyline

*Property slipup looms for MTRC*
The Standard
Monday, August 13, 2012

MTR Corp (0066) is expected to post a slight decline in first-half profits as lower earnings from its property business may have offset the growth in other operations.

UBS expects the railway operator's interim underlying profit to reach HK$4.1 billion, down 5 percent year on year.

MTRC is due to announce its results today.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization - or Ebitda, a popular gauge of performance - have likely risen 10 percent to HK$6.6 billion, thanks to a strong pickup in rail passengers, ticket price hikes and higher commercial revenue from stations.

But income from property may have dropped to HK$800 million from HK$1.4 billion a year ago, UBS warned. 

Analysts said they expect few surprises in operations because the fare mechanism and passenger figures are transparent, while property gains are more volatile as it is the developers - MTRC's partners - that manage the sales.

UBS has a "neutral" rating on MTRC with a target price of HK$25.90. Nomura, on the other hand, has a "buy" call on the stock targeting HK$32. The shares eased 0.2 percent to HK$27.65 on Friday.


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*MTR gets in grub as stations brace*
The Standard
Friday, August 17, 2012

The MTR Corp, learning a lesson from the last typhoon, has stocked up on food and water at stations.

"We are ready for the typhoon," a spokesman said.

"There is a stock of food and water at each station. In addition, toilet facilities will be open in the event stations need to be used as temporary shelters."

The MTR came under heavy fire last month when the strongest typhoon in two decades, Vicente, hit Hong Kong.

Hundreds of commuters were stranded at stations and forced to spend the night sleeping on cardboard sheeting on the floor when services were suspended.

Some even chose to spend the night inside carriages without power until the next morning since the air in the stations was stuffy. 

The Trade Development Council also came under attack for causing "unnecessary" chaos at the book fair by asking visitors to leave long before the No8 signal was hoisted.

But a council spokesman said yesterday contingency plans for the just-started food fair will be the same as the book fair.

He said if the typhoon No 8 signal remains hoisted at 8.30am today, the morning session will be canceled.

However, the afternoon session will be resumed two hours after the signal is lowered.

The MTR said yesterday the service information on its website will be continually updated.

"However, in an emergency it may be necessary to suspend our service before we can notify the public," he added.

Meanwhile, food lovers jammed the aisles soon after the annual Food Expo opened at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, fearing the approaching Typhoon Kai-tak might blow away opportunities to indulge in their favorite eats.

Some exhibitors are calling for the expo to be extended or for them to be compensated if the typhoon affects their business.

"The expo is only on for five days and we are talking about a six-digit loss if the expo closes for just one day," said Jessie Chan Kwai-man of Daily Fresh Food Co.

The Food Expo has attracted more than 1,100 exhibitors.


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## hkskyline

*It's about time as MTR adds peak-hour trips*
The Standard
Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The MTR Corp will add more than 800 extra trips a week on three major lines before the end of the year as part of efforts to ease crowding and reduce waiting times at stations.

This will bring the total number of trips added this year to 1,200 a week, according to head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee.

The additional trips - on the West Rail, Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines - will carry an extra three million passengers a year.

"We finished inspections of eight new trains earlier this year and they have already started serving the Kwun Tong line," Li said.

"We hope to provide a better travel experience for our passengers by enhancing our train services." 

He said 10 additional trips will be added during morning peak hours on weekdays on the Kwun Tong line and another 12 on Friday nights.

On the West Rail line, a total of 188 trips a week will be added, cutting the waiting time during evening peaks from four minutes to 3 minutes. The maximum duration between trains in all periods will be seven minutes instead of nine.

Only one extra departure will be made from Tseung Kwan O to North Point during weekday morning peaks.

Li said the railway has received a number of positive comments from passengers praising the improved service.


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## FM 2258

^^

I remember trains being packed during rush hour. Sometimes the train was too full to get in.


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## hkskyline

FM 2258 said:


> ^^
> 
> I remember trains being packed during rush hour. Sometimes the train was too full to get in.


Yes, but strangely, the most congested lines - the Island and Tsuen Wan lines - are not slated for any service improvements.


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## shree711

hkskyline said:


> Yes, but strangely, the most congested lines - the Island and Tsuen Wan lines - are not slated for any service improvements.


It is strange.


----------



## Sopomon

hkskyline said:


> Yes, but strangely, the most congested lines - the Island and Tsuen Wan lines - are not slated for any service improvements.


Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat.
I wonder if the MTRC management have some kind of plan they're hatching behind closed doors then?


----------



## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> Yes, but strangely, the most congested lines - the Island and Tsuen Wan lines - are not slated for any service improvements.


Maybe there is no room for improvement on those lines?

I don't know, I'm just guessing.


----------



## Blackraven

They could buy more trains (since after all MRTC has been earning profit every year.......even if they keep on raising fares every year as well)


----------



## trainrover

Geography, there's no denying that ¼ of women being groped is ludicrously high ... or do you think that lot simply mad ...

Years ago, my woman friend was glared at by the other Tokyo subway-car passengers for making a scene from having calmly confronted a geezer who was tossing himself off on another woman who looked so ill at ease ... to think most of the world comfortable with their dark-ages customs hno:


----------



## hkskyline

Untitled by Simon - hibernating, on Flickr


----------



## Sopomon

hkskyline said:


> Untitled by Simon - hibernating, on Flickr


I forgot just how long MTR carriages are


----------



## hkskyline

*Gridlock fear as MTR work gets under way*
The Standard
Thursday, November 29, 2012




























Hundreds of thousands of motorists can expect traffic delays when three lanes of the six-lane Ma Tau Wai Road in To Kwa Wan close from Sunday for work on the MTR's Sha Tin-Central extension.

Traffic will be affected for a year.

It is the first phase of a four-year HK$65 billion project to build the extension that will connect several existing railway lines.

The existing three southbound lanes of Ma Tau Wai Road will close. The three northbound lanes will be split. Two lanes will be for southbound traffic to Tsim Sha Tsui and one lane will go north to Kwun Tong.

The Transport Department is advising motorists going north to take an alternative route to Chi Kiang Road, Kau Pui Lung Road and Tin Kwong Road.

For those traveling between Kowloon East and West, they have been advised to take alternative routes such as the East Kowloon Corridor, Princess Margaret Road, Argyle Road and Fat Kwong Street.

Assistant Commissioner for Transport Anthony Loo Khim-chung believes this arrangement will help in the smooth flow of traffic.

"With only one lane going north, bus stops will be shifted on Ma Tau Wai Road," he said.

"We will not allow taxis, buses or minibuses to pick up or drop off passengers on this stretch of the road."

Bus and minibus passengers are advised to familiarize themselves with the new stop locations. But Democratic Party district councillor Pun Chi-man said shifting bus stops will affect the business of shops.

He is worried that traffic snarls on the already busy Ma Tau Wai Road will get worse under the new arrangements.

"I don't think such measures could really deal with the traffic. This is especially so since there are more than 10 bus routes on this road."

Loo said the department understood that Ma Tau Wai Road is one of the trunk routes linking Kowloon East and West.

It has jointly prepared a contingency plan with the police and MTR Corp in case of any traffic incidents, which includes round-the-clock monitoring of the traffic situation through CCTV cameras and standby tow trucks and other equipment for speedy clearance of any breakdowns or other incidents.


----------



## Geography

> Geography, there's no denying that ¼ of women being groped is ludicrously high ... or do you think that lot simply mad ...


I don't think they're all "mad" or crazy, I think some, not all, are honestly mistaken. As I wrote, in a crowded train car with lots of jostling, especially during acceleration and deceleration, people are going to come in contact with each other incidentally. I've ridden a lot of crowded train cars and buses in my life and have been brushed up against all over my body many times. It's a little annoying but any user of public transit should accept that they won't have the same personal space as riding in a car.


----------



## trainrover

Playing dumb?


----------



## Fan Railer

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-12-105-E.pdf


> MTR announces today (14 December 2012) the awards of two contracts to purchase 37 sets of new trains and a new signalling system for the future operation of the North-South Corridor of the Shatin to Central Link (SCL), the extension of the current East Rail Line across the harbour to Wan Chai North and Admiralty, which is targeted for completion in 2020.
> 
> The contract for the new trains was awarded to Hyundai Rotem Company, also the supplier of trains for the Tseung Kwan O Line and the Tung Chung Line, at a price of approximately HK$4 billion. The scope of the contract includes the design, supply, manufacture, testing and commissioning of 37 new 9-car trains, which are mainly designed and manufactured in South Korea. The first train is scheduled to be delivered to Hong Kong for testing and commissioning in 2015 and the whole fleet is to be in operation by 2020.


----------



## xavier114fch

Some more technical details as reported by the Railway Gazette.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/urban-rail/single-view/view/mtr-awards-east-rail-upgrading-contracts.html



> Valued at HK$850m, the second contract awarded to Siemens covers the installation of CBTC to replace the current signalling on the 16-station route and to equip the extension. Siemens will provide its Trainguard MT technolology, together with an Airlink radio transmission network and a Vicos operations control system. Eight Sicas electronic interlockings will be installed along the former KCR main line, controlled from MTR’s existing Operations Control Centre in Tsing Yi. The new signalling is to be installed and tested without interrupting regular operations.
> 
> Already adopted for resignalling of the København S-bane network in Denmark, Trainguard MT offers a full moving-block capability to facilitate automatic train operation and reduce energy consumption.


----------



## hkskyline

HK MACAU 2011-398 by Cal !, on Flickr


HK MACAU 2011-395 by Cal !, on Flickr


HK MACAU 2011-396 by Cal !, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Screen doors blaze sparks MTR chaos*
The Standard
Friday, January 25, 2013





































Faulty insulation in platform screen doors at North Point MTR station is suspected to have sparked a fire that severely disrupted train services.

Those on the Tseung Kwan O Line were badly hit for nearly three hours.

MTR Corp said a detailed inspection of the doors and their mechanism will be conducted to find out what went wrong.

The incident occurred yesterday at 10.23am on Platform No3 of the station. A passenger alerted staff after seeing smoke at the front end of the platform.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze after 300 passengers in the station were advised to leave.

The station was then closed and trains passing through on the Island Line did not stop.

Services between Tiu Keng Leng and Po Lam and Tiu Keng Leng to LOHAS Park stations operated at reduced intervals of five minutes and 10 minutes, respectively. Services returned to normal at 1pm.

After the fire, the screen doors were kept open. MTR staff were on hand to ensure the safety of passengers, and trains reduced their speed when approaching the platform.

Francis Li Shing-kee, head of operations, said inspections will be carried out to check similar equipment on the Tseung Kwan O Line.

"After initial investigations, we believe the incident was due to a short circuit in the supporting frame for one set of platform screen doors," Li said.

He said it was an isolated case and that the screen doors have been in use since the Tseung Kwan O line was commissioned in 2002.

"The doors had th
eir annual check last October while a three-month examination was also carried out earlier this month."

Li said shuttle buses were not arranged for affected passengers because there were other means of transport to cross the harbor.

A Fire Services Department spokesman said firefighters arrived five minutes after receiving the call and found smoke and a small fire at the supporting structure above a pair of screen doors.

The service deployed 43 firefighters, eight trucks and one ambulance to North Point, to evacuate passengers in the station.

A male passenger said they only knew they could not cross the harbor after they arrived at Yau Tong.

"The staff asked us to take the line to Admiralty station in order to transfer to the Island Line," he said.

Lo Kwok-keung, professor of mechanical engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, suspects the chaos was due to aging screen doors. "The incident is a warning for the MTR," he said. "Ten years is about time for them to replace the system."

Meanwhile, Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Engineering professor William Wong Kam-fai said: "The system may not have been installed or fixed properly."

Wong added the fire was a rare occurrence. "Regular checking is a must in order to lower the risk of this type of incident."

Legislative Council transport panel deputy chairman Gary Fan Kwok-wai of the Neo Democrats said: "The MTR should review its contingency plan on shuttle buses to cover the routes, including those crossing the harbor."


----------



## hkskyline

No title by Johnny__Ko, on Flickr


----------



## Silly_Walks

Thanks hkskyline.

Could you say which line it is and the approximate location of the picture?


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Thanks hkskyline.
> 
> Could you say which line it is and the approximate location of the picture?


That is the East Rail Line just north of Shatin station.


----------



## hkskyline

Down in the MTR on a cold and rainy winter evening by antwerpenR, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Fury as curbs hit delivery workers*
The Standard
Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Anger erupted along the East Rail Line yesterday as the MTR tightened luggage restrictions to curb parallel traders.

The new maximum limit of 23 kilograms - down from 33kg - not only affected traders but caused bona fide delivery men and couriers as well as traveling families to lose their tempers.

In Fo Tan, where factories and depots are concentrated, a worker delivering computer parts to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun was stopped at the station entrance as her package weighed 27kg.

The worker said she has been doing similar deliveries almost every day and the new luggage restriction is creating problems for her and other delivery workers.

"I'm not a parallel trader so why do they do this to me?" she asked.

Despite a heated exchange with an MTR staff member, she had no choice but to leave the station and take a taxi.

Shortly after, a document courier was barred from entering after his bags weighed 26kg. He said: "My income will drop since the more documents I deliver, the more I can earn."

Another woman traveling to Shanwei to stay with her family for the holiday was also stopped after her luggage - clothes, candies, shampoo and chocolates - was 2kg above the limit.

Similar scenes were reported in the five other stations equipped with scales on the East Rail Line.

But an MTR Corp spokeswoman said the stations operated smoothly on the first day of the new luggage restrictions.

"Passengers were cooperative and the company has not received any complaint so far," she said.

The measure will be implemented on a trial basis for three months and the company will review the situation from time to time, the spokeswoman added.


----------



## mrmoopt

If they want to be like an airline and restrict baggage, they must be prepared to let customers pay extra after weighing.


----------



## hkskyline

cal_t said:


> If they want to be like an airline and restrict baggage, they must be prepared to let customers pay extra after weighing.


Can't do that. None of that excess luggage will be checked away from other passengers in a separate compartment. The whole deal is about safety, as people hauling loads of luggage pose a safety risk. Forcing them to pay won't change any of that.


----------



## mrmoopt

hkskyline said:


> Can't do that. None of that excess luggage will be checked away from other passengers in a separate compartment. The whole deal is about safety, as people hauling loads of luggage pose a safety risk. Forcing them to pay won't change any of that.


With the future reconfig to 9 car trains, surely one car can be made a baggage car?


----------



## hkskyline

cal_t said:


> With the future reconfig to 9 car trains, surely one car can be made a baggage car?


No. East Rail is not meant to be a cross-border freight line. Its primary purpose is commuter rail, and all the available space needs to be for commuters, not baggage.


----------



## Fan Railer

hkskyline said:


> No. East Rail is not meant to be a cross-border freight line. Its primary purpose is commuter rail, and all the available space needs to be for commuters, not baggage.


exactly; besides, the current 12 car sets are jam packed during rush hour.


----------



## mrmoopt

Fan Railer said:


> exactly; besides, the current 12 car sets are jam packed during rush hour.


I agree, but if you can't beat them, join them. Maybe open up HK Post offices along major ERL stations.

The whole point of these couriers is that they are point to point and frequent.
Even though the MTR is a company created to provide transport, housing revenue does contribute to the bottom line, so why not create an extra source of revenue?

With the impending opening of the CRH XRL, you will see the same being replicated.

Banning such practices only makes it worse.


----------



## chornedsnorkack

hkskyline said:


> No. East Rail is not meant to be a cross-border freight line. Its primary purpose is commuter rail, and all the available space needs to be for commuters, not baggage.


Then where do actual freight trains run from mainland China to Victoria Harbour?


----------



## hkskyline

cal_t said:


> I agree, but if you can't beat them, join them. Maybe open up HK Post offices along major ERL stations.
> 
> The whole point of these couriers is that they are point to point and frequent.
> Even though the MTR is a company created to provide transport, housing revenue does contribute to the bottom line, so why not create an extra source of revenue?
> 
> With the impending opening of the CRH XRL, you will see the same being replicated.
> 
> Banning such practices only makes it worse.


The line's capacity is limited. Trains run every few minutes already and there is simply not enough room to add freight service. Besides, if a premium is charge for freight-only, then these people will just shift to buses to cross the border. No point investing billions to add a set of tracks for this.

Putting on weight restrictions has significantly reduced the amount of large cargoes being brought onto trains. The restrictions are more rigorously enforced at stations near the border, and we have seen some of these cargo hoarders shift further south into the city, but I think the problem now is a lot less irritating than 6 months ago.

The best extra source of revenue for the MTR is property development.



chornedsnorkack said:


> Then where do actual freight trains run from mainland China to Victoria Harbour?


Imports from China tend to reach Hong Kong by truck. This is especially the case for fruits, vegetables, and meat, where they are subject to sample checks for banned substances at the border.


----------



## Northridge

^^I believe this video shows the problem and the line?
Skip to 4:00 to see what it's like on the platform and train., but I would recommend to watch the whole thing


----------



## saiho

hkskyline said:


> *Fury as curbs hit delivery workers*
> The Standard
> Tuesday, February 05, 2013
> 
> Anger erupted along the East Rail Line yesterday as the MTR tightened luggage restrictions to curb parallel traders.
> 
> The new maximum limit of 23 kilograms - down from 33kg - not only affected traders but caused bona fide delivery men and couriers as well as traveling families to lose their tempers.
> 
> In Fo Tan, where factories and depots are concentrated, a worker delivering computer parts to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun was stopped at the station entrance as her package weighed 27kg.
> 
> The worker said she has been doing similar deliveries almost every day and the new luggage restriction is creating problems for her and other delivery workers.
> 
> "I'm not a parallel trader so why do they do this to me?" she asked.
> 
> Despite a heated exchange with an MTR staff member, she had no choice but to leave the station and take a taxi.
> 
> Shortly after, a document courier was barred from entering after his bags weighed 26kg. He said: "My income will drop since the more documents I deliver, the more I can earn."
> 
> Another woman traveling to Shanwei to stay with her family for the holiday was also stopped after her luggage - clothes, candies, shampoo and chocolates - was 2kg above the limit.
> 
> Similar scenes were reported in the five other stations equipped with scales on the East Rail Line.
> 
> But an MTR Corp spokeswoman said the stations operated smoothly on the first day of the new luggage restrictions.
> 
> "Passengers were cooperative and the company has not received any complaint so far," she said.
> 
> The measure will be implemented on a trial basis for three months and the company will review the situation from time to time, the spokeswoman added.


I think they should only restrict luggage at rush hours. Trains are not as full during off-peak times. Sapporo apparently tried to move freight on its subway off peak but don't now how that went.


----------



## hkskyline

Northridge said:


> ^^I believe this video shows the problem and the line?
> Skip to 4:00 to see what it's like on the platform and train., but I would recommend to watch the whole thing


Yes, that is exactly what is happening. It's not safe. Even outside rush hours, it's not safe. The trains are still packed well into the night.


----------



## hkskyline

Thursday, January 31, 2013
*Taking MTR to the world*
Written by Kevin Smith
http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/financial/taking-mtr-to-the-world.html

MTR celebrated the start of operations on Hangzhou Metro Line 1 in November, its seventh project outside of Hong Kong. And as deputy CEO Lincoln Leong explains to Kevin Smith, the company is committed to strengthening its external presence over the next few years.

OPERATIONS outside of Hong Kong are a significant element of MTR Corporation's business strategy. And with the operator exploring further opportunities for overseas growth, MTR's deputy CEO, Mr Lincoln Leong believes this sector will become increasingly important.

Already external business interests account for 8-10% of MTR's overall profits of $HK 4.12bn ($US 531m) according to its financial results for the first half of 2012. However, these ventures were responsible for $HK 6.33bn, or 36.9% of overall revenues.

"In our rail businesses outside of Hong Kong we carry 3.5 million passengers per day," Leong says. "In Hong Kong we carry 5 million passengers. These numbers alone indicate the importance of these ventures."

Hangzhou, China, became the latest city to join MTR's portfolio of ventures outside of Hong Kong when its first metro line, the 48km 31-station Line 1 opened on November 24 2012. The line has been implemented as a PPP project through Hangzhou MTR, a joint venture with Hangzhou Metro Group Company in which MTR holds a 49% stake.

The PPP project mirrors Beijing Metro Line 4, which opened in September 2009. MTR has a 49% stake in Beijing MTR, a three-way joint venture with Beijing Capital Group, which has a 49% share, and Beijing Infrastructure Investment Company which holds 2%. MTR similarly has a 49% stake in a 10-year operate and maintain (O&M) concession for Beijing Metro's Daxing Line which opened in December 2010, while in Shenzhen it is the sole concessionaire in a 30-year agreement for the Longlua Line. This was conducted as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project and was completed in 2011.

Its latest project, Beijing Line 14, which is again being implemented as a PPP through Beijing MTR after it secured a 30-year O&M contract in November 2012, is set to open an initial 12.7km phase later this year. Leong says MTR is happy with the programme and the model of its PPP ventures and is willing to engage in similar financing structures in mainland China in the future. "Whether it is a PPP or a BOT we are willing to put capital at risk to invest in these cities," he says.

Inroads

While the majority of MTR's external interests are in mainland China, the company has made inroads in Europe and Australia.

In 2007, as part of a 50:50 joint venture with German Rail (DB), MTR secured an O&M concession for the London Overground network, while it won a 100%, seven-year O&M concession for the Stockholm Metro, and secured a 60% stake in an O&M concession for Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) in 2009.

Leong says these operations are providing MTR with a foothold for further expansion in what he describes as "established markets in Britain, Australia, and Scandinavia."

Britain in particular is a major target for further expansion and the company is currently bidding for the Essex Thameside and Thameslink franchises. However, following the fiasco surrounding the award of the West Coast franchise, bidding for these franchises has been delayed.

"We have submitted our bid for Essex Thameside and Thameslink, and we are keeping up-to-date with what is going on with regard to the review," Leong says. "Of course there is a bit of uncertainty and we will follow whatever the results of the review are. However, this doesn't really compromise our position and we are enthusiastic to continue to follow opportunities in this market. As for other bids, there is nothing on the radar at the present time, but it is important for us to focus on what we have already identified and the markets that we already know. In all of these markets there are minimal prospects that can be pursued at any one time."

In addition to being a source of profits for MTR, Leong says that its external operations are also increasing global brand awareness as well as benefiting human resources.

He says MTR employees from Hong Kong are working in a variety of positions overseas - from CEOs and CFOs to project and asset management staff. Leong says MTR's objective for these operations is to achieve a "combination of good local talent which is supported by staff from Hong Kong."

And while exporting expertise is aiding these companies, ideas and different ways of working are also flowing back to Hong Kong.

"One example is the use of visualisation by MTM where they are using a prediction model to visualise problems and identify solutions to maintenance issues encountered at depots," Leong says. "We are now in the process of converting this idea and way of working back into our domestic operations."

While profits generated from external ventures are yet to match revenues as a proportion of the company's overall results, exporting MTR's property development business model, a major source of profits in Hong Kong, might be one way of bridging the gap.

Leong says a similar property development project is underway at a station in Shenzhen. And with encouraging early signs, he is optimistic that this model can be replicated elsewhere, thus providing another potential benefit from taking its business beyond Hong Kong.

"Our primary objective is to create value for our shareholders," he says. "If opportunities arise in the markets we are currently operating in to use the know-how we have acquired from our domestic activities, we will certainly do so."


----------



## browncolour

The Light Rail track



browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 minghong 的 青山公路－屏山段的輕鐵路軌
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Fion N. 的 tracks
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 randomwire 的 Light Rail Crossing
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Little Smart 的 輕鐵。
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 一刻永恆 的 Rails
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 wagamama.tsai 的 輕鐵
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Keith Tam 的 Castle Peak (Main) Road with light rail train


----------



## browncolour

Light Rail Station



browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 Niko.nw 的 輕鐵銀座站
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Keith Tam 的 Hong Lok Road light rail station 康樂路輕鐵站
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Joybot 的 MTR Light Rail, Tin Shui Wai 天水圍 5
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 一刻永恆 的 Retake of the LRT trail
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 randomwire 的 MTR Light Rail Train
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Joybot 的 Light Rail - Octopus in, please.


----------



## browncolour

inside the train




browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 Little Smart 的 輕鐵車廂內。
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Little Smart 的 輕鐵上的學童。
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Little Smart 的 輕鐵駕駛室。
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 chieniming 的 很複雜的輕鐵系統


----------



## browncolour

the car




browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 *Benson* 的 Canon EOS 350D - 輕鐵 P1
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 minghong 的 天秀輕鐵站的706號輕鐵列車
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 minghong 的 兆康輕鐵站的615號輕鐵列車
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 minghong 的 青山公路－屏山段的輕鐵路軌的761P號輕鐵列車
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 *Benson* 的 IMG_2132_1
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 nickel_deja 的 天水圍輕鐵 Light rail in Hong Kong
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 kommissar_todd06 的 LRV 1079 Rear


----------



## browncolour

train on road




browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 kommissar_todd06 的 LRV 1054 terminus
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 kommissar_todd06 的 LRV 1119 1111 terminus
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 kommissar_todd06 的 LRV 1050 and 1014
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 kommissar_todd06 的 LRV 1102 terminus


----------



## browncolour

other pic



browncolour said:


> Flickr 上 @Raunak 的 Tuen Mun Light rail Station, Hong Kong
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 hpulling 的 MTR Light Rail 1117 [Hong Kong]
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 PM Cheung 的 Yuen Long City - New Territories - Hong Kong - IMG_8942
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 PM Cheung 的 Yuen Long City - New Territories - Hong Kong - IMG_8940
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 PM Cheung 的 Yuen Long City - New Territories - Hong Kong - IMG_8936
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Phase 1 LRV 1040 waits for passengers for route 505 at Siu Hong
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Stop and look both ways


----------



## browncolour

continue



browncolour said:


> signal for light rail
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Signals on the MTR Light Rail at Yuen Long
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Signals on the light rail at San Hui
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 'No pedestrian access' signage beside the Light Rail
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 "Don't cross when you hear 'Ding Ding'. Let's make it a safe journey!"
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Octopus entry and exit processors on a Light Rail platform
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 In both English and Chinese, it tells you the route, number of vehicles in the train, and the time until arrival
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Ticket machine on the MTR Light Rail: it can't be that complex, can it?
> 
> 
> Flickr 上 Marcus Wong from Geelong 的 Phase 4 LRVs 1114 and 1126 depart the On Ting stop: a bit of street running is in the foreground


----------



## Falubaz

Interesting pics! Are the longerst trains made of just 2 cars?


----------



## Silly_Walks

When I visited Yuen Long, I didn't take the light rail, because I thought the lines were just too confusing. Does anyone know why the line system is so complicated?


----------



## Svartmetall

Silly_Walks said:


> When I visited Yuen Long, I didn't take the light rail, because I thought the lines were just too confusing. Does anyone know why the line system is so complicated?


I caught it with much difficulty too when I was in HK to get to the wetlands - it was not the easiest system to use compared to the clarity of the MTR. I've been on a lot of light rail around the world, and the HK system was definitely one of the more difficult ones to use.


----------



## hkskyline

Falubaz said:


> Interesting pics! Are the longerst trains made of just 2 cars?


Yes - max 2 cars.


----------



## xeror

Silly_Walks said:


> When I visited Yuen Long, I didn't take the light rail, because I thought the lines were just too confusing. Does anyone know why the line system is so complicated?


There was a proposal to simplify the lines by the former operator KCRC when the west rail opened. They want passengers travelling a long distance to take the west rail instead. However, the plan was objected by the district council and local residents around these areas simply because it would reduce the number of direct lines between two stops and the passengers would more likely need to transfer at some intermediate stops.


----------



## Vrooms

*MONGKOK STATION*
taken by me

Mongkok MTR Station by artifiedme, on Flickr

Mongkok MTR Station by artifiedme, on Flickr

Mongkok MTR Station by artifiedme, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Privacy concern over MTR cameras*
The Standard
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Privacy Commission has taken aim at the MTR Corp for allowing loopholes that enable access to computer records of CCTV footage.

From June last year to this February, the commission inspected nine interchange or busy train stations along the 11 rail lines and two train depots.

It found the MTR installed and used 3,342 closed-circuit television cameras in the public areas of station premises and 429 in train compartments.

A total of 78 out of its 347 trains have CCTV installed, meaning that on average for every 10 compartments, there are two cameras in operation, covering more than one million passengers every day.

Despite the MTR's statutory obligations to monitor for incidents and ensure safety of its service and the fact that installation and use of CCTV is justified, the deputy privacy commissioner for personal data, Lavinia Chang Yu-ming, pointed out that the MTRC has not conducted any privacy impact assessment.

Chang added that retention periods of CCTV footage vary for different lines and between the analogue and digital systems.

Certain records were kept for up to 28 days, but those involving incidents will be kept for up to three years. Some are kept longer than the retention period prescribed by the MTR.

The notices of "CCTV in operation" are not prominent.

The login account and password for accessing and storing the footage in the recording system were shared among the staff, she said, adding that this is not conducive to user accountability and data security. The USB drives have no encryption facility for copying, storing or transferring the footage.

A spokesman for MTR confirmed that it received the report on CCTV usage. He noted that the report affirms the installation and use of CCTVs by the MTR are justified and that the location of CCTV cameras are overt and visible to the public.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR gets lower fare hike *
The Standard
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The MTR Corp and government have agreed on a new fare adjustment mechanism that will result in fares rising less that originally proposed. 
Instead of a 3.2 percent hike previously proposed, the new fare rise will be 2.7 percent under the new mechanism, which takes effect in June. Transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said that under the new deal, the existing direct drive formula will be improved. 

"This will result in the productivity factor value being improved from the present 0.1 percent to 0.6 percent so that the 2013 fare adjustment rate will be reduced from 3.2 percent to 2.7 percent, a 16 percent reduction, benefiting all passengers," he said.

The monthly pass scheme will be enhanced, with the addition of Tung Chung-Nam Cheong sectional monthly pass, MTR City Saver ticket, and Monthly Pass Extra scheme.

A public affordability cap will be based on the change in median monthly household income, such that any fare increase will not be higher than the corresponding figure for that year. 

There will also be a performance arrangement under which service disruptions lasting 31 minutes or more, except for those beyond the operator's control, will result in fines, and the amount put into the fare concession account.

"We believe the overall arrangements will reduce not only the general fare table increase rate, but more significantly the fare burden of frequent and medium to long journey passengers," Cheung said.

For those enjoying various monthly pass schemes and other concessions, their effective fare increase for this year will be significantly lower than the 2.7 percent calculated according to the revised direct drive formula, he said.

MTR will launch the City Saver ticket scheme not later than mid-2014. Passengers can buy a pass for HK$400 to travel on 40 trips within 30 days.

Legislative Council transport panel chairman Chan Kam-lam said the penalty and a profit-sharing mechanism, under which some cash will go into the fare concessions account, are still relatively low under the new deal.

"Any delay for 31 minutes or more only leads to a fine of HK$1 million. It is a minor penalty for MTR," Chan said.

Unionist lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu said the MTR has no valid reason to increase fares as it makes billions of dollars each year. "Though the new mechanism results in a lower level of fare rise, it still cannot justify the reason for a fare rise."


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by LingHK, on Flickr


DSC08952 by LingHK, on Flickr


DSC07474 by LingHK, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Outcome of review of MTR Fare Adjustment Mechanism *
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Government Press Release

The review of the Fare Adjustment Mechanism (FAM) jointly conducted by the Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) was completed successfully. The Executive Council approved the outcome of the review today (April 16). The new FAM will take effect starting June this year.

The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, said at the press conference today, "The new FAM and its related arrangements serve four objectives, including the expanded consideration of the existing FAM – namely the profitability and service performance of the MTRCL, and public affordability; the direct-drive formula of the FAM being retained, and at the same time adding the above three factors, will address the inadequacy of solely relying on the direct-drive formula to adjust fare.

The MTRCL will, based on its business performance, "share profit" with passengers, and will "share pain" with them in times of economic adversity in order to cater for their affordability; the MTRCL will also introduce a number of monthly passes and ticket schemes with especially generous fare concessions to reduce the fare burden on frequent and medium to long journey passengers, many of whom living in more distant lower-income districts."

The existing FAM adopts a direct-drive formula with components of year-on-year changes in the Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) and the Nominal Wage Index (Transportation Section) (Wage Index), as well as a pre-determined value of the Productivity Factor (PF):

Overall fare adjustment rate = (0.5 x year-on-year change in CCPI + 0.5 x year-on-year change in Wage Index) - PF

Under the new arrangement, the PF value will be substantially raised from the present 0.1% to 0.6% for the next five years. The calculation of MTR fare increase rate for June 2013 using the new improved direct-drive formula, as compared with that calculated by the old formula, will be reduced by 16%, benefitting all passengers.

To cater for public affordability, no matter the outcome of the direct-drive formula is calculated in future, fare increase rate of that year will not be higher than the change in Median Monthly Household Income (MMHI) for the corresponding period. Any shortfall will be recouped by two yearly phases only in years when the calculated fare increase rate is lower than MMHI. In any case, it will always be capped by the change in MMHI.

In response to the public concern on the MTRCL's profitability, the MTRCL will, based on its underlying business profits each year, set up a "fare concession account" to provide second trip discounts. Passengers will share the MTRCL's operational success. The burden from the fare increase rate on them will also be relieved.

A "service performance arrangement" will also be set up under the new FAM. The MTRCL will be penalised for serious service disruptions of 31 minutes or above. Any fine imposed will be credited to a "fare concession account" for fare concessions through second trip discounts. The rationale of the penalty is not to put undue pressure on the MTRCL's frontline staff and railway safety.

The expanded fare concessions on the different monthly passes and ticket schemes will benefit frequent medium to long journey passengers. The fare concessions vary from different journeys, reaching to at most around 30% discount. Under the new arrangement, the MTRCL estimates that its revenue foregone in 2013 amounts to $289 million.

Professor Cheung expressed that the Government strove to reach a balance between different considerations and needs during the review process.

He said, "The new FAM and its related arrangements will let the MTRCL maintain its financial prudence as a listed company, at the same time taking its corporate social responsibility into account, especially since the MTRCL is an organisation providing major public transport services.

"The new arrangement responds to the public's reasonable requests, and let them share the MTRCL's operational success. These balances laid a sounder foundation for the MTRCL's long term development – to tie-in with the Government's objective in public transport policies, to keep up its high-quality railway services, and to continue its primary role as the backbone of public transport."


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by LingHK, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR hopes of women derailed*
The Standard
Thursday, May 23, 2013

Women-only carriages on MTR trains may violate the sexual discrimination law if there are no similar facilities for men.

That was the warning given yesterday by transport chief Anthony Cheung Bing-leung following questions at the Legislative Council.

Cheung said he is aware of the rise in sexual harassment on trains, but fears the introduction of carriages for women will reduce the flexibility of movement for passengers and disrupt flow during peak periods.

The issue was raised by lawmaker Ann Chiang Lai-wan, who claimed police received 197 reports of indecent assault within MTR premises last year, with the youngest victim being only four years old. 

"It has been learned that these indecent assault cases mostly happened in overcrowded train carriages," Chiang said. 

"Some pathological sex offenders even look for their prey on train platforms, and then follow their targets into the train to exploit opportunities for sexually assaulting them."

She said some people feel MTR Corp should conduct trial runs with some carriages specially reserved for women and children.

Cheung said police figures submitted to Legco show that more than 500 passengers, including eight men, have complained of being abused on the MTR system over the past three years.

The number of women indecently assaulted on trains stood at195 last year, 164 in 2011, and 148 in 2010. 

The number of men assaulted over the same period, stood at two, three and three respectively.

Cheung said current MTR trains are of a more open design and the introduction of special carriages will reduce the flexibility of passenger movement.

Only a few places have adopted the special measures, including Japan, India and Dubai.

Cheung assured the public that the railway is doing its best to prevent indecent assaults.

"MTR Corp has put up posters at stations, and passengers are encouraged not to remain silent but to report incidents or crimes immediately to the police or station staff for prompt assistance," he said.

"MTR station staff are trained to prevent the crime of indecent assault."

He said the company will continue to work closely with the police to take appropriate measures to prevent crime in its premises, and protect the safety of passengers.

Closed-circuit television systems are now being installed on all trains running on the West Rail Line, Ma On Shan Line and Disneyland Resort Line. They will also be installed on some trains on the East Rail Line, Kwun Tong Line and Light Rail.


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## iheartcities

not the best photos here, but...


Untitled by I<3Cities, on Flickr


Untitled by I<3Cities, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR under threat as pay talks loom*
The Standard
Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Mass Transit Railway workers threaten a work-to-rule action if MTR Corp rejects pay rises of up to 8percent from next month. 

Union leader Philip Chan Sin-wo said the MTRC should offer considerably more than last year, when the average rise was 5.75 percent, in the wake of a profit reaching HK$9.7 billion.

About 30 unionists who represent staff at stations and control centers yesterday handed in a list of demands at company headquarters in Kowloon Bay. 

Since the MTRC was listed, Chan said, the management has not factored in years of service in pay-rise calculations but based levels just on performance, so relative newcomers may earn more than established staff. 

"Newcomers enjoy a 3 percent rise on top of their regular pay rise each year," he said. 

"It's unfair to see them earn more than those who have worked here a long time."

Chan also said frontline staff have been under much pressure since the government introduced penalties for service disruptions exceeding 31 minutes.

Unions sought a rise of at least 8 percent last year, but increases ranged from 2.6 to 7.8 percent.

Rainbow Lau Choi-hung, the chairwoman of the KCR Operating Staff Association, said union representatives will meet management on Friday, and workers may take industrial action if demands are not met positively.

The MTRC has said an annual review that draws on pay trends at 20 leading companies in Hong Kong is under way. Results will be announced early next month. 

"The pay is adjusted by a long-established mechanism in line with market trends," a spokeswoman said. This includes the economic outlook, performance and staff contributions.

She also disputed a claim the company ignores staff opinions.

"Before coming to a decision, we will consult the unions and the 48-member staff consultative council, which speaks for all 12,000 employees."


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## hkskyline

MTR-Airport Express by David Yeo T. B., on Flickr


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## Galenjack

Public Transportation rail system in hongkong is good,and I wonder it is still in operation.


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## Svartmetall

^^ Sorry? Yes, the HK MTR is still operational unless something has radically changed in the last 24 hours.


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## Silly_Walks

Galenjack said:


> Public Transportation rail system in hongkong is good,and I wonder it is still in operation.


No, it is no longer in operation. They completely shut it down. It was just too expensive and inefficient.





:troll:


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## herenthere

Galenjack said:


> Public Transportation rail system in hongkong is good,and I wonder it is still in operation.





Svartmetall said:


> ^^ Sorry? Yes, the HK MTR is still operational unless something has radically changed in the last 24 hours.


I think what Galenjack meant to say was: "The public transportation system in Hong Kong is good, and I am wonderfully amazed at its operation," not questioning whether it is still running, haha


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## hkskyline

*End of the line for MTR 10-cent levy*
The Standard
Thursday, June 20, 2013

The 10 HK cent surcharge per trip that MTR users pay to help cover the bill for platform screen doors and automatic platform gates will be scrapped early next year after being in place for more than a decade.

But the announcement failed to placate opponents who questioned why the public had to pay for capital projects and demanded the money be returned.

At Admiralty station, a group of Neo Democrats displayed placards denouncing the fees - which will total about HK$1.15 billion by next April.

Assuming the railway carries five million passengers daily, this amounts to at least HK$230 per passenger.

Speaking in the Legislative Council, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said that up to April this year, the company collected HK$1.063 billion from Octopus card users to foot half of the bill for the installation.

He said the MTR will cancel the levy at the end of the first quarter of 2014 when it will have collected HK$1.15 billion.

He said the railway's original investment plan when constructing the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines did not include the capital cost for installing platform screen doors and consequently commuters had to contribute half of the cost.

He added that in discussions with the company the government had indicated that passengers should not be charged for capital projects in the future.

"To address passengers' concerns and the latest requirement on railway safety, the government is discussing with the MTR Corp an arrangement whereby passengers will not have to bear part of the capital cost," Cheung said.

Neo Democrats lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai said it was unfair to passengers since the MTR pocketed all advertising revenue.

He called on the company to deduct the installation costs from the advertising revenue so that the charge to passengers can be stopped as soon as possible.

Cheung said profits generated by advertising are included in the company's underlying business profits. The company will set aside money for the "fare concession account" to provide same- day second-trip discounts.

Passenger Eddie Wong said the corporation was absolutely wrong to charge passengers for its facilities and then pocket the advertising revenue.

"The MTR is already making a huge profit every year. It is akin to cheating by asking passengers to pay for its facilities while pocketing the advertising revenue," Wong said.

An MTR spokeswoman said all stations other than the 22 on the East Rail and the Ma On Shan extension now have platform screen doors.


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## hkskyline

*MTR hiring spree gains speed*
The Standard
Thursday, June 27, 2013

MTR Corp (0066) will offer 2,400 jobs at the weekend - the first step of a massive hiring spree as it gets ready to build five railway lines.

The territory's sole railway operator said it will need to recruit up to 22,000 people this year as the construction of the five rail projects reach a peak.

The firm is organizing a two- day career expo this weekend at Fortune Metropolis mall next to the Hung Hom MTR station, projects director Chew Tai-chong said yesterday. 

A total of 17 contractors are participating in the expo.

More than 16,000 frontline workers and around 6,000 managerial, supervisory and technical professionals are required this year, Chew said. 

MTRC is set to build the West Island Line, the eastern part of the South Island Line, Express Link, Sha Tin to Central Link and the extension of the Kwun Tong Line.

Jobs on offer at the expo include those for carpenters, welders, excavators, bar benders and fixers, scaffolders, electricians, engineers, safety managers, quantity surveying managers and environmental managers. 

The company is hoping its recruitment will further relax the unemployment pressure, especially as fresh graduates and school leavers join the workforce. 

The latest seasonally adjusted jobless rate for March to May fell to 3.4 percent from the 3.5 percent recorded in the previous three- month period.

Chew urged the younger generation to grasp the opportunity to develop a potential lifelong career in the construction industry. 

Separately, MTRC said it now provides free life insurance for all its workers on the five new rail projects. Also, all workers are given a mandatory 15-minute rest break after every 90 minutes of work to cope with the hot weather. The breaks will be effective until September. 

Singer Ella Koon Yun-na will act as youth ambassador for the construction industry during the expo


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## city_thing

3.4 unemployment? Wow, that's nothing. Australia hovers at around 5% and that's considered "full employment" to us.

Great to see so many jobs coming online, and even better to see 5 new train lines under construction!

What is the funding model for the lines? Does the MTR finance them entirely in order to access property rights, or does some money come from the HK Government, and Beijing?


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## hkskyline

city_thing said:


> 3.4 unemployment? Wow, that's nothing. Australia hovers at around 5% and that's considered "full employment" to us.
> 
> Great to see so many jobs coming online, and even better to see 5 new train lines under construction!
> 
> What is the funding model for the lines? Does the MTR finance them entirely in order to access property rights, or does some money come from the HK Government, and Beijing?


Property development and fares fund the MTR. No other government subsidies.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> Property development and fares fund the MTR. No other government subsidies.


How does the government pressure MTR into building lines that the government deems necessary?


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## Svartmetall

Silly_Walks said:


> How does the government pressure MTR into building lines that the government deems necessary?


By owning 76% of the company responsible for the HK MTR (MTR Corp) I would guess.


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## Silly_Walks

^^

Thanks!


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## hkskyline

*Cheap airport trips en route*
The Standard
Friday, July 05, 2013

Some 6,000 Airport Express passengers will need to pay just HK$15 for a single journey this month in a promotion to mark the line's 15th anniversary.

For four consecutive Fridays from today, the tickets will be sold on bargain site Groupon.

They are for any journey between Chek Lap Kok and an Airport Express station and can be used any day until September 30. Buyers are limited to four tickets every week.

The markdown is significant - regular tickets cost HK$60, HK$90 and HK$100 depending on the station - but some store managers at Hong Kong International Airport said it will not help their business.

The vouchers bought online will be sent to the buyers' mailing addresses.

"I believe there will not be a significant increase in the number of our customers" said a manager at the Crystal Jade Shanghai Ramen restaurant.

Another manager at Precious Congee, however, said the discounts should give a boost.

MTR Corp chief of operations Adi Lau Tin-shing said the promotion - 15 Years of Travel Delights - is timely since many are about to go on a summer holiday and "this is to thank passengers for their support over the years."

He said the Airport Express has carried more than 146 million riders in the past 15 years, and has been internationally recognized as one of the best airport railways in the world.

The line recently won the Global AirRail Award 2013 for having the best performance results and highest overall impact in the air-rail market.

As a part of the celebrations, a theme train has started carrying passengers.

Special edition luggage tags will also be distributed to passengers or given away through the "Ride to Rewards" bonus points scheme.

"We will also continue to explore the use of technology to bring more information to passengers, like the one-stop information displays at in-town check- in halls," Lau said.


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## hkskyline

There is always a quick way down... by antwerpenR, on Flickr


Welcome to the machine … @ 灣仔 by antwerpenR, on Flickr


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## Silly_Walks

^^

What station is that?


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## city_thing

^^ I think it might be Wan Chai. Or maybe Prince Edward.


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## xavier114fch

city_thing said:


> ^^ I think it might be Wan Chai. Or maybe Prince Edward.


That's definitely Wan Chai. Prince Edward's livery is lilac.


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## hkskyline

By *ling.hk* from dcfever :


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## Falubaz

That last picture is cool and sad at the same time. Ppl stare to their phones instead of talking.


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## xavier114fch

Falubaz said:


> That last picture is cool and sad at the same time. Ppl stare to their phones instead of talking.


The train is quite noisy when it is running, so you may need to raise your voice if you want to talk. This makes the train even noisier.


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## Falubaz

We both know its just an excuse, right?


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## Sopomon

Falubaz said:


> We both know its just an excuse, right?


What else would you do?
Stare at the walls?
Attempt to make awkward converstaion with the passengers next to you?


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## saiho

Falubaz said:


> We both know its just an excuse, right?


Even before smartphones everyone just stared at ads, looked out the window or pretended to sleep if they are riding alone. I would probably look really weird if I tried to strike up a conversation with a random stranger in the Tsuen Wan line tomorrow.


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## mrmoopt

What is going to happen to the existing ERL trains once the new Rotem trains come online for the North South Line?


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## Fan Railer

cal_t said:


> What is going to happen to the existing ERL trains once the new Rotem trains come online for the North South Line?


They'll probably just retire the old Metro Cammell trains, while the 8 SP1900 twelve-car trains will probably be recycled and reconfigured for East-West line service since they are still relatively new.


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## saiho

Fan Railer said:


> They'll probably just retire the old Metro Cammell trains, while the 8 SP1900 twelve-car trains will probably be recycled and reconfigured for East-West line service since they are still relatively new.


I still wish they kept the new trains at 12 cars long or at least 10 cars long like in Seoul.


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## mrmoopt

What type of signalling will Siemens provide for the Nth Sth Line?
What type of signalling is the West Rail Line/MOS line using?

Why didn't they just stick to SECAM as in use in all Urban lines?


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## TWK90

cal_t said:


> What type of signalling will Siemens provide for the Nth Sth Line?
> What type of signalling is the West Rail Line/MOS line using?
> 
> Why didn't they just stick to SECAM as in use in all Urban lines?


West Rail Line currently using Thales Seltrac CBTC.

For the North South corridor, Siemens will supply Trainguard MT, also a CBTC solution (moving block signalling).


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## iheartcities

is there a website where I can find MTR Island/Tsuen Wan/Kuen Tong/Tseung Kwan O Lines ridership information by different stations (records of station entry/exit), and also maximum depths of different stations along these lines? I have searched for a couple of days and I've only found total ridership information (whether it be annual or daily)...

Thank you so much!


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## hkskyline

iheartcities said:


> is there a website where I can find MTR Island/Tsuen Wan/Kuen Tong/Tseung Kwan O Lines ridership information by different stations (records of station entry/exit), and also maximum depths of different stations along these lines? I have searched for a couple of days and I've only found total ridership information (whether it be annual or daily)...
> 
> Thank you so much!


This is the best I could find : The Standard article


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## iheartcities

Thanks for your help.


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## saiho

some pictures from my trip to HK last week

West Island Line Sai Ying Pun Station site









South Island Line Ap Li Chau Bridge

























Kwun Tong Line Extension Whampoa Station


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## Silly_Walks

I had no idea they were already working on Whampoa station. Thanks!


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## saiho

I was surprised too when I went there to visit a friend and was confronted with construction, construction everywhere. Thats what I like about China, there is always good surprises about the progress of construction whether its skyscrapers or railway projects. That being said, it kinda made sense its U/C as the project has a 2015 deadline if you didn't start now how would you finish? Ill post some more pictures later.


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## Silly_Walks

saiho said:


> That being said, it kinda made sense its U/C as the project has a 2015 deadline if you didn't start now how would you finish?


You push back the deadline... well, that's how that goes where I'm from :lol:


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## herenthere

Silly_Walks said:


> You push back the deadline... well, that's how that goes where I'm from :lol:


You must be from the United States. If I'm wrong, it's okay, joke still works, haha -.-


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## Silly_Walks

herenthere said:


> You must be from the United States. If I'm wrong, it's okay, joke still works, haha -.-


Netherlands... joke still works indeed :lol:


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## saiho

Silly_Walks said:


> You push back the deadline... well, that's how that goes where I'm from :lol:


Where I am from some projects seem to have no deadline.

Ho Man Tin Station interchange station with the Sha Tin to Central Link and the Kwun Tong they started digging into the mountain.


















To Kwa Wan Station









South Horizons Station


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## hkskyline

*MTR in line to cut Fo Tan fallout *
The Standard
10 July 2013




























The MTR aims to minimize inconvenience to passengers during refurbishment work that starts tomorrow at Fo Tan station.

The HK$110 million improvement project, to be completed in 2015, will enclose the open space now separating the two concourses to create one enlarged paid area.

"To minimize the inconvenience to passengers, three tracks at the station will be closed one at a time during the summer break from July 11 to the end of September,'' said MTR Corp project manager for operations projects Jason Wong Chi-chung.

During the morning peak period, three special trains that usually start from Fo Tan will do so at Sha Tin station to carry passengers forward to Hung Hom or Mong Kok East, Wong said yesterday.

With schools out and no horse races scheduled, demand for train services is less than usual at this time of the year and fewer passengers will be affected.

Construction work will be carried out in non-rush hours to minimize noise nuisance.


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## Scion

The old M-trains on urban lines will get a second major refurbishment.

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/C1066-13E.html


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## silent_dragon

Good.. Because some of those trains look really ancient and kinda dark inside.


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## xavier114fch

Scion said:


> The old M-trains on urban lines will get a second major refurbishment.
> 
> http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/C1066-13E.html


They are upgraded in tandem with the signalling upgrade as well.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/3036.html

So in the long run other trains on current running lines (except ex-KCR lines and South Island Line (East)) will need some sort of refurbishment too. At least they have to interface with the new signalling system.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong MTR to export its rail-property model to China *
3 August 2013
South China Morning Post

Overseas rail projects will generate more revenue than MTR's domestic operations by 2020 as the city's sole rail operator gears up for international expansion. On the mainland, most of the space above railway stations and depots is empty Lincoln Leong, MTR deputy chief

MTR wants more overseas projects, especially on the mainland, where it is promoting its rail-and-property model as a solution to debt-laden railway businesses. While Shenzhen's Metro Line 4 is now the only railway that has adopted this model, MTR said it was discussing with the Foshan and Guangzhou governments the building of an inter-city link where building costs would be subsidised by developments along the route. 

Lincoln Leong, MTR's deputy chief executive, said there were more potential projects in the western and coastal regions of the mainland.

As more mainland cities look to the property financing model as an alternative to heavily subsidised rail projects, fewer new rail projects in Hong Kong would use the model. That is because any new lines extending the old Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) network must stay in the hands of the government.

The Northern Link and the Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link now in the middle of public consultation, for example, will be funded and owned by the government, with MTR merely acting as a franchise operator.

While franchise operations offer higher returns in percentage terms, they generate lower earnings than projects built and run by MTR. As the State Council is looking for more sustainable ways to finance rail development and Premier Li Keqiang told his cabinet last Wednesday that inter-city and suburban lines would be open to private investors, the mainland could be a source of growth for MTR.

But Leong said Hong Kong would remain MTR's "bread and butter" market for a long time.

"The ebitda [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation] margin of our local rail-and-station commercial operations exceeds 50 per cent, while our overseas projects, usually awarded to us in the form of franchises, have a margin of 3 to 5 per cent," he said.

Half of the 10 new rail projects planned for after 2015 - including the South Island Line (West) and the North Island Line - are not part of the old KCR network and can still remain under MTR's ownership.

That said, the mainland is an important market for MTR, especially considering that the rail-and-property model has allowed the company to get hold of valuable land in prime locations.

"On the mainland, most of the space above railway stations and depots is empty because it is not easy to put up a building there without expertise and know-how. That land will be wasted anyway if we don't use it," Leong said. "Now the government can use what we pay for the land to subsidise the railway's operation."

Unlike in Hong Kong, where development rights along the line are awarded as part of a rail project, the two require separate bidding on the mainland, although bidding is said to be "tailor-made" for the operator. For Shenzhen Line 4, MTR receives an annual subsidy of 520 million yuan (HK$658 million) for the line's operation and maintenance like other rail projects in the country. But unlike current practice, it bears the loss if the subsidy and fare income fail to cover expenses.

Analysts said separating the rail and property businesses would increase MTR's risk when such projects grew in number.

"In Hong Kong, MTR contracts out the property projects to developers, which pay for the construction costs and bear most of the risk. But under the mainland model, MTR literally becomes the developer," said Cusson Leung of Credit Suisse.

But he said it was natural for MTR to look for growth overseas, as he expected the firm's land bank in the city to be depleted by around 2020.

While MTR's rail lines in London, Stockholm, Melbourne and the mainland contributed HK$35.7 billion, or 35.8 per cent, of revenue last year, they made up less than 6 per cent of the corporation's bottom line. Leong said mainland and overseas projects would soon make up a bigger portion of earnings, with six more lines being bid on.


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## Blackraven

hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong MTR to export its rail-property model to China *
> But he said it was natural for MTR to look for growth overseas, as he expected the firm's land bank in the city to be depleted by around 2020.


Makes sense.

I mean, after year 2020, the number of areas where you can build new train lines diminishes rapidly........simply because they already have presence within the said geographic area.

Once it reaches that point:
The best that they can do locally at home would mainly be confined to:
1) Refurbishments and renovations
2) One station extensions
3) Short distance line connections
4) Purchase of new trains

That's basically it.

P.S.
Question: Would it be feasible for MTR to enter the Macau transport market?


----------



## hkskyline

Blackraven said:


> P.S.
> Question: Would it be feasible for MTR to enter the Macau transport market?


Macau is too small to sustain a subway network and they already are planning to build a light rail system.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> Macau is too small to sustain a subway network and they already are planning to build a light rail system.


The Macau 'light rail' will actually be an elevated metro, and not like light rail in the rest of the world (for example the real light rail in Yuen Long).
In mainland China they just call these things 'light rail', probably cause they are light compared to actual trains :lol:


----------



## skyridgeline

Silly_Walks said:


> The Macau 'light rail' will actually be an elevated metro, and not like light rail in the rest of the world (for example the real light rail in Yuen Long).
> In mainland China they just call these things 'light rail', probably cause they are light compared to actual trains :lol:


It's _really_ 'light'. A freaking expensive minibus really :lol: .


----------



## Silly_Walks

^^


Is that seriously what it's going to be? In earlier things I've read about it, it was clearly an elevated metro, despite the name :S


----------



## skyridgeline

Silly_Walks said:


> ^^
> 
> 
> Is that seriously what it's going to be? In earlier things I've read about it, it was clearly an elevated metro, despite the name :S


businessnewsmacau.com


----------



## Silly_Walks

^^

Ahh, probably too low capacity to be called 'metro', but it still isn't 'light rail' either, which "is typically an urban form of public transport using steel-tracked fixed guideways that operate primarily along exclusive rights of way" (Or in other words: a beefed-up tram  ) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail ). 


It seems the Macau Light Rail falls in the "Light Metro" category:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_capacity_system


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## hkskyline

*East Rail station work to start soon *
Wider trains on new link route mean changes to platforms and new screen doors
13 August 2013
South China Morning Post









_Racecourse_










The MTR Corp will start modifying platforms at East Rail stations soon to accommodate new trains and will install screen doors as a part of the construction of a new link connecting Tai Wai to Admiralty.

The rail company said it had recently finished a study on platform modification at Racecourse station, and if work there went smoothly, it would start modifying platforms at other stations from October. Screen doors would be installed afterwards.

The modifications are to accommodate new trains that are 2.54cm wider than the existing ones and which will run on both the East Rail line and the Sha Tin-Central link.

The 37 nine-car trains, made in South Korea, will arrive in 2019, and the new link's general manager, Dr Philco Wong, expected the modification work would be completed a year before.

The first phase of the link, connecting Tai Wai and Hung Hom through Diamond Hill, Ma Tau Wai and Ho Man Tin, will open in 2018. The cross-harbour section, from Hung Hom to Admiralty, will be ready in 2020.

Wong said the modification work included fortifying the platforms and reducing the curve of the track. It had to be done section by section, and every three metres of work would take two weeks. Stations in the north such as Sheung Shui would be tackled first.

Construction would be carried out at night and trains running the next day would not be affected, the MTR said.

The curve of tracks would be slightly changed in what the railway operator said might be the biggest modification to the century-old line.

Existing trains on the East Rail line are 12 cars long.

The MTR said that with a new signalling system on the line, train frequencies could be increased from a train every three minutes to a train every two, and it said it hoped that would compensate for the reduced capacity of each train.

Meanwhile, the MTR said there were 2,000 to 3,000 construction vacancies in its five new line projects. It has about 11,000 construction workers on its projects currently.


----------



## herenthere

hkskyline said:


> *East Rail station work to start soon *
> Wider trains on new link route mean changes to platforms and new screen doors
> 13 August 2013
> South China Morning Post
> 
> The MTR said that with a new signalling system on the line, train frequencies could be increased from a train every three minutes to a train every two, and it said it hoped that would compensate for the reduced capacity of each train.


Hmm, I usually hear about train frequencies increasing, but not along with a reduction in capacity per train. Does anyone know off the top of their heads what the theoretical net capacity would be currently and with the new trains during a peak hour? Thanks!


----------



## saiho

herenthere said:


> Hmm, I usually hear about train frequencies increasing, but not along with a reduction in capacity per train. Does anyone know off the top of their heads what the theoretical net capacity would be currently and with the new trains during a peak hour? Thanks!


the ERL has a max capacity of 101,000 p/h/d with trains every 3-4 mins. i'm assuming that running trains every 2-3 mins will compensate the loss of 3 cars.


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## Scion

Passenger numbers on ERL differ greatly between peak and non-peak. It is comfortably roomy during non-peak but insanely overcrowded at peak times. The worst bottleneck Tai Wai - Kowloon Tong will be alleviated by Tai Wai - Diamond Hill, so the future 9 cars will manage quite ok for some time. Not sure how it will cope after NT north east new development gets populated.


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## hkskyline

49240026 by ElDER PRINCESS, on Flickr


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## caiocco

saiho said:


> the ERL has a max capacity of 101,000 p/h/d with trains every 3-4 mins. i'm assuming that running trains every 2-3 mins will compensate the loss of 3 cars.


It's incredible, at least for me. Would you tell me more about the system passengers demand, please? For example, how many people (average) are transported by the ERL everyday (mainly workdays)?

I got interested about the East Rail Line because of its rolling stock and frequency.


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## saiho

caiocco said:


> It's incredible, at least for me. Would you tell me more about the system passengers demand, please? For example, how many people (average) are transported by the ERL everyday (mainly workdays)?
> 
> I got interested about the East Rail Line because of its rolling stock and frequency.


~1 million people use the ERL every day

Source


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## caiocco

saiho said:


> ~1 million people use the ERL every day
> 
> Source


Thank you very much.


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## herenthere

saiho said:


> the ERL has a max capacity of 101,000 p/h/d with trains every 3-4 mins. i'm assuming that running trains every 2-3 mins will compensate the loss of 3 cars.


Thanks! Odd-numbered train lengths makes me hno: tho, haha


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## Fan Railer

saiho said:


> the ERL has a max capacity of 101,000 p/h/d with trains every 3-4 mins. i'm assuming that running trains every 2-3 mins will compensate the loss of 3 cars.


http://www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk/en/faq/


> According to the current planning, the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section of the SCL is scheduled for completion in 2018, providing a new railway line between the New Territories and urban districts. It is estimated that over 20% of the south-bound passengers from the New Territories will then be diverted to the "East West Corridor" formed by the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section of the SCL, relieving the congestion of the EAL during peak hours.
> 
> The "North South Corridor" formed by the extension of the EAL across the harbour is expected to come into service in 2020. Due to the geographical constraints on Hong Kong Island, the "North South Corridor" will run in 9-car train configuration, instead of 12-car configuration. To increase the carrying capacity, the signalling system of the "North South Corridor" will be enhanced. The service frequency during peak hours will be increased from around 20 trains per hour to around 27 trains per hour. This amounts to 243 cars per hour, offering a carrying capacity similar to the current service level.
> 
> Upon the full completion of the SCL, the overall railway carrying capacity between North New Territories/ South New Territories and Kowloon will be significantly increased. The "East West Corridor" will run in 8-car train configuration and provide around 20 trains per hour, offering a maximum carrying capacity of 160 cars per hour. In addition to the 243 cars per hour offered by the "North South Corridor", the carrying capacity will reach 403 cars per hour. All this means a significant increase of 163 cars compared with the 240 cars per hour currently offered by the EAL service.
> 
> The current design capacity of the SCL has taken into consideration the increased passenger demand due to the annual 1.5% to 1.8% population growth along the EAL and Ma On Shan Line from 2021, as well as the increase in the number of cross-boundary passengers from the Mainland.


----------



## Silly_Walks

Fan Railer said:


> The current design capacity of the SCL has taken into consideration the increased passenger demand due to the annual 1.5% to 1.8% population growth along the EAL and Ma On Shan Line from 2021, as well as the increase in the number of cross-boundary passengers from the Mainland.


Have they also taken into consideration that the HSR link might take away a lot of cross-boundary passengers? If I lived on Island or in Kowloon I would never take the East Island Line again to get to Shenzhen :lol:


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## xavier114fch

I am not that optimistic about the capacity of North South Line (NSL) with 9-car formation. Some hard facts here:


There is no official news that the first class compartment will be cancelled in 9-car trains. Insider news said that it would remain. 
Even though there will be a new CBTC-based signalling system installed, intercity trains will still share the tracks. Intercity trains is one of the main cause of delay.
There is no indication that the opening of HSR will reduce conventional intercity trains. Moreover, HSR is running in a different course than the conventional Guangshen Line, Though the location of Futien station in Shenzhen is in a more convenient location, Guangzhou South is a different story.
The number of stations between Tai Wai and Hung Hom on the East West Line (EWL) is higher than that of NSL (6 vs 3 intermediate stations). There is a greater tendency for people to choose a line with fewer stops, so people will still interchange at Tai Wai for cross harbour trips. I doubt if 20% of the total southbound passengers can be diverted to the EWL.


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## silent_dragon

herenthere said:


> Thanks! Odd-numbered train lengths makes me hno: tho, haha


Funny. hehe. Is that something to do with superstitious beliefs? Or a common Chinese tradition?


----------



## saiho

xavier114fch said:


> [*]The number of stations between Tai Wai and Hung Hom on the East West Line (EWL) is higher than that of NSL (6 vs 3 intermediate stations). There is a greater tendency for people to choose a line with fewer stops, so people will still interchange at Tai Wai for cross harbour trips. I doubt if 20% of the total southbound passengers can be diverted to the EWL.
> [/LIST]


Actually its quite possible that 20% of passengers will be diverted by the EWL. Just look at Kowloon Tong, with people transferring from the Kwun Tong line to the ERL and vice versa. The EWL will divert passengers on the southbound North South + Ma On Shan lines transferring eastbound on the Kwun Tong Line and westbound on the Kwun Tong Line to the ERL towards Central (also vice versa in both cases). It's not the though traffic on the ERL will divert to the parallel EWL but the EWL will absorb transfers that will use the ERL had the EWL have not been built.



silent_dragon said:


> Funny. hehe. Is that something to do with superstitious beliefs? Or a common Chinese tradition?


no its just odd numbered MU consists are weird


----------



## aznichiro115

herenthere said:


> Thanks! Odd-numbered train lengths makes me hno: tho, haha





silent_dragon said:


> Funny. hehe. Is that something to do with superstitious beliefs? Or a common Chinese tradition?





saiho said:


> no its just odd numbered MU consists are weird


Isn't West Rail 7 cars?


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## Fan Railer

aznichiro115 said:


> Isn't West Rail 7 cars?


I think it's just 9 and 7 that are a bit odd... usually you're dealing with married pairs when talking about MUs, so it's usually 4, 6, 8, or 10. 

5 also looks better than 7 or 9 since, well, since it's 5 haha.


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## Fan Railer

xavier114fch said:


> I am not that optimistic about the capacity of North South Line (NSL) with 9-car formation. Some hard facts here:
> 
> 
> There is no official news that the first class compartment will be cancelled in 9-car trains. Insider news said that it would remain.
> Even though there will be a new CBTC-based signalling system installed, intercity trains will still share the tracks. Intercity trains is one of the main cause of delay.
> There is no indication that the opening of HSR will reduce conventional intercity trains. Moreover, HSR is running in a different course than the conventional Guangshen Line, Though the location of Futien station in Shenzhen is in a more convenient location, Guangzhou South is a different story.
> The number of stations between Tai Wai and Hung Hom on the East West Line (EWL) is higher than that of NSL (6 vs 3 intermediate stations). There is a greater tendency for people to choose a line with fewer stops, so people will still interchange at Tai Wai for cross harbour trips. I doubt if 20% of the total southbound passengers can be diverted to the EWL.


Only time will tell. If ridership really drops significantly on the IC trains once the HSR link opens, I'm sure that they will start cutting service in that regards. No point to run empty trains; empty trains = lost revenue.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp to boost service on four lines* 
Railway operator will add 124 trips weekly on busiest routes to increase capacity by more than 350,000 and cut waiting times
22 August 2013
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation will add 124 train trips every week on four of its main rail lines this year, raising its capacity by more than 350,000 passengers.

The additions will be mainly on the West Rail Line, where 69 train trips a week will be added in the non-peak period on weekday and Saturday nights. The frequency will be increased from one train every six to seven minutes to one every 5½ minutes.

From November, 49 train trips will be added to the Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line and Island line on Friday evenings. The MTR Corporation's chief of operations, Adi Lau Tin-shing, said the company would also add a train on the Island line during the morning peak hours from North Point to Sheung Wan, and then from there to Chai Wan.

On the West Rail Line, an extra train will run from Hung Hom to Mei Foo, and then from Tin Shui Wai to Hung Hom.

"We noticed that most people are going to the urban area for work in the morning, and the demand for train services going from Hung Hom to Tuen Mun is very low," Lau said. "But many are taking the West Rail to the urban area from Tin Shui Wai at that time."

He said the addition would reduce West Rail passengers' waiting time by 10 seconds, from three minutes.

He said that together with the increased trips on the East Rail Line and light rail in April, the railway would have added 136 train trips weekly to its system and would be carrying 390,000 more passengers.

He said the Island Line had reached 70 per cent of its capacity in the morning peak hours.

"Running a train every two minute means that when a train leaves, another train starts approaching the platform while you can still see the tail lights of the other train. So what we are trying to do is to improve the passenger flow when they board and alight from a train."

The company had hired 200 more staff in the first half of the year to help passengers, he said.

According to the railway, the heavy-rail network carried 1.43 billion passengers last year, compared with 770 million a decade ago, when the West Rail Line and Ma On Shan Line had not come into service. The number of passengers in 2011 was 1.36 billion.

Lau said the railway would also improve its smartphone application, the Next Train App, next month to include information on the West Rail train service. It now gives users real-time information on the Tung Chung Line and Airport Express.

The MTR Corp would also put up bigger and clearer maps in seven stations - Admiralty, Wan Chai, North Point, Lai King, Tsing Yi, Hung Hom and Nam Cheong - by the end of the year, Lau said.


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## _Night City Dream_

Could you tell me the dimensions of cars on each line of Hongkong metro?


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## hkskyline

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Could you tell me the dimensions of cars on each line of Hongkong metro?


Nothing on MTR's website, unfortunately, although I see some on Wiki.


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## hkskyline

*New system just the ticket for MTR trips*
The Standard
Thursday, August 29, 2013



















The magnetic-strip cards used for MTR single journey tickets will be replaced from October by new smart tickets equipped with memory chips.

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation will implement a new HK$200 million ticketing system in less busy stations first while slowly phasing out the 30-year-old magnetic system. 

Chief of operations engineering David Leung Chuen-choi said the existing technology has become outdated while smart tickets are increasingly being used worldwide. 

"Smart tickets are more reliable and durable than magnetic tickets," he said. Likewise, the new mechanism will give the corporation greater flexibility in offering different products for the convenience of passengers. 

"The first product to be introduced is `MTR City Saver' which will be released after the full roll-out of smart tickets," he said.

Under the bulk purchase discount scheme for MTR rides within a pre-designated set of stations in the urban area, passengers can save from 7 percent to 22 percent on typical journeys.

Leung also said old magnetic-strip tickets cannot be inserted into the smart ticket gates but staff do not expect any confusion during the switch as "ambassadors" will be deployed to assist at the stations. 

Some 5.1 million passengers travel on the MTR every day. Most pay by Octopus card but around 220,000 use single journey tickets. 

The old magnetic-strip tickets are inserted into the turnstile, while users of smart tickets will need to tap the cards on a sensor when entering and insert them at the exit.


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## hkskyline

*Stations in line for $9b upgrade*
13 September 2013
The Standard









_MTR Rendering_

About 2,300 platform screen doors will be installed at all 21 stations along the East Rail and Ma On Shan lines.

The MTR Corporation said yesterday that up to HK$8 billion will be spent on various East Rail projects by 2020 while about HK$1 billion will go to the Ma On Shan extension to be completed in 2017.

The MTR's general manager for the Sha Tin to Central link, Lee Tze-man, said passengers will not be charged for the work.

``We believe, we understand that our customers do not want to bear the cost. We are now making the internal financial arrangements,'' he said.

Lee said the HK$8 billion will be spent on installing automatic platform gates, platform modification works, the signaling system and new trains.

The Ma On Shan work will entail installing automatic platform gates and extending platforms to accommodate eight-carriage trains, instead of the current four.

Over the past two months, the MTR took advantage of the summer horse- racing off-season to strengthen the Racecourse Station's platforms to prepare them for the installation of automatic gates.

Similar platform modification works at other East Rail stations will start in November.

Lee said that as MTR does not want to interrupt normal services, it will carry out the work at night. As some stations are about 100 years old, the retrofitting of gates _ which can weigh up to 500 kilograms _ is more challenging and complex than on other lines.

He said steel bars and metal brackets have to be installed in some stations to strength the platform structure.

At other stations, the curvature at platforms will have to be adjusted to narrow the gap between the train and the platform.

As most of the East Rail Line and Ma On Shan Line stations are above ground, the MTR will take measures to avoid disturbing residents.

Lee said the MTR construction team has developed a ``mobile sound insulation booth'' to be placed around work sites to reduces noise levels by around 20 decibels.


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## Ashis Mitra

I don't know, why hongkong metro is not extending now. Are they costructed and converted all lines finally?


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## xavier114fch

_Night City Dream_ said:


> The cheapest doesn't mean the poorest in terms of quality.
> 
> I wonder why everyone keeps blasting Chinese quality yet in China itself almost all metro systems work properly.


PRC has its own industrial standards, and some are even stricter than the European and US standards. However, it is the manufacturer and the so-called testing authority to enforce the standard strictly. 

Metro systems in PRC work properly does not mean that their qualities are up to international standard. Sub-standard components may work perfectly at start, but wearing sets in in a quicker fashion and may disrupt normal running of trains or other systems, just like what has happened on East Rail Line.


----------



## xavier114fch

Ashis Mitra said:


> I don't know, why hongkong metro is not extending now. Are they costructed and converted all lines finally?


It is still extending. This is the list of projects under construction:

- West Island Line (part of Island Line, 3 stations) / mid-late 2014
- South Island Line (East Section, new line, 5 stations) / 2015
- Kwun Tong Line extension (2 stations) / 2015
- High-speed rail (connection to PRC, 1 terminus) / 2015
- East West Corridor of Shatin-Central Link (link up West Rail and Ma On Shan Lines to become one single line, 6 stations) / 2018
- North South Corridor of Shatin-Central Link (extension of East Rail Line across the harbour, 2 stations) / 2020

More projects are on the drawing board of the authorities. Consultation has been made in the last 2 years and the plan will be announced in the next 1-2 months.


----------



## skyridgeline

ddes said:


> It's cheaper to blame Chinese quality than admit that the operator themselves failed to perform quality checks on receiving. It would be the equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot.





hkskyline said:


> The manufacturer is responsible for testing their parts for quality assurance, not the purchaser. *Would a vehicle owner test to make sure the car's engine works*?
> 
> Clearly, your line of thinking does not make sense. The best that a purchaser can do is due diligence on the manufacturer, which is a reputable European brand for this part.


The insulators are industrial/commercial products. MTR's engineer(s)/consultant(s) and MTR themselves are also held accountable.


----------



## hkskyline

skyridgeline said:


> The insulators are industrial/commercial products. MTR's engineer(s)/consultant(s) and MTR themselves are also held accountable.


So would we expect an engineer buying a car to take it apart and properly test it before making payment?

If indeed it is defective on the manufacturer's side, I smell a lawsuit coming.


----------



## particlez

Skyridgeline is right. Both the supplier's defective product and MTR's lack of quality control are at fault.

If MTR were absolved of culpability, it wouldn't have any incentive to test their outsourced materials. Then MTR could rationally source from the absolute rock bottom suppliers. When things inevitably go wrong, it could claim innocence and point the finger elsewhere.

If a defective car part is sourced from a subcontractor, the end automobile maker still has to accept responsibility. 

A post-tensioned building started to fall apart. The steel cables had corroded from within and began to rust. The supplier of the steel cables used lower grade steel. The contractor claimed innocence because they adhered to their job. In the end, the courts ruled both of them at fault.

^true story from my own nightmarish dealings with the real estate industry


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## Sopomon

How does one test for a fault that appears only after a long period of continuous use?

The products were bought in good faith that they'd work as per the conditions of the contract.


----------



## hmmwv

Sopomon said:


> How does one test for a fault that appears only after a long period of continuous use?
> 
> The products were bought in good faith that they'd work as per the conditions of the contract.


You can send a sample to a lab for fatigue test, we do that for life safety or critical control related materials. Manufacturer's QC for the most part are worthless.


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## DaeguDuke

Sopomon said:


> How does one test for a fault that appears only after a long period of continuous use? The products were bought in good faith that they'd work as per the conditions of the contract.


Have you never seen the machines at IKEA that repeatedly rock chairs etc in order to show that they'd withstand 1000, 10000 etc movements? The manufacturer should test them but at the end of the day they want to sell them so will always cherry pick figures


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## xavier114fch

The Legislative Council Panel on Transport Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways has issued papers for the upcoming meeting on 28 Feb. Besides the discussion on recent service suspensions, Legco members will also discuss about the capacity and loading of trains. 

This is the paper outlining the crowdedness of trains. The last page includes a table with figures of ideal and current capacity of the running lines.
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr13-14/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp0228cb1-980-3-e.pdf

For running lines, they are using a standard of 6 person per square meter (ppsm) to calculate the train capacities. It seems there are still rooms for more passengers, but if they change the standard to 4 ppsm, many lines are near to a 100% loading. Tseung Kwan O Line is the worst and it is 100.6%. The authority blames that the usage of mobile and tablets on trains, and reading of newspapers and magazines contribute to the crowdedness problem. They are thinking to remove seats from trains to pack more passengers. Citizens compared this proposal to the transport of animals in cages, and use Mumbai trains to make parody of the proposal.

The authority said they would use the revised standard (4 ppsm) to calculate the capacity of trains for new lines. The urban lines will also get signalling upgrade from 2018-22 to run more trains.

Legco also provides a paper with background information of the capacity issue, which includes the study that compares the crowdedness of major cities like Tokyo, Berlin, Beijing and Singapore.
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr13-14/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp0228cb1-980-4-e.pdf


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## kunming tiger

Sopomon said:


> How does one test for a fault that appears only after a long period of continuous use?
> 
> The products were bought in good faith that they'd work as per the conditions of the contract.


 The moral of the story is not to put your good faith in the wrong people. 

As per your point about testing for a fault that may only appear after a long time that's a good question.


----------



## dimlys1994

Today:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...verless-metro-train-arrives-in-hong-kong.html
> 
> *Driverless metro train arrives in Hong Kong*
> 26 Feb 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHINA: The first metro train for Hong Kong’s South Island Line (East) was delivered to Siu Ho Wan depot on February 19. This is the first of 10 three-car trainsets being supplied by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, which are to be equipped for unattended train operation.
> 
> According to metro operator MTR Corp, the train has undergone 5 000 km of test running on the supplier’s test track. Following initial testing at Siu Ho Wan Depot, the fleet will be moved to Wong Chuk Hang depot in late 2014 for final testing and commissioning before entering passenger service next year.
> 
> The 7 km South Island Line (East) is to run from Admiralty to South Horizons with three intermediate stations. The ‘medium capacity’ line will operate services at 3 min peak headways. MTR says that around 60% of the works have been completed.


----------



## _Night City Dream_

Why do they always use trains of such an outdated look?


----------



## mrmoopt

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Why do they always use trains of such an outdated look?


It's probably what MTR likes, they already paid a ton of money to get the internal fit out designed by the French, and to be honest, there is nothing new on the SIL internal outfit. The fluorescent strip lighting covers has a bubble pattern to reflect the sea, and use of faux wood in some areas to reduce the sterile MTR look, but other than that, seating and pole layouts are the same as normal urban line trains.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong metro seats may be scrapped for smartphone space*
26 February 2014
Agence France Presse

Hong Kong is pondering whether to rip out some seats from overcrowded metro trains to give the city's smartphone-addicted population more room to interact with their devices.

The transport and housing bureau has suggested that the MTR Corporation, which operates the underground railway system, consider the move to relieve rush-hour congestion.

"There are an increasing number of passengers reading newspapers or using mobile devices such as tablet computers or smartphones during their trips that require more personal space on trains," it said in a paper to the legislature Tuesday.

It recommended the "removal of some seats in some train compartments, to increase carrying capacity" as well as incentives for passengers who travel outside peak hours.

Smartphone penetration stands at 87 percent of the city's residents, according to government figures from September 2013. Authorities have been forced to plaster MTR stations with signs warning passengers to look up from their phones to avoid injury on escalators.

The train carriages were designed in the 1980s and 1990s to hold a maximum six people in one square metre (10.7 sq ft) of space. The bureau has proposed reducing this number to four to give passengers more space.

Commuters were "less willing to board a train that looks crowded even when there is still room available", it said. "They prefer waiting for the next train."

On a weekday, an average of 5.2 million passenger trips are made on the 218-kilometre (135-mile) network.

Kenneth Chan Chi-yuk, chairman of the Elderly Services Association of Hong Kong, criticised the plan.

"There are more elderly people now (in Hong Kong) and public facilities are not adequate," he said.

"Does it not contradict the original purpose of having seats?"


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*MTR vows to improve quality after long train delays*
Chief executive says sourcing of materials and quality assurance are the railway operator's weakest points
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 01 March, 2014, 3:59am
South China Morning Post



The MTR Corporation is reviewing its overhead cable system and has pledged to improve quality control after three faults caused long delays on its East Rail and Tseung Kwan O lines.

Chief executive Jay Walder admitted yesterday that the MTR's sourcing of materials and quality assurance were the railway operator's weakest points.

Walder was speaking to lawmakers after faulty insulators caused long delays on its East Rail Line twice in 10 days last month, and a faulty support wire held up trains for five hours on its Tseung Kwan O Line in December.

"The most important weakness, which became apparent in the review of the East Rail incident, is the sourcing of materials and the related quality assurance," Walder said. "We must do a better job of assuring the quality of critical parts."

But Walder insisted that the railway system's performance was not slipping. He said the 143 delays of more than 10 minutes experienced last year were the least since it merged with the Kowloon-Canton Railway in 2007.

The Legislative Council railways subcommittee also heard that the MTR would improve its monitoring of construction work, after the firm found that the loose wire that caused the five-hour delay on the Tseung Kwan O Line in December was the result of a support bracket not having been fixed according to its design.

Transport minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung told the subcommittee that the railway company had hired independent experts to review its overhead cable system and that the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department would also look into the same issue. The experts were expected to complete their report by June.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, of the New People's Party, said it was unbelievable that the MTR had not discovered the problem on the Tseung Kwan O Line earlier. "You did not even check against the design when you inspected the work after it was completed," he said.

A document submitted by the Transport and Housing Bureau said a bracket holding the loose wire was supporting two overhead cables, when it should have held only one.

The angle of the fastening wire was also smaller than it was designed to be, and the load on that wire, which broke, was three times the design specification.

"There is no documentation showing why a non-typical configuration was used at the time of installation, nor can a record be retrieved of any changes to the design or installation method," the document stated.

Legislators also questioned the way disruption penalties were assessed, after the railway was fined a total of HK$3 million for the East Rail hold-ups on February 9 and 18, which caused delays over periods of four and three hours, respectively.

The penalties were based on the longest single disruption. In the first failure, the HK$1 million fine was based on the longest service disruption of 50 minutes. Calculated over the full four hours, the fine would have been five times that amount.

Similarly, the railway was fined HK$2 million for the second disruption, instead of HK$3 million if the amount had been calculated over the full three hours that the delay lasted.


----------



## Fan Railer

hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong metro seats may be scrapped for smartphone space*
> 26 February 2014
> Agence France Presse
> 
> Hong Kong is pondering whether to rip out some seats from overcrowded metro trains to give the city's smartphone-addicted population more room to interact with their devices.
> 
> The transport and housing bureau has suggested that the MTR Corporation, which operates the underground railway system, consider the move to relieve rush-hour congestion.
> 
> "There are an increasing number of passengers reading newspapers or using mobile devices such as tablet computers or smartphones during their trips that require more personal space on trains," it said in a paper to the legislature Tuesday.
> 
> It recommended the "removal of some seats in some train compartments, to increase carrying capacity" as well as incentives for passengers who travel outside peak hours.
> 
> Smartphone penetration stands at 87 percent of the city's residents, according to government figures from September 2013. Authorities have been forced to plaster MTR stations with signs warning passengers to look up from their phones to avoid injury on escalators.
> 
> The train carriages were designed in the 1980s and 1990s to hold a maximum six people in one square metre (10.7 sq ft) of space. The bureau has proposed reducing this number to four to give passengers more space.
> 
> Commuters were "less willing to board a train that looks crowded even when there is still room available", it said. "They prefer waiting for the next train."
> 
> On a weekday, an average of 5.2 million passenger trips are made on the 218-kilometre (135-mile) network.
> 
> Kenneth Chan Chi-yuk, chairman of the Elderly Services Association of Hong Kong, criticised the plan.
> 
> "There are more elderly people now (in Hong Kong) and public facilities are not adequate," he said.
> 
> "Does it not contradict the original purpose of having seats?"


This is the most ridiculous idea I've heard in a while for a number of obvious reasons...


----------



## saiho

xavier114fch said:


> But according to the estimates given in the last consultation, the "average train loadings" of all cross harbour routes maintain at or lower than 60%, so in the authorities' view there is no need for the 5HC.
> 
> http://www.ourfuturerailway.hk/index.html?l=us&p=002
> 
> The Legco has released a research brief on the crowdedness of trains. It seems they are seeking an updated way to measure the train loadings.
> 
> http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr13-14/english/sec/library/1314rb04-e.pdf





hkskyline said:


> *Hong Kong metro seats may be scrapped for smartphone space*
> 26 February 2014
> Agence France Presse
> 
> Hong Kong is pondering whether to rip out some seats from overcrowded metro trains to give the city's smartphone-addicted population more room to interact with their devices.
> 
> The transport and housing bureau has suggested that the MTR Corporation, which operates the underground railway system, consider the move to relieve rush-hour congestion.
> 
> "There are an increasing number of passengers reading newspapers or using mobile devices such as tablet computers or smartphones during their trips that require more personal space on trains," it said in a paper to the legislature Tuesday.
> 
> It recommended the "removal of some seats in some train compartments, to increase carrying capacity" as well as incentives for passengers who travel outside peak hours.
> 
> Smartphone penetration stands at 87 percent of the city's residents, according to government figures from September 2013. Authorities have been forced to plaster MTR stations with signs warning passengers to look up from their phones to avoid injury on escalators.
> 
> The train carriages were designed in the 1980s and 1990s to hold a maximum six people in one square metre (10.7 sq ft) of space. The bureau has proposed reducing this number to four to give passengers more space.
> 
> Commuters were "less willing to board a train that looks crowded even when there is still room available", it said. "They prefer waiting for the next train."
> 
> On a weekday, an average of 5.2 million passenger trips are made on the 218-kilometre (135-mile) network.
> 
> Kenneth Chan Chi-yuk, chairman of the Elderly Services Association of Hong Kong, criticised the plan.
> 
> "There are more elderly people now (in Hong Kong) and public facilities are not adequate," he said.
> 
> "Does it not contradict the original purpose of having seats?"


I'd say a 5th Harbor Crossing is in order. :cheers:


----------



## mrmoopt

Having all these harbour crossings is just ridiculous.
The point is people want to get from Central to the Tsim Tsa Tsui area.

After the East Rail Line crosses the harbour, the first stop is Hung Hom, in the middle of nowhere. Sure it relieves passengers going from Central to ERL via Mong Kok and Diamond Hill, but that's not where most people want to go.

What is better is short running trains on the Tsuen Wan Line to Lai King and Choi Hung from Central during peak times.

In addition to this, the future East West line needs to be routed:
West Rail Line <> existing East Rail line to Tai Wai <> existing Ma On Shan line 

And the future North South line needs to be routed:
Existing East Rail line from Lo Wu to Tai Wai, future Tai Wai to Hung Hom via Diamond Hill and Kai Tak, then the cross harbour link.

Why did I say this? Because the future CRH link will be at West Kowloon. People will be using the Tung Chung Line or Tsuen Wan line to get there. This already relieves Tsuen Wan line for cross border traffic. The North South axis will then gain a new catchment area of East Kowloon, and it will get rid of customers who use the Tsuen Wan line to cross the harbour get to the Kwun Tong line and shift them there.


----------



## MTR MTR

For the South Island Line (East) are they using KABA psds?


----------



## hkskyline

*Fresh blow to MTR as delays hit South line*
The Standard
Thursday, May 22, 2014

The MTR Corp said part of the construction work for the South Island Line (East) is delayed, in another embarrassing admission by the railway operator.

The company, however, stressed it is working toward the line's scheduled completion and opening next year.

The admission comes amid reports the delay could stretch to 1 years, and follows criticisms of the delay of the multibillion-dollar Express Rail Link and calls to defer the Sha Tin-Central Rail Link after the discovery of relics.

An MTR spokeswoman said the most difficult part of the South Island Line project is in Admiralty, the interchange station of four lines: Island, Tsuen Wan, South Island Line (East) and Sha Tin- Central Rail Link.

It is being expanded to six stories. Three more stories are being built under Harcourt Garden, where the South Island Line platform is at the lowest story.

The MTRC said there are "so many foundations of high-rise buildings" in the area and that "safety and not disrupting the current service are our first concern, which is challenging to us."

It is still the MTRC's objective to complete the line next year, with more than 60 percent of the whole project built, the spokeswoman said.

"But the exact date for the opening is yet to be confirmed," she added.

A spokesman for the Transport and Development Bureau said the Highways Department discovered the lack of progress about half a year ago.

"The MTR replied on February 17 that some difficulties were encounter
ed during construction and that it will try its best to catch up and still expects to complete the project by 2015," the spokesman said.

The department also urged the MTRC to submit plans on how it intends to catch up.

Michael Tien Puk-sun said the Legislative Council subcommittee on matters relating to railways, of which he is the chairman, will follow up the matter in its next meeting on June 13.

"It seems to me the MTR has not reported a lot of matters because they believe they can catch up," he said. "They are not hiding it intentionally, but it is still hiding indirectly."

Tien said delays in the South Island Line have a greater impact on the public than delays in the Express Rail Link.


----------



## hkskyline

*More questions for MTR after latest delay*
30 May 2014
South China Morning Post	










Hong Kong's monopoly rail operator is finding itself with an unwelcome reputation for delays.

The MTR Corporation, majority-owned by the government, suffered another dose of bad news yesterday when it was forced to reveal that its West Island Line may not fully open this year as scheduled. That means all five of its building projects are likely to be late.

The delays have been announced one after another in the last month, triggering a management reshuffle, putting the brakes on the locomotive that was supposed to power the company's growth and sparking more questions than answers on the future of the city's railways.

While not disputing the fact that a chronic labour shortage in the construction industry and unpredictable weather have been big factors, as the MTR claims, analysts are concerned about how much the delays will add to the cost of the work … and who will pay. They say the rash of postponements also exposes conflicts in the government's dual role as controlling shareholder and regulator.

"It's a rail monopoly, a blue-chip company and [acts as a] a half-government entity in granting land for development," Eric Wong, chairman of property developer Bricks & Mortar Management, said of the MTR. "Its roles are conflicting."

Founded in 1979 to run the city's burgeoning mass-transit network, the MTR floated on the stock exchange in 2000 and merged with its smaller counterpart KCR in 2007 to become the city's monopoly rail operator. Some 5.25 million journeys are made on its network every day, and it reported a HK$8.6 billion profit from its core rail and property operations last year.

The government retains 76.5 per cent of the company's shares.

Five years ago, the rail network looked set for a huge leap forward with five projects that would add 56km to the rail network, an increase of 25 per cent to a total of 274km.

But news of the delays has led to concerns that the unprecedented expansion was too ambitious, and accusations - including from lawmaker and former KCR boss Michael Tien Puk-sun - that the MTR was keeping the public in the dark on the delays, a claim management denied.

Yesterday's revelation that problems at the new Sai Ying Pun station would mean the 3km West Island Line may not open in full this year followed the news that work was well behind schedule on an extension to the Kwun Tong Line, due to be finished next year. Work on the South Island Line, also due to open next year, has likewise fallen behind.

The 17km Sha Tin to Central link, slated to open in part in 2018 and in full in 2020, is also expected to be late. The most high-profile delay, and the first to be announced, was to the 26km high-speed line to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which will be pushed back two years to 2017.

Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of think-tank Professional Commons, attributed the delays to the government and the MTR's ambitions.

"The MTR has bitten off more than it can chew," he said. "The government underestimated the capacity of infrastructure projects Hong Kong can carry at one time."

An MTR spokeswoman said the corporation did not think its plans were too ambitious, adding that each project was handled by a dedicated team.

Lee Chi-ming, chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said the schedule for completion was too tight and the city lacked the human resources to cope with such robust demand. He called for greater transparency from the MTR.

Lai said budget overruns were inevitable, especially on the HK$67 billion cross-border route. He said it would be up to the MTR and the government to sort out the liabilities.

"By default, the project owner, which is the government, should bear the overrun costs," he said. "But we won't know how much extra will be incurred until the projects are completed."

The MTR spokeswoman said it was too early to conclude the projects would go over budget.


----------



## hkskyline

*Discounts track MTR rises*
The Standard
Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The MTR Corp will introduce a new "30-day" ticket and an early bird discount to offset a planned 3.6 percent rise in rail fares from June 29.

The monthly ticket scheme - City Saver - is the first of its kind and will cover a total of 54 stations. This ticket will cost HK$400 for 40 journeys and may be used on the Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong to Tsing Yi and Tseung Kwan O lines.

MTR commercial director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said passengers using City Saver will enjoy a 10 to 24 percent discount.

"As an easy calculation, every trip costs on average of HK$10. For instance, a passenger traveling from Tsuen Wan to Admiralty, a trip which normally costs HK$13.2, will save HK$3.2 per trip or HK$128 a month," Yeung said.

This ticket must first be used within 14 days of purchase with sales starting on Sunday.

Another promotion, the Early Bird Discount, is aimed at those who travel between 7.15am and 8.15am, from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. These passengers will enjoy a 25 percent discount.

The trial promotion will cover 29 of the busiest stations including those from Tai Koo to Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui to Mei Foo or Tsim Sha Tsui to Kowloon, and Hong Kong to Mei Foo.

The discount will, hopefully, "relieve the load on trains and change passengers' travel habits," she said.

The trial promotion will run from September 1 to May 31 next year.

Monthly Pass Extra users who travel onwards beyond the 29 core stations, between 7.15am and 8.15am, will enjoy a further 25 percent discount on top of the original fare discount they receive.

Furthermore, the MTR will extend the "10 percent Same Day Second Trip Discount" scheme from 3.5 months to 10 months. This will be valid from June 29 until April 30 next year.

Yeung said the fare hikes will increase MTR income by about HK$500 million, some of which will be used toward giving ticket concessions.

Following the fare hike, 52 percent will pay an extra 20 cents or less a trip, 26 percent will pay 30 to 40 cents more and 22 percent will pay 50 cents extra.

"According to the Fare Adjustment Mechanism, the MTR, Light Rail and MTR Bus fares will increase 3.6 percent," said Eddie So Chung-tat, MTR marketing and planning general manager.


----------



## hkskyline

By *Navbir* from dcfever :


----------



## AsHalt

hkskyline said:


> *Discounts track MTR rises*
> The Standard
> Wednesday, May 28, 2014
> 
> The MTR Corp will introduce a new "30-day" ticket and an early bird discount to offset a planned 3.6 percent rise in rail fares from June 29.
> 
> The monthly ticket scheme - City Saver - is the first of its kind and will cover a total of 54 stations. This ticket will cost HK$400 for 40 journeys and may be used on the Tsuen Wan, Island, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong to Tsing Yi and Tseung Kwan O lines.
> 
> MTR commercial director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said passengers using City Saver will enjoy a 10 to 24 percent discount.
> 
> "As an easy calculation, every trip costs on average of HK$10. For instance, a passenger traveling from Tsuen Wan to Admiralty, a trip which normally costs HK$13.2, will save HK$3.2 per trip or HK$128 a month," Yeung said.
> 
> This ticket must first be used within 14 days of purchase with sales starting on Sunday.
> 
> Another promotion, the Early Bird Discount, is aimed at those who travel between 7.15am and 8.15am, from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. These passengers will enjoy a 25 percent discount.
> 
> The trial promotion will cover 29 of the busiest stations including those from Tai Koo to Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui to Mei Foo or Tsim Sha Tsui to Kowloon, and Hong Kong to Mei Foo.
> 
> The discount will, hopefully, "relieve the load on trains and change passengers' travel habits," she said.
> 
> The trial promotion will run from September 1 to May 31 next year.
> 
> Monthly Pass Extra users who travel onwards beyond the 29 core stations, between 7.15am and 8.15am, will enjoy a further 25 percent discount on top of the original fare discount they receive.
> 
> Furthermore, the MTR will extend the "10 percent Same Day Second Trip Discount" scheme from 3.5 months to 10 months. This will be valid from June 29 until April 30 next year.
> 
> Yeung said the fare hikes will increase MTR income by about HK$500 million, some of which will be used toward giving ticket concessions.
> 
> Following the fare hike, 52 percent will pay an extra 20 cents or less a trip, 26 percent will pay 30 to 40 cents more and 22 percent will pay 50 cents extra.
> 
> "According to the Fare Adjustment Mechanism, the MTR, Light Rail and MTR Bus fares will increase 3.6 percent," said Eddie So Chung-tat, MTR marketing and planning general manager.


That early bird discount sounds like the Singapore's LTA promo for the early bird travelers which just got extended another year


----------



## hkskyline

AsHalt said:


> That early bird discount sounds like the Singapore's LTA promo for the early bird travelers which just got extended another year


The MTR actually started off-peak discounts in 1988 but ended the scheme in 1998 when the Tung Chung Line opened.


----------



## hkskyline

*Experts urge action before harsh weather ruins relics found at new MTR site *
5 June 2014
South China Morning Post	










Antiquities advisers are worried that sunlight and the imminent typhoon season will ruin ancient relics unearthed at the To Kwa Wan MTR site and urge prompt action to protect them.

The concern was raised at the Antiquities Advisory Board meeting yesterday as members discussed how to strike a balance between consultation and timely action amid heated debate over the handling of the relics.

Dr Liu Wensuo, an archaeologist at Guangzhou's Sun Yat-sen University, who is conducting the archaeological excavation, warned that a round structure - which he called a pit and Chinese University archaeologist Dr Tang Chung earlier identified as a well - was on the verge of collapse. He suggested it be backfilled - refilled with the material dug out of it - for protection.

"It has been almost a month since it was dug out. Recently, the archaeological team has observed that the underground water level is lowering [and] the upper part of the pit is showing signs of collapse," he said.

Liu said exposure to strong sunlight was another threat to the unearthed relics, which date from the Song dynasty (960-1279AD) to the early 20th century.

Members agreed that the archaeological team should go ahead with the backfilling and Stephen Chan Chit-kwai, a director of the Conservancy Association, said the work should be done before severe weather hits.

The archaeological excavation work is required by environmental impact assessment laws for the railway construction.


----------



## hkskyline

*We'll do better next time, transport minister Anthony Cheung says *
South China Morning Post
14 June 2014 










Future railway projects will be planned in a better way, the transport minister has promised after it emerged that delays were threatening all five MTR lines under construction.

Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said two delays announced on Thursday reflected engineering difficulties in the projects and a shortage of labour.

"We will learn from this experience and review planning issues in the construction of future railways," he said yesterday.

But Cheung warned that future challenges could be tougher because of other infrastructure projects the city might carry out.

Proposed railways include a line parallel to the Island Line, a link between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports, and one serving planned new towns in the northeastern New Territories.

The public was consulted on these proposals in the past two years and the government is due to reveal its decision this year.

On Thursday, the MTR Corporation admitted there would be a delay of six months, to 2016, in opening the Kwun Tong line extension - linking Yau Ma Tei, Ho Man Tin and Whampoa - and the South Island line, to run between Admiralty and South Horizons.

The West Island line, due to open by the end of the year, and the first phase of the Sha Tin-Central link, supposed to be finished by 2018, might not meet their deadlines, the MTR said.

The news came two months after the company admitted a two-year delay in the opening of a high-speed link to Guangzhou. MTR could have been too optimistic when it set 2015 as the year the South Island line would be ready, the project's construction manager Ken Wong Kin-wai said. The project was short of 1,000 workers, he said.

The labour shortage was also cited by the Kwun Tong line extension's project manager James Chow So-hung as a major reason for its delay.

Protesters rallied outside the MTR headquarters, calling on the company to explain more clearly the reasons for the delays.


----------



## hkskyline

*Six-month delay for two new MTR lines*
The Standard
Friday, June 13, 2014

Two more MTR projects have fallen behind schedule by six months and cannot be completed next year.

The delays to the South Island and Kwun Tong line extensions bring to five the number of delayed projects, the company admitted yesterday.

The others are the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Sha Tin to Central Link and the West Island Line.

MTR Corporation chief executive Jay Walder apologized and admitted that the scheduled completion dates for both extensions cannot be met due to construction difficulties at Admiralty and Whampoa stations.

He said both projects are at least six months behind schedule, but stressed that everything will be done to speed them up.

South Island Line project manager Ken Wong Kin-wai said that, except for the interchange at Admiralty, all tunnels of the extension have been bored.

Kwun Tong Line extension project manager James Chow So-hung said only 40 percent of Whampoa station has been finished, although 90 percent of tunneling work has been completed.

Walder said the delays are mainly due to the complexity of the construction methods as well as the extremely tight space constraints and heavily developed areas that they are working in.

Maintaining safety for passengers, the community and workers on-site is of overall importance.

He added that, for the South Island Line, the most complex part of the extension work is that of the ground under the existing railway lines.

Chow said Whampoa is an old district and many tubes there are aging and need to be changed before construction can continue.

He said the protection works for underground utilities and limited working space have extended the process during the early stage of construction.

Michael Tien Puk-sun, chairman of Legco's railway subcommittee, said it was good for the MTRC to make a timely announcement about the delays as it was too optimistic about progress when it first took over several projects.

"The MTRC did not anticipate any accidents or obstacles happening," Tien said.

He added the company should clearly explain the reasons behind the delays, including whether they are due to the lack of ground investigation work or any pre-construction work.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said the government will report on the delays to Legco next Tuesday. He said his department received an update about the delays a week ago.

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, vice chairman of Legco's transport panel, fears that delays in MTR projects will become the norm.


----------



## hkskyline

*Railway report hit by delays at MTR works*
The Standard
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Construction delays on various MTR lines have forced the government to defer the release of a report on the long-term development of the territory's railway network.

The postponement of the report will enable the government to first address a series of delays plaguing five new lines that are currently under construction.

Undersecretary for Transport and Housing Yau Shing-mu told the Legislative Council's subcommittee on railways that he hoped the report, which will propose locations of new railway lines after 2020, can be released to the public before September.

The delayed projects are Guangzhou- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Sha Tin to Central Link, the West Island line, South Island line (East) and the Kwun Tong line extension.

Democratic Party lawmaker Wu Chi-wai called into question the ability of the Highways Department to supervise the MTR, and asked it for a list of its engineers.

Wu revealed that 23 pan-democrats plan to table a motion to set up a special committee to investigate the delay of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link at next Wednesday's Legco meeting.

Around 100 people protested outside the legislature before the subcommittee meeting began. Protesters called on the MTR to compensate residents affected by the delay of the new lines.


----------



## _Night City Dream_

5 new lines???


----------



## dimlys1994

_Night City Dream_ said:


> 5 new lines???


No, there are - 1 new line (South Island Line (East), Island Line extension (dubbed as West Island line), merger of Ma On Shan and West Lines and East Rail Line extension to Admiralty (both part of Sha Tin to Central Link) and Kwung Tong Line extension to Whampoa. HSR is new


----------



## hkskyline

*The big picture map : http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/sustainability/2011rpt/network.pdf *

West Island Line










Shatin - Central Link










South Island Line










Kwun Tong Line Extension


----------



## xavier114fch

The latest "official" map is from their 2013 annual report
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/investrelation/2013frpt_e/E105.pdf

and this is my presentation of the map including latest "rumors" for accepted plans of RDS-2U, which is scheduled to be revealed this summer.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fxoavc6xqw9lp55/poster-map-rds2u.pdf


----------



## dimlys1994

Taken on 29th May, MTR oficials represents first look at Kennedy Town station, taken from here:










And another one:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...eremony-for-south-island-line-east-depot.html
> 
> *Topping out ceremony for South Island Line (East) depot*
> 25 Jun 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHINA: A topping-out ceremony for Wong Chuk Hang depot on Hong Kong’s 7 km South Island Line (East) project was held on June 24. The 40 000 m² depot is the first in Hong Kong to be designed for unattended train operation.
> 
> Completion of the depot structure will enable fitting out, tracklaying and electrification works to be undertaken ready for testing and commissioning of the 10 three-car trainsets being supplied by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.
> 
> ‘I am happy to witness the topping out of Wong Chuk Hang depot which takes us a step closer towards the opening of SIL(E),’ said Chu Ching-hong, Chairman of Southern District Council. ‘I believe the new railway will energise the Wong Chuk Hang area and the whole Southern District, as well as provide residents with a convenient transportation service.’


----------



## Jim856796

*North Island Line: Swap Scheme or Interchange Scheme - Which scheme should we go with?*

In February 2013, two schemes were proposed for the North Island Line: A "swap" scheme and an "interchange" scheme. Three new stations will be established along the line: Tamar, Exhibition (an interchange with the North-South Corridor), and Causeway Bay North.

The "Swap" scheme involves extending the existing Tung Chung Line along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island connecting with Forest Hill Station and take up the remaining Island Line section to Chai Wan Station. Also, the Tseun Kwan O Line will extend from its current westbound terminus at North Point Station to the Tin Hau Station, and take up the remaining Island Line to Kennedy Town Station. Plus, the section of track between Tin Hau and Fortress Hill will be removed.

The "Interchange" scheme involves preserving the existing Island Line and the existing Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line will be extended along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. The three new stations will be constructed along the extensions, and either Tamar or Causeway Bay North station will be chosen as an interchange between the two lines.

So, if this North Island Line were to be conceived, which of these two schemes should we go with?


----------



## saiho

Jim856796 said:


> In February 2013, two schemes were proposed for the North Island Line: A "swap" scheme and an "interchange" scheme. Three new stations will be established along the line: Tamar, Exhibition (an interchange with the North-South Corridor), and Causeway Bay North.
> 
> The "Swap" scheme involves extending the existing Tung Chung Line along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island connecting with Forest Hill Station and take up the remaining Island Line section to Chai Wan Station. Also, the Tseun Kwan O Line will extend from its current westbound terminus at North Point Station to the Tin Hau Station, and take up the remaining Island Line to Kennedy Town Station. Plus, the section of track between Tin Hau and Fortress Hill will be removed.
> 
> The "Interchange" scheme involves preserving the existing Island Line and the existing Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line will be extended along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. The three new stations will be constructed along the extensions, and either Tamar or Causeway Bay North station will be chosen as an interchange between the two lines.
> 
> So, if this North Island Line were to be conceived, which of these two schemes should we go with?


Interchange with through operation. I know the signalling systems are different. However I believe that it is worth re signalling or figuring out a way for the signals to co-exist on the same line to remove the forced transfer. If the Japanese can figure it out then we can too.


----------



## xavier114fch

Rumors from the local railway fans community said that the Interchange option may be perused, with Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line both extended to Tamar. Tamar will be modified to become an interchange station. 

There are also rumors regarding other lines, with the Northern link and the 1st phase of South Island Line (West section) may gain traction to start after the current boom of construction.


----------



## Jim856796

The "Swap" scheme greatly increases the number of stations reached by Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line on the Hong Kong Island, but east-west directional traffic along the existing Island Line will be interrupted and require an interchange. Also, the maximum train frequency between Fortress Hill and Chai Wan Stations, which are taken up by Tung Chung Line, will have to reduce by 8 trains per hour.

The "Interchange" scheme preserves the existing Island Line and does not change the current communication pattern between Central and Western District and Eastern District. However, as Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O Lines will not be connected to Island Line, some passengers would still need to make an interchange like they currently do. Also, this arrangement will do less than the "Swap" scheme to relieve congestion, since although the number of stations and the area served has increased, the link with the current Island Line is still the same, unlike the "Swap" scheme.


----------



## hkskyline

Still a long way to go before the shovels hit the ground. Think it is still too early to guess any re-alignments.


----------



## xavier114fch

hkskyline said:


> Still a long way to go before the shovels hit the ground. Think it is still too early to guess any re-alignments.


The final decision of RDS2-U was originally planned to reveal sometime in April/May this year. However, the increase in rail service disruptions and the construction delay scandals has pushed the release to late this summer.


----------



## anonymous_filipino

dimlys1994 said:


> Taken on 29th May, MTR oficials represents first look at Kennedy Town station, taken from here:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And another one:


I can see that MTR is using LCD or Plasma Monitors for advertisements and train arrival announcements for the Island Line West Extension. Are they starting to replace all dot-matrix display monitors with LCD or Plasma monitors for advertisements and train arrival announcements in all station platforms?


----------



## saiho

I love dot matrix displays used in transit. LCDs is like the lazy mans approach to transport information display.


----------



## hkskyline

anonymous_filipino said:


> I can see that MTR is using LCD or Plasma Monitors for advertisements and train arrival announcements for the Island Line West Extension. Are they starting to replace all dot-matrix display monitors with LCD or Plasma monitors for advertisements and train arrival announcements in all station platforms?


Yes - at least I notice that on the Tung Chung Line as well.


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## Sopomon

Speaking of the Island line, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau stations were a mess yesterday with the amount of protesters cramming through


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## _Night City Dream_

Tsuen Wan line is so noisy when you are on the train. Didn't expect it from Hong Kong. Almost like in Moscow.


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## _Night City Dream_

Sopomon said:


> Speaking of the Island line, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau stations were a mess yesterday with the amount of protesters cramming through


At Wan chai it was like an inferno, too.


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## hkskyline

*MTR signals $850m move on East Rail*
The Standard
Friday, July 04, 2014

MTR Corp will renew the signaling system of its East Rail Line by 2017 to tie in with the operation of the new Sha Tin-Central rail link.

The HK$850 million cost will be shared with the government.

In addition, 1,600 automatic platform gates will be installed at 13 stations.

But the cost of these gates has to be confirmed since the contract has not yet been awarded.

Preliminary work to strengthen the platforms is ongoing and the HK$6 million needed is being covered by the MTR.

Meanwhile, the latest document from the Legislative Council's transport panel indicates there will be an 11-month delay to the Sha Tin-Central link, with six of the months being blamed on the new evaluation that is required.

MTR operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said: "We encountered unfavorable ground conditions during the excavation of the Hin Keng to Ma Chai Hang tunnel in the Tai Wai to Hung Hom section."

Kam said the exact budget overruns for the Sha Tin-Central link have yet to be calculated, and the MTR will be making an estimate once the archaeological work is completed by the third quarter of the year.

It was revealed that the MTR has already purchased 37 new nine-car trains, which were designed and manufactured in South Korea, at a cots of HK$4 billion.

On its overall service performance for the first six months of the year, the MTR said that 78 out of 912,590 train trips experienced delays of longer than eight minutes.

There were 10 delays longer than 31 minutes.

"The MTR performance for the first half was really bad," Kam said.

MTR chief executive Jay Walder said the railway will focus on keeping passengers informed.

The rail company will also accelerate its recovery and restoration of service.


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## hkskyline

*Pottery found at To Kwa Wan shows city was trading hub back in Song dynasty*
South China Morning Post
6 July 2014	

Ancient pottery from the site of the planned To Kwa Wan railway station gives a rare glimpse into everyday life during the Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, according to an expert.

While most attention on the Kowloon City site of the Sha Tin-Central MTR link has focused on built structures, Professor Peter Lam Yip-keung, a retired director of Chinese University's Art Museum, yesterday gave a public lecture on the ceramics that have been uncovered.

Thousands of items have been unearthed at the 23,000 square metre site. Lam inspected the relics at the invitation of the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

After comparing the Kowloon City finds with pottery previously unearthed in other parts of China and Asia, he concluded that they were makes from Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi.

The discoveries provided evidence of Hong Kong's trade with these four areas, he said.

Products for everyday use - including bowls and jars - and for burial, religious ceremonies and trade were identified in the find.

"It has been documented that Hong Kong had become a transport hub since the Tang dynasty [618-907]," Lam said. "Tuen Mun was an outport of Guangzhou, and Fat Tong Mun [in Sai Kung] was a transit point for Fujian and Zhejiang ships entering Guangdong. The finds at the [former] Sacred Hill site are mostly related to trade," he said.

A pair of intact incense burners dating back to the late Song or Yuan dynasty was among the discoveries, Lam added.

Eaves tiles from the same period have also been found, proving the existence of buildings with tile roofs in the present Kai Tak area.

Pointing to the significance of the latest dig, Lam said: "The scale and variety of ceramics dating back to the late Southern Song and Yuan dynasties found at Sacred Hill is unprecedented."


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## MetroHere

Hong Kong MTR 2014 in English and Chinese.



High resolution maps and in English or Chinese only can be found at:

http://www.metrohere.com/hong-kong/hong-kong-subway-map-2014-mtr/


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## hkskyline

*MTRC risked 'indigestion' with five projects at once*
The Standard
Monday, July 21, 2014




























The MTR Corp may have suffered "indigestion" when it launched five railway construction projects at the same time, the head of an investigative committee admitted.

MTR Independent Board Committee chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, who is leading the probe into the delay of the high-speed Express Rail Link, said in a TV interview yesterday that the railway operator was "overly ambitious" in starting five mega projects at the same time. Ma added that in hindsight, it was probably wrong.

Along with the committee's first report on the two-year delay, released on Thursday, came the announcement on the same day of the early exit of MTRC chief executive Jay Walder.

"The MTR Corp may have suffered from a bit of indigestion," said Ma, an independent non-executive director of MTRC and former secretary for commerce and economic development.

"When these five projects were started, no one could have predicted that the 10 major projects would go ahead at the same time, leading to labor shortages."

The five delayed projects are the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Sha Tin to Central Link, the West Island line, South Island line (East) and the Kwun Tong line extension.

Then chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced his 10 major infrastructure projects, which included the Express Rail Link, Sha Tin-Central, and South Island projects, in his 2007-08 policy address to promote economic development and create employment opportunities. Some of the 10 projects were being built in 2010-12.

Ma also said the committee's final conclusion on the Express Rail Link, which has yet to be confirmed by independent foreign experts in the second report, is expected to be completed in October.

"Since we are not engineers, we have invited two experts to help us review the conclusion that we have made, which is not related to human [error], if it is correct or not."

The two experts are Bent Flyvbjerg, founding chair professor of major program management at Oxford University and Kao Tsung-chung, director and research professor of high-speed rail systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Legislative Council transport panel chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun reiterated the MTRC board should seek new blood to monitor the railway giant.


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## hkskyline

*Now double blow hits MTR*
The Standard
Thursday, July 24, 2014










MTR Corp blamed signaling problems for the inconvenience caused to thousands of passengers on two of its lines yesterday.

The latest incidents came less than 24 hours after a six-hour West Rail disruption blamed on lightning strikes.

Due to signaling problems between Choi Hung and Kowloon Bay stations at 9.14am, trains ran slowly between Diamond Hill and Kowloon Bay, an MTR spokeswoman said. This added two to three minutes to journeys.

The problem was rectified at 11.15am and services returned to normal.

However, five minutes later, another signaling problem occurred between Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng stations, with trains again forced to travel slowly. This problem was fixed around noon. 

Passengers said they are frustrated at the frequent delays.

"Don't just keep increasing fares. Service must also improve," one said.


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## hkskyline

*Latest MTR faults lead to assurances on new line*
The Standard
Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The new signal system controlling the unmanned trains on the South Island Line (East) will work independently and will not increase pressure on the existing system, the MTR said yesterday.

The assurance came on the heels of six incidents in the past week, five of which were related to signal problems.

The latest happened at 7.26am yesterday, delaying trains between Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui on the Tsuen Wan Line.

The service returned to normal at 8.18am.

Democratic Party lawmaker Wu Chi-wai urged the government to investigate the recent incidents.

He said there is loophole in the punishment system and that the government should not rely on MTR internal investigations. 

Wu said the MTR tended to investigate each case separately.

MTR Corp South Island Line construction manager Jimmy Poon Kin-keung expressed confidence in the new signaling system.

"The whole system is completely different from the old one, which was designed for non-fully automatic operations," Poon said.

"The South Island Line will use its own independent and fully automatic operation system."

Poon emphasized that it is sophisticated technology widely used in many countries.

He said 71 percent of the South Island Line was completed by the end of May. The line will be served by 10 three-car trains, five of which are already in Hong Kong, with others due soon.

The final testing of the trains will be carried out later this year.

The structural work at Wong Chuk Hang depot has been completed, and 80 percent of the track-laying work finished.

It is the first depot in Hong Kong designed to accommodate trains for fully automatic operations. When the trains enter the depot, they will be controlled by the depot staff but once they leave they will be under the MTR Tsing Yi control room.


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## hkskyline

*MTR 'best in world' despite delays*
The Standard
Friday, August 01, 2014

Hong Kong has the best subway system in the world, but hiccups are unavoidable, according to MTR operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui.

Kam said yesterday that although there have been several incidents in which passengers were inconvenienced, these were isolated cases and there was no common cause.

He said minor signal disruptions are unavoidable even though the railway's signaling systems adopted the most advanced technology at the time of installation.

Kam's assurances came in the wake of five signaling incidents causing delays of eight minutes or more in the past nine days. He said six types of signal systems were installed in the network using the most effective and advanced technology.

Kam said that the MTR Corp had been trying to reduce signal problems to the minimum. "There are more than 8,000 train trips each day. It's very difficult to achieve zero delay," he said.

In the first seven months, 97 delays were recorded, slightly less than the same period last year.

All the signaling systems on the different lines remain in good condition, Kam said.

The most serious recent incident occurred on the West Rail Line on July 22, causing a reduction in train frequencies that lasted for six hours.

The other four signaling-related incidents occurred on the East Rail, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, and West Rail lines between July 22 and July 30.

Another incident caused a delay of six minutes on the Tseung Kwan O Line on July 23.

Kam said the cause was severe lightning damage to two electronic computer cards in the signaling systems.

However, the corporation will look to strengthen lightning protection measures along the network with the assistance of an independent specialist on signaling equipment, Kam said.

A spokeswoman for the MTR added that passengers can rest assured the signaling systems on all lines are maintained and operating in good condition to provide safe train service.

In addition, replacement work on the Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line and Tseung Kwan O Line is expected to begin in 2015 and be completed in phases from 2018 to 2022.

After that, replacement work will begin on the Disneyland Resort Line, Tung Chung Line and Airport Express.

The East Rail Line signaling system will be replaced as part of the Sha Tin to Central Link project.


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## hkskyline

*MTR brings expertise to metro growth*
31 July 2014
China Daily










MTR Corp, the operator of Hong Kong's metro system, is hoping to gain more concessions in the mainland as part of the central government's practice to encourage the public-private partnership business model to diversify economic structure and improve public services.

Beijing MTR Co, an MTR joint venture in the mainland, will start operating the second phase of Beijing's Metro Line 14 in the second half of this year. The concession lasts 30 years, and MTR will invest 2.2 billion yuan ($355.2 million) on metro trains, vehicle maintenance and operational facilities.

Unlike metro operators in the mainland and other parts of the world, MTR has a wide business portfolio, including residential and commercial development project, property leasing and management, advertising, telecommunications and international consultancy services, in addition to its railway operations.

Raymond Chien, MTR's chairman, said bringing expertise in railway development and property management to the mainland is a core component of the company's strategy for continued growth.

"Because Shenzhen is closer to Hong Kong and has favorable policies to support foreign investment compared with other parts of the country, we will focus on developing our business in this city and also in fast-growing cities like Beijing, Hangzhou and Tianjin, as well as explore opportunities in the western parts of China," Chien said.

MTR runs four metro lines in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, as well as two property development projects in Tianjin and Shenzhen. The company's operating profit in the mainland and overseas markets amounted to HK$791 million ($102.06 million) in 2013, up 31 percent from a year earlier. One of the reforms the central government has adopted in the new stage of its social economic development is to encourage the practice of the public-private partnership model as part of its financial reform to create more new market growth points. Chien said it is extremely helpful for metro operators and helps to reduce costs in the mainland.

The public-private partnership model is where a government service or private business venture is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more companies from private sector.

Leong Kwok-kuen, deputy chief executive officer of MTR, said more cities in the mainland have realized that this model can enable local governments to use the expertise and efficiency private companies can offer to the delivery of certain metro facilities and services traditionally provided and operated by the government.

The National Development and Reform Commission so far has approved 37 applications for rail transportation construction projects in the past six years, and 19 cities had metro systems by the end of 2013.

Even though building and enlarging the metro network will improve China's urbanization process, it is quite expensive to sustain these lines.

In second-tier cities, for example, governments have to spend between 3 billion and 6 billion yuan ($484.3 million to $968.51million) to subsidize their metro systems because of low fares, high maintenance and operating costs, according to a report by the institute of transportation research of NDRC released in March.

MTR won the bid for a site at Beiyunhe station along Tianjin Metro Line 6 through a joint venture with Tianjin Metro Group Co in 2013. A mixed-use development of 270,000 square meters will be sold at the Tianjin site in 2015.

"The Chinese mainland has abundant purchasing power and a growing middle class, so carrying out 'the rail plus property' business model certainly can benefit the traveling public because the cost of building railways is shared by the profit generated from property sales," said Hou Hanping, a professor of public transportation at Beijing Jiaotong University.

"Fares can be kept at reasonable levels, without the need for government subsidies on day-to-day operations, "Hou said.


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## hkskyline

*Signal upgrades may disrupt MTR*
1 August 2014
South China Morning Post 

Work could cause train delays but will make system more stable, rail operator says

MTR passengers were yesterday warned to expect more delays next year when the railway operator starts upgrading its signalling system. The news came after a week in which five disruptions lasting more than eight minutes hit the system.

Operations director Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui said the work on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island and Tseung Kwan O lines could add uncertainty to train operations.

“We hope there will be no impact, but we don’t know,” he said.

The signal upgrade operations are due to be completed between 2018 and 2022.

The MTR said work would be done only outside the railway’s operating hours, so that any impact on services would be kept to a minimum.

Kam said that while the upgrade would allow the MTR to add more train trips and make the system more stable, there could be an increase in disruptions during the process.

“In other places, they close the whole system during the whole upgrade, but that’s impossible in Hong Kong,” he said.

When the system was upgraded for the first time in 1998, there was one occasion when service could not resume the next morning because the system was not fully restored.

In the worst of the delays last week, lightning damaged signalling systems on the West Rail and East Rail lines, causing delays that lasted for hours.

Dr Tony Lee Ka-yun, MTR’s chief of operations engineering, said power released from the lightning strikes caused interference to the signalling system.

The strength of the surge was unprecedented and the MTR is investigating whether a stronger protective system is needed.

Incidents involving the signalling system also occurred on the Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and West Rail lines in the past week.

Lee said the incidents were not related and the fact they occurred at about the same time was “random”.

He said 50 maintenance employees had been put on standby at critical points in the system to prepare for emergencies.

Kam added that as of Wednesday there had been 21 disruptions this year lasting longer than eight minutes – an average of three a month.

He said the number was similar to past years.


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## hkskyline

*MTR is world class, but still needs changes*
7 August 2014
China Daily

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) is an exceptional organization. It is a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed company and constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index. Yet, it is also considered a government company. Before the MTRC was listed it was a company established by the government to provide underground railway services. The MTRC has operated according to commercial principles since the company's inception. The MTRC does not have the image of a "State-owned enterprise". On the contrary, the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) was operated like a government department. Indeed, the KCR was a part of the government before its merger with the MTRC. Since the merger, the MTRC has become the sole provider of railway services in Hong Kong.

This simple background outlines the MTRC's role in the construction and operation of railways in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the monopoly of the MTRC in Hong Kong's railway businesses is not without its problems. It marks the beginning of an endless debate over the roles and responsibilities of the company. In recent years, the operations of the MTRC have been easy targets for criticism and attack. The recent departure of the company's CEO does not mean the end of its problems, but rather the start of a new chapter.

It is unfair to say that the MTRC is not operating efficiently. Many of its problems stem from the fact that the government is its largest shareholder. The MTRC was established like a "State-owned enterprise". However this image has been affected by the listing of the company. Many people mistakenly believe that the government is able to influence MTRC operations - it is not, despite the fact that it controls a 75 percent holding in the company.

The Link Real Estate Investment Trust (the Link REIT) on the other hand, is an entirely different matter: The government holds no shares in the Link REIT. Although there has been much criticism of the Link REIT's operations, the public is less critical of the government's influence on its decisions. But the government's controlling stake in the MTRC makes it an easy target for complaints about its lack of involvement in MTRC activities.

The true reason is that since the MTRC was floated, the government has adopted the role of dormant investor. This was a strategic move designed to ease market concern about undue government intervention in MTRC operations. However this also limits the influence the government holds over MTRC operations and can lead to problems. It is unsurprising to see public discontent leveled, sometimes unfairly, at the government.

But to say the MTRC is not performing well is wrong.

Yes, certain lines may have experienced a series of service interruptions recently. And further delays in the opening of new lines have not helped things. But new statistics show the MTRC is still operating impressively.

Compared with its earlier service record, there has been no significant decline in quality. The MTRC wants greater transparency in its operations and even describes this as a decline in service quality. But analyzing these statistics is not the same as watching angry passengers blaming the rail operator on TV. The saying "perception is reality" explains a great deal in this regard.

Those who have traveled on underground railways overseas are full of praise for the MTRC's service. This may explain why the MTRC has become the victim of its own success. As it turns out, the MTRC has put itself in a vulnerable position in that its high standards of excellence now leave practically no room for error. People are quick to criticize it when something goes wrong. Criticisms tend to be overtly harsh simply because of the government's majority holding in the company.

We cannot compare old statistics with more recent figures. The world has changed. When Hong Kong's underground railways were constructed some 30 years ago, passenger numbers were small. Also, Hong Kong learned much from the experience of big cities like London, New York and Tokyo and the way they operated their underground railways. Therefore, the MTRC avoided many mistakes made overseas and was able to provide a superior service.

As time passes, underground railways age. MTRC hardware is fixed - despite constant software upgrades. Hardware constraints naturally limit the effectiveness of software upgrades. Frequently, even with superior software upgrades, limitations of the space available at stations and platforms have adversely affected the benefits of software upgrades. So there are limits to further improvements to MTRC operations. Its problems are often hardware concerns. They do not result from a lack of effort on the part of MTRC management.

However, with an organization such as the MTRC, managers need to understand that the public has different demands and views. They cannot run the company based primarily on the views of professional engineers. So, it is essential that the MTRC communicates more effectively with its various stakeholders.

The author is dean of the School of Business at Hang Seng Management College.


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp should pay part of railway delay cost, experts say*
13 August 2014
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation should pay part of the HK$4.62 billion in extra costs that the delayed cross-border high-speed rail link is expected to incur, experts in transport and engineering say.

It was likely the bill would be split between the government, MTR Corp and contractors as the railway giant was responsible for some parts of the two-year delay in the project, veteran transport analyst Dr Hung Wing-tat and engineer Dr Greg Wong Chak-yan both said yesterday.

The MTR Corp could claim against its contractors if they were found at fault, Hung, of Polytechnic University, also said.

On Monday, the company released its latest estimate of the project cost - HK$71.52 billion, 6.9 per cent more than the HK$66.9 billion the Legislative Council approved in January 2010. It said the new figure was based on "a detailed review of the revised programme" that would now see the link finished in 2017.

Hung and Wong said given the scant details, they could not tell if the figure was reasonable.

But "at least, extra costs incurred from the delay of the West Kowloon terminus construction should be paid by the MTR Corp", Hung said.

"Even if there are unforeseen ground conditions at the site, the MTR should have included the variables in the original budget."

Two reasons that have been cited for the delay were rocks and boulders at the terminus that posed difficulties for excavation workers, and heavy rain in March that damaged a tunnel-boring machine.

Wong, who used to work for MTR Corp, expected any new estimate to include costs incurred by factors both within and outside the company's control.

"For example, in the case of adverse weather conditions, it's God's responsibility, so the government would have to pay," he said. "What I worry is there could be more claims from contractors, as they would know only the amount of claims to date."

The government holds a 76 per cent stake in the MTR Corp.

It is funding the Hong Kong side of the West Kowloon-Guangzhou rail link and has entrusted the MTR Corp with the construction in an agreement that states, "The corporation must use its best endeavours to complete or procure the completion" of the project.


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## hkskyline

*600 more MTR trips pledge in debut by boss*
19 August 2014
The Standard

The new MTR acting chief said there will be 600 additional weekly train trips from late this month in the second round of service enhancements.

On his first day in the job, Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen also promised to deliver five new railway projects in a "safe and timely manner'' and to be transparent when reporting any mega-project hiccups.

Leong was made acting chief after MTR chief executive Jay Walder stepped down, a year before his contract expired.

The last day for American Walder was Friday.

His early departure was announced last month following a stinging criticism of his leadership of the delayed multibillion- dollar Express Rail Link project and other mega-projects.

Leong said yesterday: "The MTR's new railway projects' construction progress is complex.

"But if there is any situation [which influences the schedule], I would tell the public as soon as possible.'' From August 29, the West Rail Line will have eight additional train trips on Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm to midnight.

From September 1, extra trips would be introduced on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island, Tseung Kwan O, and Tung Chung lines.

Leong believes the extra trips may further ease some of the crowding during the busy morning peak period.


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## hkskyline

*Detours at Hung Hom lie ahead*
The Standard
Wednesday, August 20, 2014










Passengers passing through Hung Hom MTR station in the first half of next year will need to make a detour to transfer lines due to construction work on the Sha Tin to Central Link.

Many shops in the complex will have to close and alighting passengers need to walk to another section of the concourse to continue their journeys. Train services will not be affected, MTR construction manager Patrick Cheng Kai-shing said.

Work on the HK$5 billion renovation to transform Hung Hom station into a hub for the new railway link begins next month.

The link will make it possible to travel from Hung Hom to Admiralty in just five minutes, compared with 18 minutes currently.

Two new platform levels will see the link's East-West and North-South corridors converge for passenger interchange, Cheng said.

A new connection between the mid-level walkway and concourse levels will enhance access to Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel area.

The first phase of the renovation will affect the section of the concourse between exits C2 and C3. Shops including McDonald's, Mannings and Fortress will be closed.

Outlets affected will not receive any compensation, MTR head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee said. "[We] notified the shops at the beginning of the year. They have started to prepare for the closure."

Intercity Through Train passengers will have to exit the station on arrival and take a detour through an external covered footpath to take a train to their final destinations.

Exit C3 will be closed while the Customer Service Centre, and the ticket issuing, add- value and ATM machines will be relocated.

Cheng said renovation will take place in phases and after services end at midnight, to minimize inconvenience to passengers.

"Construction sites will be surrounded by boards and soundproof materials to reduce impact on passengers and other shops," he said. Extra station assistants will also be on hand.

Cheng said all works are expected to be completed in 2016. The 17-kilometer Sha Tin to Central Link will have 10 stations and a new cross-harbor section.


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## zidar fr

MRT has done it already on its website so I suppose I am allowed to do it too, Hong Kong and Shenzhen on the same metro map:










Higher resolution image:
http://www.inat.fr/files/hong-kong-shenzhen-metro-subway-map.png


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## _Night City Dream_

A little about HK East Rail line in my Livejournal. Please google-translate it:

http://ncd2010.livejournal.com/109012.html

There's also plenty of information on how I got through the border from Shenzhen to HK at Futian Checkpoint.


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## hkskyline

*Triple whammy for travelers on MTR*
The Standard
Wednesday, September 10, 2014


















_Prince Edward_

Thousands of MTR passengers were evacuated from trains or inconvenienced in three incidents within 11 hours yesterday.

The first occurred just after midnight on the East Rail Line when a train heading south stopped at Tai Po Market because of a power supply problem, according to an MTR spokeswoman.

Hundreds of passengers were forced to leave carriages and take the next train. The spokeswoman said a wayward lantern became entangled with cables and this may have affected the power supply to the train.

A witness said he heard a strange sound and then saw a spark on the top of the train, which was later taken to a marshalling yard for repairs.

At 8.30am, trains heading to Yau Ma Tei stopped at Mong Kok and Prince Edward stations and all passengers were evacuated.

This was also believed to be related to a short circuit.

Train services were resumed 15 minutes later.

A witness, surnamed Wong, said the door of the train at Prince Edward was open when he heard a loud sound.

"Passengers were terrified and immediately left," he said, adding there was smoke coming from the top of the train, along with the smell of something burning.

Firefighters, who were called in to check the train, said a cable over the second door on the second carriage was damaged.

At about 11am, a train from Fan Ling to University station stopped for three to four minutes when the circuit breaker was tripped because of a power supply problem.

The MTR spokeswoman said there was no evidence to suggest the three incidents were related.


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## Fan Railer

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/港鐵北車長客電動列車_(交流電)


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## saiho

MTR's new train color scheme.




























By T. Concerto on the SG Trains Forum.

Source


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## melrocks50

East Rail Line to Shenzhen

Taken by me


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## MTR MTR

saiho said:


> MTR's new train color scheme.
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> By T. Concerto on the SG Trains Forum.
> 
> Source


That reminds me of Paris's MF 01 's new livery!


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## MTR MTR

Do you guys have any news on RSD 2U or the Kai Tak Tram/Monorail?


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## xavier114fch

MTR MTR said:


> Do you guys have any news on RSD 2U or the Kai Tak Tram/Monorail?


The authority will reveal their plan within this month. Some info have been leaked through local media:

*Schemes likely to be implemented*


South Island Line (West Section)
Northern Link
Tuen Mun South extension and Hung Shui Kiu station
Tung Chung West extension (and probably Tung Chung East station)
North Island Line (still undecided if Island Line is splitted or not, consultation is planned for final arrangement)
*Schemes not to be implemented*


Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link
Siu Sai Wan extension
*Schemes not mentioned in the leaked info*


Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line
There is a scheduled Legco Committee meeting on Sep 29 discussing this matter. Kai Tak monorail is not part of RDS-2U, but the authority favors monorail and direct connection to Kwun Tong MTR instead of terminate it within some walking distance.


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## MTR MTR

^^
I don't get why they don't build the Siu Sai Wan extension now.
Isn't it just a simple one station extension?

Is there any news that the south island lines east will open in 2015?


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## maginn

MTR MTR said:


> ^^
> I don't get why they don't build the Siu Sai Wan extension now.
> Isn't it just a simple one station extension?
> 
> Is there any news that the south island lines east will open in 2015?


I think the extension is extremely difficult to build from Chai Wan to Siu Sai Wan as Chai Wan is an elevated station. It would make far more sense for the Siu Sai Wan branch to connect with Heng Fa Chuen and run underground. 
This would create a Y shaped Island Line like the East Rail Line (with the Lo Wu/ Lok Ma Chau split after Sheung Shui Station). 

I'm also pretty sure the South Island Line cannot be completed in 2015, but the western extension of the Island Line will definitely be open in 2015.


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## xavier114fch

MTR MTR said:


> ^^
> I don't get why they don't build the Siu Sai Wan extension now.
> Isn't it just a simple one station extension?
> 
> Is there any news that the south island lines east will open in 2015?


Nope - the extension from the current end of line is very difficult.

1) Buildings have to be removed - we are talking about public housing. 
2) Tight curves under the cemetery to get close to Siu Sai Wan - which slows the train speed.

Check out this map and you would see why.
http://osm.org/go/41dO40qe

Accurate opening dates of West Island Line will be announced in October. Opening of South Island Line (East) has pushed back to 2016.


----------



## Sameboat

maginn said:


> I think the extension is extremely difficult to build from Chai Wan to Siu Sai Wan as Chai Wan is an elevated station. It would make far more sense for the Siu Sai Wan branch to connect with Heng Fa Chuen and run underground.
> This would create a Y shaped Island Line like the East Rail Line (with the Lo Wu/ Lok Ma Chau split after Sheung Shui Station).
> 
> I'm also pretty sure the South Island Line cannot be completed in 2015, but the western extension of the Island Line will definitely be open in 2015.


Actually for a Y-shaped branch, the Siu Sai Wan branch should not even stop at Heng Fa Chuen Station. Instead it would make more sense to pass under Heng Fa Chuen depot and the Cargo Handling Basin to reach Siu Sai Wan. Still the difficulty of construction and Siu Sai Wan's population don't justify it, unlike Hin Keng.


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## MTR MTR

RSD 2 U just got released it has got an unexpected plan to redo the East Kowloon Line!


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## Oron Zchut

I think this is the latest one:

http://www.hyd.gov.hk/en/publicatio...y_development_strategy_2014/doc/rds2014_e.pdf


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## xavier114fch

Oron Zchut said:


> I think this is the latest one:
> 
> http://www.hyd.gov.hk/en/publicatio...y_development_strategy_2014/doc/rds2014_e.pdf


Yes this is it. Here is a quick rundown and the tentative finishing years:


Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station (2018-23)
Tuen Mun South Extension (2019-22)
East Kowloon Line (2019-25) [A new line]
Tung Chung West Extension (2020-24)
Hung Shui Kiu Station (2021-24)
South Island Line (West Section) (2021-26)
North Island Line (Interchange Scheme) (2021-26)

And a new map to illustrate what would be happening:


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## MTR MTR

Yeah! The North Island Line interchange scheme will be used!


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## Svartmetall

Wow, that's a very ambitious plan for MTR expansion - I really like the plan. Also glad to see HK island getting a good amount of MTR expansion too.


----------



## Sameboat

xavier114fch said:


> Yes this is it. Here is a quick rundown and the tentative finishing years:
> 
> 
> Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station (2018-23)
> Tuen Mun South Extension (2019-22)
> East Kowloon Line (2019-25) [A new line]
> Tung Chung West Extension (2020-24)
> Hung Shui Kiu Station (2021-24)
> South Island Line (West Section) (2021-26)
> North Island Line (Interchange Scheme) (2021-26)
> 
> And a new map to illustrate what would be happening:


The English version of the gov report uses "Causeway Bay North" instead of "Victoria Park". (For political correctness?)


----------



## hkskyline

*Full speed ahead for seven links worth $110b*
The Standard
Thursday, September 18, 2014




























The seven new rail links will cost the government a staggering HK$110 billion, with the East Kowloon Line taking the lion's share at HK$27.5 billion.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said the route of the East Kowloon link, connecting Diamond Hill to Po Lam in Tseung Kwan O, is mostly uphill.

"A consultation company said the area is densely populated," Cheung said. "But it's worth considering in terms of its economic and financial effectiveness."

Construction work will start in 2019 and end in 2025.

Plans also call for a new North Island Line an extension of the Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. It will link new stations, including Tamar in Central, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and Victoria Park. Construction will start in 2021 and end in 2026.

The other links include the Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station, Tung Chung West extension, Tuen Mun South extension and South Island Line.

South Island Line will be the second most expensive, costing around HK$25 billion, with construction set from 2021-2026 as well.

The Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station will be formed by linking the Kam Sheung Road Station on the West Rail Line to a new station at Kwu Tung on the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. Work is from 2018-2023.

There will be a new Hung Shui Kiu Station on the West Rail Line between the existing Tin Shui Wai Station and Siu Hong Station. Construction is from 2021-20
24.

Tung Chung West extension and Tuen Mun South extension will start in 2020 and 2019 and end in 2024 and 2022, respectively.

The bureau expects the new lines to bring annual economic benefits of HK$3 billion to HK$4 billion.

KMB, meanwhile, said it hopes the government will adopt a holistic view by developing the railway as well as other public transport systems. The bus company said the government should release the details of every railway project and explain how it will handle the road congestion each will cause.

"They should also consult different stakeholders, particularly road transport companies, to achieve an agreeable solution," it said.

The Hong Kong Construction Association welcomed the projects, saying railways are more environment friendly and a good network will make it easy for the public to travel.

District councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan said work on the North Island Line should be speeded up because the Tseung Kwan O Line is now at its capacity while the Island Line is very crammed.

She said the East Kowloon Line can help separate the flow of passengers traveling from Tseung Kwan O to Kwun Tong, East Kowloon and accelerate the development of Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O.


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## xavier114fch

Sameboat said:


> The English version of the gov report uses "Causeway Bay North" instead of "Victoria Park". (For political correctness?)


The name is my two cents only - I think the actual park name is much better than Causeway Bay North, in terms of its tentative location and the nearby road (Victoria Park Road).

If political correctness applies to the station names, there should not be "Queen Mary Hospital" and also "Tamar".


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## _Night City Dream_

Metro in Hong Kong is not developing that fast. But it needs that.


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## Jim856796

So they have already decided to go with the interchange scheme over the swap scheme? Any possible reasons for the final decision?


----------



## xavier114fch

Jim856796 said:


> So they have already decided to go with the interchange scheme over the swap scheme? Any possible reasons for the final decision?


3.48|
The North Island Line will be an extension of the Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line along the northern shore of the Hong Kong Island, connecting the vicinities of Tamar, the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre and Victoria Park (see Figure 11) with a total route length of about 5 km. This is essentially the “Interchange” Scheme put forth in the PE exercise. The “Swap” Scheme, which requires the splitting of the existing Island Line into two halves, is not adopted due to its significant disruption to the operation of the Island Line and impact on the travel habits of the users.

Also from the Executive Summary

6.8.4 
The initial transport forecasts undertaken showed that the “Interchange” scheme would have similar levels of performance to the “Swap” scheme in reducing the crowding on the ISL, with the added benefit of maintaining the current service pattern of the ISL to minimise the disruption to existing travelling habits of passengers, in particular to many residents living on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. 

6.8.5 
Although the “Swap” scheme provided a marginally better economic performance it was not recommended due to the negative impact on passenger’s travelling patterns, residents living in Fortress Hill and Eastern District, and the complex operational aspects of implementing the “Swap”. Additionally, the “Swap” would require additional TCL trains leading to a higher cost. In view of the above, the “Interchange” scheme was preferred.


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## Jim856796

"significant disruption to the operation of the Island Line and impact on the travel habits of the users". Just what I would have feared. I think the swap scheme would have been more expensive to construct than the interchange scheme, also.


----------



## Blackraven

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Metro in Hong Kong is not developing that fast. But it needs that.


Hehe well Hong Kong has difficult terrain and geography compared to say other countries.........but IMHO, MTR is doing the best that they can amidst these constraints. =)


----------



## AverageJoe

I thought they'd extend the Tung Chung Line further east, at least to Exhibition. Would've been a good way to extend the Airport Express too and link both major convention centres as well as provide an easier interchange with the East Rail Line. Maybe the logistics of that is too difficult?


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## xavier114fch

AverageJoe said:


> I thought they'd extend the Tung Chung Line further east, at least to Exhibition. Would've been a good way to extend the Airport Express too and link both major convention centres as well as provide an easier interchange with the East Rail Line. Maybe the logistics of that is too difficult?


I agree that it's been a hindsight not to extend Airport Express to Exhibition to boost ridership, but extending Tung Chung Line to interchange with both North South Line and Tseung Kwan O Line is impossible now. Exhibition is designed to be a cross-platform interchange, so it is difficult to determine the effective interchange direction for all 3 lines. Exhibition station is quite crammed, so a 3-line (4-lines if Airport Express is extended) interchange complex is very unlikely to be built.


----------



## YKC

[del]


----------



## Sameboat

xavier114fch said:


> I agree that it's been a hindsight not to extend Airport Express to Exhibition to boost ridership, but extending Tung Chung Line to interchange with both North South Line and Tseung Kwan O Line is impossible now. Exhibition is designed to be a cross-platform interchange, so it is difficult to determine the effective interchange direction for all 3 lines. Exhibition station is quite crammed, so a 3-line (4-lines if Airport Express is extended) interchange complex is very unlikely to be built.


Airport Express extension aside, there was discussion that it is possible to construct Tamar into a cross-platform interchange between TCL and TKOL. This design requires extra extension of each track at the end of the tunnel for turn-back. But I doubt the government would invest that much for reducing the interchange distance from just one ride of either escalator or elevator to walking across the platform.

​


----------



## xavier114fch

Sameboat said:


> Airport Express extension aside, there was discussion that it is possible to construct Tamar into a cross-platform interchange between TCL and TKOL. This design requires extra extension of each track at the end of the tunnel for turn-back. But I doubt the government would invest that much for reducing the interchange distance from just one ride of either escalator or elevator to walking across the platform.
> 
> ​


I agree that it is still possible, but the whole NIL corridor is quite narrow. 
The north side of the line is the Central-Wan Chai Bypass tunnel, and the south side is the PLA barracks to the west side and different buildings to the east side. The reverse tracks are likely to be in conflict with the Airport Express reverse tracks, due to be constructed from Hong Kong station to the west of the station, and the overlapping of Tsuen Wan Line immerse tube and North South Line tunnels (provisions have been made during SCL construction) to the east side. 

If reverse tracks are not possible, both lines could terminate at its own island platform and interchange using escalators. This is similar to current Yau Ma Tei or future Hung Hom.


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail complications in new lines*
The Standard
Monday, September 22, 2014 

Transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung has unveiled plans for seven new rail projects costing HK$110 billion. Public feedback has so far been positive.

The new projects include East Kowloon Line, South Island Line (West), North Island Line, Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station, Tuen Mun South Extension, Hung Shui Kiu Station and Tung Chung West Extension.

They're seen to generate up to HK$4 billion of direct economic benefits.

While the public generally favors the rail expansion, there are concerns that Cheung and his team need to address.

Immediately, Hong Kong's biggest bus operator - Kowloon Motor Bus - questioned whether the railway expansion would undermine the firm's sustainable development.

It's a legitimate issue since, upon completion, the rail network will extend to 300 kilometers covering 75 percent of the population. Half of the public transport commuters will travel by rail. That' s significant.

It's hoped a new study promised by Cheung to review the role of different public transport modes can find an equilibrium point for all stake-holders. Even rail commuters like to have choices.

There are also other aspects to consider. First, who should build and operate the new rail extensions? In his answer, Cheung left it open by saying that whether the new projects would be run by the MTR Corp would depend on its capacity, and if other operators could enter the market.

Could the minister dropping a hint they may not go to MTRC as expected? That would be earth-shaking if he meant it. Maybe this was said to a public still skeptical about the corporation following delays and budget overruns for projects like the Express Rail Link, along with administrative shortcomings.

Second, skeptics are concerned that relations between the corporation and government could be complicated by the prospect of a legal fight to settle disputes over who should pay for the extra project costs due to delays.

Will the MTRC and government - who, incidentally, is the rail operator's biggest shareholder - end up in court? I seriously doubt it. Cost inflation will be the greatest concern. Although the estimate of HK$110 billion sounds big, it's conservative in view of soaring construction costs in recent years. It's a safe bet that the projects will be completed at a cost much higher than the estimate.

The public is anxious to see an effective mechanism to control the spending.

A bitterly divided society and tense executive-legislative relations could prove to be the biggest hurdle to overcome if the projects are to be completed on time and within budget.

Meanwhile, it's highly urgent for the MTRC to find a suitable person to fill the void left by former chief executive Jay Walder. The longer the delay in filling the vacancy, the greater the uncertainty in the leadership will become.

If there's a suitable candidate at home, wouldn't this be preferable to hiring an expatriate who doesn't understand local politics?

There's no doubt the railway development strategy will transform the SAR's landscape entirely to benefit most people.


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## mrmoopt

Veolia and Keolis better start lobbying the HKSAR govt for BOT contracts now


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## Sameboat

cal_t said:


> Veolia and Keolis better start lobbying the HKSAR govt for BOT contracts now


Don't expect too much. Many believe the tender is only meant to relieve the public mistrust of government by inviting new operation candidates. So it looks like the government distances itself from MTRC. In truth, MTRC is given the precedence to choose whether they want to operate the new lines or not, which is quite unlikely they will refuse to.


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## mrmoopt

They can still take it to the WTO as unfair tendering. HKSAR is a signatory.


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## hkskyline

*Propping up SZ-HK Express Railway *
19 September 2014
SN China Daily

Shenzhen officials are trying to keep the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway project alive after it was shelved by the Hong Kong government for cost reasons.

In an exclusive interview, an official with the Shenzhen Transport Commission told China Daily that the railway will have special significance to the future of the Qianhai Special Economic Zone. A close and efficient transportation link with Hong Kong can help the development of financial and other services in Qianhai, she said.

On Wednesday, the Hong Kong government released the 2014 Railway Development Strategy and it excluded the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway due to its questionable financial viability.

The Shenzhen official said, "I understand Hong Kong's worries about the project. Now is not a good timing."

"But Shenzhen and Hong Kong governments have been discussing the project for years and it will definitely continue, though not to start immediately," she said.

"I don't believe Hong Kong's delay of this project will have a negative effect on Shenzhen's railway construction plan or Qianhai's development. All of our transportation projects are ongoing as planned, including new transportation lines in Qianhai."

The project is regarded as a strong support to the development of the Qianhai economic zone in recent years because it is expected to be one important stop along the Western link. Shenzhen has been actively promoting the project in order to attract more Hong Kong businesses, companies and personals to participate in Qianhai development.

He Zijun, vice-director of Qianhai Authority said, "Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway has been included in the national five-year plan and it is of great significance for cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong, and the implementation of 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Qianhai will actively continue to work on accelerating the development of the project."

"The project will not only improve Qianhai's competiveness, and facilitate the cooperation between the two cities, but will also create favorable conditions for Hong Kong to develop New Territories District," said the Shenzhen official.

According to the original plan, the total length of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway is about 42 km, including 25 km in Shenzhen and 17 km in Hong Kong.


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## MTR MTR

Can you guys tell me how they update the PIDS in the trains each time there's an extension doesn't it cost$$$ ?


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## xeror

^^The flashing system map above the door is simply a circuit board with LED lights on it and a panel with translucent holes at station positions on top of the circuit board. Extra LED lights can be easily added and the panel can be easily replaced.


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## xeror

BBC news shows applications of virtual reality system on architecture. Hong Kong MTR Admiralty Station after expansion is shown in the video.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29375674


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## MTR MTR

xeror said:


> ^^The flashing system map above the door is simply a circuit board with LED lights on it and a panel with translucent holes at station positions on top of the circuit board. Extra LED lights can be easily added and the panel can be easily replaced.


^^
Oh ok

----------------
But the MTR maps need to be replaced the signs on the psds in all the stations!
Isn't it costly?


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## hkskyline

*MTR urged to speed up work on new line*
29 September 2014
South China Morning Post	

The Democratic Alliance for the Progress and Betterment of Hong Kong hosts a press conference to call on the MTR to place priority on building the western section of the South Island Line. The eastern section is now under construction. The government recently unveiled plans for the construction of the western section in a railway development study. However, work is unlikely to start before 2021.


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## MTR MTR

In central at about 4pm most people got out but when people started getting on the 1st person in line got smashed by the doors the lady and the otheres waited for the next train.
But the Train did not reopen the doors.
Why didn't they?


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## hkskyline

MTR MTR said:


> In central at about 4pm most people got out but when people started getting on the 1st person in line got smashed by the doors the lady and the otheres waited for the next train.
> But the Train did not reopen the doors.
> Why didn't they?


Not too sure what you are describing. Did the passenger block the doors from closing or smashed into the glass panel but not block the doors themselves?


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## hkskyline

By *JBP* from dcfever :


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## MTR MTR

hkskyline said:


> Not too sure what you are describing. Did the passenger block the doors from closing or smashed into the glass panel but not block the doors themselves?


Since there were to many people getting out when the lady finally got in the doors hit her.


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## MTR MTR

The new PIDS on the train.


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## MTR MTR

Sorry for triple post but I found this on http://www.subways.net/china/hongkong.htm


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## hkskyline

*Protests a rail coup for MTR*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Before Occupy Central went into overdrive, the MTR Corp feared its business would screech to a halt as protesting crowds blocked the station entrances.

Instead, it has emerged a big winner, with passenger numbers soaring as roads are closed or choked with traffic.

There have been several confrontations between transport operators and protesters in the past few days, as truck owners and taxi drivers tried to dismantle roadblocks set up by the occupiers.

Public transportation is undoubtedly the most affected economic sector in the Occupy protest.

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

The MTR is the only transportation mode unscathed, having been able to keep the underground rail service immune to the chaos at the street level.

While the firm's management was condemned for project delay blunders in the past, ironically they can now crow that the public is lucky to have the MTR.

During the protests, the railway has been the only mass transit operator able to maintain normal service, carrying both white and blue-collar workers to their jobs, along with thousands of passionate youths to Admiralty and Mong Kok.

Without normal MTR service, the turnout for rallies in Admiralty would be very different.

The transport bureau recently received an update from the MTRC showing ridership on the Island and Kwun Tong lines swelled by 20 percent. That's significant.

According to the corporation's website, its entire network, excluding cross-border services, carries 4.4 million passengers on a normal weekday.

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


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## hkskyline

By *肥仔愛旅行* from dcfever :


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/.../south-island-line-tunnel-broken-through.html
> 
> *South Island Line tunnel broken through*
> 21 Oct 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHINA: Excavation of the Nam Fung Tunnel on Hong Kong metro’s South Island Line (East) was completed on October 17.
> 
> Drill-and-blast works for the 3·2 km tunnel between Admiralty and Ocean Park stations started in August 2012. Around 500 tonnes of explosives were used for 750 blasts, producing approximately 280 000 m³ of excavated material.
> 
> Excavation was carried out in a single direction from south to north. Additional grouting and tunnel strengthening were required in the Wan Chai Gap and Magazine Gap fault zones to mitigate the risk of water ingress into the soft materials in the rock.
> 
> Around 80% of tunnel lining works are completed, and tracklaying is expected to begin soon.
> 
> Work on the 7 km South Island Line (East) began in May 2011. The partly underground ‘medium capacity’ line will link Admiralty and South Horizons with three intermediate stations. Services will operate at peak headways of 3 min.


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## Silly_Walks

Once the south island line and the East Rail Line terminate at Admiralty, won't that station become dangerously overcrowded?


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## maginn

Silly_Walks said:


> Once the south island line and the East Rail Line terminate at Admiralty, won't that station become dangerously overcrowded?


It currently already is!


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Once the south island line and the East Rail Line terminate at Admiralty, won't that station become dangerously overcrowded?


Yes, but the station is being expanded to handle all the transfers. The construction cranes are still there working on this.

By *Dick733* from dcfever :


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## hkskyline

By *443729* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR and market top Tung Chung wish list*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Monday, October 27, 2014

A better MTR service, public market and park - those are the three things most Tung Chung people want to see.

The Community Development Alliance, founded by social workers to assist the poor, polled 200 residents on what facilities are required most in Tung Chung.

The three came out top.

The poll also showed that three out of 10 would like to have cheaper supermarkets not carrying exclusive brands as at the Citygate mall more banks, ATMs, pet shops and restaurants.

A similar proportion would like to see more swimming pools and 39 percent want improved transport links, with the Tung Chung MTR line serving more of the district. 

Alliance community organizer Yeung Cheuk-shun said those who live in public housing at the Yat Tung Estate need to take a bus after getting off at the MTR station because it takes at least half an hour to walk.

"The proportion of public housing in Tung Chung is high," Yeung said.


----------



## MTR MTR

hkskyline said:


> Yes, but the station is being expanded to handle all the transfers. The construction cranes are still there working on this.
> 
> By *Dick733* from dcfever :


LOL I was worried that the new lines would be delayed even more.


----------



## MTR MTR

> MTR express their interest in tendering for the procurement of new trains to replace existing trains running on the Island Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tseung Kwan O Line and Tsuen Wan Line.
> 
> Means the older batch of MTR M-Trains going to retire by 2022?
> 
> http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/C6014-14E.html


From SGtrains.

Mr. Skyline what do you say?


----------



## hkskyline

*Second worker at MTR site laid low with dengue*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Tuesday, November 04, 2014










A second worker at a Sai Ying Pun MTR construction site was yesterday confirmed with the mosquito-borne dengue fever, health authorities said.

The 25-year-old man who lives in Po Kong Village Road, Wong Tai Sin, is in stable condition at the private Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, where he was admitted on Saturday.

The latest incident follows the first local case in four years, in which a 63-year-old man fell sick while working at the same site early last month. He was confirmed to have dengue fever on October 25.

Centre for Health Protection controller Leung Ting-hung said both men reported being bitten by mosquitoes at the site, located at the junction of Eastern Street and First Street.

"It's highly likely the origin is from the construction site," he added.

Leung said there will be sporadic cases coming up since the Aedes albopictus mosquito, a species that can transmit dengue fever, does not just bite one person.

"Aedes albopictus can be found in every district [in Hong Kong], so there will not only be two persons contracting dengue fever," he said, adding the mosquito incidence of the first case was on October 9 and the second on October 27.


----------



## hkskyline

11 November 2014
*MTR Island Line Service Extends to HKU and Kennedy Town at End-December 2014*
Press Release _Excerpt_




























With the West Island Line project 98% complete, the MTR Corporation today (11 November 2014) confirmed that the new 3-kilometre rail
extension will start passenger operations at the end of December 2014, bringing much-anticipated MTR Island Line service from Sheung Wan
into the heart of Western District. Of the extension's three new stations, HKU and Kennedy Town will open at the end of December with Sai Ying Pun expected at the end of the first quarter in 2015. The remaining statutory inspection, stress tests on railway facilities, drills and exercises will continue to be conducted to prepare the railway for passenger service. The exact opening date of the new extension will be announced in December.

"We are very excited that from the end of next month, the convenience of rail transport will become a part of daily life for commuters living in and travelling to Western District. What's more, getting around the district on foot will be more convenient when the integrated pedestrian network of all-weather walkways, lifts and escalators built as a part of this community project opens at the same time. I want to especially thank the Western District community and residents for their immense support of the project throughout and tolerance of the inconveniences caused by construction works over the last five years," said Mr Lincoln Leong, Acting Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation.

"Initially, trains will serve passengers at only HKU and Kennedy Town stations as difficult ground conditions in Sai Ying Pun mean the required number of entrances will not be completed in time to open that station in December. As such, we will be offering a $2 'Sai Ying Pun Station re-opening Special Discount' to encourage commuters living and working in the vicinity of the station to use the new train service from Sheung Wan or HKU," added Mr Leong.

Train Service

When the Island Line extension opens, the frequency of trains between Sheung Wan and Kennedy Town stations will be the same as that for the rest of the Island Line, that is, one train approximately every 2 minutes during peak periods and every 4 minutes during weekday on-peak periods. The journey from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town will take just 7 minutes.


----------



## hkskyline

*West Island Line set to open next month*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Fares for the new three-kilometer West Island Line, to open by the end of next month, will be similar to those on the existing Island Line.

But only two of the extension's three stations Kennedy Town and HKU, which serves the University of Hong Kong will be opened because Sai Ying Pun is being delayed until the first quarter as the required number of entrances will not be completed on time.

The seven-minute ride from HKU to Sheung Wan will cost HK$4.20, similar to Admiralty to Sheung Wan.

Kennedy Town to Causeway Bay will cost HK$6.20, Kennedy Town to Chai Wan HK$9.40, and further to Prince Edward HK$11.10, similar to the route from Fortress Hill to Prince Edward.

All stations from the Kwun Tong Line and Tseung Kwan O Line to Kennedy Town will cost HK$13.20 while Kennedy Town to Sheung Shui will be HK$21.20 and all the way to Tung Chung, HK$24.20.

Sai Ying Pun exits on First and Second streets will mark the station's opening for custom in the first quarter, while the Ki Ling Lane entrance will stay shut until the end of next year.

When first operational, trains will bypass Sai Ying Pun or, if they stop, doors will not open.

MTR operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said Western District has a population of over 200,000 and the station will serve 90 percent of the residents' needs.


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## xeror

*First MTR Lift-only Entrances at HKU and Sai Ying Pun Stations Provide Convenient Vertical Access*

*First MTR Lift-only Entrances at HKU and Sai Ying Pun Stations Provide Convenient Vertical Access*
Press Release _Excerpt_
19 November 2014
source: MTR Website, MTR Facebook page





When HKU Station opens at the end of December and Sai Ying Pun Station opens at the end of the first quarter of 2015 on the extended MTR Island Line, they will be the first stations in the rail network to feature “Lift-only Entrances”, which connect the hillside and lower levels in Western District, for the convenience of passengers and pedestrians alike. 

To ensure a smooth flow of people, each lift at the Lift-only Entrances is designed with doors on two sides, one for users to enter and the other for exit. Special queuing arrangements will be implemented with clearly marked lift positions and queue lines.

The Lift-only Entrances feature enhanced designs from normal lifts including: 


Dual feed essential power supply, fire resistant power cable and addition of individual control function to enhance reliability; 
Extra fire and smoke protection devices such as fire curtains, pressurised refuge lift lobbies and protected staircases to enhance passenger safety in emergency cases; 
Flashing signs and public announcements to direct passengers to leave the station safely via protected staircases and refuge lifts in the event of fire in nearby passageways; 
Designated refuge points for persons with disabilities;
Continue reading: http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-14-108-E.pdf


----------



## xeror

*More on HKU Station*

*More on HKU Station*
source: MTR Facebook page


----------



## dimlys1994

From MTR Youtube channel, documentary about MTR construction:


----------



## hkskyline

*Saving ancient wells: money down the drain?*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, November 21, 2014 

Preserving three ancient wells at the To Kwa Wan station of the MTR's Sha Tin to Central link will cost a staggering HK$5.4 billion more, it was revealed yesterday.

That is equivalent to some one million Hongkongers living in poverty getting a government subsidy of HK$5,400 each.

So far, measures to protect the Song Dynasty wells and building structures uncovered by the construction of the MTR link have cost about HK$3.1 billion and delayed the project by 15 months.

The in-situ preservation of the archaeological find is estimated to cost a further HK$1 billion.

Four options on how to handle one of the three wells have been presented, with the additional costs ranging from HK$10 million to HK$1.3 billion.

Added together, the total additional cost could reach HK$5.4 billion, sources said.

Analysts said it is necessary for the government to assess if the wells are worth preserving from an archaeological perspective for a staggering amount of taxpayers' money that could otherwise be used to help the poor and improve welfare.

Antiquities Advisory Board members met with government department officials yesterday to discuss the four options to preserve one well and water channels.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said three of the options will result in four more months of delay and additional costs ranging from HK$800 million to HK$1.3 billion.

"It is important to reach a decision as soon as possible because each month's delay will induce an additional project cost of about HK$250 million and the progress of the Sha Tin to Central Link project may be further delayed," he said.

The most costly option of HK$1.3 billion is to preserve the well and water channel in situ, meaning it would be located permanently at the MTR station concourse.

The second option, costing HK$1.2 billion, is to dismantle the water channel by hand, construct a steel structure for the well and preserve the site, while reassembling the water channel at its original location after the station's construction is completed.

A cheaper option, at HK$800 million, is to first dismantle the water channel by hand and construct a steel structure to protect the well.

The steel structure would then be removed with the well, then the well and water channel would be reinstated elsewhere.

The fourth option, costing just HK$10 million, is to dismantle the well and water channel and reassemble them somewhere else. This would not cause any further delays to the construction of the Sha Tin to Central Link.

Mainland archaeological expert Liu Wensuo suggested moving the well elsewhere and rebuilding the structure, similar to some historic sites in China.

Although the rebuilt site could not be exactly the same as the original, Li said this would not matter to visitors.


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## xeror

*First Pair of Automatic Platform Gates Installed on Ma On Shan Line*
Press Release
21 November 2014
source: MTR Website, MTR Facebook page





The installation of Automatic Platform Gates (APG) for the Ma On Shan Line (MOL) has commenced on 18 November 2014 and the first set of APGs is now in place on Platform 4 of Tai Wai Station. Other than Tai Wai Station, similar works will gradually begin at City One, Sha Tin Wai, Che Kung Temple and Shek Mun Stations.

“It is always challenging to carry out modification works on an operating railway. In order not to disturb normal passenger service and regular maintenance works, we can only work for two hours overnight after the last passenger train of the day. For installation of APGs, the construction team has to finish precise electrical & mechanical works and conduct a series of tests to ensure a highly accurate operation of the gates before we return the platform to railway service in the morning,” said Mr T M Lee, Acting General Manager – SCL of MTR Corporation. “To fully utilize the limited time we have, the works programme has to be carefully designed and devised to account for how every minute is to be used.”

Once installation is completed in existing service areas, the operation of APGs will commence. “During the retrofitting works, we will deploy additional station assistants to alert passengers to the APG operation when boarding and alighting trains to ensure safety. Passengers will be informed of the related works arrangements through various channels including station notices and broadcasts,” said Mr Allen Ding, Operations Manager – East Rail Line and Ma On Shan Line, “Understanding passengers’ desire for APGs, we are committed to bring forward the completion of APG installations in MOL in 2017, one year earlier than planned.”

The new APGs are designed and manufactured in Switzerland. A total of 720 APGs will be installed on 18 platforms at 9 stations.

Upon the commissioning of the Shatin to Central Link East West Corridor, MOL will change from the existing 4-car train operations to 8-car trains. The modification works include platform and roof extension at MOL stations. APGs will be retrofitted at both the existing service area and the extended platform area.


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## xeror

*Fare gates and ticket machines used in West Island Line*
source: MTR Facebook page


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## hkskyline

*Board mulls best option for artifacts*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Thursday, November 27, 2014

The preservation of an ancient well and artifacts found near the To Kwa Wan station of the Sha Tin to Central Link is to be discussed by the Antiquities Advisory Board next Thursday.

Board chairman Andrew Lam Siu-lo said it is necessary for the government and MTR to provide details of the financial arrangement for each option, but stressed that personally he would not consider the cost of preservation as the most important element.

He said the details should include how much is directly related to the archaeology and preservation, the construction cost, and who is to pay for the delay in construction, adding that lack of detailed information will affect decision making. 

Lam said the preservation option is the best as this would allow the public to truly understand the history of the territory.

He added that the eventual display of the historic relics will be decided by social groups.

Eleven board members visited the To Kwa Wan site yesterday to check on the newest discoveries, which include the location of an original embankment of Ma Tau Chung and the structures of road and house near J5 Well.

Lam said the structures extend to the original Ma Tau Chau coastline in To Kwa Wan.

The Conservancy Association's Peter Lee Siu-man said he too supports the preservation of the wells where they stand.

But he said a third party needs to evaluate the cost. "Even if it costs HK$1.3 billion, it's worth it. It's the only one in Hong Kong," he said.


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## dimlys1994

Emergency training on new tunnels of West Island line, taken from here:
https://www.facebook.com/mtrhk


----------



## MTR MTR

Is the Island Line receiving C Stock trains for the West Island Line?


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## Fan Railer

MTR MTR said:


> Is the Island Line receiving C Stock trains for the West Island Line?


It may, it may not... as I understand, the C stock fleet is entirely assigned to the Kwun Tong Line for now.


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## hkskyline

*Tseung Kwan O gets more trains*
2 December 2014
The Standard _Excerpt_

There will be an extra 237 weekly trips added to the Tseung Kwan O MTR line from Monday, shortening the waiting time for commuters.

MTR Corp said of the upgraded service, 201 train trips will be added to morning and evening peak periods, boosting passenger capacity by 11.5 percent. 

Services will become more frequent, with every group of three trains departing from North Point station at intervals of 2.5 minutes, two minutes and two minutes " compared to the current intervals of 2.5 minutes per train.

The first two trains will be destined for Po Lam station , while the third will head to LOHAS Park.


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## MTR MTR

Today (Friday) was very interesting:

The Island Line trains were operating 30 secs intervals.
Is it safe?


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## hkskyline

Huh? No they weren't.


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## _Night City Dream_

MTR MTR said:


> Today (Friday) was very interesting:
> 
> The Island Line trains were operating 30 secs intervals.
> Is it safe?


Intervals in HK metro are not that short at all. Neither are they 1.5 minutes like we do have in Moscow here. During rush hour, I think, on Island line it is every 2.5 minutes.


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## MTR MTR

hkskyline said:


> Huh? No they weren't.


Maybe because they spent 30 secs opening and closing their doors.


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## xeror

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Intervals in HK metro are not that short at all. Neither are they 1.5 minutes like we do have in Moscow here. During rush hour, I think, on Island line it is every 2.5 minutes.


It's every 2 minutes now after they bought more trains from China. But it's still not as frequent as Moscow Metro.


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## hkskyline

*Oh well - cheapest option wins *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, December 05, 2014

The heritage board has decided on the cheapest no-delay option to "preserve" the third Song dynasty well and aqueduct found at the future To Kwa Wan station on the delayed Sha Tin-Central Link.

The Antiquities Advisory Board yesterday decided that option one, costing HK$10 million, would be the best choice for the well and its water channel.

Depending on the methods used, the cost could go up to HK$170 million, the MTR said, but it would be much less than the HK$1.3 billion if the ancient structures are left untouched.

The stone well of the Song-Yuan period named Well J2 and associated with an early 20th century stone water channel, discovered on top of the station roof will be removed and dismantled by hand.

It will be kept somewhere else so construction - already delayed by 11 months - can resume.

Board chairman Andrew Lam Siu- lo said: "We focused on the interpretation value and the heritage value of the well and also the water channel.

"In that sense, we decided on the proposal to dismantle the well by hand and reinstate it in the future with the flexibility confirmed by the MTRC that there is a possibility that we could reinstate the well and the duct at the same location."

MTR said if the well is put back at the station at a higher height for display, the station will have to be expanded at a cost of HK$170 million more.

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

Lam said the government had already decided to preserve in-situ two other wells, J1 and J5, but Well J2 was different.

"The biggest difference between J2 and other wells is it is an isolated one," Lam said. "The cultural area around it was destroyed."

He said well J2 was dissected twice.


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## hkskyline

*Preserved relics at MTR site ‘should tell story’*
6 December 2014
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Heritage advisers and archaeologists have called for a more holistic approach to preserving and reconstructing relics found at the future To Kwa Wan station.

Their call came a day after the Antiquities Advisory Board endorsed the government’s preferred plan for dealing with an ancient well found at the top of the station site.

Under that scheme, the well would be dismantled and reassembled later. But the decision came with a condition – the well should be restored at or near the original location.

This option would cost an extra HK$10 million, compared to between HK$800 million and HK$1.3 billion for the other options, and cause no further delay to the opening of the extended railway, scheduled for 2018.

The government has pledged to spend another HK$1 billion to preserve seven of the 249 archaeological features uncovered so far, including two other wells dating to the Song (960-1279) or Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties and some stone buildings. But board member and architect Philip Liao Yi-kang said such a conservation approach did not go far enough.

“The city needs a strategy to reassemble the jigsaw puzzles instead of preserving individual artefacts bit by bit,” said Liao, who urged the MTR Corporation during the Thursday board meeting to pursue a station design that showcases the relics.

“In Rome, relics dating to different periods have been well-displayed. Stories are reconstructed in a way that visitors are reconnected with the past. It is of high educational value,” he said.

Secretary for development Paul Chan Mo-po, who will make the final decision as to how the project will go ahead, said earlier in his blog that the archaeological finds could be part of the heritage trail connecting the south gate of the Kowloon Walled City and the Lung Tsun Stone Bridge.


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## xavier114fch

dimlys1994 said:


> I'm reading this report and I didn't see any mention that Tamar will be terminus for both lines:
> http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/publications/rds2014.pdf
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is Tamar still proposed as terminus?


During the consultation stage, the "Interchange" scheme includes both Tamar and Causeway Bay North as the candidates of interchange between Tung Chung and Tsueng Kwan O Lines. However, the final report displays Tamar using the interchange icon instead a station tick, so it is very likely that the authorities have come up their mind. 

It is also easier to build Tamar as an interchange station. The location now is just part of the promenade and a regional road.


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## Silly_Walks

Any reason they don't merge the Tung Chun line and the Tseung Kwan O line? Different frequencies? Different rolling stock? Etc.


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## xavier114fch

Silly_Walks said:


> Any reason they don't merge the Tung Chun line and the Tseung Kwan O line? Different frequencies? Different rolling stock? Etc.


1) Different rolling stock and different door configurations.
2) The maximum train frequency on Tung Chung Line is 2.25 min, so any continuing lines will also have this limit unless turnback siding is constructed on North Island Line section to boost the frequency of the eastern part of the line.
3) There will be difficulty in creating an effective timetable to blend all current services on Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O Lines. The Tung Chung Line (including Airport Express) has 3 types of services, and Tseung Kwan O Line also has 3. The frequency of each service is different. Weaving the services when they become one single line is already a problem, and if one of the services has delay, then it will easily run to an avalanche.


----------



## dimlys1994

And how much money would require to quadruple Harbour Tunnel for Tung Chung Line and Airport Express?


----------



## dimlys1994

Congratulations Hong Kong on new MTR extension. I'm looking forward to new lines. Map from urbanrail.net:










Photos from opening ceremony, taken from MTR's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/mtrhk


----------



## dimlys1994

Again from MTR, first of 10 new South Island Line (East) trains settled into Wong Chuk Hang Depot on 20th December:


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## dimlys1994

And the first of the new Light Rail “2-in-1”Ticket Issuing and Add Value Machines are available for passenger use from 20 December. Passengers may experience the new ticketing facility at Siu Hong, Tuen Mun and Shek Pai stops:


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## xavier114fch

dimlys1994 said:


> And how much money would require to quadruple Harbour Tunnel for Tung Chung Line and Airport Express?


Very expensive IMHO.


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## aznichiro115

xavier114fch said:


> 1) Different rolling stock and different door configurations.
> 2) The maximum train frequency on Tung Chung Line is 2.25 min, so any continuing lines will also have this limit unless turnback siding is constructed on North Island Line section to boost the frequency of the eastern part of the line.
> 3) There will be difficulty in creating an effective timetable to blend all current services on Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O Lines. The Tung Chung Line (including Airport Express) has 3 types of services, and Tseung Kwan O Line also has 3. The frequency of each service is different. Weaving the services when they become one single line is already a problem, and if one of the services has delay, then it will easily run to an avalanche.


Door configuration is the same on all pre merger MTR lines except airport express. 

Tung Chung line and Tseung Kwan O line actually share k-stock, although there are some differences. It would be more getting the both lines and trains on the same signaling system.

any urban line should be able to run any urban stock, K-stock, M-stock and C-stock. although C-stock basically only runs on the Kwun Tong line and before the K-stock now only basically runs on the Tseung Kwan O line, there have been videos of them on Tsuen Wan and Island Lines. The K-stock trains were ordered for the Tseung Kwan O line but the trains the signaling system had issues with each other, so they were all moved to the Kwun Tong line.


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## MTR MTR

aznichiro115 said:


> Door configuration is the same on all pre merger MTR lines except airport express.


Actually once I saw on YouTube a video where a Tung Chung Line K train was operating a Asia World Expo special service. Some of the train doors open only. So all lines except pre KCR lines are compatible even the Airport Express.

____________________

One question, when the MTR buys new rolling stock for the SCL will they have the same door alignments as the Pre merger MTR trains?

(Don't get it see here: MTR trains ==|~|==
And KCR trains =|=~=|=

Key:
= train no door
| door
~ between carriages)


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## MTR MTR

> MTR express their interest in tendering for the procurement of new trains to replace existing trains running on the Island Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tseung Kwan O Line and Tsuen Wan Line.
> 
> Means the older batch of MTR M-Trains going to retire by 2022?
> 
> http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/C6014-14E.html


Credit: SGTrains Forums

Is the MTR gonna buy more types of trains because it wasn't happy with the C Train?

Does anybody have more details?


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## Blackraven

MTR MTR said:


> Actually once I saw on YouTube a video where a Tung Chung Line K train was operating a Asia World Expo special service.


They only operate those regular trains only during special events there (such as concerts, DJ gigs, etc.) when the usual Airport Express train may not provide enough capacity to transport hundreds or thousands of people to and from the venue.


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## LastConformist

xavier114fch said:


> 1) Different rolling stock and different door configurations.
> 2) The maximum train frequency on Tung Chung Line is 2.25 min, so any continuing lines will also have this limit unless turnback siding is constructed on North Island Line section to boost the frequency of the eastern part of the line.
> 3) There will be difficulty in creating an effective timetable to blend all current services on Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O Lines. The Tung Chung Line (including Airport Express) has 3 types of services, and Tseung Kwan O Line also has 3. The frequency of each service is different. Weaving the services when they become one single line is already a problem, and if one of the services has delay, then it will easily run to an avalanche.


Similar question: How realistic or unrealistic would it be to through-run the East Rail Line and the South Island Line (east section) when complete? I don't think the current plan has their tracks meeting up at Admiralty, but that wouldn't be an enormous challenge.

Also, what about switching the termini of the Tsuen Wan Line and the Kwun Tong Line, so that the Kwun Tong line goes to Central and the Tsuen Wan Line to Whampoa (and maybe onward to North Point at some point).


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## Silly_Walks

LastConformist said:


> Similar question: How realistic or unrealistic would it be to through-run the East Rail Line and the South Island Line (east section) when complete? I don't think the current plan has their tracks meeting up at Admiralty, but that wouldn't be an enormous challenge.


I think totally unrealistic, as the East Rail Line is basically a full-fledged train with 25kV power (Kowloon-Canton Railway), while the South Island Line East will be medium capacity 3 car C-Trains.

The original plan was not to let the East Rail Line terminate at Admiralty, but at Central South. This might still happen in the future.


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## hkskyline

* Kennedy Town MTR station opens but not everyone is happy with the pace of change*
29 December 2014
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

This morning, Kennedy Town commuters will troop onto the MTR's new West Island Line, ready to enjoy a smooth, seamless ride to their offices in the city. But long before that maiden journey, the city had already arrived in their corner of the island, in the form of ubiquitous shops and restaurants.

New residents, as well as restaurants, have been lured to the area, attracted by the prospect of the HK$18.5 billion MTR project. In the process, long-term locals have been left with mixed feelings at the pace of change. 

With new homes and new businesses, rents have risen, squeezing out those unable to catch up and modernise. In 2011, the biggest casualty was the traditional Sun Chung Wah (or "New China") dim sum restaurant that had been in Kennedy Town for 60 years. It was dubbed one of the "three treasures" by locals in Western district. The other two "treasures" are a traditional tea cafe or cha chaan teng, Cheung Heung Yuen, and a congee restaurant, Cheuk Kee.

Cheung Heung Yuen, which opened in 1967 just opposite the now closed Sun Chung Wah on Belcher's Street, is famous for its egg tarts, cocktail and pineapple buns and milk tea.

Sixty-nine-year-old owner Chow Sek-fung recalled that when he took over the business in 1978, the Western district was a bustling hive of activity. Kennedy Town represented island life in the raw - vegetable and poultry wholesale markets, slaughterhouses with associated smells making their way into neighbouring streets, gritty factories responsible for everything from sweaters to sharks' fins, and seedy bars and brothels.

With development, many of these establishments have been relocated, along with the poorer inhabitants of the area - a number of whom have ended up in public housing in the New Territories. As a result, the working-class neighbourhood - which got its name from Hong Kong's seventh British governor Arthur Edward Kennedy, who served from 1872 to 1877 and reclaimed the strip of land along the harbour - has shrunk.

The long-awaited rail line is expected to revitalise the old district of Kennedy Town, which had 47,000 inhabitants as of 2011. And although it brought good business to his restaurant yesterday, Chow is not holding his breath. He believes the newcomers have different tastes.

"[The new rail line] is only powering developers to buy out old buildings [for redevelopment] … Only those who are well off will move in as they can afford the home prices," he said. "I think only one in 10 [of them] comes to the restaurant. It's usually the old residents who have been living in the community for a long time who come here."

Chow is not far off the mark, according to Elaine Fang, an assistant manager of property agent Midland Realty for Western district. She said people had been moving to the area since 2010 because of the MTR, and about a third of those were expatriates.

"It has become a middle-class community," she said, suggesting that their consumption habits were vastly different from those of long-term locals and older residents.

This gentrification is most evident on Hau Wo Street and the waterfront of New Praya, where trendy bars, hipster coffee shops, Italian restaurants and sushi places have taken the place of garages and grocery shops in the past decade.

The people who like to patronise such establishments are also those buying the newer, more expensive homes. Fang said this year alone home prices in the district had increased by some 5 to 10 per cent. A square foot at high-rise development The Belcher's now costs an average of HK$20,000. The price was HK$18,000 at the start of the year.

She expected home prices in the district would remain stable.

Fang said shop rentals had also gone up but were now moderating slightly as businesses found it difficult to cope with the heftier rents. "Landlords are less aggressive in increasing the rent now," she said.

Chow said he was fortunate as his landlord had been kind enough not to raise his rent drastically over the years. He said he was now paying HK$60,000 a month - up from HK$6,000 a month 36 years ago.

Like Chow, shopowner Ng Kai-ming is less troubled by rent than by thinning traffic. His stationery store, Knowledge Book Centre, opened in 1977 and moved to the quieter Catchick Street in 1996.

"Western district may be good for living, but will the MTR bring more people here? This is a big question," he said. "Many people tell me your takings must be quite good because you are the only store in the district. But I can tell you, it's still not as good as when there were seven or eight competitors in the district."

Ng's shop opens almost 365 days a year but he is struggling because the new arrivals prefer to shop at the malls rather than in an old shop. "It's a small business, and it really relies on customers from the local community. Many of them have now left [because of the redevelopment], so would it not affect our business?" he asked as he helped customers with their photocopying.


----------



## aznichiro115

LastConformist said:


> Similar question: How realistic or unrealistic would it be to through-run the East Rail Line and the South Island Line (east section) when complete? I don't think the current plan has their tracks meeting up at Admiralty, but that wouldn't be an enormous challenge.





Silly_Walks said:


> I think totally unrealistic, as the East Rail Line is basically a full-fledged train with 25kV power (Kowloon-Canton Railway), while the South Island Line East will be medium capacity 3 car C-Trains.
> 
> The original plan was not to let the East Rail Line terminate at Admiralty, but at Central South. This might still happen in the future.


Actually impossible, MTR lines and KCR lines have different gauges.


----------



## xeror

LastConformist said:


> Similar question: How realistic or unrealistic would it be to through-run the East Rail Line and the South Island Line (east section) when complete? I don't think the current plan has their tracks meeting up at Admiralty, but that wouldn't be an enormous challenge.


It is not impossible but it does no benefit. East Rail Line trains (9-car, after Hung Hum to Admiralty extension is completed) is 3 times as long as South Island Line (3-car). If South Island Line uses 9-car train, the frequency will be reduced to one third. In addition, it needs 9-car train platforms for all stations. If East Rail Line uses 3-car train, it cannot fulfill the high demand along the line.


LastConformist said:


> Also, what about switching the termini of the Tsuen Wan Line and the Kwun Tong Line, so that the Kwun Tong line goes to Central and the Tsuen Wan Line to Whampoa (and maybe onward to North Point at some point).


They have tracks between these two lines that trains can go from one to another but what's the benefit of switching the termini?


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## saiho

aznichiro115 said:


> Actually impossible, MTR lines and KCR lines have different gauges.


Only by 3 mm, which can allow through running in most cases (deviation is within tolerance). The gauges are different on paper, in practice they are the same gauge.


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## Woonsocket54

*HKU Station* - open 2014.12.28









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香港大學站#mediaviewer/File:HKU_Station_Exit_C1_Lift_lobby_201412.jpg)









Source: wikipedia user 由Qwer132477上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香港大學站#mediaviewer/File:Hong_Kong_University_Station_2014_12_part2.JPG)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香港大學站#mediaviewer/File:HKU_Station_Exit_A2_201412.jpg)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香港大學站#mediaviewer/File:HKU_Station_Exit_C2_201412.jpg)

*Kennedy Town Station* - open 2014.12.28









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_2014_part6.JPG)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_Exit_B_Void_201412.jpg)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_Exit_A_View_201412.jpg)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_Exit_A_201412.jpg)









Source: wikipedia user 由Qwer132477上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_2014_part12.JPG)









Source: wikipedia user 由Wing1990hk上传 (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/堅尼地城站#mediaviewer/File:Kennedy_Town_Station_Exit_C_201412.jpg)


----------



## hkskyline

*Mostly smooth start to new line*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, January 09, 2015

About 100,000 passengers a day have used the MTR West Island Line over the past 12 days.

MTR East Region head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee said the service was mostly smooth in the first 12 days but passengers still need more time to get used to the new ticket-selling machines because some still fail to recharge their Octopus cards.

Li said operations at the interchanges in North Point and Admiralty have remained stable since the opening of the new line.


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## Silly_Walks

^^ Wow, 100,000 passengers a day for just 2 new stations and within only 12 days after opening? That's impressive!


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## Dooie_Amsterdammert

@Woonsocket54: On the depicted pictures the stops are quite empty, were those pictures shot in the first hours of opening or on A quiet day?


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong government could sell its MTR and Disney shares 'to cope with future crisis'*
7 January 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Offloading shares in the MTR Corporation and Disneyland could be a way for the government to raise cash and cope with future financial crises, a fiscal adviser to the government told the South China Morning Post.

The option came from the government's working group on long-term fiscal planning, which also urged the administration to raise water tariffs. These have been frozen for nearly 20 years. 

The group's second report, submitted to Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah last month, adds to the first report, which predicted that the city could face a structural deficit in 10 years.

It gives details of how the government could cope with the possible financial burden of a rapidly greying population, including the establishment of a future fund with an aggressive investment strategy and better utilisation of government assets.

"We recommended raising funds by selling government shares in assets like the MTR Corporation and Disneyland, as long as the government remained the controlling shareholder," a working group member said.

"It is an available option for consideration when the government faces an imminent demand for cash."

The member, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not say when the assets should be sold, but added that the group had urged the government to consider raising water fees both to save water and raise cash.

The financial secretary's office said Tsang had yet to decide how much of the report's details would be announced in next month's budget.

As of December last year, the value of the government's net assets - including fixed assets like infrastructure and investments - stood at HK$1.5 trillion. About 20 per cent of this - HK$300 billion - was held in government business enterprises like the Airport Authority, the MTR Corporation, Disneyland, the Post Office Trading Fund and the Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

The market value of the MTR Corporation yesterday stood at HK$185 billion, of which the government holds a 76.5 per cent stake. While the government received dividend payments of HK$4 billion from the MTR Corporation in the 2013 fiscal year, the theme park - in which the government holds a 52.4 per cent stake - generated a profit of only HK$242 million in the same year.


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## Silly_Walks

Why sell something for one-time income, when it is giving you a yearly income in the current situation?


----------



## aznichiro115

MTR MTR said:


> One question, when the MTR buys new rolling stock for the SCL will they have the same door alignments as the Pre merger MTR trains?
> 
> (Don't get it see here: MTR trains ==|~|==
> And KCR trains =|=~=|=
> 
> Key:
> = train no door
> | door
> ~ between carriages)


SCL N/S line train mock ups


----------



## LastConformist

xeror said:


> It is not impossible but it does no benefit. East Rail Line trains (9-car, after Hung Hum to Admiralty extension is completed) is 3 times as long as South Island Line (3-car). If South Island Line uses 9-car train, the frequency will be reduced to one third. In addition, it needs 9-car train platforms for all stations. If East Rail Line uses 3-car train, it cannot fulfill the high demand along the line.


Got it, makes sense. Thanks.



> They have tracks between these two lines that trains can go from one to another but what's the benefit of switching the termini?


The improved linearity of the lines would improve efficiency in distribution of customers, at least theoretically. Lines that form lengthy "U" shapes, such as the Kwun Tong line after the extension to Whampoa, are inefficient compared to lines that are relatively linear. Of course, this may not be worth upsetting the pre-existing travel patterns for. However, it would be necessary to a decision to add another cross-harbor route from Whampoa, in which case it would make sense to send the Tsuen Wan line to the eastern end of Hong Kong island (say, North Point and/or Quarry Bay, which are very close to Kwun Tong line interchanges with the Tseung Kwan O line in the east already) while sending the Kwun Tong line to Central.


----------



## ludileo

star. Thankyou!


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR gives half-price gift for new year*
22 January 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Rail company says holiday discount is a thank you to its customers though some speculate it may be an attempt to gloss over a bad year

The MTR Corporation yesterday offset reports of its worst time-keeping performance in six years by announcing its first-ever special discounts for passengers during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The promotion will offer a special half-price discount for adults travelling on the network with an Octopus card on the second and third days of next month’s holidays. Those who already receive concessions, such as elderly and disabled people, children and students, will pay HK$1 per journey.

The railway company insisted the surprise move was to thank passengers for their support over the past 35 years and to celebrate the opening of the West Island Line last month. It dismissed speculation that the promotion was to defuse passengers’ grievances over repeated fare hikes in recent years. In June, fares were increased by 3.6 per cent.

The news of the holiday discount was announced as MTR rounded up its service performance last year. Although the train on-time rate was maintained at more than 99.9 per cent, it dropped slightly from 99.94 per cent to 99.91 per cent – the lowest since 2008.

There were also 12 major incidents that disrupted train services for 31 minutes or more last year. Although this is five more than in 2013, Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui, MTR operations director, pointed out the amount of time lost had dropped.


----------



## hkskyline

*Another rainy day for Sai Ying Pun MTR station *
29 January 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_



















A major contractor working on the MTR's West Island Line warned yesterday that the wet season could further hamper progress on one of the entrances to Sai Ying Pun station.

The entrances on First Street and Second Street are now all-but complete in time for the station's rescheduled opening at the end of March. However, the opening of the Ki Ling Lane entrance has already been delayed until the end of the year. 

Construction of the entrances has been hampered by soft soil, which is why trains do not yet stop at Sai Ying Pun after the extension of the Island Line from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town opened at the end of last year.

The problems saw Gammon Construction resort to an unusual, and slow-going, ground-freezing technique to harden the soil and make excavation easier.

One of its directors, Hau Chi-chiu, said yesterday that the first 80 metres of tunnelling towards Ki Ling Lane had now been completed, with 20 metres left to go.

As part of the ground-freezing process, pipes for the refrigerants were being sunk into this last stretch - and this should be completed in the next few weeks. It would then take two to three months to freeze soil to minus 10 degrees Celsius before drilling can begin, said Hau. But he warned: "If it is too rainy it will affect the time needed."


----------



## hkskyline

By *jackethuang* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR tests cameras to curb trouble*
7 February 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










Hong Kong railway staff will use wearable video technology to record any angry clashes at a busy border station in a bid to improve the safety of passengers and workers.

Three clip-on video cameras will be introduced under a six-month trial at the Sheung Shui MTR station on Monday.

- too much quoted text deleted


----------



## hkskyline

By *風追空* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *Sam1017* from dcfever :


----------



## 00Zy99

What exactly are we looking at here?


----------



## kunming tiger

looks like a rock face


----------



## dimlys1994

Latest information from MTR - Sai Ying Pun station on Island line planned to be opened on 29 March:


----------



## hkskyline

By *bbc147258369* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

*Kowloon property drives MTR success*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Net profit at MTR Corp (0066) last year rose 20 percent to HK$15.6 billion, largely thanks to non-recurring property sales at two Kowloon projects.

Net income from property, totalling HK$3.55 billion, was two times higher, while those from recurrent business rose 7.9 percent to HK$8.02 billion. The rest, HK$4.04 billion, came from property revaluations.

A dividend of HK$1.05 apiece was declared, up 14.1 percent.

The firm said it will maintain a progressive dividend policy.

Sales from The Austin and Grand Austin brought in HK$4.22 billion.

The firm expects to launch, at most, four plots for sale this year, including two to three phases at Lohas Park in Tseung Kwan O with more than 5,000 units, as well as the Yuen Long station site. 

Five sites were tendered out between last year and early this year, including Tai Wai station, Lohas Park Phases 4 to 6 and Tin Wing station.

Total revenue grew 3.74 percent to HK$40.16 billion, of which about two- thirds came from local businesses. Overall patronage from local rail services rose 5 percent to 1.55 billion.

The Occupy Central movement drove the number of customers up by about 1 percent compared to a year ago, said operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui.

Its retail portfolio of 12 malls, including Elements, saw 13 percent of rental renewals last year.


----------



## MTR MTR

Does anyone know if Wikipedia is correct about the KTL extension:

Is Whompoa really gonna be a single side platform?

Are some trains gonna terminate at Ho Man Tin?
If that's true I think that's stupid


----------



## Build It Up

MTR MTR said:


> Does anyone know if Wikipedia is correct about the KTL extension:
> 
> Is Whompoa really gonna be a single side platform?
> 
> Are some trains gonna terminate at Ho Man Tin?
> If that's true I think that's stupid


Half of the the Kwun Tong line trains will be terminating at Ho Man Tin, the other half at Whampoa. In peak times the Kwun Tong line will run 30 trains per hour, so 15 trains per hour is still more than sufficient to service Whampoa. If you're interested there's a nice little diagram of the arrangement on the Chinese Wikipedia page: http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%BB%83%E5%9F%94%E7%AB%99_(%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF).


----------



## mrsmartman

aznichiro115 said:


> SCL N/S line train mock ups


Who design this? Would be better if the color is streamlined.


----------



## hkskyline

*More trains when station opens*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, March 20, 2015










Sixty-three new train trips will gradually be added on the Island Line when the long-delayed Sai Ying Pun MTR station opens on March 29. This will cut waiting times on the line by 30 seconds to one minute on Friday and Saturday nights, and most of Sunday.

The station 50 meters underground has five entrances/exits, and features lifts similar to those at HKU station.

However, a sixth exit B3 at Ki Ling Lane and Des Voeux Road West is still under construction, and is due to be completed by year-end. The station's opening was delayed by three months as soil softness hampered construction.

MTR Corp operations head Francis Li Shing-kee said the extra services will be added due to an increase in passengers visiting Western district on weekends.

"There are quite lovely attractions in Western district and many people like to take the train ... that is why we are enhancing services on weekends," he said.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong MTR adds more train trips to cut back on waiting times*
25 March 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

The MTR Corp is adding 541 train services every week on eight busy light rail routes and three railway lines starting later this month.

The extra services will accommodate 420,000 more passenger journeys every week, the company announced yesterday.

"We have a clear focus on improving areas where our passengers have told us they want us to do better," said Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui, operations director of the MTR Corporation. "Since 2012 we have added over 2,400 train trips a week for the heavy rail and more than 200 extra weekly services on the light rail."

The Tseung Kwan O Line - between North Point station and Po Lam station - will see an extra 22 services on Sundays from March 29, which will shorten the frequency from every five minutes to every four minutes.

The Ma On Shan Line will have 10 more services every Saturday from March 28, cutting the frequency from 5.5 minutes to 4.5 minutes.

The Hong Kong Island Line will have an extra 63 services on Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sunday mornings and afternoons, raising the frequency from up to five minutes to about 3.5 minutes.

The eight busy light rail lines in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun will see an extra 240 services on weekdays after evening peak period and an additional 206 services on weekends.

Kam said the company had also been planning to renew or replace 78 trains used on the Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Hong Kong Island Line and Tseung Kwan O Line. He said the tendering process would end around late April.

He said replacing the trains would take at least four years and would cost more, but the trains would last longer.


----------



## hkskyline

*South Island Line `to open on time'*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, March 27, 2015




























The MTR South Island Line is expected to open on schedule late next year, project manager Wong Kin-wai said.

On-track testing will be carried out between Wong Chuk Hang and South Horizons stations from next month, and will continue for a year.

Wong said that by the end of February the overall project was 84 percent complete despite unpredictable geological situations at Lei Tung station.

"We spent more time on the foundation. Labor is in quite short supply. We are trying our best to catch up with the schedule. We're confident that Lei Tung station will open in time," he said.

The tunneling project at Admiralty was 70 percent complete and progress was satisfactory.

Wong said the project team is focusing on overcoming remaining challenges at Admiralty station.

The trains for the South Island Line do not have a driving compartment and are run by a Fully Automatic Operation system.

Imported from the mainland, the 10 trains have all arrived in Hong Kong.


----------



## hkskyline

*Latest MTR station is on track at last*
30 March 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










Sai Ying Pun joins the railway network three months after West Island Line service began, with crowds flocking to early morning opening

Excited Sai Ying Pun residents and transport enthusiasts made an early start yesterday to be among the first to hop aboard the MTR network at its latest station.

The gates opened at Sai Ying Pun station at around 5.40am, with the first MTR trains arriving shortly afterwards. The opening means the West Island Line is fully operational, three months after the first trains to the new Kennedy Town and University of Hong Kong stations went into service.

Poor soil conditions hampered work at some of the exits to Sai Ying Pun station, and exit B3, at Ki Ling Lane, will not open until the end of the year.

“With the opening of Sai Ying Pun station, much more convenience will be brought to residents of the entire Western District,” MTR operations director Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui said at the opening ceremony.

Extra staff were deployed to help travellers, though there were a few opening-day hiccups, including a malfunctioning screen door on one platform.

The new station has sparked investment in the area but also prompted concerns about higher rents and the loss of its traditional character.


----------



## Woonsocket54

*2015.03.29 - opening of Sai Ying Pun station on Island Line*









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sai_Ying_Pun_Station_2015_03_part5.JPG (Wikipedia user Qwer132477)


----------



## hkskyline

*Legislator wants MTR fare rise checked*
2 April 2015
The Standard _Excerpt_

Legislators are urging administration officials to review the fare adjustment mechanism with the MTR Corp as soon possible instead of working on an arrangement that this process only happens every five years.

Wong Kwok-hing of the Federation of Trade Unions argued at a special meeting of the Finance Committee yesterday that as the biggest shareholder of the MTRC the government should use its powers to review the mechanism when it sees fit.	

A latest decision by the MTRC to raise fares by 4.3 percent has caused resentment since it did so after announcing a profit of HK$12 billion, Wong said in urging a freeze on fares.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said since the MTRC is a listed company smaller stakeholders also needed to be considered.


----------



## _Night City Dream_

A very interesting movie on how they replace old tracks in Hong Kong metro:


----------



## hkskyline

*How Hong Kong's subway turns a $2 billion annual profit*
31 March 2015
_Excerpt_ 

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) -- You can find one of Hong Kong's most profitable businesses about 30 meters below the earth's surface.

The city's subway is the face of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) -- a publicly traded company that pulled in $5.2 billion in revenue last year.

With a $2 billion annual profit, the Hong Kong's subway is an anomaly among major rail networks. New York's subway, for example, suffers from chronic funding gaps and will spend nearly $2.5 billion in 2015 to service its debt.

How does Hong Kong's train and bus network manage to clear its mind-boggling margins?

First off, this is one impressive subway system. Even with more than 5 million daily commuters, MTR trains boast a 99.9% on-time arrival rate. Fares are notoriously cheap ($.50 to $3), but cover roughly 175% of the system's operating costs.

But the company's real profits are derived from a lesser-known side of the business: property development. Some 50 major properties across Hong Kong are owned, developed or managed by MTR, including two of the city's tallest skyscrapers.

"Sometimes critics say it's a property development firm doing a side business of rail," said Tim Hau, a professor at University of Hong Kong's School of Economics and Finance.

Here's how it works: MTR enjoys a special relationship with the Hong Kong government, which is also its majority shareholder. The government provides land -- at no cost -- for use by the train operator, and MTR is then allowed to develop the areas above and around its stations.

MTR often builds shopping malls right on top of stations -- it owns 13. Last year, rents at the malls went up by an average of 14%. Below ground, each subway stop is jam-packed with retail outlets, which all pay rent to MTR or have a profit-sharing agreement in place.

You can find every kind of retail in the stations -- even Michelin-starred dim sum restaurants.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Global Rail News:



> http://www.globalrailnews.com/2015/04/14/shatin-to-central-link-tunnelling-begins-in-kowloon/
> 
> *Shatin to Central Link tunnelling begins in Kowloon*
> 14 APR, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Princess Wencheng has begun her tunnelling effort on Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Link.
> 
> The TBM was launched from the To Kwa Wan Station site shaft to begin a 1.6-kilometre drive to Ho Man Tin Station – the Kowloon City Section of the project.
> 
> A second TBM, Princess Iron Fan, is set to begin her drive later this year
> 
> ...


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR chief pockets HK$15.7 m on exit*
16 April 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Walder’s payout at end of controversial tenure sparks anger as it follows his censure over high-speed link’s delay and cost overruns

Former MTR Corporation chief executive Jay Walder pocketed a HK$15.7 million golden handshake when he abruptly quit last year after being censured over a two-year delay and cost overruns in the construction of a cross-border express link, the rail giant’s annual report shows. 

Walder left the MTR in August, a year before the end of his contract, after an internal report accused him of failing to be more critical in monitoring the progress of the multibillion-dollar high-speed link to Guangzhou.

At the time, the MTR called Walder’s departure a “mutual” decision that would be “beneficial” to the company and said it had nothing to do with the report. The company, majority owned by the government, had refused to disclose his exit package.

But according to MTR’s annual report, released yesterday, Walder received a “contractual settlement” of HK$15.7 million, of which HK$725,428 was the value in cash of more than 24,000 MTR shares. Walder, who previously led transport authorities in New York and London, also received a basic salary of HK$5.8 million up to August 15.

The corporation’s shares closed at HK$38.80 yesterday, up 0.8 per cent from Tuesday.

Lawmakers questioned whether the “monstrous” sum was intended to stop Walder revealing anything damaging when faced with inquiries set up by the government, the Legislative Council and the MTR.

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, of the NeoDemocrats, expressed “regret, anger and shock” over the payout, which he described as a “massive sum of money”.

Wu Chi-wai, of the Democratic Party, also found the financial decision “problematic” as Walder could “evade” public scrutiny of the MTR’s responsibility in the project’s woes.


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## hkskyline

By *sailanver* from dcfever :


----------



## _Night City Dream_

dimlys1994 said:


> From Global Rail News:


Interesting they give the female names to TBMs right as we do in Russia. Is that the common practice in the world?


----------



## hkskyline

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Interesting they give the female names to TBMs right as we do in Russia. Is that the common practice in the world?


I believe so. Here is an example from the US : http://www.centralsubwaysf.com/tbm-name


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## Silly_Walks

_Night City Dream_ said:


> Interesting they give the female names to TBMs right as we do in Russia. Is that the common practice in the world?


Was the same in Amsterdam.


Perhaps it is because they bore deep into your foundation and when they are done they leave a big empty space behind.


----------



## AsHalt

Silly_Walks said:


> Was the same in Amsterdam.
> 
> 
> Perhaps it is because they bore deep into your foundation and when they are done they leave a big empty space behind.


Maybe it's because we are drilling through Mother Earth and who else understands girls like a palm tree in the tropic? :lol:


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR downplays water leaks in new stations*
21 April 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 























































Executive says issues are common and no danger to trains or structure

The MTR Corporation yesterday sought to allay concerns that leaking water found at its three new stations on the West Island Line would compromise train safety and the structure of the stations.

It said the problem, which the company’s head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee said was common, had nothing to do with the rush to open the HK$18.5 billion project at the end of last year.

Signs warning commuters of wet floors were prominent in Kennedy Town, HKU and Sai Ying Pun stations after water was found dripping from pipes or seeping from walls in multiple locations. Workers were also deployed to keep the floor dry.

A passenger who gave her surname as Tsang said she feared children may slip on the water, or something worse might happen. “If it causes a short circuit, the train will stop and we will be trapped,” she said.

But Li reassured commuters that would not happen. “The water leakage in the station definitely has no impact on the station’s structure,” he said. “I can assure you that it would not affect the train operation at all.”

Li said high underground water pressure at the HKU station, which is built 70 metres below ground, meant leaks would not be uncommon. He said the MTR would work with contractors to either fix the problem with grouting or divert the water somewhere else.

He said water dripping from pipes at Kennedy town was due to condensation caused by cold water flowing through the pipes in the increasingly humid air.


----------



## mrsmartman

In Hong Kong, the Lantau Airport Railway provides both Express and Local services, the Airport Express and Tung Chung Line respectively. Quadruple parallel track sections can be found between Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations, as well as around Sunny Bay.
Constructed by another rapid transit operator, the section of West Rail Line around Nam Cheong and Olympic stations provides two additional parallel tracks in the West Kowloon Reclamation Area.




























In addition, the section of Tung Chung Line between Lai King and Hong Kong / Central stations can be effectively considered as an Express Service for Tsuen Wan Line, while the section of West Rail Line between Tuen Mun and Yuen Long stations as the one for Light Rail.


----------



## Silly_Walks

Posting a lot about express trains and parallel tracks on the forums out of the blue, I see


----------



## sterlinglush

Does anyone know (or have a theory) what the merged West Rail and Ma On Shan line will be named? I can see East Rail keeping its name after it is extended across the harbor, but I'm not sure what these two should be called once they are conjoined.


----------



## maginn

sterlinglush said:


> Does anyone know (or have a theory) what the merged West Rail and Ma On Shan line will be named? I can see East Rail keeping its name after it is extended across the harbor, but I'm not sure what these two should be called once they are conjoined.


I think they will be called the 'East-West Line' (West Rail Line + Ma On Shan Line) and 'North-South Line' (East Rail Line + Cross Harbour Extension)


----------



## Silly_Walks

I think the same.


----------



## hkskyline

#HongKong, baby! ;-) #mtr by peterstuckings, on Flickr


----------



## Sameboat

maginn said:


> I think they will be called the 'East-West Line' (West Rail Line + Ma On Shan Line) and 'North-South Line' (East Rail Line + Cross Harbour Extension)


http://www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk/en/project-details/alignment.html

The official documents address both lines as "North South Corridor" and "East West Corridor" (true for the Chinese names too). The usage could be tentative. If "Corridor" is permanent then it helps distinguish both lines from the urban metro lines because they still and will function like regional commuter rail in European cities.


----------



## maginn

Sameboat said:


> http://www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk/en/project-details/alignment.html
> 
> The official documents address both lines as "North South Corridor" and "East West Corridor" (true for the Chinese names too). The usage could be tentative. If "Corridor" is permanent then it helps distinguish both lines from the urban metro lines because they still and will function like regional commuter rail in European cities.


The lines currently function as regional commuter railways anyway, yet they are still referred to as East/West Rail 'line'. So I don't understand the significance of renaming it to 'corridor' once the lines receive their extensions.


----------



## mrsmartman

Actually, MTRC added the word "line" to the two rails owned by KCRC after the rail merger.


----------



## maginn

mrsmartman said:


> Actually, MTRC added the word "line" to the two rails owned by KCRC after the rail merger.


So that they conform to the naming convention used on MTR operated lines. I don't see this changing to 'corridor' for the 2 lines after they extend their routes.


----------



## hkskyline

* Lincoln Leong: the new man in the MTR driver's seat*
30 April 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

In his first face-to-face media interview since taking office last month, MTR Corporation chief executive Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen is fond of using the word "challenge".

There are challenges, he says, in completing the cross-border high-speed railway project - already the costliest line on earth by distance - which legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun estimated on Monday would cost 30 per cent more than first budgeted. The price tag will be about HK$85 billion by the time it is ready in 2017. 

There are challenges, he stresses, in carving out the tunnel and the iconic rooftop of the railway's terminus in West Kowloon, never mind the troubling questions of who and how to settle the ballooning bill.

There are challenges, he goes on, in easing the construction congestion of four continuing projects including the high-speed line in the face of a 20 per cent shortfall in workers, 2,000 posts, needed for the projects.

Even as he recites his challenges, the 54-year-old MTR veteran puts up a brave front. "But I am happy as a CEO," he says in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post. "I have many good colleagues, many of whom have worked here for more than 10 years."

Leong took up the post formally last month but he has been in the driver's seat since becoming acting CEO last August. That was when the career of his predecessor, Jay Walder, screeched to an unexpected halt in the middle of his two-year term.

Walder and former project director Chew Tai-chong were blamed in an MTR Corp internal report for "poor judgment" on the delay and cost overruns on the high-speed railway that will link Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

Walder was also criticised for failing to inform the MTR Corp's board and the government in a timely manner.

"We don't do everything right," Leong says. "But we keep learning and improving."

Leong says he is "constantly learning" through frequent visits to construction sites, including the high-speed railway terminus in West Kowloon, the exchanges being built in Admiralty and Hung Hom, and the MTR station being constructed in Whampoa.

"These are the stations I go to more often, which are most challenging, too," he says.

His colleagues are no longer surprised to see him rolling up his sleeves. Since taking over, he has become known for showing up at between 2am and 4am - the only time the tracks can undergo daily maintenance - at the East Rail terminus in Hung Hom to check on the works.

"I learn a lot from going and talking to colleagues down there, to know more about the challenges they have. They have a very short window of time, normally between 2am and 4am, to carry out their work.

"It's always better to see with my own eyes than reading a report in the office."

Leong, with experience in finance, operations and management here and overseas, started out at the company as a backroom manager, joining in 2002 as finance director. He climbed the ranks to become deputy chief executive in 2012 before becoming acting CEO for about eight months.


----------



## mrsmartman

For the convenience and comfort of passengers’ journeys, more coupled set Light Rail vehicles are now being operated on selected routes (Routes 507, 610, 614, 614P, 615, 615P, 705, 751 and 761P) to provide extra carrying capacity on weekdays and weekends.


----------



## Fan Railer

Only my first day in Hong Kong, but wasting no time at all hehe =P


----------



## hkskyline

* Stockholm transit boss fined for shoplifting in Hong Kong*
12 May 2015
_Excerpt_ 

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The chief executive of Stockholm's public transit company has been caught shoplifting at Hong Kong's international airport.

Swedish public radio says Anders Lindstrom on Tuesday was fined the equivalent of 5,000 Swedish kronor (about $600) by a Hong Kong court after leaving an airport shop last week with a credit card holder that he hadn't paid for. 

Stockholm city transit spokeswoman Lovisa Abom confirmed that Lindstrom had been convicted but couldn't give details of the ruling.

She said Lindstrom, who was in Hong Kong to meet officials for Stockholm subway operator MTR, has been suspended from his job.


----------



## Silly_Walks

Best MTR ad ever:
"Take the Airport Express so you have enough time left over at the airport for some high quality shop lifting!"


----------



## skyshakernowlive

hkskyline said:


> * Stockholm transit boss fined for shoplifting in Hong Kong*
> 12 May 2015
> _Excerpt_
> 
> STOCKHOLM (AP) — The chief executive of Stockholm's public transit company has been caught shoplifting at Hong Kong's international airport.
> 
> Swedish public radio says Anders Lindstrom on Tuesday was fined the equivalent of 5,000 Swedish kronor (about $600) by a Hong Kong court after leaving an airport shop last week with a credit card holder that he hadn't paid for.
> 
> Stockholm city transit spokeswoman Lovisa Abom confirmed that Lindstrom had been convicted but couldn't give details of the ruling.
> 
> She said Lindstrom, who was in Hong Kong to meet officials for Stockholm subway operator MTR, has been suspended from his job.


Is this an automatic fine? One wonders why a CEO would need to shoplift.


----------



## Sameboat

Silly_Walks said:


> Best MTR ad ever:
> "Take the Airport Express so you have enough time left over at the airport for some high quality shop lifting!"


Airport Express is inconvenient to more than 70% of Hongkongers even if we transfer at AE interchange station. Most would simply ride on the double-decker shuttle bus.


----------



## hkskyline

Sameboat said:


> Airport Express is inconvenient to more than 70% of Hongkongers even if we transfer at AE interchange station. Most would simply ride on the double-decker shuttle bus.


The trains are geared for business travelers who want convenience and speed. Chances are they live close to Central and West Kowloon.

For locals, there is also a taxi discount scheme. They would get half off the train fare if they present a taxi receipt of a minimum amount.


----------



## Silly_Walks

Sameboat said:


> Airport Express is inconvenient to more than 70% of Hongkongers even if we transfer at AE interchange station. Most would simply ride on the double-decker shuttle bus.


But then my dumb joke wouldn't work anymore as the guy was in Hong Kong to meet officials for Stockholm subway operator MTR.


----------



## hkskyline

By *waltonchu* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *patrickcandice* from dcfever :


----------



## Svartmetall

hkskyline said:


> * Stockholm transit boss fined for shoplifting in Hong Kong*
> 12 May 2015
> _Excerpt_
> 
> STOCKHOLM (AP) — The chief executive of Stockholm's public transit company has been caught shoplifting at Hong Kong's international airport.
> 
> Swedish public radio says Anders Lindstrom on Tuesday was fined the equivalent of 5,000 Swedish kronor (about $600) by a Hong Kong court after leaving an airport shop last week with a credit card holder that he hadn't paid for.
> 
> Stockholm city transit spokeswoman Lovisa Abom confirmed that Lindstrom had been convicted but couldn't give details of the ruling.
> 
> She said Lindstrom, who was in Hong Kong to meet officials for Stockholm subway operator MTR, has been suspended from his job.


This is pathetic. No wonder things don't work in Sweden.


----------



## dimlys1994

More MTR videos:


----------



## hkskyline

*Commuting costs taking bigger slice of workers' pay, global survey finds*
31 May 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

As the MTR Corporation raises its fares for the sixth year in a row, a survey has found that workers are spending more of their wages on getting to work than five years ago.

The survey, by serviced-office provider Regus, found that globally, workers spend an average of 5 per cent of their annual take-home pay on work travel.

In 2010, this proportion was 3 per cent.

The survey found that in Hong Kong, 18 per cent of workers spend between 5 and 10 per cent of their annual take-home pay on work travel.

In Taiwan, one in four workers spends between 5 and 10 per cent of his or her pay on travel and one in five workers on the mainland does the same.

Thirty per cent of Hong Kong employees use between 2 and 5 per cent of their salary on their daily commute, while one in 10 forks out 10 per cent or more.

About 44,000 senior business executives from more than 100 countries were surveyed for the report, with 365 respondents from Hong Kong.

From June 21, trips on MTR trains within the city will cost, on average, 4.3 per cent more, with some trips rising more than 6 per cent.

"With living costs rising, every penny counts for the world's workers. Yet travel expenses are accounting for a larger and larger slice of their yearly outgoings," said Michael Ormiston, country manager for Regus Hong Kong.


----------



## vvduw

cant see the photo


----------



## hkskyline

By *DAVIDL* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

*More polished look for railway tracks*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Thursday, June 11, 2015










MTR Corp Ltd has invested about HK$200 million in new rail maintenance vehicles.

In response to the rapid growth of traffic loading, operations chief Tony Lee Kar-yun said the corporation would like to put more resources into track maintenance to ensure first-class train services.

The purchased vehicles include two new rail milling trains which cost HK$72 million each to keep tracks polished, an additional turnout grinder to refine track intersections, a replacement for a tamping machine to consolidate small stones on tracks, and a new train to transport pre- welded long rail sections.

The Austrian-made rail milling trains will start servicing all 10 heavy rail lines this month. 

The other three vehicles will be used for the maintenance of tracks on the East Rail, West Rail and Ma On Shan lines.

MTRCL general manager of infrastructure maintenance Terry Wong Wing-kin said the two new rail milling trains use a different polishing mechanism to the existing grinders. "The milling machine is composed of two parts," he said. "The cutting head is loaded with little pieces of razors to peel off bulges. The second part is a grinding head which is similar to the existing grinder. It polishes the track for a refined finish."


----------



## ayeshakhan

*Not bad, just average*


----------



## mrsmartman

*East Rail Line*


----------



## hkskyline

Which station is this and do you have a source for the photo? Thanks.


----------



## Silly_Walks

And when was the picture taken? Looks to me like the 1970s, but it's difficult to tell.

The line was double-tracked and electrified during 1982 and 1983, so it seems it should be before then.

I see the file name is KCR-1974.jpg. Does that mean the picture is from 1974?


----------



## mrsmartman

http://www.susanbkason.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/KCR-1974.jpg

https://www.google.com.hk/search?tb...HjWrlrC4JjzstUN61qRmOnWxX-_15mqugvJfRtycS7krG

It appeared to be the old Ma Liu Shui (University) Station.


----------



## canonlam

Did anyone know that where is the new rail maintenance vehicles come from??


----------



## rasv

cool images


----------



## hkskyline

*340 trees axed at Diamond Hill site*
22 June 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_









_Photo from : https://marketing2.mingpao.com/htm/CIC2014/cfm/page.cfm?pg=page_team_a&id=team_a&pageNo=14 _

But two outstanding Chinese banyans were transplanted and 120 other trees saved after MTR scrapped plans for a depot at the station

The MTR Corporation chopped down 340 trees while extending Diamond Hill station as part of its Sha Tin to Central link project, while 22, including two Chinese banyans, were transplanted to a site nearby. 

Richard Kwan Kin-yan, the MTR’s environment manager, said the operation required careful planning to ensure there were no delays to construction.

Kwan said the original plan was to build a depot on the site, but this would have resulted in the loss of all the trees. So the company changed its mind to minimise the impact, and as a result 120 trees were saved.

He said the shape and condition of the two banyans, between 20 and 40 years old, were so outstanding that its engineers believed they must be protected before construction could start.

Engineers spent more than a year planning the transplants, some of the biggest in the Sha Tin to Central project. As the banyans were up to 16 metres tall and 20 metres wide, their roots branched out up to 10 metres.

“Workers used shovels rather than machines in digging the earth while looking for the root systems,” Kwan said, adding that if the roots were not preserved as much as possible, it could affect their health after the transplant.

The operation was conducted in four phases, each lasting 90 days. The younger banyan was moved in December 2013, while the older one was moved in August last year, 75 and 100 metres south of their original positions.


----------



## Silly_Walks

So where will the depot be built now?


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> So where will the depot be built now?


Seems Hung Hom will be used for parking some trains :

http://www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk/en/faq/


----------



## hkskyline

*Mind the earnings gap 
MTR fares up again on glitches day*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Monday, June 22, 2015

Protests and technical glitches greeted yesterday's sixth successive annual fares increase by the MTRCL.

In all, 78 percent of routes saw fares rise by between 10 and 50 HK cents and 19 percent by more than 50 HK cents. The remaining few were unchanged.

A five-month 10 percent Same-Day Second-Trip Discount, which began yesterday, will run to November 30.

The Early Bird Discount Promotion will be extended another 12 months to May 31.

About 20 members of the Concern Public Transportation Affairs Alliance held a rally at Tsuen Wan station to protest against the continuous rise in fares.

A spokesman called on the government to immediately review the fare adjustment mechanism and to include revenue from properties as a factor in adjusting fares.

"It is the sixth year for MTRCL to raise its fares ... under the current fare adjustment mechanism, we cannot see any reduction. It has accumulated to an increase of around 20 percent ... which has exceeded citizens' affordability," he said.


----------



## mrsmartman

*The 2.4km underground twin-tunnel mass transit railway forms an extension to the existing Kwun Tong line.*


----------



## Silly_Walks

The red dots are the future Ho Man Tin and Whampoa (closest to the water) stations.

Ho Man Tin station will allow transfers to the future West-East Rail Line.


----------



## hkskyline

By *whyho* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/622/6228647.html


----------



## AverageJoe

South Island Line train (by me)


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> You keep talking about danger and risk. These are just the excuses MTR gives so they have a means to stop parallel goods traders. The reason this ban was put in place was because of the ridiculous amount of space parallel goods traders were taking up in the MTR.
> 
> A whole MTR filled with mattresses and refrigerators: that is the sort of thing the ban was put in place for. Not one student carrying a cello.
> 
> "The key takeaway is what are the biggest risks that need to be addressed, not what are all the risks to remove, which is never possible." Exactly. Musical instruments pose virtually no risk. They should be allowed. Glad we agree.





LaoTze said:


> If someone brings an oversized item on the MTR, then he should be prepared to take up the legal responsibility if someone else has been injured by his luggage. MTR staff not enforcing their regulations due to whatever reason does not make the practice legal. I'm just saying for items that pose relatively low risk, MTR staff should be given the free hand to not strictly enforce the regulations.


Legal liability rests on both the passenger and the operator (MTR) for not enforcing a safe environment and their regulations. Negligence would apply to both. Selective enforcement is something that needs to be avoided. Not only is that bad for optics/PR, it also throws the negligence question wide open. We can easily challenge MTR staff for their bad judgment in enforcement, leading to negligence and injury.

Large musical instruments and sports equipment are heavy and bulky, posing the same risk to other passengers as a cart of parallel goods. If any one of these items falls on an elderly passenger, a baby cart, or on top of someone's toes, it can cause a nasty injury. You don't need a horde of these items to make the risk real.

Is 1 of every kind of large uncommon item on a train conducive to a safe environment? If the orchestra of different large instruments doesn't injure you, you will have plenty of chances in the sports equipment department. Clearly, this selective enforcement logic fails.

Using another analogy. Should passengers carrying bombs be allowed on trains because it is not common, whereas knives should be banned because they are plentiful and more commonly available? Both are weapons. So why should selective enforcement make sense? Is the risk different?


----------



## Silly_Walks

It would be safest if the MTR was completely empty. Your complete ban of all objects regardless of volume or injury statistics logic fails.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> It would be safest if the MTR was completely empty. Your complete ban of all objects regardless of volume or injury statistics logic fails.


So people should carry bombs on board because we haven't had a single injury from them historically?


----------



## Silly_Walks

Wow... just, wow.


Let's stick to parallel goods traders and musical instruments.

Answer the following question:
When was the last time Sheung Shui was crowded by people carrying cellos and double basses to the extent it caused a significant risk?

Then I will answer the following question:
When was the last time Sheung Shui was crowded by parallel goods traders to the extent it caused a significant risk?
Answer: yesterday.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Wow... just, wow.
> 
> 
> Let's stick to parallel goods traders and musical instruments.
> 
> Answer the following question:
> When was the last time Sheung Shui was crowded by people carrying cellos and double basses to the extent it caused a significant risk?
> 
> Then I will answer the following question:
> When was the last time Sheung Shui was crowded by parallel goods traders to the extent it caused a significant risk?
> Answer: yesterday.


Do you think a large, heavy musical instrument poses no risk to a crowded train?

The concept of danger has no relation to what happened or did not happen yesterday, or the day before that. Just because nobody died in Central crossing the street yesterday doesn't mean people can recklessly cross today and expect nothing will happen to them.


----------



## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> Do you think a large, heavy musical instrument poses no risk to a crowded train?


I have never ever seen one in the MTR. One cello will not cause any issues.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> I have never ever seen one in the MTR. One cello will not cause any issues.


So you are saying a large musical instrument will not cause any harm to any one ever in the future even when it drops or falls on a young child or elderly person?

That's quite a statement to make. Have you even carried one? Do you know how heavy that thing is?


----------



## mrsmartman

*Hung Hom Terminal (East Rail Line, West Rail Line, Intercity Through Train)*


----------



## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> So you are saying a large musical instrument will not cause any harm to any one ever in the future even when it drops or falls on a young child or elderly person?
> 
> That's quite a statement to make. Have you even carried one? Do you know how heavy that thing is?


Have you ever seen me? I am bigger and heavier than a cello. If I fall over I can hurt several young children and elderly persons on my way down. Should I be banned?


In short: A was causing problems, therefore you want A and B to be banned. I want just A to be banned.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Have you ever seen me? I am bigger and heavier than a cello. If I fall over I can hurt several young children and elderly persons on my way down. Should I be banned?
> 
> 
> In short: A was causing problems, therefore you want A and B to be banned. I want just A to be banned.


So you are saying a cello has arms and legs like you that makes it less susceptible to topping over and hurting other passengers?

All large cargo items that pose a major risk to passengers should be banned from trains. Not just some. All. You are just saying some, which is missing the point. The MTR is not a cargo line.


----------



## Silly_Walks

Exactly, large cargo should be banned, musical instruments are allowed. We are in agreement.


----------



## MTR MTR

hkskyline said:


> So you are saying a cello has arms and legs like you that makes it less susceptible to topping over and hurting other passengers?
> 
> All large cargo items that pose a major risk to passengers should be banned from trains. Not just some. All. You are just saying some, which is missing the point. The MTR is not a cargo line.


The point is either the MTR should prosecute everyone with excess sized "items" or they prosecute no one, it's fair and square. Though I agree they should allow musical instruments.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> Exactly, large cargo should be banned, musical instruments are allowed. We are in agreement.


Cellos are large and pose a safety risk. Haven't you read all my posts?

Other rail operators have also recognized that passenger safety is important, and have restrictions over the size of luggage that can be brought on board. This is not unusual.

*New York - Rules of Conduct Sec 1050.9*
_No person may carry on or bring to any facility or conveyance any item that:

- is so long as to extend outside the window or door of a subway car, bus or other conveyance;
- constitutes a hazard to the operation of the Authority, interferes with passenger traffic, or impedes service; or
- constitutes a danger or hazard to other persons.

Nothing contained in this section shall apply to the use of wheelchairs, crutches, canes or other physical assistance devices. _

*Singapore*
_Only articles not exceeding the maximum dimensions are allowed to be carried onboard trains
1. Luggage or other articles: 81 x 58 x 30cm
2. Folded bicycles: 114 x 64 x 36cm_

*Tokyo Metro*
_... any items that may cause harm to or be a nuisance to other passengers are also forbidden_

*Taipei* - http://english.metro.taipei/ct.asp?xItem=1056553&ctNode=79078&mp=122036 
_Luggage and carry-ons should comply with the following regulations or the TRTC may refuse to transport them.
(1) Carry-on objects carried by passengers must not obstruct other passengers, and must be taken care of by owners themselves;
(2) The size of each carry-on object should not exceed 165cm in length, and the sum of length, width and height cannot exceed 220cm. This regulation, however, is not applicable to wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles, and other carry-on objects approved by the TRTC; _


----------



## Silly_Walks

*This regulation, however, is not applicable to wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles, and other carry-on objects approved by the TRTC;*

"and other carry-on objects approved by the TRTC". See, not that hard to make exceptions. A cello is less of hazard than a bicycle.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> *This regulation, however, is not applicable to wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles, and other carry-on objects approved by the TRTC;*
> 
> "and other carry-on objects approved by the TRTC". See, not that hard to make exceptions. A cello is less of hazard than a bicycle.


A heavy cello poses a risk to passengers and exceeds the dimensions specified by the TRTC (_The size of each carry-on object should not exceed 165cm in length, and the sum of length, width and height cannot exceed 220cm_). Have they approved cellos as an exception? I don't think the MTR made the wrong judgment. The object under question indeed poses a sufficient enough danger to other passengers to be restricted. 

You still haven't presented any facts to indicate why a cello could be safe on a crowded train. There is no basis to exercise discretion then.


----------



## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> A heavy cello poses a risk to passengers and exceeds the dimensions specified by the TRTC (_The size of each carry-on object should not exceed 165cm in length, and the sum of length, width and height cannot exceed 220cm_). Have they approved cellos as an exception? I don't think the MTR made the wrong judgment. The object under question indeed poses a sufficient enough danger to other passengers to be restricted.
> 
> You still haven't presented any facts to indicate why a cello could be safe on a crowded train. There is no basis to exercise discretion then.


You still haven't presented any occurrences where a cello caused injury on a crowded train, or that any other objects _could_ be safe on a crowded train.

The rule was put in place to combat parallel goods traders, not students with musical instruments. If a situation does occur where a musical instrument is causing havoc, MTR is free to take action.


----------



## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> You still haven't presented any occurrences where a cello caused injury on a crowded train, or that any other objects _could_ be safe on a crowded train.
> 
> The rule was put in place to combat parallel goods traders, not students with musical instruments. If a situation does occur where a musical instrument is causing havoc, MTR is free to take action.


You don't need a long history of bomb blasts to know a bomb is dangerous to our safety and well-being. The number of past incidents has no relevance to whether something dangerous is indeed dangerous or not. Simple logic.


----------



## Silly_Walks

You are comparing one student carrying a cello to a bomb. There is no logic here.


----------



## AsHalt

I think anything that you could have taken on board a plane hand carry should be just fine ,with the exception of the huge luggage.


----------



## xavier114fch

Silly_Walks said:


> You are comparing one student carrying a cello to a bomb. There is no logic here.


How about using a cello box to smuggle baby formula? :bash:

The root cause stems from the unfair treatment among smugglers (or "parallel-traders" if you wanna say), who are usually from PRC, and Hongkongers. PRC smugglers are not fined if they carry oversize luggage, and these luggage are usually goods from Hong Kong, but local people are fined because of something like a piece of musical instrument.

It is MTR's responsibility to uphold their by-laws and treat every passenger equally, no matter he is a PRC citizen or a HK student carrying her school project but oversized. Giving concession to people carrying musical instruments is sidetracked, and giving an opportunity for smugglers to use musical instruments to bring goods on the MTR. It is very common for these reckless people using baby prams sans the baby to carry goods across the border.


----------



## Silly_Walks

No bombs, no parallel goods trading in over-sized luggage.


Just students carrying musical instruments in support of the arts.

It's not that complicated.


----------



## hkskyline

xavier114fch said:


> How about using a cello box to smuggle baby formula? :bash:
> 
> The root cause stems from the unfair treatment among smugglers (or "parallel-traders" if you wanna say), who are usually from PRC, and Hongkongers. PRC smugglers are not fined if they carry oversize luggage, and these luggage are usually goods from Hong Kong, but local people are fined because of something like a piece of musical instrument.
> 
> It is MTR's responsibility to uphold their by-laws and treat every passenger equally, no matter he is a PRC citizen or a HK student carrying her school project but oversized. Giving concession to people carrying musical instruments is sidetracked, and giving an opportunity for smugglers to use musical instruments to bring goods on the MTR. It is very common for these reckless people using baby prams sans the baby to carry goods across the border.


That's why I think selective enforcement doesn't work. It creates the optics of discrimination. So if the item is large and exceeds the dimensions in MTR's own bylaws, then enforce all. It's not complicated.


----------



## 00Zy99

For cryin' out loud! Listen to yourselves, people! If this is going to continue, why don't we just close the subway?


----------



## xavier114fch

Silly_Walks said:


> No bombs, no parallel goods trading in over-sized luggage.
> 
> 
> Just students carrying musical instruments in support of the arts.
> 
> It's not that complicated.


No selective enforcement is not that complicated at all.

Have you heard about cross-border students smuggling iPhones or even drugs across the border? How could MTR staff know that the one carrying a musical instrument is a "real" student, not smuggler pretending to be student? ID/Student card check with a confirm call to school? (Instrument) Bag search? How could this be effectively enforced without bringing inconvenience to the student as well?


----------



## Sameboat

Spot the typo time. (Although some may not even consider it is a typo.)


----------



## hkskyline

A common goal by Calvin Lee, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail firm changes tune on bulky music instruments*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

MTR Corp Limited has bowed to public demand and is relaxing its size restrictions for large musical instruments in a four- month trial that begins on Monday.

However, those traveling with large instruments need to apply for a permit and will not be allowed on trains for one hour during the morning rush.

There will also be size limits, with the total dimension for each item not exceeding 235 centimeters, and the length of any one side cannot exceed 170cm.

MTRCL head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee said the decision to relax the restriction took into account safety concerns and the needs of passengers.

Li said instruments in a box or bag falling within the relaxed size limit could get on trains all day except between 8.15am and 9.15am, Monday to Friday.

Passengers with larger musical instruments have to get in the station's paid areas before 8.15am or after 9.15am on working days but there will be no time restriction on public holidays.


----------



## hkskyline

upload by Paul Chan, on Flickr


----------



## Svartmetall

Please don't open separate threads for every issue with the HK MTR. Use this thread for all news and updates. Thanks.


----------



## RanaDesignConsultant

How fast can they go btw?


----------



## AsHalt

RanaDesignConsultant said:


> How fast can they go btw?


I believe it should be about the 90-100 km/h range , as the train feels much faster than the Singapore's NSEWL... (From my previous and only visit to HK)


----------



## Silly_Walks

RanaDesignConsultant said:


> How fast can they go btw?


Which line are you talking about?


----------



## Ashis Mitra

Mass Transit Railway is operating metro, suburban rail, light rail but not tram, why? If they absorb tram also, a total integrated rail transport could be done in Hongkong.


----------



## MTR MTR

Ashis Mitra said:


> Mass Transit Railway is operating metro, suburban rail, light rail but not tram, why? If they absorb tram also, a total integrated rail transport could be done in Hongkong.


Because the Tram has been running for much longer and I guess the MTR doesn't wanna mess with the tram.

Integrated? No
It would just be kinda useless because the Tram parallels for the most part the Island Line.


----------



## hkskyline

MTR by George Fox Evangelical Seminary, on Flickr


----------



## xeror

Computer graphics and augmented reality visualization of the construction and interior rendering of the planned Exhibition Station of the Shatin to Central Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTgvZrGtjow


----------



## hkskyline

Tsim Sha Tsui - MTR by Dorian Blanc, on Flickr


----------



## Ashis Mitra

After long five years, Hongkong metro extended again, this time Island line. But I’m afraid; will not it be a threat to the tram system? Because it runs parallel with the main tram routes.

However, the system is nodoubt very good, because it passes under the creek and from one island to another, under the water. Manu lines are either under construction, or planned. Proposed East Kowloon line and South Island West line will be important. I thing in future the most important line will be South Island East line, because of new townships.


----------



## hkskyline

Ashis Mitra said:


> After long five years, Hongkong metro extended again, this time Island line. But I’m afraid; will not it be a threat to the tram system? Because it runs parallel with the main tram routes.
> 
> However, the system is nodoubt very good, because it passes under the creek and from one island to another, under the water. Manu lines are either under construction, or planned. Proposed East Kowloon line and South Island West line will be important. I thing in future the most important line will be South Island East line, because of new townships.


Trams go for short trip customers, and are not meant to compete with the MTR. This was true before the Island Line extension, and is still valid now.


----------



## hkskyline

*Contractor’s troubles ‘won’t hit rail link’*
15 November 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










Transport minister confident that joint venture firm’s financial ills in Singapore will not push back Sha Tin-Central project further

Financial problems plaguing a contractor responsible for part of the Sha Tin-Central link will not further delay progress on the troubled railway, the transport minister says.

Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung was responding to an Oriental Daily report that Sembawang Engineers and Constructors, part of a joint venture building a station for the link, was having financial problems in Singapore, its home office.

The link was one of a series of MTR projects facing delays, with the discovery of a vast trove of archaeological treasures at the future To Kwa Wan station pushing work back at least a year.

“The MTR has reported the matter to the Highways Department,” Cheung said of the contractor’s difficulties. “According to the contract, if one company of the joint venture has any problem, the other company has the responsibility to fulfil the contract … So far there’s nothing unusual in the report we received.”

Neither Sembawang’s Hong Kong office nor its partner in the joint venture, Leader Civil Engineering Corporation, could be reached for comment yesterday.

A spokeswoman for the MTR said the company had “paid attention to the market in Singapore in the past two months and understood the situation”.

The contract ensured that the joint venture would perform as usual regardless of litigation and financial issues, she added.

It won a HK$1.67 billion contract to connect Diamond Hill station to the new line in 2012. The project included relocation of heritage structures, archaeological digs and a new part of the station 30 metres underground.

The first stage of the railway, linking Tai Wai, Kai Tak and Hung Hom, was expected to go into operation in 2019. A connection to Hong Kong Island and a new Exhibition station in Wan Chai would follow two years later.


----------



## hkskyline

Jan. 26, 2016
The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTRCL takes control* 

MTR Corp Limited (0066) has purchased the remaining 50 percent stake in a joint venture that maintains and cleans all locomotives of the Stockholm Metro system.

With its previous 50 percent stake, MTRCL now owns the entire venture Tunnelbanan Teknik Stockholm.

MTR Stockholm, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTRCL, launched the joint venture with a Norwegian rolling stock maintenance company, Mantena, in 2009.

Tunnelbanan will be renamed MTR Tech upon completion of the acquisition. About 400 existing employees will continue working at MTR Tech.

Last year, the local railway operator was granted the extension of its concession to operate the Stockholm Metro for another six years until 2023.

"This purchase will bring rolling stock maintenance for Stockholm Metro fully under MTRCL's management and enables us to continue to deploy the very best of our extensive maintenance expertise and experience for the benefit of our passengers," said MTRCL chief executive Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen.


----------



## hkskyline

HongKong 香港 TuenMun 屯門 (160126) MTR Light Rail 輕便鐵路 by Leung Bor kee, on Flickr


----------



## 00Zy99

Oooh.

New paint scheme?

New car?

Something looks different.


----------



## hkskyline

00Zy99 said:


> Oooh.
> 
> New paint scheme?
> 
> New car?
> 
> Something looks different.


Yes, they are being refurnished with a new livery.


----------



## Nexis

Do a lot of tourists take the train from/to Tung Chung Station and connect to a bus service to/from the Airport to save on the fares?


----------



## hkskyline

Nexis said:


> Do a lot of tourists take the train from/to Tung Chung Station and connect to a bus service to/from the Airport to save on the fares?


The "E" buses are cheaper and competitive against the MTR to Tung Chung and bus option. 

http://www.nwstbus.com.hk/routes/airport-bus/route/index.aspx?intLangID=1


----------



## Silly_Walks

Yeah, from Yuen Long or Tung Chung, airport buses are the way to go. Cheapest and fastest option that I know of (not counting taxi due to cost).


----------



## hkskyline

[email protected] by boomcar1023, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

MTR Volvo B9TL 11.3m (Wright Gemini Eclipse 3 Bodywork) by Kenneth Li, on Flickr


----------



## xeror

^^I think these feeder bus photos should be posted in the bus thread, even though they are related to MTR.


----------



## hkskyline

Kennedy-Town-MTR-Art-IMG_3476 by Bernard Oh, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - Airport Express, Nam Cheong by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_ 
Feb 3, 2016 
*Women pack 100 live lobsters into suitcases on MTR*


















_ON.CC 讀者李先生提供_

Strong demand for high-end seafood in mainland China as the Lunar New Year approaches is prompting smugglers to grab the opportunity to make money before the holidays.

A video clip posted on Facebook shows two women stuffing more than 100 live lobsters into a dozen suitcases on an MTR train, hk01.com reported Wednesday.

Witnesses said that once they got onto the train, the women opened their suitcases and stuffed the live lobsters in transparent plastic bags into them.

Each suitcase had around 10 big lobsters in it.

But at first, the suitcases seemed not big enough, so the pair repacked, pressed and stuffed the lobsters forcefully again and again into the suitcases so that they could zip them up.

Other passengers in the compartment were annoyed by the disturbance the two traders caused. 

The smuggling of lobsters, Pacific geoducks and frozen steaks from Hong Kong to the mainland has become common over the past few years, said Leung Kam-shing, convener of the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group.

The situation gets worse before the Lunar New Year because of the increased demand for high-quality food in the mainland, he said.

Leung said the smugglers usually bring the food to Lo Wu through Sheung Shui and pass it on to their mainland partners, who then sell it to restaurants.


----------



## cart55free99

Great photos!


----------



## hkskyline

Back home by metro after work by Gary Tsang, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

2016-02-05 - Leica M6 (Kodak T-MAX 400TMY) + Leitz Summicron 35 f2 6ele - 19 by Franco Li, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Below the Lion Rock: Hong Kong's MTR Corporation makes good progress on tunnel for Sha Tin to Central rail link *
5 February 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










The MTR Corporation said it had overcome difficult geological conditions below Lion Rock, but was making good progress in completing a railway tunnel linking Tai Wai in the New Territories with Kai Tak in Kowloon. The deepest point of the tunnel is about 300 metres underground.

The 5km tunnel forms part of the Sha Tin to Central Link. The rail operator aims to open the section between Tai Wai and Hung Hom in 2019 before extending it to Admiralty.

To build the tunnel, the MTR used both tunnel boring machines and drilling and blasting.

“Inside the mountain there are fault zones,” said Jason Wong Chi-chung, project manager of the Sha Tin to Central Link, during a press tour of the tunnel last week.

“The wider the fault zone, the greater the amount of water that could gush in. This could be dangerous,” he said.

“Extra supporting work had to be done before we could drill and blast. Luckily, we encountered fewer fault zones than expected.”

Wong added another challenge in constructing the tunnel was that a section of it passed over a water tunnel linking High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung to the urban areas and part of it had to be protected before the drill and blast operation could start.


----------



## hkskyline

2016-02-14_02-43-21 by cstam, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTRC in $23m 'birthday' giveaway*
Feb. 15, 2016
The Standard _Excerpt_

Not everyone was cheering an "everyone's birthday" gift that MTR Corp Ltd announced yesterday on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

The "Happy Birthday - Happy Journey" lucky draw is a promotion that allows 200,000 Hongkongers to win a HK$65 one-day pass in their birthday month.

A lucky draw will be held every month from March to draw a birthday date under the HK$23 million program.

"Birthdays are always best when shared," said commercial director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun. "We hope we can bring joy and fun to lucky passengers, who can travel within Hong Kong to celebrate with friends and relatives using the pass."

Hong Kong ID cardholders whose birthdays fall on the date drawn can redeem the special "birthday pack" by presenting their ID card.

The pack will include a HK$65 "Happy Birthday One-day Pass" for one day of unlimited free domestic rides on the MTR network within one month of the date of issue. Excluded from the free rides are the Airport Express, East Rail Line first class, journeys to and from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau and MTR buses.


----------



## hkskyline

P2190022 by YKevin1979, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

P2190029 by YKevin1979, on Flickr


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## mrsmartman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disne...a/File:Disneyland_MTR,_Disneyland_Station.JPG


----------



## hkskyline

*Large-instrument trial a sound move for MTR*
2 March 2016
The Standard _Excerpt_ 

MTR Corp Ltd has decided to extend indefinitely its registration scheme for the carriage of large musical instruments after its four-month trial passed smoothly.

The trial began in November after a Baptist University of Hong Kong music student was threatened with a HK$2,000 fine for carrying a cello on the East Rail. 

Head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee said more than 2,300 applications were received during the trial period and that the scheme went smoothly, thanks to the cooperation of permit holders.

``Having conducted a thorough review, we are satisfied that the scheme strikes a proper balance between safeguarding the safe operation of the railway while meeting the need of musicians and music students to carry larger-sized instruments during their daily journeys,'' he said.

Passengers are required to apply for a permit to take large musical instruments not exceeding 145 centimeters in length on to trains.

The permit allows the registered person to carry one oversized instrument into stations and trains at any time during service hours, except between 8.15am and 9.15am on weekdays.


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## Silly_Walks

Well, duh.

A modicum of sanity prevails at last.


----------



## hkskyline

MTR day 7.3.16 (9) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR day 7.3.16 (6) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR profits down as property earnings slip*
2016-03-11 
RTHK _Excerpt_

MTR’s annual profit fell 16.7 percent to under HK$13 billion last year, dragged by a sharp fall in property earnings.

It made more than HK$2.3 billion from selling homes here in Hong Kong last year. In 2014, the figure was HK$4.2 billion.

MTR’s chief executive officer, Lincoln Leung, said the company will add more shop space to its property mix. He said in five years’ time, the corporation aims to add over 120,000 square metres of shopping space.

Underlying profit, including the valuation of investment property, was also down 6 percent to HK$10.9 billion.


----------



## hkskyline

HK-4 by t j, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Alstom to replace track circuits of five MTR lines and Airport Express in Hong Kong*
15/03/2016
Press Release _Excerpt_

Alstom has been awarded a contract worth €28 million by MTR Corporation to replace the track circuits of five MTR lines and Airport Express in Hong Kong’s metro network by early 2019.

Metro track circuits, which are part of the signalling system, are used to ensure the integrity of the rails and detect the position of the trainsets on the lines. The original track circuits for the six lines were supplied and installed by Alstom between 1985 and 1998. These will now be replaced with Alstom’s latest generation of track circuits to function for another 20 years. No interruptions will occur on the lines, as the works will be performed during the non-traffic hours.

This project will be led by Alstom Hong Kong and supported by the Alstom signalling teams in Saint-Ouen, France.


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Metro by Rubin Starset, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Early MTR fare review mooted*
March 22, 2016
Government Press Release

The Government today asked the MTR Corporation to bring forward a review of its Fare Adjustment Mechanism by one year.

Under the 2007 Operating Agreement between the Government and the MTR, both parties may review the mechanism every five years.

The last review in 2013 introduced multiple measures to reduce citizens' fare burden and maintain the MTR’s financial viability as a listed company. The next review is due in 2018. 

The Government said the experience gained since the last review suggests that there is room for an early review to respond to public concerns about the MTR’s overall profitability and passenger affordability, while still respecting the financial prudence required of the corporation as a listed company. 

The Government is looking forward to the MTR’s early response so that the review can start early, as its objective is for the new mechanism to take effect in 2017.


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## hkskyline

Tsuen Wan Depot by *Koman, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Untitled by alan cheng, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

P-WAY Maintenance 24 Mar 2016 by TRAIN TANG ., on Flickr


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## hkskyline

On MTR by Nevernote, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTR fares to rise 2.7pc*
March 30, 2016

The MTR Corp Ltd has announced a 2.7 percent fare hike - the lowest in three years but the seventh such yearly increase in a row - despite another profitable year.

The hikes will take effect from June.

The rail operator announced the increase after the Census and Statistics Department said yesterday the year-on-year increase in the nominal wage index for the transportation sector was 4.1 percent for December 2015.

That led to the MTRCL announcing last night: "In accordance with the Fare Adjustment Mechanism formula, combining half of 4.1 percent with half of the 2.5 percent year-on-year increase in the Composite Consumer Price Index for December 2015 ... and subtracting the Productivity Factor value of 0.6 percent, the Overall Fare Adjustment Rate of +2.7 percent is derived for MTR fares in 2016."

The MTRCL recorded a profit of HK$13 billion last year, but in line with the mechanism it needs to input HK$176 million as the sharing amount and HK$11 million for eight cases of delays over 31 minutes last year according to a penalty system.

Examples based on the 2.7 percent hike could see the adult fare paid through Octopus of HK$11.60 from Mong Kok to Central raised by 30 cents to HK$11.90 and the HK$20.60 from Yuen Long to Hung Hom increased by 56 cents to HK$21.20.

The government last week requested the MTRCL to advance the review of the mechanism so any agreed revision could be applied next year. The railway operator said yesterday it was still studying the request and would respond "in the next few months."


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## hkskyline

*Fare adjustment system is flawed*
4 April 2016
South China Morning Post	

A 2 to 3 per cent rise in transport fares should not come as too much of a surprise in times of inflation. But against the backdrop of a staggering HK$13 billion in profits and a deal that seemingly guarantees increases every year, the public can be excused for feeling upset. The 2.7 per cent rise in Mass Transit Railway fares is the seventh in as many years. Although the impact is likely to be eased through a package of fare concessions, passengers will still be paying more.

This state of affairs owes much to a widely criticised fare adjustment mechanism. Following the railway merger in 2007, MTR fares were supposed to rise or fall according to a formula that takes into account changes in wages for transport workers, inflation and productivity. But continuous wage increases and strong inflation mean there has never been a fare cut under the formula.

As a listed company, the MTR Corporation is required to maximise profits and be accountable to its shareholders. But being a public utility serving millions of people every day, it also has its social responsibilities to fulfil. The railway giant is setting aside HK$186 million this year for fare concessions, including HK$11 million as a penalty for service disruptions over the year. This is less than last year's HK$220 million. The amount pales further against its HK$13 billions in profits . With its healthy finances, there is room to do more. Instead of providing periodic discounts to mitigate against the impact of fare increases, the MTR should consider more long-term concessions.

More importantly, the fare adjustment mechanism should be overhauled. The formula was last revised in 2013, with a cap to prevent unreasonably high increases. But it cannot curb an ever-rising trend.

With millions of commuters passing through its gates every day, the railway system is hailed as one of the most efficient in the world. Despite the increases over the past years, the fares are still comparatively low when measured against what commuters in other cities have to pay. But that perception is being challenged by more frequent service delays and cost overruns in new projects. This makes fare increases even more difficult to justify.

Earlier, the government asked the MTR to advance a review of the fare adjustment mechanism by one year. The move was seen as an attempt by the government to head off the pressure arising from the rise this year. The company should cooperate and keep fare adjustments at a reasonable level.


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by Sylvain Ma, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Train arriving by Bowen Chin, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*No relief in sight for crushed commuters*
14 April 2016
The Standard _Excerpt_

If you thought you were being packed like sardines into MTR trains on the Tsuen Wan and West Rail lines, you were right.

Figures for 2015 provided to the Legislative Council's transport panel show that the loading on the Tsuen Wan line was at 102 percent while that on the West Rail was 104 percent.

During morning peak hours, 54,500 people traveled on the Tsuen Wan line every hour in one direction. It was 36,400 for the West Rail line.

To increase capacity, MTR Corp Ltd plans to upgrade its signal system to lift overall capacity by 10 percent. But that would have to wait until 2018, meaning there is little option for passengers but to rub shoulders during the morning rush. Panel chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said adding one more carriage to all trains can increase capacity by 10 percent by 2018.

In the long term, however, a fifth cross-harbor tunnel should be built from Tuen Mun, via Tung Chung, to Hong Kong Island. Such a line will serve the needs of an increasing population in the northwest New Territories.

The panel was also told that after a review of bylaws, MTRCL proposed to lower the fine for the use of abusive language or "dressing improperly" from HK$5,000 to HK$2,000, while a bylaw prohibiting loitering in or about railway premises is suggested to be canceled.

Separately, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung has ruled out distributing the special dividends the government receives from the MTRCL to the general public as a reimbursement of high transport fares. The idea was raised by MTRCL boss Frederick Ma Si-hang.


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## mrsmartman

http://www.hkitalk.net/HKiTalk2/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=957830&extra=page=1

http://www.hkitalk.net/HKiTalk2/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=953258&extra=page=1


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## hkskyline

Seems those Made in China trains look very different from the rolling stock in the mainland.


----------



## hkskyline

30 Minutes on the MTR 15.4.16 (27) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

L1030484 by H.Chang., on Flickr


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## 00Zy99

If you could please post more description of each picture, it would be appreciated.


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## saiho

hkskyline said:


> L1030484 by H.Chang., on Flickr


Pretty sure this is Taipei.


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## Svartmetall

^^ It is, you can read Xinyi Anhe reflected in the screen door (the English is illegible, but the Chinese is there). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinyi_Anhe_Station


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## hkskyline

Whoops. My bad. Wrong thread. This was what I wanted to post :

Inside the mtr. by mok_by, on Flickr


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## anonymous_filipino

hkskyline said:


> Seems those Made in China trains look very different from the rolling stock in the mainland.


It looks like the Korean made Hyundai-Rotem R-Train, not the CNR Changchun rolling stock for the Sha Tin to Central link which will be delivered to HK starting 2017.


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTR fare-review talks pushed forward amid public uproar*
Apr 21, 2016

MTR Corp Ltd has agreed to bring the next scheduled review of its fare-adjustment mechanism forward a year.

The review is expected to begin shortly but the time frame and the process have yet to be announced.

The decision follows a March 22 request by the government amid a public outcry over fare rises despite huge profits for the rail operator.

MTRCL will raise fares by 2.7 percent from June, despite a HK$13 billion profit last year. It is the seventh consecutive year of hikes since the mechanism came into force.

The last review was completed in 2013 and the next review is scheduled for 2018.

"We have agreed to advance the review so that we can examine the various views expressed by the public," chief executive Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen said.

"We will listen to the views of stakeholders, including members of the public and our shareholders, and seek to balance these views."

Leong said using the special dividends the government receives from MTRCL to reimburse the public was only a personal suggestion by chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang.

"How a shareholder spends the dividends is to be determined by himself," Leong said.

Commercial director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun said MTRCL is still reviewing the fare discounts and will announce details next month.

Michael Tien Puk-sun, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the rail operator has benefited from government policy to use the railway as part of the economy's backbone.

"So consequently it should shoulder its corporate responsibility," Tien added.


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## Scion

hkskyline said:


> loading on the Tsuen Wan line was at 102 percent while that on the West Rail was 104 percent.
> 
> ...meaning there is little option for passengers but to rub shoulders during the morning rush.


Note that these percentages were calculated assuming 4 adults fit into 1 sq meter of standing floor space on the train. In many other metro systems around Asia the standard is to cram 6 adults into every sqm of train floor. The commute in HK is really not that bad.


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## Sameboat

Sha Tin Wai Station (Ma On Shan Line) is being installed with automatic platform gates gradually on operational platform section like MTR did on Tai Wai Station Ma On Shan Line platforms.


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTR pledges public fares say*
April 22, 2016

The MTR plans to consult the public on whether company profits should be added to a new fare adjustment mechanism, its chairman Frederick Ma Si- hang says.

The company had earlier agreed to a government request to bring forward by a year a review of the way it calculates its fares.

However, Ma rejected calls to freeze fares while the study is being carried out and said ticket prices will go up in June under the existing mechanism.

"Although MTRCL is 76 percent held by the government, we are a limited company and need to consider different stakeholders, including minority shareholders and 17,000 staff," Ma said yesterday. "We have to put much effort into balancing different views.

"If the change involves profit, it needs to be approved by minority shareholders."

Asked whether the corporation will continue to discuss his proposal to reimburse transport fees using dividends received by the government, Ma said: "We have to understand it is a big livelihood issue, the transport fee. As a public transport operator, can we solve the problem on our own?"

Ma clarified that his reimbursement suggestion was not only aimed at the MTR but all public transport.

He also expressed fears that commencement of the link service will be delayed if the government's co-location arrangement is not solved soon.


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## Sameboat

Finally got the chance to experience the 8-car SP1900 train on West Rail Line refitted with LCD displays for digital on-board information (similar to that on Tokyo Yamanote Line).

Imgur album to avoid oversized images in this post.

When doors are open on the other side:


This is the close-up version of the full stripe map,
only shows up for about 30 seconds when the train just departs the station:


Full stripe map.
I think the font size of the interchangeable lines is too small
and there is plenty of room to enlarge it:


When the doors are open:


Additional information on navy blue background:


Smaller LCDs at each end of the car showing "next station":


"Current station":


"Destination":


Just before arriving at an interchange between 2 metro lines,
this additional diagram shows up.
This one between West Rail Line and Tsuen Wan Line at Mei Foo Station feels bit redundant to me:
Instead of directly connecting the station icons of "East Tsim Sha Tsui" and
"Tsim Sha Tsui" by a dash line for denoting out-of-station interchange,
the designer obviously prioritized consistency:


I know joining the 2 Mei Foo station icons here is not going to look nice:


When doors are closing:


West and East Rail Lines at Hung Hom Station:


The end of my West Rail Line journey:


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## hkskyline

The photos are too large. Please resize.


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Don't bank on hefty discounts, says rail boss*
April 25, 2016

MTR passenger discounts may be less this year than in 2015, amid a 2.7 percent fare increase, MTR Corp Ltd chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang warned yesterday.

Ma told TVB program On The Record that a fare adjustment mechanism review to be completed next year would not necessarily mean a hefty fare cut is in the pipeline.

Ma said that due to a decline in profits, it is possible that discounts for train travel may be reduced, but he said the board still has not made a final decision.

Details will be announced next month. MTR fares are due to rise 2.7 percent in June, amid a HK$13 billion profit.

Fares were hiked 4.3 percent last year with the company making HK$15.6 billion profit. On whether the MTRCL will consider not implementing the fare hike in June, Ma said the mechanism has to be followed.

He said the passenger discount package may "shrink" as the "sharing amount" will decrease from HK$200 million last year to HK $176 million this year under the profit-sharing mechanism.

"The possibility exists, but the board of directors has not decided yet," Ma said.

"The discount may not necessarily `shrink."'


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## hkskyline

MTR Passengers 1.5.16 by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Railway MTR by really wilson, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR should scrap obsolete by-laws*
6 May 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A long overdue review of the Mass Transit Railway by-laws is back on the agenda finally. The company admits that some clauses and penalties regarding passengers' misbehaviour appear obsolete and need to be scrapped or relaxed. But it may take some time before changes can be introduced, as the review is expected to last for a year.

It is nonetheless good to hear that the problems are not being swept under the carpet. The overhaul was supposed to be conducted following the rail merger in 2007. But the proposals put forward by the company failed to find consensus support from society.

While the exercise is primarily to iron out the inconsistencies between the rules applied to the MTR and the East Rail, which was previously run by Kowloon and Canton Railway, pressure to review offences that are seen as unreasonable or obsolete is also growing. This includes a HK$5,000 fine for swearing or being improperly dressed within its premises.

Like buses and ferries that have their own by-laws to enhance passengers' safety and operational efficiency, the MTR is also vested with such powers. But with power comes responsibility. The companies are not only expected to make rules that are reasonable and keep them up-to-date; they also need to enforce them in a fair and equal manner.


----------



## Sameboat

Installation of automatic platform gates during operation at Sha Tin Wai Station (Tai Wai/southbound platform).


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*It's only fair to freeze fares, say legislators*
May 24, 2016

Lawmakers yesterday called on the MTR Corporation Ltd to freeze fares while a three-month review is being carried out on its fare adjustment mechanism.

Fares are set to increase by 2.65 percent from next month the seventh consecutive year that the rail operator has raised fares by using the mechanism established in 2007.

Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Wong Kwok-hing told a Legislative Council transport panel meeting that a fare freeze is more practical than any promotional discount offered by the railway company.

"I think the MTRCL is just playing tricks, and freezing the fares is the most practical way [to help the public]. Because of the mechanism, the fare has risen every year which is torture for passengers," Wong said.

Neo Democrat Gary Fan Kwok-wai said the franchised bus companies New World First Bus and Citybus have not raised their fares for the past seven years.

He also urged the government to consider the MTRCL's profit when reviewing the adjustment mechanism.

"In 2011, the income from station commercial business reached HK$3.4 billion, and it was recorded at HK$5.4 billion last year," he said.

"If the formula does not include the profit in it, [the review] will be useless."

Transport panel chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun suggested the review be extended to six months.


----------



## hkskyline

2016-05-07_10-51-13 by cstam, on Flickr


----------



## okcnaline

hkskyline said:


> By *Milkshakeshake* from dcfever :


WHAT?!! A C-Train parked at TKO Depot...? Aren't they sent back to Kowloon Bay?


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## aznichiro115

okcnaline said:


> WHAT?!! A C-Train parked at TKO Depot...? Aren't they sent back to Kowloon Bay?


That is Kowloon Bay.....


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Hong Kong MTR fares to rise again*
Rise slightly lower than average annual hike for recent years
May 30, 2016

MTR fares will rise again, by 2.65 per cent, in a hike expected to rake in another HK$400 million for the network’s owner.

The MTR Corporation said fares on 80 per cent of routes will rise by no more than 30 cents, with four per cent of fares unchanged. And only trips on the Disneyland Resort Line and those reaching the border will go up by more than 50 cents.

The rise is lower than last year’s of 4.3 per cent, and just under the annual rise over the past seven years of 2.7 per cent.

The company said it would spend HK$500 million on one-off and recurrent concessions in 2016/17, funded by the HK$400 million the company made from last year’s fare increase.

The concessions will include a cheaper trip for children – on the first Saturday of each month from November to March – with adults using an Octopus card.


----------



## hkskyline

An end of a busy day - leaving the busiest MTR station in Hong Kong by Edmund Kong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Calls to end fare hikes method shunted aside*
June 2, 2016

Calls by lawmakers to abolish the MTR fare adjustment mechanism which has seen rail fares rise 25.5 percent in nine years have been brushed aside by government officials.

One lawmaker said that by doing nothing to stop the annual rises in fares, the government is acting as an accomplice in boosting inflation.

The outcry follows the MTR Corp Ltd's latest fare increase of 2.65 percent, which comes into effect on June 26.

Legislator Bill Tang Ka- piu said the rail operator has now become the major source of public resentment.

"The MTR fare has obviously been boosting inflation," Tang said. "If the government doesn't stop the MTR, and since the government has been earning dividends from the MTR, it is an accomplice."

Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, however, played down the MTR's effect on inflation, saying its fares had risen by only 25.5 percent since 2007 while the accumulated inflation for the period was 30.9 percent.

Cheung said the fare adjustment mechanism was set under the operating agreement back in 2007.

"Any amendment will need to be approved at a shareholders' meeting," he said.

Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan said the accumulated increases in bus fares were much lower than that of the MTR.


----------



## Scion

Someone peeled off the sticker on the urban trains and revealed the new map showing KTL extension and parts of the new SIL.


----------



## hkskyline

Kennedy-Town-MTR-IMG_3465 by Bernard Oh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Blast over MTR blackout*
June 10, 2016









































































The MTR Corporation has been criticized for "playing down" Tuesday's blackout which left parts of Central station without power for six hours.

"It is obvious that the MTR wants to play down the incident by saying it's a short-circuit," engineer and Professional Commons convener Albert Lai Kwong- tak said yesterday.

"There must be something wrong in the electric transformer room if a large station like this was plunged into darkness," he added. "Usually, it takes around 10 minutes to tackle a short-circuit, so why did this one take six hours?

The power failure, which began at 3pm, affected ATMs, lifts, some of the retail shops, escalators and the air- conditioning.

But train services were maintained, but passengers continued to pass through gates in darkness.

Lai urged the railway operator to investigate why their preventive maintenance could not spot the problem before the blackout occurred.

He said back-up components should have been placed next to the circuits in order to speed up maintenance.

Lai also said he was worried the corporation was neglecting its SAR business to focus on its overseas projects.

"They have deployed many engineers overseas. That may have compromised the local maintenance works," he said.

The MTRC has been expanding its business to the mainland, Britain, Sweden and Australia, according to its website.


----------



## skyridgeline

hkskyline said:


> The Standard _Excerpt_
> *Blast over MTR blackout*
> June 10, 2016
> 
> ...
> 
> The MTR Corporation has been criticized for "playing down" Tuesday's blackout which left parts of Central station without power for six hours.
> 
> "It is obvious that the MTR wants to play down the incident by saying it's a *short-circuit*," engineer and Professional Commons convener Albert Lai Kwong- tak said yesterday.
> 
> "There must be something wrong in the electric transformer room if a large station like this was plunged into darkness," he added. "Usually, it takes around 10 minutes to tackle a short-circuit, so why did this one take six hours?
> ... .



_Chi seen_ 黐線 :lol:.




_Chi seen_ 黐线 .


http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=129573243&postcount=1365


----------



## hkskyline

There was no fire at the station though.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR must ensure top-class service*
11 June 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

The Mass Transit Railway used to be the synonym for efficiency and reliability. But the perception is being challenged as more problems have emerged in recent years. From the controversial fare adjustment mechanism and frequent service breakdowns to new project delays and cost overruns, the railway giant is struggling to live up to its reputation as one of the world' s finest transportation systems.

Although the power failure in Central Station on Tuesday did not disrupt train services, passengers were left navigating in the dark for hours. Shops in the affected area were forced to shut down or do business without lighting. Scores of staff carrying hand-held lighting were deployed to help passengers getting on and off trains. While most travellers continued with their journey without difficulties, the scenes hardly matched MTR's image as a world-class underground system.

How the circuit breakdown came about is now the subject of an investigation. But the probe will not be complete without addressing another key question. Why did it take six hours before power supply could be fully restored? In a modern city where technical glitches are expected to be fixed in no time, the duration seems unacceptably long.

The company has come under fire for failing to maintain service quality despite making billions of dollars in profits every year. This year's 2.65 per cent fare increase is already the seventh in a row, thanks to a much-criticised formula which links fare increase to wages and productivity. Passengers may feel the fare rise even harder to swallow after Tuesday's blackout.


----------



## hkskyline

*Shatin - Central Line works @ Wong Tai Sin *
5/22


----------



## hkskyline

Kam Sheung Road


----------



## Sameboat

https://www.facebook.com/rdghk/phot...964650955184/1719051301679851/?type=3&theater

What a (dis)honorable way to celebrate your group 5000 likes.

Original:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hong_Kong_Railway_Route_Map_ring.svg


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## 00Zy99

???

What is going on here and why is it dishonorable?


----------



## Sameboat

00Zy99 said:


> ???
> 
> What is going on here and why is it dishonorable?


Because of deriving my image without attributing the original author and licensing under the same Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike license.


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## hkskyline

One thing in common... by hksleeper, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

midnight train by LY CHEN, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTRCL fends off criticism of tendering system*
July 14, 2016

The MTR Corp Ltd yesterday defended its tendering system, saying a mainland train manufacturer was allowed to keep bidding because its quality problems did not compromise safety.

The MTRCL bought more than 100 express and urban line trains from CSR Qingdao Sifang despite knowing that cracks were spotted in trains that it made for Singapore.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, MTRCL managing director of operations and mainland business, said the cracks on the Singapore trains did not pose any safety threat.

He said the "two-envelope" tender system involves two aspects - technical requirement and financial assessment - and that CSR Sifang had performed well in its consolidated performance.

The rail operator earlier admitted pressing ahead with the tendering process after it became aware of the defective trains in Singapore in 2014.

"We did not conceal anything," Kam said.

He said the corporation had checked with both CSR Sifang and Singapore authorities and concluded the incident did not affect the manufacturer's qualification in the tendering process as it did not affect train safety.

"The hairline cracks did not affect the train's systems, performance or passenger safety," Kam said.

He said the 93 new urban line trains are made of stainless steel, different from the aluminum alloy used in the Singapore trains and a metallurgical analysis will be carried out to ensure the metal meets the required standard.

Kam said that under the two- envelope tendering system, the technical specifications of CSR Sifang were considered first, and that the tender prices would not be revealed until the applicants had fulfilled the technical requirements.

He said the MTRCL will never sacrifice quality and safety for a lower price.


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## Sopomon

> a mainland train manufacturer was allowed to keep bidding because its quality problems did not compromise safety.


OK, but what about the costs or interruption of service caused in ameliorating these problems in the future? It's really quite fishy.

I'm sure that MTR, with all its enterprises on the mainland, is caught up in the net of guanxi with big state manufacturers or the state itself. I wouldn't be surprised if it's being leant on by higher powers.


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## hkskyline

Tai Po Market Railway Station by Desmond Ho, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Dramatic transformation: Aberdeen housing market poised to take-off thanks to MTR’s new South Island Line*
Completion of major transport infrastructure means the district is set to evolve from an old industrial town into a hub for business, innovation and the arts
July 15, 2016

Before the turn of the century, Aberdeen, like Kwun Tong of yesteryear, was pretty much an old and unattractive industrial town, largely ignored by developers and relatively isolated from the rest of Hong Kong.

How things have changed. The opening of the MTR’s South Island Line (East) later this year and the development of Wong Chuk Hang as a business hub is poised to inject life into the area’s housing market.

Positive sentiment towards the new MTR line has been reflected in the rapid price growth over the past five years, during which average home prices in Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau since 2010 have grown 63 per cent to HK$8,865 per square foot.

After a flurry of sales between 2010 and 2014, including the launches of H Bonaire (Henderson Land), Larvotto (Sun Hung Kai Properties, Kerry Properties and Paliburg Holdings), Marinella (K. Wah, Sino Land and Nan Fung), new housing supply has been relatively subdued since last year.

With less than 50 units available for sale by the end of June, the H Bonaire development offers 106 flats, including 104 standard units (320-675 sq ft) and two special units (952-959 sq ft, excluding outdoor space). The project is earmarked for completion in early 2017.

Larvotto, located on the Ap Lei Chau waterfront opposite Sham Wan, was completed in 2010 and comprises nine towers. Marinella, which faces the Aberdeen Marina Club, is a six-tower development and was built in 2012.

Kowloon Development is marketing the remaining units at the South Coast project in Tin Wan, Aberdeen, which is expected to be delivered by the end of this year.

Launched in June last year, the project consists of 150 units, six on each floor, and features clubhouse facilities such as swimming pools. The flats are configured as studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, measuring 214 to 478 sq ft.

About 80 units had sold by the end of June, according to Terence Yang, general manager of sales and marketing at Kowloon Development. In addition to young couples or newlyweds, he estimates about 60 per cent of the buyers are buy-to-let investors looking to benefit from the development of Wong Chuk Hang as a new office district.

More : http://www.scmp.com/property/articl...en-housing-market-poised-take-thanks-mtrs-new


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Quick MTR option to cost more*
July 20, 2016

Commuters using the Kwun Tong Line extension, due to open later this year, will have to dig deeper into their pockets but will spend less time getting to their destinations, the Transport Department says.

In a paper to Kowloon City District Council, it said that a trip from Whampoa to Lok Fu would take 16 minutes, 43 minutes less than a trip on bus 7B. The expected fare would be HK$8 or HK$2.20 more than the bus fare.

A trip from Whampoa to Ho Man Tin is expected to cost HK$4.40 and take three minutes. The expected fare for a trip from Whampoa to Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok or Prince Edward ranges from HK$4.40 to HK$5.20 with the journey time at five to 10 minutes.

The department says public transport in the district will be reorganized. Bus route 212, which runs from Whampoa to Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Prince Edward and Tonkin Street in Sham Shui Po, will be canceled. Commuters traveling by MTR on this route will save 20 to 25 minutes.

Minibus route 7 from Kowloon City to East Tsim Sha Tsui will also be canceled and the frequency of 33 bus routes and 13 minibus routes will be cut due to an expected drop in passenger numbers.


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## hkskyline

Subway, Hong Kong by debbykwong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

mtr hong kong station / nikon 20mm f1.8 g by Chan Uiue, on Flickr


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## kunming tiger

where?


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## hkskyline

^ Passageway between Hong Kong and Central stations.


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## 00Zy99

If you could clearly show locations for all of your pictures, it would be very much appreciated. As it is, sometimes they are hard to see. 

Thanks.


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## Tågälskaren

*CRRC wins Hong Kong light rail vehicle order*

CHINA: MTR Corp has awarded a HK$745m contract to CRRC Nanjing Puzhen for the supply of 40 light rail vehicles. These are intended to augment the fleet and replace the 30 Phase 2 LRVs in service since 1992[...]


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Fishing rods, hockey sticks, bicycles: Hong Kong’s MTR adds sporting equipment to list of ‘oversized’ items allowed on trains, but with a permit*
Passengers will be allowed to carry one piece of sports equipment on trains from next month, provided they have a permit and the item falls within size restrictions
July 19, 2016 

Passengers will be allowed to carry one “oversized” piece of sports equipment, including a fishing rod, hockey stick or bicycle, on MTR trains from next month, provided they have a permit and the item falls within restrictions.

The announcement by the public transport operator comes following the implementation of a registration scheme for people wishing to carry large musical instruments on the MTR spurred by public uproar after several passengers were asked to leave stations in September for carrying instruments such as a cello.

That scheme was made permanent by the MTR Corporation in March after a four-month trial, but the company did not allow for large sports equipment to be taken on board, a move which drew criticism from the sporting community.

Allen Ding Ka-chun, operations manager for the East Rail Line, said that from August 1, commuters who have registered as permit holders will be allowed to carry one piece of sporting equipment with a length of up to 145cm and a combined length, width and height of up to 235cm.

The same dimensions apply to musical instruments, and as with instruments the permit is not applicable between 8.15am and 9.15am from Monday to Friday.

Ding said sporting equipment also needed to comply with MTR by-laws.


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## hkskyline

IFC MTR station exit by David Walker, on Flickr


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## 00Zy99

What station is that?


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## hkskyline

00Zy99 said:


> What station is that?


You can see in the link just below the photo it is the IFC exit, hence Hong Kong station.


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## hkskyline

The train is 90% empty due to the rainstorm by iamWing_, on Flickr


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## Sameboat

https://www.facebook.com/mtrhk/posts/10157362802520151

MTR is replacing the old hard knuckle hand straps with the ring shape made of soft plastic. I really hate this kind of hand strap because it will squeeze your fingers together and cause pain when you hold it tight. Sadly MTR proudly promotes this new equipment.


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## Svartmetall

I really prefer the old hard ones too despite bring tall and hitting my head on them. The soft ones are far more uncomfortable.


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## 00Zy99

Semi-hard rubberized plastic for me, thank-you-very-much.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Hong Kong railway operator MTR posts 37.5 per cent decline in net profit for half year*
August 9, 2016

MTR Corp, Hong Kong’s sole operator of mass transit railways, posted a 37.5 per cent year-on-year decline in net profit for the first six months of the year on the back oflower property development profits.

The company, 75.7 per cent owned by the city’s government and troubled by completion delays and cost overruns on three new railway projects, reported a net profit of HK$5.12 billion, down from HK$8.19 billion in the year-earlier period.

Core profit, which excludes investment property revaluation gains and losses, fell 25.7 per cent to HK$5.07 billion.

It was better than the 35 per cent core profit decline estimated by analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch (BoA-ML).

An interim dividend of 25 HK cents per share was declared, the same as in last year’s first-half.

For the whole of 2016, 11 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters have an average net profit forecast of HK$9.2 billion, 29.2 per cent lower than HK$13 billion in the year-earlier period.

“[The] global economic outlook remains uncertain,” MTR said in a filing to Hong Kong’s stock exchange just after the market closed on Tuesday. “However, our Hong Kong transport, and station and property rental business are defensive by nature.”

It expects to book some property development profits from its Tiara project in Shenzhen before the end of the year.

It also expects to put out for tender some new property projects for potential partners to participate in, on land lots in Lohas Park in Tseung Kwan O, Ho Man Tin and Wong Chuk Hang by the end of March next year, subject to market conditions.

First-half net profit from railway and related operations grew 7.75 per cent year on year to HK$4.87 billion, while that from property development dropped 91 per cent to HK$207 million. Profits from investment property revaluation fell to HK$48 million from HK$1.36 billion.


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Well that'll cost us a lot more ...*
August 10, 2016










MTR Corp has warned that the cost of the Sha Tin to Central Link could be revised upward significantly, partly due to archeological finds including ancient wells unearthed during excavation work.

Taxpayers could end up paying the bill, which is likely to go beyond the extra HK$4.1 billion previously revealed.

The target completion date is also pushed further back to 2021 and construction of the North South Corridor, linking Hung Hom with Admiralty, may be further delayed.

Lincoln Leong said the Sha Tin line was 60 percent complete in June.

"The handover of the new Exhibition Station work site is late," he said, "and discovery of a large metal object on the seabed also got in the way."

On the East West Corridor, linking Tai Wai and Hung Hom, it took time to consider what to do with the archeological finds in To Kwa Wan, which led to an 11-month delay.

Because of these events, MTRCL said the cost estimate for the project would go up significantly. It revealed earlier that an extra HK$41 million was needed to cover the costs incurred by finding artifacts dating back to the Song Dynasty.

"We are still at a mid and early stage to learn about the cost estimate," said Leong. "By the second half of next year we will have more concrete figure to report to the government and disclose to the public."

A shortage in construction workers is another difficulty faced, as with any other infrastructure project in Hong Kong.

Construction of the 17-kilometer link started four years ago.

The cost estimate was HK$38.17 billion back in 2007 but went up to $60 billion by 2009. In 2012, the government said the building cost was up 50 percent and therefore the estimate shot up further to HK$79.8 billion.

Together with the $4.1 billion that Leong said is needed, the figure could go up to HK$83.9 billion and beyond.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> "The handover of the new Exhibition Station work site is late," he said, "and discovery of a large metal object on the seabed also got in the way."


What?! So many questions! What was found? Unidentified Sunken Object?


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## hkskyline

Silly_Walks said:


> What?! So many questions! What was found? Unidentified Sunken Object?


My guess is they referred to this : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=122777332&postcount=902


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## aznichiro115

Kwun Tong line extension is expected to open in October.


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## Silly_Walks

hkskyline said:


> My guess is they referred to this : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=122777332&postcount=902


Thanks!


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## hkskyline

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 
*Keeping MTRC running and the public happy*
China Daily _Excerpt_

Troubled by delays and cost overruns in new railway construction, MTR Corp (MTRC), which is majority owned by the government, posted a sharp decline in profit for the 2016 first-half, compared with the same period a year ago.

The company explained that its income from property development had almost dried up, predicting there’ll be no new revenue generating projects coming on stream in the second half of the year.

The interim results have disappointed many minority shareholders who had bought the company’s shares as defensive stocks amid market uncertainties. Before Wednesday’s sell-off, MTRC shares had outperformed the benchmark index by gaining more than 13 percent since early this year.

Without income from property development, it’s doubtful if MTRC can maintain future dividend payouts that can live up to the company’s status as one that offers one of Hong Kong’s most trusted, defensive stocks by relying just on revenue from fares. As a government-controlled monopoly, raising fares is not simply a commercial decision.

MTRC’s fare structure has already drawn public outrage. Although railway fares in the SAR are still lower than those of many cities in other developed economies, they are seen by an increasingly agitated public as rising faster than inflation.

The corporation has defended its pricing policy by insisting it’s in compliance with the fare setting mechanism agreed with the government. But the explanation has only brought discredit to the mechanism which is widely criticized for allowing only fare increases without accounting for the company’s profitability.

MTRC Chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang is reported to have said that any attempt to cap the company’s earnings or link fares to its profit level would result in a profit squeeze that would hurt the majority shareholder, the government, the most.


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## hkskyline

MTR - Island Line A145, Heng Fa Chuen by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTR station trials hit new-line target date*
Aug 18, 2016

The MTR Corp Ltd says it will be challenging to finish the South Island Line on time, according to a document it sent to lawmakers. By June 30, the overall work on the line was 96.8 percent complete.

"In view of the current progress, the target opening of South Island Line (East) would remain at the end of 2016," MTRCL said in the paper. "However, the continual construction challenges at the extension of Admiralty station have put the target commissioning date at risk."

It said remaining works critical to the target opening date would be the fitting-out, electrical and mechanical and building services installation works at Admiralty station. The corporation said the timetable to complete these critical works is extremely tight due to congested site conditions and logistic challenges in the busy station.

Ben Chan Han-pan, chairman of the subcommittee on railways in the Legislative Council, said the situation is unclear and blamed the rail operator for being secretive.

Chan said he doubted whether the project will be completed on time.

"It is not the first day the challenges at the Admiralty station surfaced," Chan said yesterday. "At least there should be a progress report so we can get hold of the situation."

He also said lawmakers had requested a site visit to check on the severity of the problems but it was turned down by the rail operator.

Wu Chi-wai, also a member of the subcommittee, said: "Construction challenges are understandable but the MTRCL should make a clear account to the public on the situation."

The South Island Line will run from Admiralty to Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons.

The cost estimate of the line ballooned from the original HK$12.4 billion in 2009 to the latest HK$16.9 billion.

The Kwun Tong extension is another over-budget line, with the latest cost estimate up 22 percent from HK$5.9 billion to HK$7.2 billion.

The extension of the existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei to Whampoa is 99.4 percent completed, according to the Legco paper.

It is likely the MTRCL will be able to meet the latest target to commission the line by October this year.


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## hkskyline

MTR Tung Chung Line 17.8.16 (2) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR system by ** Hu**, on Flickr


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## Kolothos

I love the MTR, definitely one of the most interesting systems in asia.


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## hkskyline

Many Many noisy HK MTR by henryflickr yahoo, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/.../hong-kong-marks-scl-tunnel-breakthrough.html
> 
> *Hong Kong marks SCL tunnel breakthrough*
> 09 Sep 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHINA: MTR Corp Chief Executive Officer Lincoln Leong was among the guests at a ceremony held on September 8 to mark the breakthrough of the East-West Corridor tunnel that forms part of the Shatin – Central Link project in Hong Kong.
> 
> The 11 km tunnel of the Tai Wai – Hung Hom section was completed with the arrival of tunnel boring machine Princess Iron Fan at the site of the future Ho Man Tin station last month
> 
> ...


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*New MTR stations on Kwun Tong Line to come at a price, with raft of cheaper bus services set for axe*
Long-awaited new stations at Ho Man Tin and Whampoa set to go live on October 23, but Kowloon City district councillor decries loss of cheaper transport options as the trade-off
September 21, 2016




























Local residents looking forward to the opening of the MTR’s long-awaited Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations will have to accept a trade-off for the new rail services, with a host of other cheaper transport options either due to be axed or scaled back after the extension to the Kwun Tong Line opens on October 23.

In an effort to align other public transport options with the new train services, the Transport Department said it planned to put in place four new connecting minibus routes to the rail stations, but would remove one bus route and shorten another, axe a minibus service and reduce the frequency of 33 bus routes and 13 minibuses.

A department spokesperson said the four new connecting minibus routes would be introduced upon the opening of the two rail stations, while the other changes would be implemented gradually after six months of operations, depending on the actual situation.

Announcing the upcoming opening of the HK$7.2 billion extension on Wednesday, MTR Corporation operations director Adi Lau said the two new stations would be able to cope with 146,000 residents and help ease traffic congestion in the district.

“With the new rail services coming to this area, road traffic congestion is expected to ease, bringing reduced direct travel times to the whole community,” he said.

The 2.6km extension, originally scheduled to open in August last year, will run from Yau Ma Tei to Whampoa, the line’s new terminus, with one station in between at Ho Man Tin which will eventually serve as an interchange station for the Sha Tin to Central link.

Whampoa will be served by a single platform and provide a train service every four minutes during peak periods, while at Ho Man Tin station there will be a train every two minutes.

During weekday non-peak periods, the average train service frequency will be three minutes for all Kwun Tong line stations. The ride between Whampoa and Yau Ma Tei will take five minutes.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ns-kwun-tong-line-come-price-raft-cheaper-bus


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Delay likely on new line*
Sept. 23, 2016



















There's a high chance the South Island Line will not be in service at the end of this year as promised unless the MTR Corp Ltd steps up the work at Admiralty Station, lawmakers were told.

The MTRCL has long warned of "continuing construction challenges at Admiralty Station Extension" that have "put the target commissioning date at risk" in reports of the new line's work progress to lawmakers.

According to a Highway Department report, the MTRCL retains the target of commissioning the seven-kilometer line by the end of the year.

"MTRCL has to improve the efficiency of every aspect of the expansion works at Admiralty Station, expedite the remaining works and allow sufficient time for relevant government departments to conduct statutory inspections with a view to achieving the revised target commissioning at the end of 2016," the department said.

"Otherwise, there would be a high chance that SIL(E) [South Island Line (East)] could not be commissioned at the end of 2016."

In a document submitted to Southern District Council, the MTRCL stated that the line was 98.5 percent completed as at the end of August.

The line will run from Admiralty to Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons. The Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons stations and Wong Chuk Hang Depot have entered the pre- operational phase.

The remaining works at Admiralty Station include the fitting-out, electrical and mechanical and building service installations.

In previous documents submitted to the Legislative Council, the rail operator attributed the challenges to the station's congested site conditions and logistics.

Admiralty Station, with three levels including one concourse level and two platform levels serving passengers on the Tsuen Wan Line and Island Line, is one of the busiest stations in the territory.

Expansion works are being carried to build three additional levels below the existing station.

"Whether the project could be commissioned as scheduled would depend on the progress of the remaining works, train testing and statutory inspections in the coming few months," the rail operator said in the latest document.

The cost estimate of the South Island Line ballooned from the original HK$12.4 billion in 2009 to the latest HK$16.9 billion and the rail operator will be responsible for the cost overrun.


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## CxIxMaN




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## CxIxMaN




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## hkskyline

"i'll be waiting" by hugo poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Delays a danger as Hong Kong MTR tests new signals for next ten years*
New system, meant to boost network’s capacity in the long run, will be trialled during early hours
October 5, 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong commuters have been warned about possible morning delays or slowdowns over the next decade on the MTR, as engineers test replacement rail systems during the early hours, starting with the East Rail Line later this month.

Adi Lau Tin-shing, the MTR Corporation’s operations director, announced yesterday train tests will be carried out on the new signalling systems in the short window of overnight non-service hours in phases, starting with Racecourse station.

Every morning, before the East Rail Line starts service, staff will switch the new system back to the old one.

The tests will be gradually extended to University and Fo Tan stations by the first quarter of 2017 and eventually to the whole East Rail Line.

By the end of this year, tests will also be carried out on the Tsuen Wan Line.

The whole replacement project, covering eight lines, will last until 2026.

The new signalling systems are expected to boost the rail network’s capacity by 10 per cent by enabling a more frequent train service.


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## hkskyline

General Photos - Hong Kong, China by Asian Development Bank, on Flickr


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## Sameboat

No plan to visit Hong Kong for the upcoming South Island Line? MTR Facebook page got you covered:

https://www.facebook.com/mtrhk/videos/10158017722595151/


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Admiralty MTR waits set to become longer*
Dec. 12, 2016 

People at the already crowded Admiralty Station will wait longer than they do now to board a train at rush hours when the South Island Line opens on December 28.

That's the word from MTR Corp Ltd chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, who said yesterday that people would likely have to wait for an "extra" one to two trains to pull in and pick up passengers before boarding.

Currently, people can wait for a couple of trains to arrive at platforms and leave before they can board one.

So it would seem experts who have warned of four- or five-train waits at Admiralty figured it correctly.

Ma also said during a TVB program that after the opening of the HK$16.9 billion South Island line, which could carry 170,000 passengers daily, Admiralty will be the biggest interchange station.

"My prediction is that crowded conditions can only [ease] after the Sha Tin to Central Link opens in 2021," he said.


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## hkskyline

R0002204A by Latte D, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Rejuvenated Western District welcomes influx of families and entrepreneurs*
Western District is latest district to profit from MTR expansion with new developments, trendy restaurants and shopping malls
December 9, 2016

The MTR can dramatically improve lives. The railway system has transformed parts of the New Territories into vibrant new towns. After the opening of the West Rail, Kam Tin and Tuen Mun have had a facelift, with developers racing to build new homes to serve an expanding population.

Now it’s the turn of Western District to undergo change, thanks to the extension of the MTR’s Island Line into Kennedy Town.

The result is evident with the surrounding areas booming with new developments, trendy restaurants and shopping malls.

The area has become a magnet for a more diverse community of expats and local families. In addition, a growing group of entrepreneurs are making the Western District their home thanks to its proximity to Central, availability of affordable rental options relative to the expensive Mid-Levels area, and access to flexible co-working spaces.

In the year to November, the area has seen the completion and handover of at least six residential projects including Imperial Kennedy (161 units), The Hudson (134 units), One South Lane (92 units), The Nova (255 units), Eivissa Crest (106 units) and Park Crest (48 units), according to Buildings Department records.

Early next year, New World Development is set to market another residential project, Artisan House, off-plan. The arts-themed project will comprise 250 units configured as studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, a company spokeswoman says.

Located at 1 Sai Yuen Lane, Artisan House is close to the Sai Ying Pun MTR station. Estate agents say the layout mix will attract buy-to-let investors thanks to its convenient location and amenities. Artisan House will be marketed as part of The Artisanal Bohemian Collection, which includes Eight South Lane in Kennedy Town and Bohemian House in Sai Ying Pun. The developer says more than 80 per cent of the Eight South Lane units are owned by investors as rental properties.

In high-density urban areas such as Western District, land for housing development has to be where old buildings are demolished.

More : http://www.scmp.com/special-reports.../article/2052841/rejuvenated-western-district


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## hkskyline

Passing the TIme by Jamie Barras, on Flickr


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## Sameboat

Preparation for South Island Line


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## Sameboat

Before they remove the bandage:



This in-car map should be the same used in the official journey planner as opposed to the bigger "on-platform" version. My only issue is that they moved Tsim Sha Tusi label to the other side instead of staying on the same side as Prince Edward to Jordan.


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## hkskyline

*Sneak peek at Hong Kong’s first new railway line in a decade*
MTR opens doors to stations along new South Island Line ahead of next week’s launch
December 24, 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Tens of thousands of Hongkongers flocked to brand new MTR stations on Saturday for a sneak peek at the city’s first new railway line in more than a decade.

Train services were not running ahead of the official opening of the long-awaited South Island Line next Wednesday, but the MTR Corporation invited the public to inspect its four new stations in Southern District and the extended interchange at Admiralty that will link it to the rest of the city’s railway network. Some 28,000 people responded to the invitation.

The HK$16.5 billion line, the first to open since the Disneyland Resort Line in 2005, will feature driverless three-carriage trains and run from South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau to Admiralty via new *stations at Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park.


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## hkskyline

DSC_5897 by Hongkonger's Collection, on Flickr

DSC_5894 by Hongkonger's Collection, on Flickr

DSC_5886 by Hongkonger's Collection, on Flickr

DSC_5878 by Hongkonger's Collection, on Flickr

DSC_5865 by Hongkonger's Collection, on Flickr


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## Sameboat

MTR has recorded a video to demystify accessing South Island Line platform in Admiralty Station and interchanging from South Island Line to Tsuen Wan Line and Island Line.


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## hkskyline

*Bottleneck feared as new line opens*
The Standard 
Dec. 28, 2016 

Crowd control measures including stopping escalators and closing gates will be sorely tested when the driverless HK$16.9 billion South Island Line opens, with the first train leaving South Horizons on Ap Lei Chau for Admiralty today at 5.55am.

But a concern group worries that Admiralty station, an interchange for the Tsuen Wan and Island lines, could be overcrowded by passengers from the South Island line, as it questions the effectiveness of the MTR Corp's crowd control measures.

The seven-kilometer line also stops at Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park, with a trip from South Horizons to Admiralty taking 11 minutes. Fears over whether Admiralty can cope with the extra passengers remain, with the latest doubts from the Public Transport Research Team.

Spokesman Quentin Cheng Hin-kei said with workers from Southern District flooding onto the new line during evening hours, in addition to Ocean Park visitors, Admiralty could be swamped after 6pm, with passengers waiting up to five trains to board the Tsuen Wan or Island line.


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## tjrgx

*HK Puts into Service New Unmanned Subway Line*





Hong Kong on Wednesday put into operation an unmanned subway line in its Southern District to enable commuters traveling across the district with much more convenience and better riding experience. 






Hong Kong has opened a brand new metro line that brings mass transit to the Special Administrative Region's southern district. The new South Island Line is the third driverless metro line in Hong Kong, and it also sees the introduction of the first driverless metro trains made entirely in China. CCTV's Mao Dan reports.


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## Fan Railer

The fck they only interviewed mandarin people?


----------



## luacstjh98

Fan Railer said:


> The fck they only interviewed mandarin people?


Erm...*Hong Kong is a part of China*after all, and*plenty of ethnic Chinese live there...


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## nameless dude

Because CCTV is from mainland China?


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## Silly_Walks

Fan Railer said:


> The fck they only interviewed mandarin people?


Because of a clear political ideology.


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## skyridgeline

mo la :lol:






chi sin :gossip:


----------



## subject1

Fan Railer said:


> The fck they only interviewed mandarin people?


The people CCTV interviewed were probably Cantonese people, as you can tell by their accents and terms - the first guy used the cantonese term for bus (巴士) rather than the mandarin one (公車).


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## hkskyline

*Smooth rides for workday crowds *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan. 4, 2017 

Passengers on the new South Island Line increased by nearly 40 percent yesterday on the first day after the holidays when students were back at school compared with December 28 when the HK$16.9 billion line started operating.

But operations remained smooth throughout the day.

Commuters at Admiralty Station had to wait an extra one or two trains at about 8.30 yesterday during morning rush hour. It was up to four trains on the Island Line to Chai Wan. MTR chiefs said they would deploy more staff for crowd control.

MTR Corp Ltd head of operations Francis Li Shing-kee, who inspected the new line yesterday morning, said: "Train operation was smooth overall.

"We've inspected several stations and found lifts and escalators were operating smoothly and normally."

Some students living in Southern District have switched to the MTR from taking the bus, saying it could save up to 20 minutes. Three-carriage driverless trains on the South Island Line, which can carry 678 passengers each, were about 80 percent full at 8am with plenty of standing room.

Between 7.15am and 9.15am, about 8,000 people were at South Island Line interchange platform at Admiralty Station, 37 percent more than 5,869 people calculated on December 28, according to statistics from the Democratic Party's Southern District Caucus.


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## hkskyline

MTR - South Island Line, Wong Chuk Hang by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

P_20170113_080555-01-01-01 by Miles Leung, on Flickr


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## Sameboat

:banana: Finally 8-car trains will appear on Ma On Shan Line from 15th Jan 2017 (tomorrow) :cheers:

https://www.facebook.com/mtrhk/photos/a.478848920150.391797.396454395150/10158198044515151/?type=3


----------



## dixiadetie

*Riding South Island Line*

*Photoed by @小龍_ZLG*


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## luacstjh98

I don't know why, but that lower concourse at Admiralty reminds me of 34th Street-Hudson Yards.


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## WhiteGerbera

luacstjh98 said:


> I don't know why, but that lower concourse at Admiralty reminds me of 34th Street-Hudson Yards.


Copied design.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Two new Hong Kong train lines underused but no change in fares, MTR says*
Operations chief says the trend is not an issue as time is needed for people to get used to newer options; prices are already ‘competitive’
January 16, 2017

Two train lines which were opened last year carried just 55.5 per cent to 64.7 per cent of expected passenger volumes, the MTR Corporation announced on Monday as it came under pressure to offer more fare incentives.

The Kwun Tong Line extension, with new stations at Whampoa and Ho Man Tin that opened in October, was projected to carry 180,000 passengers a day.

MTR Corp revealed only 100,000 passengers – 55 per cent of the expected volume – travelled on the extension daily on average.

The South Island Line, which runs from Admiralty to South Horizons, opened last month.

Expected to carry 170,000 passengers a day, it has only seen a daily average of 110,000 commuters so far.

“[This is] in fact a pretty good number for a new line,” Francis Li Shing-kee, MTR’s operations chief, said.

He added that it took time for people living and working in areas along the new lines to get used to the new option of commute.

At present, MTR charges HK$6.7 per person from South Horizons to Causeway Bay. The fare is HK$4.7 per person by minibus.


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## Sameboat

Finally I rode the 8-car train of Ma On Shan Line and took some photos. As expected, the train is pretty much the same as those on West Rail Line. As I have heard from somewhere else currently there are only 2 8-car trains on service. After skipping like 6 4-car trains, there were 2 8-car trains reaching Tai Wai Station consecutively. So MTR doesn't disperse the 2 8-car trains evenly between 4-car trains which doesn't sound too scientific to me for easing the crowd during peak hours.


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## xavier114fch

Sameboat said:


> Finally I rode the 8-car train of Ma On Shan Line and took some photos. As expected, the train is pretty much the same as those on West Rail Line. As I have heard from somewhere else currently there are only 2 8-car trains on service. After skipping like 6 4-car trains, there were 2 8-car trains reaching Tai Wai Station consecutively. So MTR doesn't disperse the 2 8-car trains evenly between 4-car trains which doesn't sound too scientific to me for easing the crowd during peak hours.


The main reason of getting consecutive 8-car trains is that, if a train breaks down, then the other 8-car train can push the faulty one back to depot or to somewhere doesn't block the service (the siding between Shek Mun and City One maybe?).


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## Gannet!

Does anyone know what's happening at Admiralty Station on the Tsuen Wan line. I had to wait for nine trains to pass through the station before I could get on a train at 6.30pm this evening.
It would have been much quicker to backtrack to Central and take the TW line from there.

I never normally take that route. Is it normal? Has the South Island line affected traffic flows?


----------



## MTR MTR

Sameboat said:


> Finally I rode the 8-car train of Ma On Shan Line and took some photos. As expected, the train is pretty much the same as those on West Rail Line. As I have heard from somewhere else currently there are only 2 8-car trains on service. After skipping like 6 4-car trains, there were 2 8-car trains reaching Tai Wai Station consecutively. So MTR doesn't disperse the 2 8-car trains evenly between 4-car trains which doesn't sound too scientific to me for easing the crowd during peak hours.


The reason is that if people cannot board the first 8 car train they won't need to walk back to the 4 car train stopping position.


----------



## hkskyline

Timeless by will.hcau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Contax TVS + ultramax 400 by Alex Leung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC_9888.jpg by terrytang123, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*All aboard in service race*
Jan. 24, 2017

MTR Corp Limited is, no doubt, the enterprise that has the most widespread contact with the public.

For, apart from train services, its property management arm serves hundreds of thousands of owners and residents, interacting with them on a daily basis.

Property director David Tang Chi-fai said that as the number of MTRCL-managed residential estates goes up, the one task that is taking up the bulk of his time is elevating management standards.

Though a "side business" for the rail giant, its property development segment has been growing rapidly in recent years. And as more projects are completed, there are bound to be some complaints about arrangements or quality.

An earlier survey also found management fee levels at the company's estates leaning toward the high side.

Tang said it was understandable for people to have demands over homes in which they have sunk their life savings.

In future, he said, MTRCL will give priority to addressing owners' concerns about construction quality, and deal with issues of responsibility with the contractors later.

As for income from management fees, he said, it does not account for a substantial proportion of revenue. However, as the company is listed, it must balance the interests of shareholders and service users.

The goal, he said, is for the property management operation to provide good value-for-money service, so that residents will be happy.


----------



## hkskyline

Misc MTR images, Late January 2017 (3) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Psot _Excerpt_
*Ocean Park credits new MTR line for surge in visitors *
February 2, 2017

A new MTR line, big discounts and an early Lunar New Year holiday helped Ocean Park post a 30 per cent surge in visitor numbers last month compared to the same period a year ago, its management said on Thursday.

Park chief Matthias Li Sing-chung said the combined factors had contributed to a “very ideal double-digit” growth in visitors and a subsequent boost for in-park spending.

Cautioning against reading too much into the numbers however, Li said since the Lunar New Year often did not fall in January, year-on-year comparisons did not paint an accurate picture of the boost to park traffic.

Nevertheless, he said, “since the opening of the MTR line, we’ve seen more local and mainland tourists come ... and spend more time”.

The park recorded a deficit of HK$241 million in the financial year ending last June – its first since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003. It is also recovering from an 18.8 per cent drop in visitors in that period.

In a bid to boost local patronage last month, the park offered 4,000 tickets a day to Hong Kong residents at a heavily discounted HK$40 as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. Li said the deal, which ended last Friday, had had a “positive effect” on local attendance.

Elderly visitors, who enjoy free admission, also turned out in greater numbers.


----------



## hkskyline

DSC_0072.jpg by terrytang123, on Flickr


----------



## Fan Railer




----------



## hkskyline

MTR sick feeling by lewis loud, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Bloomberg _Excerpt_
*Hong Kong's MTR Plans $2.58 Billion Bid for Sydney Contract: Sing Tao*
January 31, 2017

MTR Corp. plans to make a bid for part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest rail contract, Sing Tao Daily reported, citing people it didn’t identify.

The Hong Kong rail company will participate in the bidding for a HK$20 billion ($2.58 billion) contract that involves building and operating the Southwest link, the Hong Kong newspaper said. An MTR spokesperson said it’s been invited by the New South Wales transport bureau to provide design and technical support service on the Southwest link, the paper said.

The total value of the project investment is about A$12 billion ($9 billion), according to Sing Tao.


----------



## skyridgeline

Just "gaao cho" ( fortunately, no chi seen ) ...

South Horizons MTR station

Published on Feb 14, 2017


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Regular operations resume at South Horizons MTR station after burst pipe caused ankle-deep flood*
Services running smoothly though lifts and escalators are not in use
February 14, 2017

Regular operations at South Horizons MTR station resumed at about 12.25am on Wednesday as the station reopened its doors after being closed for several hours due to a flooding incident caused by a burst water pipe.

After an overnight clean up, few signs of the floods remained, with Wednesday morning operations running smoothly in general except for the lifts and escalators, which remained out of service.

A convenience store in the station also stayed closed as some goods had been soaked, with staff busy cleaning up as of 8.30am.

Extra manpower was seen deployed at various exits and on the platform to direct the rush-hour crowds.

South Horizons resident Jonathan Wong said that he did not even know there had been a flooding incident the previous night.

“Everything was just fine – I know people like to complain, but really there was no problem at all,” he said.

MTR’s head of operating Francis Li Shing-kee explained that a pipe outside the station had burst on Tuesday, causing to five inches of flooding.

The problem persisted after all water taps inside the station were turned off, and was only resolved when a tap on the street was shut at about 9.30pm.


----------



## Short

skyridgeline said:


> Just "gaao cho" ( fortunately, no chi seen ) ...
> 
> South Horizons MTR station
> 
> Published on Feb 14, 2017


Never mind, should still be covered under warranty.

Oops!


----------



## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Rail rides start and finish in fine style*
Feb. 15, 2017 


Wall art in Whampoa Station, Hong Kong by C. Alice, on Flickr

Hong Kong's MTR network is undergoing significant expansion. The Kwun Tong extension opened in October, the South Island Line in December, and the Sha Tin-Central link and Express Rail Link are well under way.

This means more stations and therefore new opportunities for displays of works by local artists.

The new Whampoa station features a mural entitled History and Imagination - Whampoa by artist Lam Tung-pan, with participation by the local community. It takes inspiration from traditional brush drawing and includes images based on local communal memories and the area's history as a farming and maritime center. It also incorporates local students' drawings.

The other Kwun Tong extension station is Ho Man Tin - named for what was once an agricultural area, now a residential and commercial district.

Artist Alex Heung Kin-fun's mural Between Nature and the City in the station is inspired by the meaning of the name Ho Man Tin, which refers to the Ho and Man families' fields. His design features birds in an attractive old farming landscape with the modern city developing in the background.

Down at the new MTR station at South Horizons, photographer Cheung Wai-lok has created Day and Night on the glass frontage outside the entrances. They depict his pictures of tree shadows cast on the tiled walls of Hong Kong buildings. The result is a silhouette showing the contrast between man- made and natural patterns.

Keep an eye out for these three artists' contributions to making the new MTR stations distinctive.


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Hong Kong police turn to Facebook to counter online rumours in major incidents*
Prompt use of social media by the force after MTR firebomb attack proved a hit with public and stopped the spread of falsehoods
February 17, 2017

The city’s police force has said it will use social media to make sure information gets out faster following major incidents such as last week’s MTR firebomb attack.

Senior Superintendent John Tse Chun-chung of the Police Public Relations Branch said in the aftermath of last Friday’s attack, the force had continuously updated its Facebook page and mobile apps in an effort to stop to viral online rumours, maintain public order and avoid panic.

“Social networks have tremendous viral effects,” Tse said.

“There are always falsehoods circulating online. And reporters need time to verify their content with us.

“If we only rely on the traditional media to send out information for us, it will take a while to stop the rumours or correct the information.”

The firebomb attack, which left 19 people injured, took place on a packed MTR train arriving at Tsim Sha Tsui station at about 7pm on February 10.

One rumour, which circulated online after the attack, claimed that a man who appeared in court for bestiality that morning was responsible for the attack. Others claimed it was a terrorist incident.

Within two hours of the incident, the force had issued two statements on its Facebook and mobile apps – one on traffic arrangements and another to confirm that the man arrested for bestiality was still in police custody at the time of the attack.

That force issued six Facebook posts and five alerts on mobile apps that night, including one ruling out a terrorist attack. The posts drew more than 544,000 users.

Tse said while government departments must go through multiple time consuming procedures before issuing an official statement, internet users nowadays demanded instant news.


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## Fan Railer

More EWL C-Train testing. I really wish I was in Hong Kong right now; so much cool stuff happening.


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## hkskyline

DSC_0772.jpg by terrytang123, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Tourist in MTR fire goes home*
Feb. 24, 2017 

The Taiwanese tourist who was seriously burnt in an arson attack on an MTR train two weeks ago returned home last night to continue treatment.

The 38-year-old Chang Hsin-ju suffered severe burns to her face, hands and legs in the attack that happened on February 10. She was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in critical condition.

Chang was allowed to leave after two weeks in hospital. Wearing glasses and wrapped in a blanket, she was taken to a van on a stretcher and will continue to receive treatment in Taiwan.

"She is slowly recovering and can talk but I don't know how long it will take for her to fully recover after returning to Taiwan," said Chang's brother, who is discussing arrangements with the MTR Corporation.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office issued a statement saying Chang received treatment and great care from the medical team in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and it thanked the SAR government for assistance.

The office said various Taiwan associations in Hong Kong have donated around HK$45,000 for Chang and they will continue to assist Chang on compensation.


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## hkskyline

*Five-minute trip with link harbor tunnel*
Feb. 24, 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_




























After the cross-harbor section of the Sha Tin-Central rail link is completed in 2019, traveling from Hung Hom to Admiralty will take only five minutes, the MTR Corporation Ltd said yesterday.

It added the 11 giant precast tunnel units, each weighing 23,000 tonnes, that make up the 1.7-kilometer tunnel section between Hung Hom and Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, are nearly finished.

The corporation organized a media tour yesterday to Shek O Quarry, the casting yard where the tunnel units are being built, to explain the construction process. The cross-harbor tunnel will be built with the immersed tube tunnel method, in which the prefabricated units are towed to the installation location and lowered to the seabed before being linked together.

The MTRCL started building the 11 precast units - each eight meters high and 160m long - in 2015, and the construction process is almost completed.

Seawater will fill the casting yard to float the units next month and they will be towed to a temporary mooring area in Tseung Kwan O to be fitted with survey towers and floating pontoons, which would make the installation process more accurate.

Starting from the middle of this year, the units will then be towed to Victoria Harbour and lowered into a trench already dredged in the seabed. The Gina gasket and Omega seal fitted on the units will prevent water from entering when the units are being connected under the sea.

Lee Tze-man, general manager of the Sha Tin-Central Link, said: "An immersed tube tunnel only requires relatively small work in the harbor, and the process can be carried out with the least impact on the operation of vessels and harbor activities."


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong by GREG WOOLLISCROFT, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC_1139.jpg by terrytang123, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

skyridgeline said:


> Just "gaao cho" ( fortunately, no chi seen ) ...
> 
> South Horizons MTR station
> 
> Published on Feb 14, 2017


The Standard _Excerpt_
*MTR flooding 'unlikely' at other stations*
Mar. 2, 2017

It is unlikely any other MTR stations will ever face a flooding experience like that at South Horizons on the South Island Line last month, Undersecretary for Transport and Housing Yau Sing-mu told legislators.

Serious flooding from a burst water pipe damaged anti-fire ceiling boards and forced the closure of the station on February 14 - Valentine's night. Water flowed into the station after a pipe underneath Exit B near South Horizon Drive burst.

Many passengers were stuck and soaked.

Legislator Kwok Wai-keung of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions voiced concern over structural conditions at stations along the recently opened South Island Line and also questioned whether MTR engineers would be checking water main alignments near stations under construction to prevent any repeat.

Yau responded by saying stations are normally built with concrete and feature a waterproof layer. But the design at South Horizons was unique, with the ceiling of the station restricted by structural factors that limited it to anti- fire board. So such a problem at other stations was "unlikely." The rail operator has meanwhile been investigating what caused the pipe to fail.


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## hkskyline




----------



## Silly_Walks

Coming from Yuen Long or Tuen Mun, it is still pretty bad to get to the South Island Line using MTR. You need a less-than-perfect change of lines at Mei Foo, then Hong Kong-Central station and then Admiralty, or ETST-TST and then Admiralty.

I guess once the East Rail Line is extended to Admiralty, it will improve a bit with an easier line change at Hung Hom.

Actually, come to think of it, getting to Hong Kong island is just bad in general using the MTR. Must be why I take the bus so often...


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## Psssst

For a journey from Yuen Long/Tuen Mun to the South Island line, the MTR recommends changing lines at East Tsimshatsui/Tsimshatsui and Admiralty.

Any reason for your different route choice?


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## luacstjh98

Psssst said:


> For a journey from Yuen Long/Tuen Mun to the South Island line, the MTR recommends changing lines at East Tsimshatsui/Tsimshatsui and Admiralty.
> 
> Any reason for your different route choice?


Tsim Sha Tsui isn't the most convenient of transfers.

Out of curiosity, has MTRC looked into building an in-system transfer there?


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## Scion

Probably faster to go to Tung Chung Line at Nam Cheong > HK > Central > Admiralty in terms of total travel time, than the Mei Foo Tsuen Wan Line route. But yeah MTR's recommended E TST > TST seems to be the fastest out of them all.


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## hkskyline

P_20170304_162523-01-01-01 by Miles Leung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*A fare hint: Don't raise your hopes *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar. 8, 2017

Don't expect any big cuts in the price of your MTR tickets any time soon.

That was the hint from MTR Corporation Ltd (0066) chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang yesterday as he attempted to play down public expectations of a fare reduction saying there will be "no shocking change" in the operation of the ongoing fare adjustment mechanism following a drop in profit. 

Ma said discussions with the government over the review of the fare adjustment mechanism is nearing completion and the company will try its best to incorporate demands from citizens in adjusting the formula of the mechanism.

Under the fare adjustment mechanism, following the profit drop it is expected that MTRCL will assign about HK$165 million for its "10 percent Same-Day Second-Trip Discount" promotion planned for launch in the middle of the year. 

That's down 10 percent from last year.

The promotion is expected to last for about four months. 

Chief executive Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen said different promotions for passengers totaled about HK$2.5 billion every year. 

Commenting on chief executive candidate Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's suggestion of subsidizing fares with MTRCL's dividend payouts to the government, Leong said the use of dividends is for shareholders to decide. 

More : http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=180525


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## hkskyline

Yuen Long, Hong Kong by Mike, on Flickr


----------



## saiho

Fan Railer said:


> The fck they only interviewed mandarin people?


They clearly are locals using Cantonese vernacular terms and sentence structures but in Mandarin pronunciations. Many people in HK have functional fluency in Mandarin but I guess your myopic worldview is unable to comprehend this.


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## Silly_Walks

saiho said:


> They clearly are locals using Cantonese vernacular terms and sentence structures but in Mandarin pronunciations. Many people in HK have functional fluency in Mandarin but I guess your myopic worldview is unable to comprehend this.


Swift response is swift.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong MTR urged to use high-tech devices to prevent power faults in future*
Railway operator tells lawmakers April 10 shutdown caused by loosening of support for overhead cable
April 29, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s railway operator was urged to introduce high-tech devices, instead of relying on naked-eye inspections, to immediately detect equipment glitches to avoid major disruptions akin to the drastic power fault on the Kwun Tong line earlier this month.

Lawmakers at the Legislative Council’s railway matters subcommittee meeting made the calls as the MTR Corporation revealed the preliminary investigation findings of the railway network power failure that caused service to be suspended for about two and a half hours.

Road traffic plunged into chaos in east Kowloon on the night of April 10 after a power fault halted MTR trains between Kwun Tong and Kowloon Tong for over two hours, forcing thousands of stranded passengers to join long queues for shuttle buses or other public transport.

At Choi Hung station, passengers were forced to leave a stranded train inside a tunnel and walk along the track after the electricity supply was cut.

MTR operations director Adi Lau Tin-shing said on Friday the shutdown was caused by the loosening of two support components for an overhead cable on the track linking the Kowloon Bay depot and Choi Hung station.

“This result, in a slight displacement of a wire that caused short-circuiting and tripping, triggered the protection system to cut off the power supply at the affected zones,” he told lawmakers.

However, MTR technicians spent more than an hour locating the source of the glitch with naked-eye inspections. Once found, it only took them 10 minutes to fix the affected cable.

Lau said an in-depth investigation would be conducted to find out what went wrong with the loosened components as they usually last for over 40 years. The two faulty devices were installed 22 years ago.


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## hkskyline

*MTR seen to fail by boy filing complaint*
May 2, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A visually impaired 13-year-old boy has accused Hong Kong’s rail operator of lacking disabled-friendly facilities at some stations
.
In a complaint filed to the city’s Equal Opportunities Commission on Tuesday, Hong Ka-lung said announcements at some MTR Light Rail stations were not loud enough and that tactile ground surface indicators – the raised yellow spots – were only located at the top of some platforms.

“I almost missed my step once last year due to the low broadcast volume on the train platform at On Ting station.” he said.

Hong also said there were instances of Light Rail drivers not ringing their bell while passing through pedestrian intersections.

“I have filed two complaints to the MTR before, but got no solid response,” he said.

“They only replied with, ‘thank you for your suggestions’ and ‘we will improve the situation’. But I have not seen any actual measures after.”

Hong said he filed a follow-up complaint to the Transport Department and announcement volumes were temporarily raised, but then returned to original levels.


----------



## hkskyline

MTR Central by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

_DSC9617 by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

hongkong mtr by Angular Momentum, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR fears going off rail on Belt*
May 18, 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

MTR Corporation Limited (0066) chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang said yesterday the company will be very cautious in assessing the risks and returns of projects related to the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

He said some countries along Belt and Road routes are developing and may present political risks to some investments and that the company will be careful.

Overall, however, the Belt and Road initiative will bring many opportunities to MTRCL, he said, and many countries are keen on inviting it to participate in infrastructure projects.

"It is difficult to quantify the benefits of the Belt and Road initiative at present, but there will definitely be opportunities," said Ma.

MTRCL is, for him, among the pioneers in overseas expansion as it already has operations in Britain, Sweden and Australia.

Ma said if China Railway decides to bid for the express rail project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, MTR Corp will have a role to play.


----------



## hkskyline

MTR by Wayne, on Flickr


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## marciomaco

^^

What symbol is that in the center?


----------



## mrmoopt

Emergency help point in the lighted box, or if on the PID, no poisons or explosives.


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## skyridgeline

Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (Kowloon East)


Interestingly, it appears that suspended monorail system is not an option.


Kowloon 1974

http://industrialhistoryhk.org/aerial-rapid-transit-proposed-monorail-kowloon-1974/










Source: http://www.ktd.gov.hk/efls/en/pc.html


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## hkskyline

《下班》 After Work by MiN-Lord, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR Station by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Policy expert calls new public transport road map ‘incomplete homework’, says it fails to address three major challenges*
Polytechnic University’s Dr Hung Wing-tat says report doesn’t provide answers on impact of railway expansion on road transport, accessibility for elderly and disabled, and environmental issues
June 8, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The city’s newly unveiled public transport strategy blueprint fails to address three major challenges, according to a veteran transport policy expert, who described the plan as a piece of incomplete “homework” left for the next administration to work on.

Dr Hung Wing-tat, an associate professor in Polytechnic University’s civil and environmental engineering department, said the report had not provided answers on how to mitigate the impact of the city’s massive railway expansion on road transport business and jobs, which had been losing out as more new MTR lines opened.

Nor did it present novel ideas on how to make public transportation more accessible to disabled and elderly people, or how to address the environmental impact of more buses and commercial transport on the streets, he said.

“The entire report did not lock on to any of these three main challenges. There was no obvious direction showing how the government would address them, or what the costs – because in the end it all comes down to money – are,” Hung said in a radio interview on Thursday.

He said the plan gave him the “feeling” of “a piece of homework that has not been completed”.

“They’ve basically just submitted it for the next government to continue. There weren’t many breakthroughs at all, though this was within my expectations.”

Speaking on the same radio programme, Commissioner for Transport Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan argued that there were already policies in place to address these concerns, but they were not the main focus of the study.

“I don’t really agree that other transport modes have been dying [with more railway development], so to speak. It’s just that their roles may have changed,” she said, citing examples such as minibus routes in Southern District affected by the opening of the South Island Line shifting to a role of connecting commuters who live further out to the station.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...alls-new-public-transport-road-map-incomplete


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## hkskyline

*Lithium battery scare causes panic on Hong Kong train*
Passengers evacuated at Sheung Shui station after white smoke came out of a passenger’s knapsack on a train to mainland Chinese border
June 10, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A suspected lithium battery explosion forced hundreds of MTR passengers to evacuate a train bound for the mainland Chinese border, after smoke engulfed one of the compartments.

At around 11.35am on Saturday, the East Rail train bound for Lok Ma Chau station was approaching Sheung Shui when smoke began to billow out of luggage carried by a passenger.

After passengers alerted the driver about the problem, the control centre was contacted. It then informed the emergency services.

Passengers were asked to leave the train once it reached Sheung Shui station and boarded another to continue their journey.

According to an MTR spokeswoman, the incident happened in the area between the sixth and seventh cars.

The train was taken to the Lo Wu freight yard. The cause of the incident is still being investigated, but a lithium battery is thought to have exploded and caused the smoke, according to passengers.


----------



## MTR MTR

skyridgeline said:


> Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (Kowloon East)


TBH I don't understand their arguments against a dedicated lane tram... In other countries with a high car ownership/usage rate the traffic reduces when they build a tram, it is an attractive alternative to taxis, private cars because of *right of way at intersections*, in the pdf they are against it because *it will "**increase waiting time for other road user" isn't the point of building it to reduce congestion and car use?

*I think that *building a monorail/elevated LRT is expensive* (ie. stations are elevated so elevators/escalators/building foundations), and the *stations* will need to be *more spaced out, increasing walking time to the stations*.
I also hate the way they phrase *"May have visual** impact"*, they have probably never studied the monorail in Kuala Lumpur, the underneath of highways, etc...
Also for the tram they mentions* "Need to completely relocate underground utilities underneath the dedicated corridor, thus increasing the construction cost and time", *I may not be a specialist in construction but *how on earth are you going to build a monorail with pillars and their foundations without moving what is under the road?* 

*You may think I'm a bit biased towards the dedicated lane tram but in terms of cost it is cheaper and easier/quicker to build.*


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## hkskyline

MTR Tai Koo Station, Hong Kong by Kevin Shieh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*From local metro network to global rail giant: Hong Kong’s MTR sets its sights firmly overseas*
The company’s ever-expanding international footprint, in many cases working as an underground operator for a fee, stretches from London and Stockholm to Melbourne and Sydney
June 16, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

MTR Corp, Hong Kong’s largest transportation stock, says international expansion and opportunities arising from China’s flagship regional infrastructure-building “Belt and Road Initiative” now form the core of its business plan.

Over the past 20 years, the organisation has grown substantially through listing and merger, says chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang.

“International expansion is the major business development for the MTR, a route we only started down in the past decade,” he said.

“In that time we have successfully exported our services and established a strong international reputation. We should be proud of MTR, as it is among the few local home-grown brands that can be successfully exported around the world,” he said in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post.

MTR currently has active projects in Britain and Sydney, but it’s along the Belt and Road – the modern day Silk Road land and sea trading routes – that offers abundant opportunities for its skills and experitse.

There are 65 countries involved in the economic blueprint created by China, and railway and road building projects are likely to dominate, as the modern-day trade routes are created.

For the average Hongkonger, the letters ‘MTR’ simply mean swift, efficient trains that speed them daily under the city’s packed streets on 11 separate rail lines.

What they might not be aware of, is the company’s ever-expanding international footprint, in many cases working as an underground operator for a fee, as in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, and further afield in London, Melbourne, and Stockholm.

MTR now operates nearly 1,000 kilometres of track outside Hong Kong, not including the 455-km MTR Express in Sweden, which it operates with others.

It carried 1.8 billion overseas passengers last year, or 5.6 million daily, almost as many as the 1.9 billion it does at home in Hong Kong.

From solely a local rail operator in 1997, it has become a truly international transport giant with a 17,600-strong workforce in Hong Kong, and more than that – 20,000 staff – based in other countries around the globe.

More : http://www.scmp.com/business/compan...ork-global-rail-giant-hong-kongs-mrt-sets-its


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## hkskyline

HK MTR Station by 拜亞的捕光藏影, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR Tai Koo Station, Hong Kong by Kevin Shieh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

低頭 by MiN-Lord, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Idea to use MTR dividends to subsidise fares is way off track*
There are several reasons why this proposal is a particularly wrong-headed idea. And above all, it is a measure that does not focus on the poor
July 8, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The city’s leader is eager to subsidise public transport fares with billions of dollars in dividend payments received annually from the MTR Corporation, according to the railway operator’s chairman.

I see the future. I can tell you now that you will soon again see reports in this newspaper thatHong Kong’s Gini coefficient, the measure of the income gap between rich and poor, is widening further.

I can also tell you that our government apologists will then again protest that this is not really a fully accurate measure of what is happening on the ground.
“We give our poor all kinds of benefits in kind,” they will say. “We give them ultra-low cost public housing, virtually free hospital care and commuter subsidies to mention just a few. Why don’t we include all these in the equation? If you keep the costs for the poor down, isn’t that just as good as pushing their incomes up?”

No it is not. The problem is that it works for a few people at a time but not when the benefits are spread across millions of people in a wide segment of the population. Employers then recognise what is happening and hold wages down accordingly.

“Why should we pay them more when the government is doing it for us?” they ask. “We pay as little as we need to pay and the government now helps meet that need.”

It is rarely quite so deliberate but it is nonetheless real. Adjustments that cannot easily be seen at a micro level are still made in exact response to general influences in the overall economy. Public housing tenants, for instance, have low incomes in part because their rents are heavily subsidised.

Providing social benefits in kind to the poor is thus not as good as raising their incomes, not if their incomes go down as a result.

But I can think of several reasons why it is a particularly wrong-headed idea to use MTR dividends paid to the government to subsidise public transport fares.

Above all, this measure does not focus on the poor.

Public transport is widely used by all people except those at the very top of the income range. I don’t need the cheaper fares. Yet I will be given them. I shouldn’t be.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2101847/idea-use-mtr-dividends-subsidise-fares-way-track


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## hkskyline

*Push for women-first MTR coaches to beat sex pests*
July 17, 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

The MTR has come under pressure to introduce women-priority coaches as the latest poll shows that more than a third of women commuters have been sexually harassed on public transport.

The railway told The Standard it has no such plan as yet as this would affect its crowd-control management.

But lawmaker Elizabeth Quat, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said women-only coaches are a must to reduce cases of sexual offenses.

Hong Kong's neighbors Shenzhen and Guangzhou have already introduced such a system, as has Tokyo.

"We want to give this choice to women," said Quat and fellow DAB district council member Vincent Cheng Wing-shun.

An online survey by the Women's Affair Committee of the DAB said 80 percent of women and 65 percent of men support women-only carriages.

In the first three months of this year, 23 sexual harassment cases were reported to the police.

In 2016, there were 149 sexual harassment cases on the MTR, a 21 percent increase compared with 2015.


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## hkskyline

2017-7-21 Around HK (28 of 57) by tselhr, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

July 31, 2017 
*Passengers frustrated by MTR hiccups three days in a row*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

MTR Corp. is under fire for service disruptions three days in a row from Friday.

The disruptions occurred on its Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line and Ma On Shan Line, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

Train services between Tsuen Wan and Central had to be adjusted to once every five minutes at about 1 p.m. on Sunday after signal problems near the Tsuen Wan station. MTRC said normal services resumed at 1:50 p.m.

On Friday afternoon, train journeys between Tseun Wan and Central took an additional two to 15 minutes due to electricity supply issues between the Cheung Sha Wan and Mei Foo stations. The incident also impacted the Kwun Tong and Island lines.

On Saturday, there were delays on the Tsuen Wan Line due to signal problems near the Lai King station. Malfunctioning platform doors at the Shek Mun station also caused delays on the Ma On Shan line.

Many passengers are frustrated by the deteriorating quality of MTR services, especially when fares have been rising every year.

A passenger, surnamed Yeung, was quoted by Apple Daily as saying that the train she was on suddenly stopped at Mei Foo station on Sunday and passengers waited for 10 minutes before being told by the driver that they had to alight.


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## hkskyline

*Signalling fault forces delays in services on Hong Kong Kwun Tong MTR line*
It is fifth day in which incidents have been reported on system since Friday last week
August 5, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_





































Services on the MTR’s Kwun Tong Line were disrupted for more than 10 hours after a signalling fault was detected near Kwun Tong station at around 11am.

It was the fifth day in which problems hit the system since Friday last week.

The MTR said trains operated at a slower speed between Ngau Tau Kok and Lam Tin stations, with trains running every five minutes between Whampoa and Tiu Keng Leng.

The run between the two stations took five to 10 minutes longer than usual.

“MTR staff are carrying out repair work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the MTR said in a notice on its website.

A free shuttle bus service operated between Choi Hung and Yau Tong stations.


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## hkskyline

20170602-DSCF7564 by Jackson Hung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Tung Chung Station by Andre Martin, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Panel to probe 10-hour MTR disruption*
Aug 7, 2017

A lawmaker yesterday warned that the MTR Corp Ltd might try to "wiggle" its way out of possible fines of up to HK$20 million for its record-breaking service interruptions on Saturday.

The company said last night the cause of the signaling fault was still unknown - but the delay was caused by issues in signal transmission. Chief executive Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen said a high- level expert panel would investigate the incident.

Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho said in a post on Facebook that in 2014, MTRCL was responsible for a four-hour service delay, but it was only held accountable for 80 minutes since it had provided "limited services."

As a result, the firm was only fined about HK$2 million, he wrote.

At 11.15am on Saturday, MTRCL notified the media about a signaling fault between Ngau Tau Kok and Lam Tin stations on the Kwun Tong line. It said the frequency of trains on the Kwun Tong Line was cut to 10-15 minutes.

At 2.30pm, it announced that the delay was narrowed to five to 10 minutes and that trains on the Kwun Tong line were running at five-minute intervals - about two minutes slower than usual.

Engineers were sent to investigate the fault and railroad switches were manually operated to enable trains to move on to the correct tracks.

After over 10 hours - a record for the past two decades - MTRCL announced at 9.35pm that train services on the Kwun Tong line were "gradually returning to normal."

MTRCL said the fault involved "multiple layers of signaling equipment" that required inspection and that the affected section was "complex."

It was reported that three computers connected to track facilities malfunctioned despite multiple reboots, leading to interruptions to signal transmission for tracks between Ngau Tau Kok and Lam Tin stations.

As a result, trains could not move with auto-pilot and had to be manually operated at a slower pace, an unnamed MTR employee told i-Cable News.


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## Ashis Mitra

Hong Kong metro is one of the great metro of the world. Currently it has 7 lines— It currently has 13 lines— Line *Kwuntong*, *Tsuenwan*, *Island*, *Tungchung*, *Tsuengkwano*, *Disneyland *& *South Island*. I never saw such location based naming of any Chinese metro system, may be it is the influence of London metro because for a long time Hong Kong was under British rule (which remains the left hand driving and double decker tram). A dense network in core city area, and also a good extension towards outer area, made it a very good transportation. The most unique line is Disneyland line with Mickey mouse resemblance on its window and handle. Also the Tungchung line is also unique for its very long distances between station and long bridges over sea.

There are two extensions planned—

1) Tsuengkwano line is planned to extend west up-to Tamar. This extension will be very good because it will connect with future Tungchung line extension at Tamar. There will be three new stations—Victoria Park, Exhibition and Tamar. Construction will be completed in 2026.

2) Tungchung line is planned to extend west up-to Tungchung West. I thing it will serve Tungchung area transport better. I don’t understand why this short one station extension will take so much long time because construction will be completed in 2026!!!! What is the actual problem?


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## hkskyline

*MTRCL shrugs off costs escalation*
11 Aug 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

MTR Corporation (0066) yesterday said it made an interim profit of HK$7.48 billion, up 46.1 percent year-on-year.

However, recurrent profit before property development profits and revaluation of investment properties slipped 8 percent to HK$4.478 billion, "mainly due to higher costs, particularly fixed costs such as depreciation and interest expenses, after the opening of the two new lines in Hong Kong in the last quarter of 2016," the railway firm said.

It declared an interim ordinary dividend of 25 HK cents per share, with scrip dividend as alternative.

It said the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link has been completed 94.3 percent as of June 30 this year, and it expects to start services in the third quarter next year. Meanwhile, the Sha Tin to Central Link was 75.1 percent completed as of June 30. The railway firm said Hong Kong property development profit during the period came mainly from sundry sources and its property tendering activities. For instance, it has been awarded a property package at Wong Chuk Hang station in February.

The company also acted as an agent for a subsidiary of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, and has been awarded a property package at Kam Sheung Road station in May.

Over the past 3 years, 11 MTR property development packages have been tendered out and are now in various stages of planning and construction, the company said.

"They will provide about 18,000 residential units, with a total gross floor area of over 11.8 million square feet, when completed over the next three to five years," it added.


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## hkskyline

Ashis Mitra said:


> There are two extensions planned—
> 
> 1) Tsuengkwano line is planned to extend west up-to Tamar. This extension will be very good because it will connect with future Tungchung line extension at Tamar. There will be three new stations—Victoria Park, Exhibition and Tamar. Construction will be completed in 2026.
> 
> 2) Tungchung line is planned to extend west up-to Tungchung West. I thing it will serve Tungchung area transport better. I don’t understand why this short one station extension will take so much long time because construction will be completed in 2026!!!! What is the actual problem?


I don't think either line has been officially approved yet. The Tung Chung west extension is probably the least important one since there are many buses that connect that part of town to Tung Chung. It only is a 10-minute ride.


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## sterlinglush

A minor quibble, but the names are Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tsuen Wan, and Tung Chung. Personally, I would prefer it if they were simply given numbers instead of names visitors are likely to find easy to confuse and hard to pronounce, but that's what we've got.

With regard to the Tung Chung Line extension, there are a couple of problems with it. One is that the MTR Corporation has not (or had not when the idea was proposed) settled on a location. The line ends in a dense residential area, and although the notion of a Tung Chung West station makes sense, the development's not there yet and there are some questions about how to get the construction done without creating terrible disruptions out there. I'm also not sure these extensions have been formally approved and funded yet.


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## xavier114fch

Ashis Mitra said:


> Hong Kong metro is one of the great metro of the world. Currently it has 7 lines It currently has 13 lines Line *Kwuntong*, *Tsuenwan*, *Island*, *Tungchung*, *Tsuengkwano*, *Disneyland *& *South Island*. I never saw such location based naming of any Chinese metro system, may be it is the influence of London metro because for a long time Hong Kong was under British rule (which remains the left hand driving and double decker tram). A dense network in core city area, and also a good extension towards outer area, made it a very good transportation. The most unique line is Disneyland line with Mickey mouse resemblance on its window and handle. Also the Tungchung line is also unique for its very long distances between station and long bridges over sea.
> 
> There are two extensions planned
> 
> 1) Tsuengkwano line is planned to extend west up-to Tamar. This extension will be very good because it will connect with future Tungchung line extension at Tamar. There will be three new stationsVictoria Park, Exhibition and Tamar. Construction will be completed in 2026.
> 
> 2) Tungchung line is planned to extend west up-to Tungchung West. I thing it will serve Tungchung area transport better. I dont understand why this short one station extension will take so much long time because construction will be completed in 2026!!!! What is the actual problem?



There are many extensions planned in the Railway Development Strategy 2014 scheme. To name a few:


1) Tuen Mun South extension - one station extension of current Wes Rail Line towards the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier area. MTR has submitted proposal and now negotiating with the gov't. Tentative completion: 2022


2) Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station - New line connecting Kam Sheung Road on West Rail Line to a new infill station at Kwu Tung on the current Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. MTR has submitted proposal. Tentative completion: 2023


3) East Kowloon Line - New line connecting Diamond Hill on Kwun Tong Line and East West Corridor, to Po Lam on Tsueng Kwan O Line. The line runs along the mid-levels of Kwun Tong hillside like Shun Lee, Sau Mau Ping and Po Tat. MTR has submitted proposal. Tentative completion: 2025


4) Tung Chung West extension and Tung Chung East station - An one-station extension of Tung Chung Line to Tung Chung West, situated to the SW of Yat Tung Estate, and a new infill station at Tung Chung East serving the new development area. MTR will submit proposal next year with a tentative completion in 2024.


5) North Island Line - Comprises of extension of Tung Chung Line to the west to a station at Tamar, and the extension of Tseung Kwan O Line to the east from North Point to Tamar. MTR will submit proposal next year with a tentative completion date in 2026.


There was a heated debate during the consultation period as one of the original plan is to split the current Island Line between Tin Hau and Fortress Hill - Tung Chung Line extends to the west following the north coast of the island and takes the eastern segment of Island Line, while Tseung Kwan O Line extends westward and takes up the western segment of Island Line. 



6) Hung Shui Kiu Station - An infill station between Siu Hong and Tin Shui Wai on the West Rail line serving the new development area. The station provides a transfer to the EFTS system of the new town. Tentative completion: 2024.


7) South Island Line (West) - A new line connecting HKU station on the Island Line to Wong Chuk Hang on the South Island Line. The line runs along Pok Fu Lam, Wah Fu and Aberdeen. Tentative completion:2026.


There is also a new station planned at Siu Ho Wan on Tung Chung Line serving the topside development over the current Siu Ho Wan Depot, revealed by a recent EIA report. Tentative completion: 2026.


Beyond these projects, there are new railway concepts for the East Lantau Metropolis and developments after 2030, which is a mega reclamation project between Lantau and Hong Kong Island. 2 railway corridors have been proposed:


a) Corridor from Tuen Mun to Hong Kong Island, which serves Tuen Mun, the Boundary Control Facilities of HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Tung Chung East, Mui Wo, East Lantau Metropolis and Hong Kong Island.


b) A new N-S corridor from Liantang boundary crossing to the new Metropolis, serving the new town in Ping Che. Connecting to existing lines happen at a new infill station south of Fanling on the East Rail Line, and probably Mei Foo station on Tsuen Wan and West Rail lines, before going to the Metropolis.


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## xavier114fch

sterlinglush said:


> A minor quibble, but the names are Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tsuen Wan, and Tung Chung. Personally, I would prefer it if they were simply given numbers instead of names visitors are likely to find easy to confuse and hard to pronounce, but that's what we've got.
> 
> With regard to the Tung Chung Line extension, there are a couple of problems with it. One is that the MTR Corporation has not (or had not when the idea was proposed) settled on a location. The line ends in a dense residential area, and although the notion of a Tung Chung West station makes sense, the development's not there yet and there are some questions about how to get the construction done without creating terrible disruptions out there. I'm also not sure these extensions have been formally approved and funded yet.



Tung Chung West station lives in Tung Chung new town planning, and it was planned to be on a site NW to Yat Tung Estate, currently in Tung Chung Bay. Since the authorities are doing away from reclaiming Tung Chung Bay due to environmental concerns, the station was in limbo.


The actual location is now fixed to somewhere SW of Yat Tung Estate which intersects the main throughfare, according to the latest development plan of Tung Chung new town and the RDS-2014 scheme.


The plan is still on paper and it's still far away from getting funded nor approved by the lawmakers.


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## Ashis Mitra

Thanks to all for more detail explanation, I am very happy for this.

For improvement of our Kolkata metro system, I am comparing some information about Hong Kong metro, please answer these questions, *because not any website still explains these*—

1) Is there any system for baggage checking when entering in the station area or platform area?

2) Is drinking water available in station area?

3) Do they play light music in background at station platforms?

4) Do all stations has side platforms? Or some has island platforms or both side platforms?

5) Is there any special seats for children, ladies, senior citizens and handicapped persons in both platform and inside the metro cars?

6) Is there any entertainment television in platforms?

7) Is photography allowed inside station premises?


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## xavier114fch

Ashis Mitra said:


> Thanks to all for more detail explanation, I am very happy for this.
> 
> For improvement of our Kolkata metro system, I am comparing some information about Hong Kong metro, please answer these questions, *because not any website still explains these*—
> 
> 1) Is there any system for baggage checking when entering in the station area or platform area?
> 
> 2) Is drinking water available in station area?
> 
> 3) Do they play light music in background at station platforms?
> 
> 4) Do all stations has side platforms? Or some has island platforms or both side platforms?
> 
> 5) Is there any special seats for children, ladies, senior citizens and handicapped persons in both platform and inside the metro cars?
> 
> 6) Is there any entertainment television in platforms?
> 
> 7) Is photography allowed inside station premises?



1) There is no security check.


2) No, but there are shops and automatic vending machines with drinks sold. Drinking is not allowed in paid areas even though there are vending machines after passing the entry gates.



3) Usually on the concourse level but hardly audible as the stations are usually crowded with passengers.


4) The choice of the platform design depends on location, geometry and patronage. Usually it is designed to have single island platform.


5) Only on subway cars, but this is stirring a lingering controversy that people have invisible needs are forced out of the seats by take-it-for-granted elders.


6) They are on the trains, and only on East Rail, West Rail, Ma On Shan, Kwun Tong and South Island Lines. This also depends on the type of train running (say the new PRC trains on Kwun Tong Line have those screens). Urban line trains have dot-matrix screens showing news brief and ads.


There are monitors serving as departure indicator on platforms, but they only show reminders and news from MTR only.



7) It is an OK but no flash lights or affecting the normal running of trains.


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## Ashis Mitra

Thank you very much for the details answers


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## mingrady

How are HK metro making huge profits when most other metros in the world are losing money?

Are they more efficient? What's their secret?


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## luacstjh98

MTR Corporation is one of the largest property developers in HK. In exchange for bringing train service to an area, they get the right to build transit-oriented developments near their stations.


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## JaJaWa

The big increase in profit this year was from property they manage in other cities like Shenzhen this year too I believe


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> MTR Corporation is one of the largest property developers in HK. In exchange for bringing train service to an area, they get the right to build transit-oriented developments near their stations.



Many of these developments are over-the-top of the depots. Depots occupy a large swarm of land so MTR can build tens of apartment buildings above, and this guarantees patronage. It is a common belief in HK that a property near the MTR station brings convenience, and they have a higher marker price/rent.


MTR also has a lot of commercial properties including skyscrapers and shopping malls. They also contribute a lot of profit there.


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## xavier114fch

JaJaWa said:


> The big increase in profit this year was from property they manage in other cities like Shenzhen this year too I believe


All the results announcements could be found here
http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/investor/results_announcements.html


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## hkskyline

xxx 17 MTR - Ma On Shan Line, by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Untitled by Toby Harvard, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Route map by Brian T, on Flickr


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## maginn

hkskyline said:


> Route map by Brian T, on Flickr


Wow the only station cut off from this map is Lohas Park, which is where I live hno:


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by KMR_Photo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong 2017 by ali elizabeth, on Flickr


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## jhung713

20170926-DSCF5140 by Jackson Hung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*The 18 years it took Hong Kong to get first MTR subway line – how the Post reported the story*
Staring with a public call for an underground railway in 1961, to the first journey by MTR in October 1979, how the Post covered the discussions, decisions and delivery of city’s first subway line
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sept. 29, 2017

“Underground Railway System Suggested as Answer to Traffic Problems”, ran the South China Morning Post headline on January 24, 1961. Speaking at a Kowloon Round Table meeting, Kenneth A. Watson said roads had reached “saturation points”, and putting on more buses and trams would do little to alleviate the situation.

In February 1966, as public pressure grew, the government commissioned a study to anticipate Hong Kong’s transport needs in the mid-1980s, and on February 15, 1968, under the headline “Rapid-Transport System ‘A Must’”, the Post reported: “Hongkong must build a $3,404m rapid transit system, or a more expensive roads system, in the next 16 years – or face potentially devastating effects on its economy. This is the warning given by a team of experts [whose] rapid-transit plan envisages modern electric railway trains, 300 to 600 feet long, flashing along a 40-mile, four-line circuit of mostly underground track from Hongkong Island to the New Territories, carrying 2.5m people a day by 1986.”

On June 8, 1972, the Post reported that both “enthusiasm and scepticism” had greeted the government’s announcement, the previous day, that it had decided in principle to construct a $6,000 million underground railway system for Hong Kong.

On November 1, 1975, a story in the Post announced: “Work on the $5,800 million mass transit underground railway will begin on Monday. It has taken eight years of research, technical and feasibility studies, planning and negotiations for work to begin.”

A photo of the first MTR cars to arrive in Hong Kong appeared in the May 17, 1978, issue. “Factory fresh, the cars were sitting on the vast deck of a container ship, the Benalder, at Kwai Chung yesterday morning,” read the caption. “The cars [...] are 80 ft long and weigh 23 tons each [...] each train will consist of four cars. […] Altogether 210 cars have been ordered.”

More : http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-...chives-how-hong-kongs-first-subway-system-got


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## hkskyline

*Subsidies on track for MTR travelers*
Oct. 6, 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

Hong Kong people are set for a mid- autumn gift - a long-distance travel subsidy funded by MTR dividends.

But legislators say such subsidies should benefit all Hong Kong commuters, not just those traveling long distance.

Multiple sources have confirmed that this scheme will be outlined by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her policy address next Wednesday.

During her election campaign, she promised to look into using MTR dividends to lighten the burden of long- distance grass-roots commuters.

The government holds 75 percent of MTR shares so it receives about HK$4 billion in dividends each year.

Speaking on a radio program yesterday, Michael Tien Puk-san, chairman of the Legislative Council subcommittee relating to railways, said all citizens should benefit instead of a handful, with long-distance travelers gaining the most, and regular commuters paying HK$2 per trip three times a day.

He believes this bonanza could unleash the potential of the labor force by encouraging more New Territories residents to work on Hong Kong Island.


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## hkskyline

Oct. 11, 2017
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*Public transport fare subsidy scheme to benefit 2 mln commuters *

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has proposed a fare subsidy scheme that is expected to benefit more than 2 million public transport commuters.

The subsidy is not means-tested, meaning that eligibility will not be based on whether or not they possess the means to do without the government assistance.

Under the scheme, commuters with monthly public transport expenses exceeding HK$400 will be offered a subsidy amounting to 25 percent of the expenses in excess of the level, subject to a cap of HK$300 a month.

It will cover fares for MTR, franchised buses, green minibuses, ferries and trams, Lam said, adding that no application is required to join the scheme. 

The government aims to launch the scheme within one year after obtaining funding approval from the finance committee of the Legislative Council.


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## hkskyline

Oct 12, 2017 
*Give us democracy, not HK$300*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

It is funny how much a small transport subsidy won big for Carrie Lam in her maiden policy address.

The government proposal to rebate as much as HK$300 for travelers using public transport managed to distract attention from more controversial issues like the housing shortage.

Well, that is a sweetener for everyone, but it means nothing more.

Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki yesterday offered to give back HK$300 to Lam in exchange for more democracy but was blocked by the guards.

Think about it. One needs to spend at least HK$1,600 on their Octopus cards to qualify for the HK$300 rebate, which is enough for a few rounds of dim sum and a feel-good moment.

But the simple fact is that MTR Corp., an 80 per cent government-owned entity, has been driving up transport costs. The government has not asked the MTR to adjust its escalating fares; neither does it plan to privatize the rail firm.

So a small rebate will only serve to direct attention away from other more important matters like housing.


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## hkskyline

Oct 13, 2017
*Public transport subsidy scheme spurs criticism *
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

A plan to introduce a non-means-tested public transport fare subsidy scheme has spurred criticism from concern groups for excluding residents’ coaches and red minibuses, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the scheme in her first policy address on Wednesday.

Under the scheme, the government will provide a subsidy to commuters who spend over HK$400 a month. The subsidy is 25 percent of the amount in excess of HK$400, subject to a cap of HK$300. 

The program covers the MTR, franchised buses, green minibuses (public light buses with fixed schedule, routes and fares), ferries and trams.

About two million commuters are expected to benefit from the scheme.

However, the scheme does not cover residents’ coaches and red minibuses (public light buses without fixed schedule, routes and fares), both of which are used by thousands of commuters each day.

Joseph Lai Yee-tak, permanent secretary for transport and housing (transport), told a press conference on Thursday that the reason red minibuses are excluded is that they are not regulated by the government. He did not say why residents’ coaches are also not covered.

Calling the arrangement unfair, Matthew Wong Leung-pak, chairman of the Public Omnibus Operators Association, said the fact that residents’ coaches need approval from the Transport Department to operate means they are entitled to the scheme.

Operators of residents’ coaches, which serve more than 230,000 passengers a day, are likely to see their passengers drop by up to 30 percent without the subsidies, Wong said.

Cheung Hon-wah, chairman of the Hong Kong Public Light Bus Owners and Drivers Association, said operators of red minibuses hope to be regulated by next year so that they can be included in the subsidy scheme. He said red minibuses serving nearly 80 routes have Octopus processors.

The funds for the subsidy scheme, amounting to HK$2 billion, will come from government dividends from the MTR.


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR ‘will replace’ faulty cables after Kwun Tong chaos*
Oct. 19, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Up to 3km of data cables operated by Hong Kong’s rail giant would be replaced this month following a serious system malfunction that led to service disruptions and commuter chaos in August, a source within the company said on Thursday.

On August 5, the MTR faced major delays on the Kwun Tong Line because water had infiltrated a network of 28-year-old copper cables, causing corrosion and damage, according to an investigative report submitted to the government. The faulty data links resulted in a signalling problem and triggered a shutdown of operations as a safety measure.

The faulty cables are expected to be replaced by fibre optics.

According to the report by an executive panel, typhoons and heavy rainfall had exacerbated the problem. The review raised three major suggestions including the replacement of cables to be completed by this month.


----------



## lawdefender

xavier114fch said:


> Many of these developments are over-the-top of the depots. Depots occupy a large swarm of land so MTR can build tens of apartment buildings above, and this guarantees patronage. It is a common belief in HK that a property near the MTR station brings convenience, and they have a higher marker price/rent.
> 
> 
> MTR also has a lot of commercial properties including skyscrapers and shopping malls. They also contribute a lot of profit there.



This is the only way to make profit for metro system in property market other than the operation of the metro lines. 

This model has been copied by Guangzhou Metro, which is also given the land of the metro stations to develop property projects by the Guangzhou government.


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## hkskyline

Grab by Wayne, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR Majority-Owned Subsidiary Awarded New 7-Year Franchise to Operate and Maintain Melbourne Train System *
MTR Press Release _Excerpt_
12 Sept. 2017

MTR Corporation welcomes the announcement today (12 September 2017) by the Victorian State Government in Australia to award a new seven-year franchise to Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) to operate and maintain the Melbourne train system.

MTM is a 60%-owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation and has been successfully operating the 390-km Melbourne metropolitan train service since 2009. Over the past eight years, extensive service improvements have been made on the system which provides an average of 840,000 passenger journeys on weekdays, including for punctuality and reliability, safety, asset
management and customer satisfaction. 

The new franchise will start from 30 November 2017 and includes up to a three-year extension option. Under the new operations and maintenance agreement, MTM is committed to delivering further enhancements to railway operations, asset maintenance and customer service in Melbourne, including by:
 Adding more peak services. Over the seven years, an extra 335 peak services will be added per week as well as 1,758 inter-peak and weekend services;
 Higher reliability and punctuality performance through increased maintenance to improve infrastructure and rolling stock reliability;
 Upgrading 500 CCTV cameras;
 Improving the passenger experience with more information and cleaner trains and stations; and
 Creating more than 600 new jobs across the franchise including 128 in the first year.

More : http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-17-077-E.pdf


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## hkskyline

MTR Travelator by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Come n go.. by Ferry Octavian, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

頌富站 by Eric Li, on Flickr


----------



## Arnorian

Would it be possible to extend Kwun Tong line to North Point?


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## hkskyline

Arnorian said:


> Would it be possible to extend Kwun Tong line to North Point?


When the Tseung Kwan O Line opened, the cross-harbour section (Kwun Tong Line) was extended to North Point from Quarry Bay already, and the Kwun Tong Line no longer crossed the harbour and terminated at Tiu Keng Leng.


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## luacstjh98

There's a tunnel from Lam Tin to Quarry Bay, it was used in revenue service for a few years, and can be used again if there's a disruption on the Kwun Tong Line.


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## Arnorian

I meant from Whampoa to North Point.


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## 2mchris

I think it would be better to extend the line from Whampoa to Kwun Tong (as a circle line) with a stop at the old runway of Kai Tak. Then the area could be developed better and the cruise terminal would be more attractive. 
There will be already the connection between Hunghom and Admirality when the Shatin Central Link is finished. 
I think the Star ferry shold think about a regular line between North Point an Whampoa. With the actual terminus at Whampoa it could be an attractive connection.


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## maginn

There is already a ferry service running between north point ferry pier and whampoa, as well as north point to Kowloon city ferry pier. They are operated by new world first ferry. Another nearby ferry goes from north point to Kwun Tong, with some departures stopping in Kai tak on the way.


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## hkskyline

Arnorian said:


> I meant from Whampoa to North Point.


Doubt it. Whampoa was constructed as a single platform only due to constraints above it.


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## hkskyline

STAR WARS by Wayne, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong, October 2017 by Rafa Torcida, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

2017-10-28 03.31.20.jpg by Torito Enamoradodelaluna, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Pentax 645D snapshot by Alex Leung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Pentax 645D snapshot by Alex Leung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Contactless competition: WeChat Pay is coming to Hong Kong’s MTR, and Alipay may not be far behind*
From next month, customers will be able to use their mobile phones to make payments at two yet-to-be-announced stations
November 23, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Commuters on Hong Kong’s MTR will soon be given a new quick payment option as the railway operator has partnered with the mainland’s second-largest mobile payment provider WeChat Pay, it announced on Thursday.

WeChat Pay’s main rival, Alipay, said it would follow suit in the “near future”.

Starting next month, commuters and tourists can purchase tickets with their mobile phones at two stations selected for the trial scheme.

While the initiative arguably benefits mainland tourists more than Hongkongers, it breaks a 20-year stronghold by the contactless Octopus card on how train fares can be paid for.

The news came two days after WeChat’s mother company, Hong Kong-listed Tencent Holdings, replaced Facebook to become the world’s fifth-largest company in market value.

“Under the collaboration, mobile payment solutions including WeChat Pay Hong Kong and Weixin Pay will be offered to the customers of MTR, providing Hongkongers and Chinese travellers an expanded payment option that is simple, secure and convenient,” a company statement read.


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## xavier114fch

There is a name change to 3 stations on the SCL:
1) To Kwa Wan (土瓜灣) becomes Sung Wong Toi (宋皇臺)
2) Ma Tau Wai (馬頭圍) becomes To Kwa Wan (土瓜灣)
3) Exhibition becomes Exhibition Centre (No change to the Chinese name)


The first 2 name changes have been used extensively in MTR (as revealed by their tender documents) for a few years, and now they claimed the name change as "addressing local community's aspiration". In fact the now Sung Wong Toi station is just next to the stone plate bearing the same name and the construction of the station has revealed artifacts from the Sung and Yuan dynasties. The archaeological work has pushed back the finishing of the East West Corridor for 11 months. The second name change is more welcome by the locals as the station is no where near to Ma Tau Wai, which is more down south to the main roads. The last name change only appeared in a progress report submitted to the Legco, and the reason of the change is still unknown.


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## hkskyline

FUJI2287 - 《地下鐵》 by Fai Redefined, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Seeing double at Quarry Bay MTR Station in Hong Kong. by javansg, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Olympic Station by James Wong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Finding symmetry at Tai Koo MTR Station in Hong Kong. by javansg, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Asia World Expo Station MTR Hong Kong // IAmAndy16 by I Am Andy, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Dec 6, 2017 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*Shatin-Central line tops XRL to become costliest HK rail project*

Records are meant to be broken, but this particular one is not something that Hong Kong people would want to cheer.

On Tuesday, news surfaced that the estimate of the main construction works for the Shatin-Central Link (SCL), a new commuter rail link being put up by MTR Corp, has ballooned to HK$87.3 billion, making it the most expensive rail line ever in Hong Kong history.

The revised price tag for SCL puts it ahead of the controversial high-speed rail link to Guangzhou, which until now held the record in terms of the cost for Hong Kong taxpayers on rail projects.

The government had come under severe fire earlier for allocating HK$85.3 billion for construction of the local portion of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL), but now the SCL commuter line will cost even more.

MTR, which operates Hong Kong’s rail system, on Tuesday submitted the latest cost estimate of the SCL project to the Transport and Housing Bureau, putting the figure at HK$87.3 billion, representing an increase of HK$16.5 billion, or 23 percent, over the original entrustment cost of HK$79.8 billion.


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line TS6, Sha Tin by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Going Up by James Wong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Dec 12, 2017 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*Development chief dismisses talk of Lantau light rail plan*

Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun dismissed rumors that a light rail system will be built on Lantau Island, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

According to a media report, a government consultant has decided to focus its study on the feasibility of building a light rail route connecting Tung Chung and Tai O on Lantau Island, instead of building roads.

Reacting to the report, Wong said the Civil Engineering and Development Department did commission a consultancy study on how to further develop the island in July this year.

The consulting firm will study how to improve the island’s transportation system by looking at all sides of the issue and will not come up with its suggestions until 2019 at the earliest, Wong said.

As such, it is too early to say whether a light rail route will be built, he added.


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## hkskyline

Sha Tin Station by Ross Kung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

FUJI2698 - 港鐵八鄉維修中心 MTR Pat Heung Maintenance Centre by Fai Redefined, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Untitled by Toby Harvard, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line E62, Fanling by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Disneyland Hong Kong by jenn chan, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
Jan 12, 2018 
*Thousands stranded as MTR service disruptions hit East Rail Line*

MTR Corporation saw services on its East Rail Line disrupted twice on Thursday, with the first one leaving thousands of rush-hour passengers stranded.

At about 9:25 a.m., the railway operator announced that services on the line connecting Hung Hom and Lo Wu had to be suspended due to a fault in the signaling system, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

The disruption triggered chaotic situations in stations along the line.

Although shuttle buses were immediately arranged to help the stranded passengers get to their destinations, some of those outside Fanling Station complained that they could not get on a bus after waiting more than an hour.

A total of 14 trains were stuck on the tracks in between stations, with many passengers stranded in rail cars. Some of them tried to open the doors by themselves and jumped off the cars.

Chaos at Lo Wu Station was particularly serious as hundreds of students who arrived from Shenzhen in the morning were stuck there.

The line resumed service at around 11:30 a.m. after system repair was completed, but Lo Wu Station was still reportedly packed with stranded passengers as of noon.

Francis Li Shing-kee, MTR head of operations, apologized for the service suspension and promised to conduct a thorough investigation at the end of the business day at midnight.

At 5:50 p.m., an East Rail Line train heading to Kowloon Tong from Tai Wai suffered mechanical problems and dim lights in its cars. About 800 passengers were arranged to take another train at the Kowloon Tong Station.


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## hkskyline

The MTR - Stop by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Staying connected by Eddie Hales, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Analog by Yenting Chen, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by jbjelloid, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Anti-terror drill in Hong Kong MTR station draws 400 emergency staff*
Authorities say exercise meant to enhance command and control ability of frontline response
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
January 19, 2018

Some 400 Hong Kong police officers as well as staff from other government departments carried out an anti-terrorist exercise in one of the city’s busiest MTR stations early Friday morning.

Code-named “Leosharp 2018” and organised by police, the drill at Admiralty station also involved personnel from the MTR Corporation and Fire Services Department.

The force deployed officers from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, the Emergency Unit and the Police Tactical Unit.

In the practice scenario conducted at 2am, Admiralty station control room received an anonymous telephone call from a man who said “let’s play a game” before hanging up at about 9.30am on a weekday.

Staff for the station, which is a major railway transport hub for the city, alerted the operational command centre. Other Admiralty staff subsequently found an unattended briefcase at the concourse. Inside the briefcase, police found a note that read: “Let’s play a game.”

Officers later stopped and searched a suspicious man in the concourse and found a knife on him. After questioning him, it was determined that he was acting with accomplices.

Soon after the man’s arrest, two gunmen began a shooting spree on site. The station conducted an evacuation and locked down the premises.

Officers from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and Hong Kong Island Emergency Unit were deployed to locate the terrorists, who were eventually neutralised.

The casualties were attended to by the Fire Services Department.

A police spokesman said the drill was meant to test and enhance command and control abilities while developing frontline officers’ knowledge and tactics in handling terrorist incidents.

It was also designed to boost coordination and communication between police, the fire service and MTR staff in the handling of emergencies.


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## hkskyline

Kwun Tong | Hong Kong by KC Woo, on Flickr


----------



## Fan Railer

First new CRRC mainline train delivered late last December:
http://www.crrcgc.cc/sfgf/g7217/s4909/t289754.aspx



> On December 21, CIMC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. was the first subway vehicle developed for the Hong Kong downtown area. The car is the first train in China's largest metro vehicle project, and is also the subway vehicle with the highest fire safety standard in the world at present.
> 
> In 2015, CIMC SICHUAN Co., Ltd. successfully won the bidding for Metro Line in Hong Kong for its international bidding. A total of 93 trains (744 vehicles) were purchased, making it the largest acquisition of new trains in the MTR history and the largest one in China Subway car orders. These metro vehicles will be used in the operation of the Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line and Tseung Kwan O lines in Hong Kong.
> 
> According to Wang Wenjian, senior director designer of Sifang Automobile Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong, the downtown subway line in Hong Kong uses a stainless steel body with a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour and a maximum capacity of more than 3,000 people in eight marshals. The vehicles are based on the mature metro vehicle technology platform of Sifang Automobile Co., Ltd., fully drawing on the experience of operation and maintenance of the MTR Corporation and designing and manufacturing with internationally advanced standards, with excellent safety, reliability and comfort.
> 
> Safety: the highest standard of fire protection subway
> 
> Vehicle safety, the vehicle in accordance with the stringent design of international standards, in fire safety, collision protection, etc. have reached the international advanced level.
> 
> The car uses the latest international and most stringent fire safety design standards, materials used by the vehicle flame retardant, smoke, smoke toxicity and other performance indicators to meet the highest level of fire safety requirements. At the same time, as a fire barrier car floor, the driver's room and the passenger compartment between the walls and other structures also have excellent fire performance, compartment floor fire resistance time of 37 minutes.
> 
> The train sets up a three-level collision energy absorption system, which can protect the passenger room area from being damaged under the impact of the vehicle speed of 25km / h, and protect the safety of passengers. At the same time, the cab adopts shock-proof design, can withstand one kilogram of missiles at 250 kilometers per hour impact without penetration, which can effectively protect the driver's safety.
> 
> In addition, the vehicle design and manufacturing process by an independent third party in accordance with European standards for safety assessment to ensure vehicle safety.
> 
> Reliable: vehicle service life of 40 years
> 
> Hong Kong Metropolitan Line subway vehicles using high-strength stainless steel body and advanced bogie technology, body and bogie to meet both European and British stringent standards, the service life of the vehicle up to 40 years, 10 years longer than the average subway .
> 
> In the meantime, the vehicle controls the entire process of RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety) in accordance with international standards during the design and manufacturing process to ensure that vehicles have excellent reliability and availability.
> 
> It is worth mentioning that the important system of the car dual redundant design, to avoid a single point of failure to affect vehicle operations.
> 
> Comfortable: user-friendly design to enhance ride experience
> 
> In appearance, the Hong Kong Metropolitan Area Subway Vehicle (TIC) has adopted and optimized the iconic "smiley face" of the MTR. The bodywork is made of metallic gray, which makes it more technology-savvy.
> 
> In order to create a more comfortable ride experience, the car interior also uses a series of new user-friendly design. Lounge ring lights and strip lights added to enhance the lighting effect. With split seat, guest room level and more rich color. The introduction of "olive-shaped" handrails to facilitate more standing passengers. Each car is equipped with a multi-function zone that seats on the seat for passengers in wheelchairs and for ordinary passengers to lean on. Equipped with LCD screen for displaying dynamic road map. In addition, the vehicle also adopts a series of new noise reduction designs such as multi-layer composite sound-absorbing structural floor, low-noise traction system and multi-sandwich soundproof windows to reduce noise in the passenger compartment.
> 
> It is reported that the first train off the assembly line has now completed the type testing of the factory, the next step will be shipped to Hong Kong for line testing. According to the plan, the first train is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2018 with on-line operating conditions. All 93 trains on the project are expected to be fully delivered by 2023.


----------



## hkskyline

Midnight Train Station by willis pang, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Sleeping well in the Bamboo Land, Tsuen Wan West, Hong Kong by Job Homeless, on Flickr


----------



## TWK90

*New MTR train for existing lines (also known as Q-Train)*

*Source : Xinhua*

*Link :* http://www.sd.xinhuanet.com/news/2018-01/30/c_1122337976.htm


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## hkskyline

"mass transit railway" (i) by hugo poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR may sell land site atop Wong Chuk Hang station amid rising home prices*
Hong Kong’s rail operator says several residential blocks and a 450,000 sq ft mall can be built on the site above the station 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Feb 8, 2018

Hong Kong’s subway operator MTR Corp may release one of the largest parcels of land for residential development – atop Wong Chuk Hang station – on the south side of Hong Kong Island for tender in 2018 despite a volatile stock market.

MTR’s property director David Tang Chi-fai said the rail operator was currently solving the technical issues on the site to get it ready for the tender, which is planned as the third phase of a residential and commercial development. Phases one and two of the development are located next to the station.

“As several residential towers and a 450,000 square feet shopping mall will be built above the Wong Chuk Hang station, the work will be complicated. Logically, the third phase will be put up for tendering this year,” Tang said after the official opening of the second phase of the Maritime Square shopping mall in Tsing Yi Station on Wednesday.

Details would be finalised when the rail operator announces its full year result for 2017 next month, he said.

MTR had put up only three new projects for development along its railways in 2017 – out of the seven that were planned.

The three projects will provide a total of 2,052 flats in the two development phases for the Wong Chuk Hang station project and another residential development at Kam Shueng Road Station in Yuen Long.


----------



## hkskyline

20171208-L2007545 by Fatman MJ007, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Train by wilsonphoto_a, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Airport Express 機場快線 by Yukihiro Yamashita, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR 2017 net profit rises to HK$16.8b*
Mar 9, 2018 
The Standard _Excerpt_

MTR Corporation (0066) yesterday said net profit last year jumped 64 percent to HK$16.8 billion.

It said earnings from Hong Kong property developments spiked from HK$311 million in 2016 to HK$1.1 billion last year.

Its board has recommended a final dividend of 87 HK cents per share, bringing total dividends to HK$1.12 per share for the year.

Basic earnings per share were HK$2.83, up from HK$1.74.

Over the next four years, it will expand its investment properties portfolio in Hong Kong by adding 1.1 million square feet of gross floor area to its retail portfolio, an increase of about 34 percent, the company said.

It said the development of the new LOHAS Park shopping center in Tseung Kwan O and the Tai Wai shopping center is ongoing and target completion is set by the end of 2020 and 2022, respectively.

MTR noted that rents remained under pressure in the retail segment.

Retail rents declined moderately toward the end of last year as the sector was affected by a dip in tourist spending and the growing popularity of e-commerce.

As of end-December last year, it rented out 1,416 retail shops across its stations, 24 shops more from a year earlier.


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## hkskyline

*Software error to blame for two-hour Hong Kong MTR stoppage that left tens of thousands stranded*
Transport operator says problematic code has been fixed, and improved recovery procedures put in place
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
March 13, 2018

An investigation into the worst service interruption on the MTR’s East Rail Line in years has concluded that a software coding error was to blame for a control system failure that left tens of thousands of commuters stranded.

On the morning of January 11, the entire vital rail link between the eastern New Territories and Kowloon was suspended from about 9.30am for more than two hours.

The inquiry confirmed that the fault arose due to a hidden software coding error in the train control system (TCS) software module related to a specific command, an MTR spokesman said on Monday, after the operator submitted the investigation results to the government.

The suspension saw 14 trains stuck in between stations.

Passengers on two trains in Fanling and Fo Tan were seen forcing the doors open and walking along the tracks to get to a station.

Shuttle buses were provided between Kowloon Tong and Lo Wu, but there was a backlog of passengers at many stations.

“The adverse effect of the coding error emerged to impact service only after traffic demand continuously increased over the years,” the spokesman said.

The train regulation command was applied right before the incident, triggering a series of errors that resulted in the halting of all workstations and the TCS server.

The spokesman said the system had automatically and immediately switched over to a default standby server, but it failed to recover. The system eventually resumed normal operations after the TCS fallback server and its workstations were activated manually.

The incident caused a suspension of the East Rail Line train service for 122 minutes, the operator confirmed.


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## hkskyline

*MTR rebates on the way for Octopus passengers*
Mar 9, 2018
The Standard _Excerpt_

MTR Corp Ltd says it will offer a 3 percent rebate on trips using Octopus cards for at least six months each year until 2023.

Another 30 HK cents discount will be offered to passengers using Octopus cards interchanging between MTR and green minibus routes from the second quarter.

The company's overall share of the franchised public transport market in Hong Kong last year was 49.1 percent, compared to 48.4 percent in 2016.

The share of cross-harbor traffic was 69.6 percent, up from 68.6 percent in 2016. Its market share for airport transport rose slightly from 21.4 percent to 21.5 percent.

Competition from other modes of transport reduced the company's share of the cross-boundary business from 51.2 percent to 50.8 percent.


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Disneyland Train by Ellie Shultz, on Flickr

Hong Kong Disneyland Train by Ellie Shultz, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

“Maintain good personal hygiene “ sign, MTR, Hong Kong by Jonathan Whiteland, on Flickr


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## mrmoopt

hkskyline said:


> “Maintain good personal hygiene “ sign, MTR, Hong Kong by Jonathan Whiteland, on Flickr


They really should be using Health department posters instead of making their own, the notices on public education makes it look like an arm of a govt, instead of being an independent rail operator.


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## hkskyline

^ They are significantly government-owned after all. When the fares go up, we scrutinize the government for not using their dividends to offset the increase.


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## hkskyline

*Faulty steel and concrete works add to woes for HK$87 billion Sha Tin-Central rail link*
MTR Corporation insists the discovery will not affect safety or the deadline to complete the project 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
March 21, 2018

Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project suffered yet another headache on Tuesday after operator MTR Corporation admitted that steel and concrete works on a section of the tunnel were found to be faulty.

Work has begun to fix defective connection joints found in the Hung Hom section of the HK$87 billion (US$11.09 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.

MTR Corp said remedial works on the section were expected to be finished next month, but declined to reveal what the cost would be. It insisted that neither the safety of the tunnels nor the link’s schedule would be compromised because of the works.

“Neither will it impact on the overall programme of the project,” the corporation said in a statement.

Completion of the government-owned rail link will be in two stages. The Tai Wai-Hung Hom section is expected to be finished in mid-2019, with the cross-harbour section to Admiralty completed in 2021.

The link has run HK$16.5 billion over budget since planning began decades ago. Its total price tag of HK$97.1 billion, which includes the cost of preparatory works, makes the rail one of the most expensive in the world at HK$5.71 billion per kilometre.

An MTR Corp spokeswoman said the company was preparing to seek compensation from the section’s contractor, Leighton Contractor (Asia) Ltd, for the substandard work. The firm did not return calls for comment.


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR Kow Long Tong Station by William Chan, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR rides to cost 3.14pc more from June*
Mar 27, 2018 
The Standard _Excerpt_

MTR passengers will have to brace for a fare increase in two months.

Commuters will have to fork out more for their daily rides on the Mass Transit Railway from June when fares rise by 3.14 percent.

The MTR Corporation announced today the fare increase tracks the Nominal Wage Index (Transportation Sector) for December 2017, and consumer prices compiled by the Census and Statistics Department.

The MTRC also said that the 3 percent rebate for all Octopus users for at least six months each year until 2022-23 will remain and that the fare increase will not affect them in the 2018 calendar year.

The transport sector Nominal Wage Index climbed by 2.8 percent on year, the Census and Statistics Department data show.


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## hkskyline

Fantastic mural in South Horizons MTR station, Ap Lei Chau, off Hong Kong Island by Jonathan Whiteland, on Flickr


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## lawdefender

According to the 2017 performance report released by the Hong Kong Railway Corporation on the 8th, in 2017, the profit of the MTR Corporation exceeded 16.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, an increase of 64.1% over the previous year. The number of passengers exceeded 2 billion passengers for the first time in the year, an increase of 2.6% over the previous year.

http://news.163.com/18/0309/08/DCENU01P00018AOQ.html


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## lawdefender

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...nounces-64-cent-rise-net-profit-hk168-billion

MTR reveals 64 per cent rise in net profit to HK$16.8 billion, buoyed by earnings from property development
Less than one-third of the rail giant’s HK$55.44 billion in revenue last year came from its local transport operations, while income from its property portfolio in mainland China jumped five times


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## hkskyline

Wan Chai MTR platform by aprilpo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

April 02-0795 by JonLeonY, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Garbled messages from MTRC after trains delayed, again *
Apr 16, 2018 
The Standard 

Mass transit rail services were delayed once again today at the North Point interchange to the Tseung Kwan O line in the morning today.

The MTRC's announcements were garbled, inaudible and interrupted with electronic interference.

The MTRC staff appeared to say to passengers that trains to Po Lam and Lohas Park will be delayed by "10 minutes'' or so. The message was unclear.

Trains resumed a while later.


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## hkskyline

MTR | Hong Kong by DANIEL CCN, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Kennedy Town by Carl Hall, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

GR120185 - 港鐵荃灣車廠 MTR Tsuen Wan Depot by Fai Redefined, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR (Subway) - quiet Saturday, Hong Kong by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## luacstjh98

It always seemed odd to me on why the North Island Line scheme has both the TKL and TCL terminating at Tamar, whereas there are capacity constraints at Po Lam and on the Tsing Ma Bridge limiting the overall throughput of both lines.

Why not run trains through from Tung Chung to Po Lam, similar to the old "swap" scheme? The LOHAS Park shuttle can either go to Tsing Yi, or build a spur from Hong Kong Station to the Rumsey St platforms at Sheung Wan, or terminate at Tamar anyway.


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> It always seemed odd to me on why the North Island Line scheme has both the TKL and TCL terminating at Tamar, whereas there are capacity constraints at Po Lam and on the Tsing Ma Bridge limiting the overall throughput of both lines.
> 
> Why not run trains through from Tung Chung to Po Lam, similar to the old "swap" scheme? The LOHAS Park shuttle can either go to Tsing Yi, or build a spur from Hong Kong Station to the Rumsey St platforms at Sheung Wan, or terminate at Tamar anyway.



The Rumsey platform has been repurposed as passageways (I remember it's a staircase), so it's no longer possible to extend it further as a real stopping platform.


The Tung Chung Line shares trains right of way with Airport Express trains, and the bottleneck also includes the Western Immerse Tube (i.e. the WHC rail tunnel). If TCL is going to merge with TKL, then there should be a train from the east side terminates so that it occupies the same time slot as of an AEL train. However, there is apparently not enough space for turnback facilities west of Hong Kong station (underwater tunnel approach + the split of TCL/AEL tracks into different levels + street underpass), giving a train turning short at Tamar is not attractive to users from the east.


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## luacstjh98

LOHAS Park shuttles currently terminate at Tiu Keng Leng, and use a siding between Tiu Keng Leng and Yau Tong to reverse direction. With the frequency of both the AEL and shuttle, it could be possible to slot the shuttles into the AEL "slots" as well.

Wait - I forgot about HOK platform 2. It's nominally for the Airport Express, but the AEL doesn't use it, so why not connect it to Tamar and give it to the TKL?


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> LOHAS Park shuttles currently terminate at Tiu Keng Leng, and use a siding between Tiu Keng Leng and Yau Tong to reverse direction. With the frequency of both the AEL and shuttle, it could be possible to slot the shuttles into the AEL "slots" as well.
> 
> Wait - I forgot about HOK platform 2. It's nominally for the Airport Express, but the AEL doesn't use it, so why not connect it to Tamar and give it to the TKL?



During peak hours train runs through LOHAS Park and North Point in a 1:2 ratio to those run to Po Lam. This translates to a 7-8 min headway. AEL at most runs at 10 min interval. LOHAS Park will become a major sleep town with more residential towers in the next 10 years, so the frequency of LOHAS Park trains may lean towards the 1:1 ratio. If TKL is merged with TCL, then some LOHAS Park trains has to turn back at Tsing Yi.



HOK platform 2 will hopefully be put in use once the North Island Line is open, as the turn back facility is in the middle of the NIL tracks. The current single platform configuration limits the frequency of AEL, and with the opening of the 3rd runway, there is still potential to further increase AEL frequency.


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## luacstjh98

Last I was in HK, there didn't seem to be a lot of passengers using the AEL, and besides the trains can be extended to 9 passenger cars + luggage car should the need arise, before increasing the frequency.

This might be a better question for the HKIA thread, but what's the mode share of AEL for passengers heading to HKIA?


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## hkskyline

luacstjh98 said:


> Last I was in HK, there didn't seem to be a lot of passengers using the AEL, and besides the trains can be extended to 9 passenger cars + luggage car should the need arise, before increasing the frequency.
> 
> This might be a better question for the HKIA thread, but what's the mode share of AEL for passengers heading to HKIA?


http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/investor/annual2017/E118.pdf

16.6 million passenger journeys in 2017


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## hkskyline

Tai Wai Station by James Wong, on Flickr

Taikoo Station by James Wong, on Flickr


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## mrmoopt

xavier114fch said:


> During peak hours train runs through LOHAS Park and North Point in a 1:2 ratio to those run to Po Lam. This translates to a 7-8 min headway. AEL at most runs at 10 min interval. LOHAS Park will become a major sleep town with more residential towers in the next 10 years, so the frequency of LOHAS Park trains may lean towards the 1:1 ratio. If TKL is merged with TCL, then some LOHAS Park trains has to turn back at Tsing Yi.
> 
> 
> 
> HOK platform 2 will hopefully be put in use once the North Island Line is open, as the turn back facility is in the middle of the NIL tracks. The current single platform configuration limits the frequency of AEL, and with the opening of the 3rd runway, there is still potential to further increase AEL frequency.


There's nothing wrong with making them one line- but the short stoppers will need to terminate at Tamar or Causewaybay North, which is the same as the existing 'NIL' scheme. So no benefits to interlining. 

What they should do is build a cross-platform interchange (like existing Hung Hom) at Tamar. Current NIL scheme says they are going to be on different levels.


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## travelsoha

The Rumsey platform has been repurposed as passageways (I remember it's a staircase), so it's no longer possible to extend it further as a real stopping platform.


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## luacstjh98

A better solution would be to build Tamar like Choi Hung, with interlining and a middle platform for turning back trains. But then again you can do the same with the spare Airport Express platform at HOK. HKG growth from the 3RS can be accommodated by increasing the AEL to its full 10-car length, and adding additional trips (8 tph?) with the signalling upgrade.

One thing that's always irked me about the MTR is the amount of interchanging that has to be done to complete most journeys - a situation which is starting to look better with the SCL.


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## xavier114fch

cal_t said:


> There's nothing wrong with making them one line- but the short stoppers will need to terminate at Tamar or Causewaybay North, which is the same as the existing 'NIL' scheme. So no benefits to interlining.
> 
> What they should do is build a cross-platform interchange (like existing Hung Hom) at Tamar. Current NIL scheme says they are going to be on different levels.



Space constraints. Central-Wan Chai Bypass tunnel is just a shy north of the proposed station box, and to the south the Central Government Office does not allow transport facilities built under it due to security reasons (and this is the reason why SCL Admiralty station moved to the current location). 



There are constraints to the tunnel layout too. To the east provisions has been made by SCL works so that the NIL stacked tunnels leveled under the Convention and Exhibition Center. If the original tunnel design for the AEL turnback siding is built together with the NIL, TCL and AEL tracks will more or less run on the same level, and this indicates an island platform configuration for TCL.



If Tamar is built as a cross-platform interchange, the location of turnback sidings would interfere with the provisions unless something changed in the detailed design. Cross platform is nice, but changing just one level is not too inconvenient.


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> A better solution would be to build Tamar like Choi Hung, with interlining and a middle platform for turning back trains. But then again you can do the same with the spare Airport Express platform at HOK. HKG growth from the 3RS can be accommodated by increasing the AEL to its full 10-car length, and adding additional trips (8 tph?) with the signalling upgrade.
> 
> One thing that's always irked me about the MTR is the amount of interchanging that has to be done to complete most journeys - a situation which is starting to look better with the SCL.



The same space constraint argument also applies to a double-island platform.


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line - E1, Kowloon Tong by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Part of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district closed off as police race to defuse wartime bomb at rail link construction site *
Police warn roads around the site at the junction of Hung Hing Road and Tonnochy Road could stay off-limits on Friday and employers should rearrange working hours accordingly
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 10, 2018








































































_on.cc_

Roads were closed and people were evacuated from the northern part of Wan Chai after a 450kg (1,000lbs) wartime bomb was discovered on Thursday, the third incident at the same site this year.

As police raced to defuse the unexploded device at a construction site for the Sha Tin-Central rail link on Thursday night, they warned that the situation this time was more complicated, and they might need longer than the 24 to 26 hours they took previously.

This meant roads around the site at the junction of Hung Hing Road and Tonnochy Road could stay off-limits on Friday, and employers should rearrange working hours accordingly.

Senior bomb disposal officer Tony Chow Shek-kin said the bomb was upside down with its front part buried in the ground.

“We can only see its rear now and have found that the detonator is already broken. We may need more time to remove the soil in order to have a full examination of the situation,” Chow said on Thursday night.

The American-made AN-M65 bomb, measuring 145cm in length and with a diameter of about 45cm, was discovered by workers at about 4.30pm. 

It was found 10 to 12 metres underground during excavation work for the future Exhibition Centre station on the 17-km cross-harbour rail link.


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## xavier114fch

This is the 3rd time construction workers found a wartime bomb. The vicinity was bombed quite heavily by the US as it is near to the naval base at Tamar, so more such bombs should be expected during the station construction.


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Subway - Hong Kong by mbell1975, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

R1-04 by redefined0307, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong railway unions threaten industrial action if MTR workers do not get pay rises of 7 to 8 per cent*
Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions asks government to step in and fight for employees’ interests
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 22, 2018

Railway workers have threatened to take industrial action if their pay demands are not met and asked the Hong Kong government to intervene on their behalf with the MTR Corporation.

The pro-government Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions, which represents 4,000 MTR workers in four unions, warned on Monday that it could call on employees to work to rule by refusing to do overtime if they did not receive a 7 to 8 per cent pay increase in the summer. 

That came after union representatives met Undersecretary for Transport and Housing Raymond So Wai-man to discuss the pay demands for the more than 17,000 MTR employees in Hong Kong. 

Federation vice-chairman Tam Kin-chiu said So would report back to Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan, who as a board member of the MTR Corp was expected to reflect the unions’ demands to the company. 

“This is the first time we have asked the government to step in,” he said.


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## xavier114fch

Starting from today, the West Rail Line runs 8-car trains in full. There was a mixed-fleet operation of both 7 and 8-car trains when one more carriage was added to 7-car trains. This is in preparation of the full operation of East West Corridor aimed at mid-2019.


MTR has also announced the final name of the lines in the SCL project. The East West Corridor is now Tuen Ma Line (屯馬綫). The name is adopted from the district names of the 2 ends of the line, *Tuen* Mun and *Ma* On Shan. The North South Corridor, being an extension of East Rail Line, will use the same East Rail Line name when it opens towards the end of 2021.


There was a stir when the name was leaked by railfans through Facebook Pages and discussion forums before the official announcement. It was assumed that the East West Corridor becomes East West Line, as the name was revealed on unlit signage in Ho Man Tin station, tender documents and trackside mileage plague (in abbreviation EWL). The North South Corridor becomes North South Line in the same way. The public thought that adopting one character from the district names of the two ends was not following the "naming practice" of MTR lines, while some mocked the name as "tumor" line as they sounded more or less the same.


http://www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk/pdf/multimedia-gallery/press/25052018_pr_e.pdf


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## luacstjh98

I understand that the West Rail Line has provision for up to 9-car trains.

Will it be possible for platforms to be extended at SCL stations should the 9th car be added in the future? (I know it's doable on the MOS Line)


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> I understand that the West Rail Line has provision for up to 9-car trains.
> 
> Will it be possible for platforms to be extended at SCL stations should the 9th car be added in the future? (I know it's doable on the MOS Line)



Austin station does not have provision for the 9th car. All MOL stations and stations under constructions are all having the length of 8 cars.


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## hkskyline

Rushing for a train by Jacky3128, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp faces close scrutiny from Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam after Sha Tin to Central link platform scandal*
Chief Executive Carrie Lam breaks silence over irregularities that emerged last week involving construction of platforms for HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link project
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 5, 2018

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says she is highly concerned about a corner-cutting scandal that hit the city’s most costly rail project, pledging to put the MTR Corporation under scrutiny over any remedial action.

The chief executive on Tuesday spoke for the first time on the scandal that emerged last week involving a key part of the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.38 billion) Sha Tin-Central link. The irregularity concerned construction of platforms at Hung Hom station.

Last Friday, the government demanded that the rail giant submit a report within one week to explain safety concerns and arrange for an independent expert to conduct load testing on the platforms.

“I can assure you and the public that once the facts have been obtained, we will disclose them and inform the public if there is a need for any remedial action,” Lam said before her weekly meeting with the Executive Council, her cabinet.

The MTR Corp admitted last week that a subcontractor had on five occasions produced substandard work for platforms in September 2015, with workers cutting steel bars to make it seem as though they had been screwed correctly into couplers.

The corporation said the fault was eventually rectified in August 2016.

The work involved the floor of one of two underground levels being built beneath Hung Hom station to house four platforms on the under-construction Tuen Ma Line, an 11km section of the larger link running between Tai Wai and Hung Hom’s West Rail corridor which terminates at Tuen Mun.

Leighton Contractors (Asia) was the main firm building the platforms. A HK$5.2 billion (US$662.7 million) contract signed in March 2013 required Leighton to take charge of the construction of Hung Hom station and stabling sidings for the Sha Tin-Central link project.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-vows-keep-eye-rail


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong rail giant MTR Corp says subcontractor Fang Sheung Construction did substandard work in Sha Tin-Central link platform scandal*
Allegations come just a day after rail operator claimed it did not know who improperly installed steel bars, or why they did so, on its HK$97.1 billion project
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 7, 2018

Hong Kong’s railway operator has singled out a subcontractor as the likely culprit behind the corner-cutting scandal which hit its HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central rail link, just a day after claiming it did not know who did the shoddy work found on its platforms.

The U-turn came as lawmakers from across the political divide sought to launch an independent inquiry into the furore.

The MTR Corporation levelled the allegation against workers from Fang Sheung Construction, a subcontractor that handled steel bars on the city’s most expensive rail project, a day after the saying it did not know who cut them wrongly or why they did it.

The scandal centred on the installation of bars used for building a platform beneath Hung Hom station. They were found to have been cut to make it seem as if they had been screwed correctly into couplers on the platform, when they had not.

On Thursday, MTR projects director Philco Wong Nai-keung said it was Fang Sheung workers who cut them, according to information from the rail operator’s staff monitoring the project.

Wong said MTR staff did not see the bars being cut.

“But parts that had been cut away from the steel bars were placed in another location,” he said. “At that time there were only workers from Fang Sheung, thus we understood it was done by [them].”

The subcontractor’s workers explained they cut the bars for convenience, he added, as they had faced difficulties screwing them properly into couplers.

Wong said the installations in question had already been fixed.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...49658/mtr-corp-says-subcontractor-fang-sheung


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## hkskyline

Jun 7, 2018 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*MTR looks into claims of staff exam cheating*

A number of engineers attending a recruitment exam for “Engineer’s Person-In-Charge” (EPIC) at MTR Corporation were allegedly given the answers beforehand.

Adjudicators were said to have offered tips during the examination as well ensured that the engineers gave the correct answers, Apple Daily reported, citing unnamed MTR staff members.

The railway company said it was very concerned about the report.

It said it will launch an investigation to determine if there was any infringement of standards and norms and take appropriate action in line with internal procedures.

It did not elaborate on the potential course of action.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is following up on the matter, stressing that public safety cannot be compromised.

The department also said it is very concerned about the report and that it has demanded an investigation and a detailed report from the rail firm, to ensure strict adherence to the MTRC regulations and guidelines during examinations.


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## hkskyline

people mobile by Arnd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Investigation into HK$97 billion Hong Kong rail scandal ‘needs to have teeth’ so firms are compelled to reveal everything, says executive councillor*
Lawmaker Wong Kowk-kin calls for commission of inquiry into Sha Tin-Central link as the Post learns Carrie Lam could be on verge of appointing judge-led panel with power to issue subpoenas
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 11, 2018

A member of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s cabinet on Monday called for the government to launch a commission of inquiry into the scandal surrounding the HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central rail link.

A subcontractor, Fang Sheung Construction, has been accused of cutting corners during the installation of a platform under Hung Hom station, with rail operator MTR Corporation reporting five separate occasions of faulty work between August and September 2015.

Lam could announce the creation of a judge-led investigation panel, which would have the power of subpoena, as early as Tuesday morning, a source close to the government told the Post.

Such a move, which the source said could take place before the weekly Executive Council meeting, would put the inquiry on a par with the one that looked into the deadly 2012 Lamma ferry accident.

The hope is a high profile investigation could finally encourage Leighton Contractors (Asia), which had overall responsibility for the installation of the platform, to break its silence on the matter.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...k97-billion-hong-kong-rail-scandal-needs-have


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## hkskyline

*New twist to scandal at Hong Kong’s HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central rail link with photos showing contractor’s workers cutting steel bars*
Rail giant MTR Corp had singled out subcontractor as being behind shoddy work on Hung Hom station platforms – but pictures suggest otherwise
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 12, 2018

Workers in the uniforms of Leighton Contractors (Asia), the main contractor on a section of the city’s scandal-hit HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central rail link, were seen and photographed cutting corners, according to sources.

The photos, obtained by the Post and date stamped September 22, 2015, show two workers in Leighton clothing and safety helmets cutting steel bars that formed the framework for platforms at Hung Hom station on Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project. Two sources said they were Leighton workers.

Rail operator MTR Corporation last week singled out Fang Sheung Construction, a subcontractor hired by Leighton, as the likely culprit of the faulty work, which involved steel bars being cut short to make it seem as if they had been screwed correctly into platform couplers.

Sources said a middle-ranking superintendent at Leighton in charge of the project had secretly hired some workers to carry out the faulty work as Fang Sheung staff refused to do it. The superintendent was later sacked for another reason.

“Now Fang Sheung is being made a scapegoat. In fact, both Leighton senior management and the MTR site inspectors have been in the dark about this under-the-table job by middle management,” one insider said.

That explains why the MTR Corp has still failed to get hold of the full picture.”

The scandal broke out last month after the rail giant confirmed that on five occasions between August and December 2015 more than 25 steel bars in total were cut short.

Leighton was the main contractor responsible for building the platforms secured by 26,000 couplers which connect layers of steel bars. Under a HK$5.2 billion contract signed in March 2013, the firm is responsible for building the Hung Hom station floors and stabling sidings for the rail link.

Despite repeated attempts by the Post to obtain a response, Leighton has remained silent over the saga.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...wist-scandal-hong-kongs-hk971-billion-sha-tin


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## Silly_Walks

Any news on the Northern Link? Construction was supposed to be started in 2018, with completion in 2023: https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/sustainability/2015rpt/pdf/mtr2015_s10.pdf


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## xavier114fch

Silly_Walks said:


> Any news on the Northern Link? Construction was supposed to be started in 2018, with completion in 2023: https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/sustainability/2015rpt/pdf/mtr2015_s10.pdf



MTR has submitted project proposal to the govt. Public consultation is scheduled to be later this year.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/investor/annual2017/E115.pdf


You may also refer to the latest edition of MTR Projects Journal for the flow of rail project delivery (P.48-49)
http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corpo..._07/projects_journal_201709/mobile/index.html


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## hkskyline

*Highways Department slams MTR’s response to latest construction scandal on Sha Tin to Central rail link*
It claims it wrote to Hong Kong’s rail operator multiple times for information on a section of wall that may not have been properly reinforced
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 13, 2018

The MTR Corporation’s explanation for the latest substandard works scandal on the Sha Tin to Central rail link has been “unsatisfactory”, the Highways Department said on Tuesday, criticising its lax supervision as “disappointing”.

It has asked the embattled rail operator to submit a detailed report on the fiasco within one week.

It was revealed on Monday that a 30 metre-long wall next to a staircase at the future To Kwan Wan station platform may not have been reinforced properly, adding yet another headache to Hong Kong’s most expensive railway project.

On Tuesday, the department said it had written to the rail operator multiple times over the week for more information on the problem but what they produced was not satisfactory.

“The MTRCL’s reply did not contain information such as the extent of the [problem of the] wall in question, the cause of the incident, the supervision of works and the impact on the structure,” the department added, saying it was “disappointing and unacceptable” that the operator had failed to identify the problems during its supervision of the works.

The MTR admitted to the department on June 8 that its contractor did not follow blueprints to carry out part of the work for the reinforced concrete wall adjacent to the staircases at the station platform.

“The Highways Department has required the MTRCL to submit a report on the incident within one week [on or before June 18] with a detailed explanation of the cause of the incident and rectification plan.”

The revelation emerged after HK First lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching, citing information from a “frontline worker”, said workmen were instructed to remove a layer of reinforcement bars to make the wall thinner and bringing it more in line with the original design on the blueprint.

“Half of the reinforcement bars and a third of the cement was removed,” she said.

MTR Corp confirmed on Monday that a wall adjacent to stairs on the platform station had “deviated” from the original design, but that there would be no “safety risk”.

More : http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...tment-slams-mtrs-response-latest-construction


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## hkskyline

MTR Tin Hau by nachomaans, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The MTR, Subway System, Hong Kong (3) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s MTR to bring in overseas expertise to investigate worst service breakdown ever*
Six-hour service disruption due to signal failure was so unprecedented, there was nothing in the railway operator’s handbook to deal with the emergency
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
October 16, 2018

Hong Kong’s railway operator has been forced to seek overseas expertise to investigate its worst service breakdown ever due to a network-wide signalling failure so rare, there was nothing in its handbook to deal with an emergency of that magnitude.

Facing universal criticism and anger after more than six hours of commuter chaos spanning Tuesday morning’s rush hour along four inner-city rail lines, the embattled MTR Corporation offered to cut fares by half for a day by way of an apology.

“The corporation will provide fare concessions of about half fares for one day as soon as possible to thank passengers for their support and patience,” managing director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said.

Describing the breakdown as “very unusual, rare and unprecedented”, Kam could neither pinpoint the cause nor rule out any possibility as he announced the setting up of a panel to investigate, assisted by a signalling system expert brought in from outside Hong Kong.

“Since this signalling system came into operation in the late 90s, we have never encountered this unusual situation,” Kam said. “Not even the design and maintenance handbook mentions such a scenario.”

The trouble began at around 5.30am on the Island, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines before expanding to the Tseung Kwan O line as well. The MTR Corp said centralised speed instructions could not be transmitted to trains along the four lines, forcing drivers to switch to manual mode and slow down services for the sake of safety.

While the rail operator said trains were running at 12-15 minute intervals instead of the usual 2-3 minutes as a result, passengers had to wait for half an hour or more to get on as hundreds of thousands found themselves stranded on jam-packed platforms. Many complained of being stuck for hours.

Other modes of public transport struggled to pick up the slack as commuters desperate to get to work or school formed snaking queues at bus stops and taxi ranks.

The chaos and frustration continued until train services gradually resumed at 11.45am.


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## routemarker

Severe delays hit Hong Kong MTR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQJylX4FsA


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## hkskyline

Oct 18, 2018 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*MTR blames computer glitch for Tuesday’s service breakdown*

The unprecedented service disruptions that affected four of MTR Corporation’s rail lines at the same time Tuesday morning was probably caused by a computer software glitch, according to the Hong Kong railway operator.

Initial findings of an investigation into the incident suggest that computer systems malfunctioned, resulting in signaling failure and the subsequent service breakdown, an official said on Wednesday.

Speaking on a radio program Wednesday, MTR’s Chief of Operations Engineering Tony Lee Kar-yun vowed that the company would take necessary measures to prevent such disaster from happening again, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

According to Lee, MTR’s engineering staff and signaling system supplier conducted preliminary investigations late Tuesday night. The experts found that the signaling problems arose due to simultaneous synchronization of vast amounts of data among the computers which controlled signaling of different lines and were interconnected but located in different sections.

Such synchronization consumed large amount of resources and rendered the whole computer system unstable, he said.

The data synchronization was believed to have had something to do with the computer program and settings.


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## hkskyline

2018_Hong Kong by Ti Ming Chu, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

000047600002 by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Oct 18, 2018 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*Heads must roll the next time MTR screws up again*

Not so long ago, a foreign video blogger, or vlogger, visited Hong Kong and shot a video of the city’s rail system, praising the MTR for providing what was deemed the best railway service in the world.

In particular, the vlogger was highly impressed by an existing mechanism under which the MTR will be fined HK$1 million for any service delay that lasts more than 30 minutes.

In the video clip, the vlogger called on railway operators across the globe to learn from us.

Ironically, while that one-minute clip continued to circulate on the internet, the MTR suffered its worst-ever service breakdown on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of angry and frustrated commuters stranded inside jampacked railway stations across Hong Kong.

As to the root cause of that unprecedented service breakdown, some people initially suspected that it had something to do with the signaling system test carried out along the Tsuen Wan line.

As the test suddenly went terribly wrong, it not only paralyzed the entire Tsuen Wan line, but the system breakdown also spilled over to the Kwun Tong, Island and Tseung Kwan O lines as well, thereby triggering chaos across most of Hong Kong.

However, that inference was completely dismissed by Tony Lee Kar-yun, the MTR’s chief of operations engineering.

Lee told a radio interview on Wednesday that he couldn’t see any correlation between the bungled signaling test carried out along the Tsuen Wan line and the massive system failure that affected the other three lines.

The newly installed signaling system along the Tsuen Wan line is completely separate from the existing system, he explained. 

He also ruled out human error as the cause of the mayhem.

If anything, Lee’s explanation simply raised more questions than answers.

If, as he explained, the newly installed signaling system on the Tsuen Wan line is a completely separate network, then why on earth would the system failure trigger a chain reaction and lead to the complete service breakdown of the other three rail lines?

Is it because the existing hardware of these rail lines had already become so old and obsolete that it was simply pushed over the edge on that day?

As expected, both Lee and other senior management staff of the MTR did not give the public a clear answer about what actually happened.

All they have promised, as in past incidents, is that they will carry out a complete and thorough investigation.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said he understood the public concern over the widespread service breakdown and vowed to get to the bottom of the incident.

He also promised to discuss the existing financial penalty mechanism over service delays with the MTR management.


----------



## hkskyline

Massive handrail. Hong Kong by Wolfgang Pichler, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Night at Kwun Tong, Hong Kong by johnlsl, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

XT2J2356 by yip sinclair, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC01509 by Jon Chin, on Flickr


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## rheintram

I'm having a hard time understanding why the whole west coast of Hong Kong Island including Aberdeen in the South is not served by MTR at all. The whole area is very densely populated and should be connected to the MTR network. A light rail service along Pok Fu Lam Road would make a lot of sense.


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## luacstjh98

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Island_line_(West)

There's a plan to build it, but they're starting 2021 at the earliest.

Though after the SCL fiasco I'm not even sure if they can start by then.


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## Silly_Walks

rheintram said:


> I'm having a hard time understanding why the whole west coast of Hong Kong Island including Aberdeen in the South is not served by MTR at all. The whole area is very densely populated and should be connected to the MTR network. A light rail service along Pok Fu Lam Road would make a lot of sense.


Other places have even more people, so more priority


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## hkskyline

*Opening stations on scandal-hit Sha Tin-Central rail link could lead to overcrowding at Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong district councillors warn*
However lawmaker Michael Tien believes move could instead divert passengers from major transfer point
November 9, 2018
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A plan to partially open Hong Kong’s scandal-plagued Sha Tin-Central rail link by mid-2019 could lead to overcrowding at a major transfer station, district councillors warned on Friday.

Their comments came after lawmaker and former rail boss Michael Tien Puk-sun revealed that the MTR Corporation planned to begin operations at several stations – Tai Wai, Hin Keng and Diamond Hill – along the long-delayed link before the middle of next year.

But Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said on Friday that the government and the corporation had not reached a conclusion about the partial opening, given complications involved such as the signal system and safety facilities, and the impact brought about by actual operations.

“We are still studying [the impact],” Chan said. “We have not yet come to a conclusion.”

Ho Hin-ming, chairman of Kowloon City district council’s working group on the Sha Tin-Central link said he was worried that the partial opening might lead to overcrowding at Kowloon Tong station, the stop after Diamond Hill and a major transfer point for three busy rail lines.

“We are concerned that the station may not be able to withstand the extra people,” Ho told an RTHK radio programme.

Although Diamond Hill was also a transfer station, he said, Kowloon Tong served as the main stop for people looking to cross the harbour between central Kowloon and central Hong Kong Island.

However Tien, speaking on the same programme, said he believed opening Diamond Hill could divert busy passenger flows from Kowloon Tong, especially for commuters wanting to travel between east Kowloon and east Hong Kong Island.

The lawmaker said he was certain the partial opening would take place around the middle of next year, because the MTR would reduce the number of cars from 16 to nine for the popular East Rail Line trains.


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## hkskyline

MTR to Central - 24/10/2018 05h22 by Arnauld Dravet, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Subway Life by Kevin Martin Cornejo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Nov 16, 2018 
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
*AlipayHK to launch QR code payment for MTR by mid-2020*

Hong Kong’s MTR Corp. is introducing QR code-based payments for travelling on the city’s railway and metro system, with AlipayHK selected as the service provider for an initial period.

According to an agreement signed between AlipayHK and MTR, QR code readers will be installed at entry gates at 91 MTR stations in Hong Kong by mid-2020.

The will give commuters the option of entering MTR stations by scanning the QR code on their smartphones via AlipayHK mobile app.

AlipayHK says the transaction via its QR code payments will be completed in under 0.4 seconds, comparable to that of Octopus, the city’s ubiquitous stored-value card.

In addition, AlipayHK’s QR code solution will support “dual offline” solution, so even if internet service is poor or lacking, transactions can be completed to ensure smooth journeys.

AlipayHK is a joint venture between Alibaba’s payments arm Ant Financial, and Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison (00001.HK), which is owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing.


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong by Mike Kruft, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp begins breaking open platforms at rail station linked to Hong Kong construction scandal*
Experts, officials and police descend on Hung Hom station for work that is expected to take several months
Safety fears surround move for part of city’s most expensive rail project, the HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link
December 10, 2018
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Experts, officials and police officers arrived at Hung Hom station on Monday morning and began to break open two platforms as part of the investigation into allegations that workers had cut corners during the construction process.

The building work on Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project, the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central link, is the subject of a commission of inquiry and has been the focus of much speculation since the scandal broke in May.

Representatives from the MTR Corporation, the Highways Department and the Buildings Department went to the construction site at about 7am. A police source told the Post officers would collect information at the platforms and send the materials to a government laboratory to be examined.

“Police were called in to investigate a faulty work scandal and alleged fake inspection records earlier this year,” the source said. “It is important for us to get to the scene to collect relevant materials to proceed with the probe.

“As the main contractor [Leighton Construction (Asia)] was accused of instructing a *subcontractor to cut corners, we need to see inside the platform in the presence of professionals. Police officers cannot just go and dig up the platform as we have no such technical knowledge.”

In all, officials plan to break open 80 separate sections of the platforms at the expanded station.

The government announced last Wednesday that it had accepted the rail operator’s revised “holistic assessment strategy” for assessing the structural integrity of the platform slabs and diaphragm walls.

Lawmaker and former railway boss Michael Tien Puk-sun said about 10 teams would start the work and smash open 24 fixed locations to begin with.

Each spot is expected to take a team about 10 days to complete, he added. He expected the whole process to take two to three months to finish.


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## hkskyline

_DSC1197 by Kar Wah Tam, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Unknown signalling system problem caused Hong Kong’s October MTR chaos, operator says*
Firm hit with an HK$8 million penalty for service delays that left rail network in chaos
Penalty to be given back to passengers in form of fare concessions late next year, says MTR boss
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
19 Dec 2018 

Hong Kong’s rail operator will be hit with an HK$8 million (US$1.02 million) penalty for service delays in October that saw an unprecedented simultaneous breakdown of four MTR lines.

The operator on Wednesday submitted a final report on the shutdown to the government in which it said a previously unknown incompatibility between two signalling systems caused the chaos.

The MTR Corporation said it had been unaware of the operational differences between two interconnected groups of computers controlling the systems, which were supplied by Siemens and Alstom.

Alstom’s system involved 25 computers for different sections of the network, in place since 1996 on the Kwun Tong, Island and Tsuen Wan lines. These were able to automatically reset themselves when necessary. But the system by Siemens, in place since 2001, involved eight computers on the Tseung Kwan O line and part of the Kwun Tong line, and needed resetting manually.

Both systems required resetting after about 20 years of operation. On October 16 the Alstom system automatically reset while the Siemens system continued functioning.

“This resulted … in an endless loop causing corresponding instability in all 25 Alstom sector computers,” the report said.

“The possible impact on train services was not known to the operators and maintenance staff, nor was it explicitly described in the operation and maintenance manuals.”

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...nalling-system-incompatibility-caused-october


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## hkskyline

*Crack squad of heavily armed anti-terror policemen to cover Hong Kong’s rail network from Sunday*
Wielding semi-automatic pistols and submachine guns, the Railway Response Team will also provide emergency reaction to major incidents, district commander says
December 21, 2018
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s first railway terrorism response team is set to cover all 93 of the city’s MTR stations from Sunday, police have revealed.

The newly established Railway Response Team (RRT), comprising 34 heavily armed officers, is under the command of the Police Railway District.

Leung Chung-man, the district’s commander, said on Friday the group would do two shifts a day on duty, while a team of four officers would patrol all stations during railway operation hours.

Officers, who did six weeks of special training, would patrol station concourses, platforms and carriages, Leung added. He said there would be more frequent patrols at higher-risk and major interchange stations on urban lines, such as Kowloon Tong, Central and Admiralty.

“There is a heightened anti-terrorist situation worldwide. In particular there were terrorist attacks against railway systems in different parts of the world,” Chan said, adding that apart from responding to any terror attacks in stations, the team would provide immediate tactical response to all major incidents on railways.

“Hong Kong police must stay vigilant and step up preventive measures,” he said.

But he stressed there was no evidence Hong Kong was being specifically targeted for attack, and that the terrorism threat level remained “moderate”.

Patrol officers will carry gear weighing 20lbs, including a semi-automatic Glock 17 pistol on their waist and a submachine gun –the SIG-Sauer MPX – in a backpack.

When on operations, officers will have to wear a tactical jumpsuit, a bulletproof helmet and night-vision googles for working in dark railway tunnels. The full outfit weighs 35lbs.

Each team will also have gas masks, bulletproof vests, and nuclear, biological and chemical protection suits.


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## Slartibartfas

To me this rather creates the feeling of a police state than increased feeling of security. 

I saw the soldiers with automatic weapons in Brussels in front big stations or EU institutions and it really did not make me feel safer at all.


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## hkskyline

Canon EOS R + Leica M Summicron 35mm 8 Elements @f2 by canica.hk, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line E22, Ho Man Tin by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Substandard work on Sha Tin-Central link may have affected a second platform at Hung Hom station, inspection results show*
Highways Department released results for inspections of eight new reinforcement bar samples on Friday
MTR Corporation is in the process of breaking open at least 80 sections of the two new platforms at the scandal-plagued station
January 5, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The problems of shoddy work on Hong Kong’s costliest rail project may have affected another platform at the scandal-hit Hung Hom station, investigators have found, sparking calls for more digging.

The discovery came on Friday night as the Highways Department released the inspection results of eight new reinforcement bar samples on two Hung Hom station platforms for the Sha Tin-Central link – five on the north-south platform for the Hung Hom-Admiralty section released for the first time, and three on the east-west platform for the Tai Wai-Hung Hom section.

Among the first five samples for the north-south platform measured by ultrasonic machines, a steel bar was found to be substandard, with only 36.36mm screwed into its coupler without any exposed thread, thus showing signs of being shortened.

According to the supplier, at least 40mm of each bar should be screwed into its coupler, and anything less than 37mm is deemed substandard, taking into account a measurement tolerance of 3mm.

The latest findings brought the total number of faulty bars to 12 of the 39 coupler connections checked, with an overall substandard rate of 31 per cent.

At the east-west platform near the western diaphragm wall, one rebar and a coupler were also found to be unconnected and could not be tested. So far 34 steel bars have been examined at the site, of which 11 were found to be shoddily installed.

The MTR Corporation is in the process of breaking open at least 80 sections of the two new platforms at the station for the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) link, to see if structural safety has been compromised. 

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...d-work-sha-tin-central-link-may-have-affected


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp faces need to dismantle entire platform at scandal-hit Hung Hom station after six more faulty steel bars found*
Substandard rate of 22 of 52 bars found faulty so far is 42 per cent, with lawmaker saying it has crossed limit
Latest findings bring number of faulty steel bars to 23 out of 60 checked
January 9, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator is facing the need of having to dismantle at least one entire platform at its scandal-hit Hung Hom station after another six steel bars were found to be badly installed, further increasing substandard rates.

On Wednesday the Highways Department released its findings on the east-west platform for the Tai Wai-Hung Hom line of the link. The reinforcement bars were among 11 checked by the MTR Corporation in an ongoing probe into shoddy work on the city’s costliest rail project, the Sha Tin-Central Link.

The latest results brought the number of faulty steel bars detected to 23, out of 60 checked, with an overall substandard rate of 38 per cent. For the east-west platform alone, 22 of 52 bars were found to be defective so far – a substandard rate of 42 per cent.

Lawmaker and former rail boss Michael Tien Puk-sun said if the eventual failure rate for one platform exceeded 40 per cent, it was inevitable that it would have to be dismantled. “The latest findings are very serious,” he added.

The six faulty bars were found to be embedded into couplers at a depth of 32.59mm to 36.8mm. According to the supplier, 40mm of each bar should be screwed into its coupler, and anything less than 37mm is substandard, taking into account a 3mm error.

One bar, embedded only 33.98mm into its coupler but without any exposed thread, showed signs of being shortened.

The MTR Corp is in the process of breaking open at least 80 sections of two new platforms at the station for the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) link, to determine if structural safety has been compromised. At least 168 connections will be exposed for inspection.

A final assessment is expected to be delivered by mid-March.


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR C-Train in Kowloon Bay.Sta, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong /Jan 6, 2019 by special-rapid223, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*More tests needed at Hung Hom Station, scholar says*
The Standard _Excerpt_
14 Jan 2019 

A civil engineering expert who helped plan the ongoing tests at Hung Hom MTR Station said today that he believes more spots may have to be cracked open to find out whether there is a widespread construction problem and if the station's safety has been impaired.

Professor Francis Au Tat-kwong, the head of the University of Hong Kong’s Civil Engineering Department, made the remarks as he gave expert evidence to an independent inquiry looking into allegations that some steel bars have not been properly screwed into couplers, RTHK reported.

He noted that the government and the MTRC had begun knocking open some concrete slabs last month to examine the coupler connections, and so far more than a third of the bars examined are either unconnected or only partly screwed in.

Au said it was a "real concern”, since obviously the problem had escaped the attention of the contractor, sub-contractors and supervisors.

He said more checks have to be carried out to find out whether there were defects elsewhere. Whether the station’s structural safety was affected would depend on the number of defective connections, he added.


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## hkskyline

Seems some conflicting opinions on structural safety : https://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/t...ation-remains-safe-despite-defective-platform


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong engineers split over conclusion rail platforms at centre of MTR construction scandal are safe*
Institution of Engineers believes expert testimony supports position that station is safe
But small group of members disagrees and wants an apology for move it says damages profession’s reputation
January 24, 2019 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The row over the structural integrity of newly built platforms at a Hong Kong train station has further split the city’s top engineering body, with members accusing it of damaging the profession’s reputation by prematurely concluding the structure is safe.

The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), which has more than 34,000 members, was criticised on Wednesday after it said Hung Hom station was structurally sound, a view it said was based on expert opinion.

A commission of inquiry into allegations of poor construction practices on the Sha Tin-Central Link, which at HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) is Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project, has heard testimony from a variety of experts as it investigates whether corners were cut during reinforcement work on the platforms and supporting diaphragm walls were changed without authorisation.

Last week, Professor Don McQuillan, director of RPS Consulting Engineers, told the inquiry one of the platforms did not need steel bars in the bottom layers to maintain its structural integrity because of the large reserve capacity provided in the station design.

The chartered engineer, appointed by the commission to give his independent opinion, said the structure would still be fine, even if it were supported by bamboo, or was empty inside.

“If there were not reinforcement bars, simply there’s nothing inside, or if we put bamboo inside, it would still not affect the structural integrity; is that your evidence?” said Simon So, counsel for China Technology Corporation, which first blew the whistle on what it said was shoddy building work.

“You have correctly understood it, yes,” McQuillan said.

Following McQuillan’s evidence, the HKIE said in a statement that the body agreed that the platform structure was safe.

The engineering body said it hoped its statement would alleviate public concern over the station’s safety.

However, a group of 21 members disagreed, and called on the HKIE to withdraw the statement.

“We found the statement disturbing, unprofessional and failing to meet the public’s expectations over one of the most serious engineering scandals in the history of Hong Kong,” they said in a joint letter to the professional body.


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## hkskyline

*Engineer says MTRC in the dark on missing documents*
Feb 4, 2019
The Standard _Excerpt_

Albert Yeung from the University of Hong Kong, says it is also possible that employees of MTRC and Leighton conspired to delete documents related to the dodgy work.

An independent structural engineering expert, who assisted the ongoing commission of inquiry into shoddy building work at the MTRC's Sha Tin-Central Link, said today that he suspects the railway officials are completely in the dark about how many of the documents are missing.

Albert Yeung from the University of Hong Kong, says that it is also possible that employees of MTR and Leighton conspired to delete the documents related to the dodgy work.

Yeung said the Request for Inspection and Survey Checks (RISC) forms which the railway officials admitted have gone missing, have five colour-coded copies and a copy in the computer system.

"So now even the computer system [copy] can not be found. So it is kind of very strange now all these five hard copies and the electronic copy, all have disappeared," said Yeung.

On Friday MTR officials disclosed that the proportion of missing documents was higher than the 40 percent they had reported just a few days prior to that. But Yeung said it should be easy and quick to find out which of the forms are missing.

He said the forms are in consecutively numbered and if some are missing it is easy to find out which numbers from which dates are missing and who signed on it by looking at the site diary.


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## hkskyline

*Hung Hom station of Sha Tin-Central rail link investigated by Hong Kong police two days in a row over missing documents report*
Source says officers acted on a search warrant issued by the court, and have collected piles of documents as experts examine digital footprints
Separately, lawmakers urge authorities to look into governance issues at rail giant
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
February 9, 2019

Hong Kong police have investigated the troubled Hung Hom station two days in a row under a search warrant after receiving another government report over problems with the city’s costliest rail project.

On Saturday, officers were seen leaving the station with piles of documents while experts were on the scene to examine computer records. Police had received the report from the Highways Department on the eve of Lunar New Year.

“With the search warrant issued by the court, we collected a lot of papers and will read through them to investigate the allegation of missing inspection documents,” a police source said.

“Officers from the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau were also there to look at digital footprints.”

The scandal deepened last week after it emerged that the main contractor had failed to submit more than 60 per cent of inspection documents for work on Hung Hom station, one of the stops along the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.

After the three-day Lunar New Year break, police went to the office tower of the station to collect evidence on Friday night, and spent another eight hours there on Saturday.


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## hkskyline

*New MTR boss must restore public faith in rail operator following string of scandals on Sha Tin-Central link, says Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam*
But chief executive does not go so far as to name incoming non-executive chairman, citing corporate protocol
It is thought Rex Auyeung will be tasked with restoring confidence in the MTR when Frederick Ma steps down in June
February 12, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The new boss of Hong Kong’s beleaguered rail operator must restore public confidence following a string of scandals on the Sha Tin-Central link, the city’s leader said on Tuesday.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the incoming non-executive chairman at the MTR Corporation would face serious challenges, especially those arising from the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) line, Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project to date.

Lam stopped short of naming the MTR Corp’s new boss, citing corporate protocol, but the Post revealed on Friday it was thought the new chairman would be Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen, head of the governing council at Lingnan University.

“Various problems arose from the Sha Tin-Central rail link in the past year,” Lam said before a meeting of the Executive Council, her cabinet. “The new chairman will have to work very hard to restore public faith in the corporation.”

The government is the biggest shareholder in the MTR Corp, with a 75 per cent stake.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...8/new-mtr-boss-must-restore-public-faith-rail


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## hkskyline

_D8E1385_LR_LOGO by Ray 'Wolverine' Li, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR - Tsuen Wan Line A288, Kwai Fong by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Day off ...Shek O ...Big Wave Bay ...Chai Wan by _falkontour_, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corporation says 2018 profit up 7.1 per cent to HK$11.26 billion, company reveals new CEO*
Rail operator reveals latest figure after management crisis over construction scandal
Jacob Kam Chak-pui to become CEO
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 7, 2019

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator on Thursday revealed a 2018 rise in underlying profit of HK$11.26 billion (US$1.43 billion), or 7.1 per cent, amid a reshuffle of top management following an unprecedented crisis over a construction scandal.

But the MTR Corporation said net profit was down 4.9 per cent to HK$16 billion.

The firm also announced that non-executive chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang would step down at the end of June when his contract expired and would be replaced by Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen on July 1.

The growth in underlying profit, which comes from recurring operations, was lower than that of a year earlier due to revenue from property development dropping 99.1 per cent to HK$60 million.

Operations and mainland business managing director Jacob Kam Chak-pui will become CEO, effective from April 1. He will succeed Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen, who is seeking early retirement. Kam has been with the corporation for 24 years.

The appointment of Kam and Auyeung confirms earlier reports by the Post.

The rail giant has been embroiled in a management storm following allegations of shoddy work at a station for its HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin to Central link. Documents on safety checks for parts of the station went missing.

The scandal, which came to light in May last year, prompted projects director Philco Wong Nai-keung to resign with immediate effect and also led to the departures of three other project managers in August.

The rail link faces delays and uncertainty as a commission of inquiry studies the scandal and platforms at Hung Hom station are opened up.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...s-mtr-says-2018-profit-71-cent-hk1126-billion


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR K-Train in Lai King.Sta, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong /Jan 6, 2019 by special-rapid223, on Flickr


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## luacstjh98

I noticed that at Wong Chuk Hang station, there are these black holes in the wall above the South Horizons-bound platform, like in this picture.

What exactly are they for? I'm told it's the SIL West, but that seems unlikely to me given that the South Horizons-bound track is pretty high up to pass over the depot access from the Admiralty-bound track.


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## hkskyline

luacstjh98 said:


> I noticed that at Wong Chuk Hang station, there are these black holes in the wall above the South Horizons-bound platform, like in this picture.
> 
> What exactly are they for? I'm told it's the SIL West, but that seems unlikely to me given that the South Horizons-bound track is pretty high up to pass over the depot access from the Admiralty-bound track.


Wong Chuk Hang station will see a major residential development on top of the premises. I don't think those holes are used for anything at the moment, but perhaps is part of the station structure that needs to be there in anticipation of the future development?


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## luacstjh98

That's interesting.

I seem to recall that the SIL West was planned to terminate at Wong Chuk Hang, are there provisions in the current station for such an extension?


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## hkskyline

*MTR confirms ‘unacceptable’ signal failure led to early morning crash as bus, tram and ferry operators are put on rush hour alert*
Software system allowed two trains to pass through crossing at same time, says MTR managing director Jacob Kam
Extra services on public transport put on as trains on Tsuen Wan line between Central and Admiralty remain suspended
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 18, 2019

The MTR Corporation has confirmed a signalling software failure led to Monday morning’s crash on the Tsuen Wan line as commuters began seeking alternative routes home this evening.

Trains on the line between Central and Admiralty remain suspended, and public transport operators have been asked to increase services to cope with the extra demand as thousands of people leave work during rush hour.

Bus companies have enhanced the service of 11 cross-harbour routes to cope with passenger demand, and plan to deploy about 80 additional buses, according to the Transport Department.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, the MTR Corp’s managing director, said the new signalling system had allowed two trains to pass through the same crossing at the same time.

“This scenario, in terms of safety, is unacceptable,” he said.

Kam said that at the time of the accident the rail operator had been testing the second backup computer for the signalling system. The current system only has one backup.

He also said the software’s manufacturer, Thales, had identified the same issue by way of a computer simulation in its Toronto laboratory.
“It confirms that their software was problematic,” he said, adding that the company would send four or five experts to Hong Kong soon.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...and-ferry-operators-put-rush-hour-alert-after


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## hkskyline

*MTR ‘may need days’ to cut up carriage derailed in Hong Kong train crash before it can fully reopen Tsuen Wan line*
Space and time constraints are making removing trains from tight underground tunnels ‘exceptionally difficult’
Key factor is whether wheels on derailed carriage are still functional
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 19, 2019

The MTR Corporation may need days to cut up a train carriage derailed in an unprecedented crash on Monday before it can fully reopen the Tsuen Wan line, engineering experts have said.

The worst case scenario warning came on Tuesday as the railway firm revealed Hong Kong’s firefighters were now involved and the hours of restoration work required had been lengthened.

Professor Eric Cheng Ka-wai from Hong Kong Polytechnic University said space and time constraints were making removing the trains from tight underground tunnels “exceptionally difficult”.

“They may have to take [the carriage] apart to remove it,” Cheng said, adding the process could take days to complete.

The crash happened at around 3am on Monday while railway staff were testing a new signalling system during non-operational hours.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...ed-days-cut-carriage-derailed-hong-kong-train


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## hkskyline

*Signalling system blamed for Hong Kong MTR collision was also behind 2017 crash at Joo Koon station on Singapore MRT*
What do we know about SelTrac, developed by French company Thales, and being tested on one line of the city’s rail network?
Mar 18, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The signalling system believed to be at fault for Monday morning’s MTR train collision was also behind a crash on Singapore’s network that injured 38 people.

Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions chairman Lam Wai-keung said the trains had crashed while running the system, developed by French company Thales, known as SelTrac.

SelTrac, also known as communications-based train control (CBTC), was installed on Singapore’s East West MRT line. In late 2017, two trains collided at the line’s Joo Koon station while carrying passengers.

According to the Singaporean government’s Land Transport Authority, the collision was caused by a “software logic issue” that prevented communication between equipment on board the train and trackside.

Thales was said to have fixed the issue in 2017.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...ystem-blamed-hong-kong-mtr-collision-was-also


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## lawdefender

Hong Kong MTR should sue Thales for defected signal system.


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## hkskyline

Mar 21, 2019 
*MTR faces fine after 2-day service suspension on Tsuen Wan Line*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

The government is set to impose a fine on MTR Corp for this week’s rail service suspension that resulted from a train collision and derailment on the Tsuen Wan Line, the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) said.

Under the existing service performance arrangement, a fine will be imposed on the rail operator for any major service disruption caused by equipment failure or human factors, which is 31 minutes or above. For 31 minutes or more but less than or equal to one hour, the MTR can be fined HK$1 million.

It can be fined HK$5 million for a four-hour delay and another HK$2.5 million for each succeeding hour, with the upper limit set at HK$25 million per case.

As the suspension of the Central-Admiralty train service lasted two days, Monday and Tuesday, the MTR may have to pay the maximum fine according to the service performance arrangement, although the exact amount has yet to be determined.

At a media session on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said the current penalty mechanism does not specify how much the MTR should be fined for service disruptions caused by a train collision.


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## hkskyline

*MTR crash firm Thales gives rail operator report into Hong Kong accident that shut down part of the busy line for 48 hours *
French company’s report sent from software laboratory in Toronto
MTR Corporation says it will review it before handing it over to committee tasked with investigating incident
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 23, 2019

The contractor behind a new signalling system suspected to have caused a crash involving two MTR trains in Hong Kong this week has submitted a preliminary report on the accident.

A spokesman for the MTR Corporation said on Saturday it received the report from French supplier Thales’s software laboratory in Toronto.

The rail operator, which is still dealing with the wreckage, said it would study the report and pass it on to a committee investigating the accident, which happened at 3am on Monday when two trains collided near Central station during an overnight trial run of the new HK$3.3 billion (US$420.4 million) system.

The collision left one carriage derailed, a driver injured, and paralysed the train service between Admiralty and Central on the Tsuen Wan line for 48 hours. No passengers were on board at the time of the crash.

“The MTR [Corp] is very concerned about this incident,” its spokesman said. “The corporation will study the content and may ask the contractor to provide further information if necessary.”

The accident happened during tests simulating switching to a second backup system in a scenario where the main and first backup systems both failed to function.

At that time the second backup system allowed two trains travelling in opposite directions to use the same track, which resulted in the crash.

After the accident, the MTR Corp said Thales repeated the scenario in its laboratory and it again resulted in a collision, which the rail operator found unacceptable.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, citing insider sources, told the Post on Thursday that the MTR Corp and Thales had a row over the accident, with the former blaming the software supplier for failing to conduct a simulation of a scenario being used for the trial run.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...-crash-firm-thales-gives-rail-operator-report


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp crossroads: Hong Kong rail giant mulls scrapping second backup of signal system blamed for collision*
Michael Tien says MTR having second thoughts about extra backup for the new HK$3.3 billion signalling system
Cost of repairs for trains in Monday’s collision said to be at least HK$30 million
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 24, 2019

Hong Kong’s embattled MTR Corporation faces a quandary over whether to abandon a specially designed backup of its new signalling system after last week’s embarrassing train collision, the Post has learned.

Michael Tien Puk-sun, a lawmaker and former railway boss, told the Post on Friday he had learned from inside sources that the MTR Corp was caught in a dilemma between keeping the cutting-edge technology – which comes with risks – or settling for the industry standard signalling system.

“The MTR Corp hopes to be the world leader in rail services. When they commissioned the new signalling system, rail bosses specifically requested software supplier Thales to design a second backup for Hong Kong’s rail lines,” he said.

The crash in question happened at about 3am on Monday when two trains collided at a crossover junction near Central station during an overnight trial of the new signalling system. One carriage was derailed, injuring a driver, but no passengers were on board.

The result was an unprecedented two-day service breakdown between Admiralty and Central on the Tsuen Wan Line. The wreckage was finally cleaned up over the weekend.

Tien said he was told the cost of the repairs for the two trains was between HK$30 million and HK$50 million (US$6.4 million).

An MTR source confirmed that management was considering whether to give up the second backup because of safety risks.

The source said: “Actually, the second backup is totally unnecessary and a waste of money. One backup system is already enough to cope with any failures from the main system and for it to automatically switch back to that after repairs are done.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...0/mtr-corp-crossroads-hong-kong-railway-giant


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## hkskyline

*Why is Hong Kong’s MTR hurtling from one disaster to another? Is complacency or corporate structure to blame?*
Critics say the rail operator’s effective monopoly since it merged with the KCRC in 2000 has allowed it to rest on its laurels
The part-privatisation is also to blame, according to others, as the government cannot dictate to a company it owns 75 per cent of
March 25, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Images of smashed doors, twisted steel poles and shattered glass shocked Hong Kong last Monday, as commuters scrambled to make alternative plans when news broke of a train crash, the first ever on the city’s MTR system.

The only saving grace was the two vehicles crashed outside operating hours, at 3am during a trial run of a new HK$3.3 billion (US$420.4 million) signalling system meant for seven of the MTR Corporation’s lines. But the accident – which derailed one carriage and sent both drivers to hospital – caused a two-day breakdown in service on one line between Admiralty and Central, two major stations on Hong Kong Island.

It also sparked another bout of collective head-shaking as city residents wondered what had gone wrong with the once-revered paragon of Hong Kong efficiency and ingenuity.

Apologetic MTR bosses blamed a mysterious software fault for the signalling system failure, and suspended the trials pending further investigations.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor warned of tougher action if the transport behemoth did not reflect on its performance. “If it requires the government’s intervention to instil change, I am more than willing to do so,” she said.

The Hong Kong leader has every reason to be firm with the MTR Corp, the city’s sole rail operator, which has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past year, sparking questions over its governance.

Despite achieving a near-impeccable punctuality rate of 99.9 per cent for a metro system that serves 5 million passengers every day – and net profit of HK$10 billion in each of the past five financial years – the rail firm has been hit hard by a series of management crises and safety scandals.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...-hong-kongs-mtr-hurtling-one-disaster-another


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## xavier114fch

luacstjh98 said:


> That's interesting.
> 
> I seem to recall that the SIL West was planned to terminate at Wong Chuk Hang, are there provisions in the current station for such an extension?



No provisions was made to the existing station. But in the planning stage they want to make it with 3 tracks and 4 platforms (similar to Choi Hung or Tanah Merah in SG). The outside tracks are for SIL(E) and the middle track is for SIL(W). The viaducts to the west of the station was originally planned with SIL(W) in mind, but the height of the viaduct would increase the noise of the elderly hostel care just next to the viaducts. Hence, all provisions to SIL(W) were removed from the blueprints.


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## saiho

hkskyline said:


> *Why is Hong Kong’s MTR hurtling from one disaster to another? Is complacency or corporate structure to blame?*
> Critics say the rail operator’s effective monopoly since it merged with the KCRC in 2000 has allowed it to rest on its laurels




I think that merging with the KCRC didn't make the MTR complacent. At the time the MTR and KCR networks didn't really directly compete with each other. In fact the West Rail line after the merger was so much more useful when it was integrated into the MTR urban network. Perhaps if the merger never happened and the KCR fully built out the north-south and east-west lines it could compete with the MTR. However I am of the opinion that fragmented metro systems are inferior to fully fare integrated ones. Maybe a solution would be to develop a governance structure that incentives different entities to compete on providing good services or construction management but the fare structure and operations are still well integrated as a cohesive network.


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## hkskyline

I thought it over-extended itself overseas, and resources were diverted away from managing the core Hong Kong business, especially as the infrastructure starts to age.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s embattled MTR Corp to raise prices by 3.3 per cent, as fare-control measure kicks in for first time*
Despite controversies, city’s rail operator earned underlying profit of HK$11.2 billion in 2018
System keeps fare rises in line with changes in median monthly household income
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 28, 2019

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator is set to raise ticket prices by 3.3 per cent this summer despite a recent service breakdown that caused delays for two days.

The MTR increase was initially set at 3.6 per cent under the fare-setting mechanism established in 2009. The price was capped at 3.3 per cent, however, to stay in line with the annual growth of median monthly household income. It was the first time the price-control measure had kicked in to reduce increases since the fare cap was introduced in 2013.

Despite a construction scandal and controversy over the HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link, the MTR Corporation still earned an underlying profit of HK$11.2 billion (US$1.43 billion) for 2018, a 7.1 per cent increase.

The MTR Corp said the new fare rise would take effect in June, and the “3 per cent rebate” for users of Octopus, the city’s electronic payment card, would be adjusted to 3.3 per cent until the end of the year to offset the fare increase.

“This will result in no actual MTR fare increase for every passenger travelling with Octopus for the remainder of 2019,” said Jeny Yeung, the commercial director of MTR Corp.


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## saiho

hkskyline said:


> I thought it over-extended itself overseas, and resources were diverted away from managing the core Hong Kong business, especially as the infrastructure starts to age.


Another thing is having some shares being publicly traded. Investors want growth in profits not just constant stable returns. The MTR needs to better balance itself as an investor driven business or a social good. The MTR used to be very cheap to ride, it's still cheap for the developed world but fares have been creeping up much faster than inflation, a move I think was done to appease investor expectations of never ending growth.


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## hkskyline

saiho said:


> Another thing is having some shares being publicly traded. Investors want growth in profits not just constant stable returns. The MTR needs to better balance itself as an investor driven business or a social good. The MTR used to be very cheap to ride, it's still cheap for the developed world but fares have been creeping up much faster than inflation, a move I think was done to appease investor expectations of never ending growth.


Well, the government still owns 75%, so can easily influence the company even though it is publicly listed.


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## mrmoopt

saiho said:


> Another thing is having some shares being publicly traded. Investors want growth in profits not just constant stable returns. The MTR needs to better balance itself as an investor driven business or a social good. The MTR used to be very cheap to ride, it's still cheap for the developed world but fares have been creeping up much faster than inflation, a move I think was done to appease investor expectations of never ending growth.


Most of the ex-KCR people were redeployed to Sweden/Melbourne. They're the ones who know how to deal with govt/unions and working with limited resources. So yes, I do believe corporate culturewise there's been lack of management oversight.


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## hkskyline

Mar 29, 2019 
*MTR faces heat over upcoming 3.3% fare hike*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

Rail operator MTR Corp, which had come under fire in recent months due to a construction scandal and service breakdowns, is now facing heat over an upcoming passenger fare adjustment.

Some lawmakers have voiced strong objections to the rail fare hike, arguing that MTR doesn’t deserve higher ticket prices in view of its “lousy” operational performance over the past year.

According to information released on Thursday, MTR fares would go up by 3.3 percent from June under the fare adjustment mechanism allowed for the transport operator, which takes into account transport workers’ wage index and the city’s broader composite consumer price index (CCPI).

As per government data made public earlier in the day, the nominal wage index for the transportation sector was up 5.9 percent in December 2018 from a year ago, while the CCPI was up 2.5 percent.

Given those figures, MTR’s fare adjustment has been set at 3.3 percent, with the revised fares to go into effect from June.

Based on the rate formula, which requires inputs of the two indexes as well as a productivity factor and a special deduction, MTR should have been able to increase fares by 3.6 percent, but a capping arrangement put such revision at a maximum of 3.3 percent.

This is the first time that the cap has been triggered in nine years, according to RTHK, which said it expects to recoup the remaining 0.3 percent increase in 2021. 

To reduce the impact on commuters, MTR announced that the company will offer a 3.3 percent rebate, based on the fare adjustment mechanism, to Octopus users for six months.


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line E81, Kowloon Tong by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR in full flight by chris, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

The inquiry continues : http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=128737&story_id=128737&d_str=20190529&sid=4


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## hkskyline

*Defective construction work at Hung Hom station tunnel ‘was subcontractor’s fault, not ours’, says main contractor at MTR commission of inquiry*
Leighton Contractors (Asia) rejected allegations it was responsible for shoddy work, saying bar-fixing subcontractor failed to connect rebar
The MTR Corporation, however, accused Leighton of failing to submit documents on time and of neglecting to highlight problems where appropriate
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 28, 2019

The main contractor at the scandal-plagued Hung Hom MTR station has hit back at allegations it engineered defective construction work at the station tunnel, saying it was caused by a subcontractor’s failure to do its job correctly.

Leighton Contractors (Asia) made the counter-attack at an extended government-appointed commission of inquiry on Tuesday.

The extended commission is looking into issues reported at three more locations of the station on the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.3 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.

The issues concern shoddy construction on the north approach tunnel’s stitch joints, missing documents known as RISC forms and the unauthorised change of design at the north and south approach tunnels and the Hung Hom station’s side tracks.

The new reports followed last year’s allegations of defective work on the station’s platforms and walls. The commission concluded in March that those structures were safe despite the shortcomings in the work.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...construction-work-hung-hom-station-tunnel-was


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## hkskyline

Jun 4, 2019 
*MTR unions demand 8% pay rise, more allowances*
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_

MTR staff unions staged a protest at the rail operator’s headquarters on Monday demanding pay rises of at least 8 percent for the workers. 

In the protest in Kowloon Bay, dozens of members of Mass Transit Railway Corporation Ltd Staff Union and Railway Operation Staff Association took part, also calling for no less than the one and a half months of salary as bonus.

In other demands, they urged the MTR management to review the pay scales for all positions.

The MTR sent a representative to receive the petition letter.

Last year, the railway operator granted average pay hike of 4 percent for its workers.

Union members argued that the salaries of frontline employees were below the market level and failing to keep pace with the rise in living costs.

Together with the constant shortage of staff, the problems are hurting the workers’ morale, they said. Meanwhile, with the train service frequency rising, there was added work pressure on the staff.


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## hkskyline

*Leighton says MTRC record-keeping 'antiquated'*
3 Jun 2019 
The Standard _Excerpt_

The company responsible for the scandal-hit Hung Hom MTR station expansion project says the record-keeping used by the mass transit railway operator for work inspections is "antiquated" and this paperwork should have already been replaced by instant messages or emails, RTHK reports. 

The comment came at a government-ordered inquiry looking into the botched construction at the station and why thousands of important documents for the project are missing.

The commission chairman, Michael Hartmann, said he was concerned that concrete had been poured over reinforcement steel bars even though documents stating the bars were properly fitted had not been handed in.

But Jonathan Kitching, the projects director of the main contractor, Leighton, said in this day and age such paperwork should not even be used.

He said things would be a lot more efficient if workers could confirm the different stages of work via WhatsApp or email, and they could send pictures and messages for the next phase of construction to proceed.

Kitching told the inquiry that using the old-fashioned documents can leave workers sitting around for a week waiting to be given the go-ahead for the next stage of the project.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s embattled rail giant MTR Corp to roll new features for mobile app to improve services and rebuild image*
They include alighting reminders, point-to-point traffic information, trip planner upgrade and information about connecting buses or minibuses
More upgrades to services and facilities are also in the pipeline
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 11, 2019

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator will roll out new features for its mobile application from Wednesday as part of its technology-based measures to improve services and rebuild its image.

The MTR Corporation said on Tuesday it would introduce more functions to the MTR Mobile app, used by 1.2 million people, to facilitate passenger travel and journey planning.

These include alighting reminders, point-to-point traffic information, an upgrade of the trip planner, information about connecting buses or minibuses, and real-time arrival schedules for MTR buses.

For alighting reminders, passengers only need to input their trips in the app with notifications when they need to get off the train to interchange and when they have arrived at their final destination.

The rail operator said in the next stage, transport data related to service disruptions would also be incorporated into the app, such that alternative routes would be provided to offer passengers real-time information.

Users could also switch on the location service of their mobile phones to look for MTR bus stops within a 500-metre radius.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...battled-rail-giant-mtr-corp-roll-new-features


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s scandal-plagued Sha Tin to Central rail link set to partially open in three months as MTR Corporation resumes signalling tests*
Rail operator’s decision to restart tests raises hopes of a limited launch of the long-awaited section in September
Shuttle service between Diamond Hill and To Kwa Wan might be achievable in that time frame, says MTR source
June 11, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A partial opening of Hong Kong’s scandal-hit Sha Tin-Central rail link is expected in three months as the embattled MTR Corporation will restart train tests on the signalling system.

The rail operator announced it would resume dynamic train tests on the signalling system on the Tuen Ma line, a section of the link between Tai Wai and Hung Hom, from Monday night during non-traffic hours. The link connects several existing railway lines and has six interchange stations.

Train tests on the Ma On Shan and West Rail lines will also gradually resume.

The rail giant said the section’s signalling system passed a comprehensive safety review meaning train tests could be carried out.

Tam Kin-chiu, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions, said testing from Tai Wai to Diamond Hill paved the way for a partial opening of the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) link in three months between the two stations.

The city’s costliest rail project has been plagued by allegations of shoddy work at Hung Hom station since May last year followed by a new scandal involving missing documents.

“Under normal practice, a trial run will last for about three months and if there is no problem, the MTR Corp will submit a report to the government for final approval. We expect that if things run smoothly there will be a partial launch in the middle of September,” Tam said.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...scandal-plagued-sha-tin-central-rail-link-set


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## Scion

On Wednesday 12/06/2019 the MTR system's daily ridership broke its all time record by a wide margin due to Occupy Central 2.0.


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## hkskyline

201905095 Hong Kong subway station 'Central' by taigatrommelchen, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*No regrets, except for subpar work of those involved in Sha Tin-Central link scandal, outgoing Hong Kong MTR chairman Frederick Ma says *
He admits saga on city’s costliest rail project was a blemish on the company’s track record, but expresses confidence staff will rise to the challenge
Ma cites family’s unwillingness to let him stay on in the hot seat as reason for stepping down despite being offered chance to continue at helm
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 24, 2019

The outgoing chairman of Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has said the only regret he harbours from his time at the helm was the botched handling of the scandal-plagued Sha Tin-Central link, the city’s costliest rail project.

Frederick Ma Si-hang is set to step down on Sunday after his contract expires following a three-year stint at the top. The outspoken rail boss will be succeeded by Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen, head of the governing council at Lingnan University.

The MTR Corp’s reputation has been in tatters after construction scandals on the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central link and the company’s first-ever crash in March during a trial run of a new signalling system. The collision led to an unprecedented suspension of service between two of the busiest stations on the network, Admiralty and Central, for 48 hours.

Ma, who took over the chairman position in 2016 after serving on and off for the board over eight years, insisted he had no regrets except the disappointing performance by some staff members handling the major rail project.

“I love what I have been doing in the past 11 years. I enjoyed every moment when I was with the MTR Corp, even during the Sha Tin-Central link crisis,” he said.

“If there was any regret, it would be that some colleagues didn’t do their jobs up to the expectations of citizens, causing delays.”

Admitting that the scandal was a blemish on the record of the rail giant, Ma said staff morale hit a new low for a prolonged period during the crisis.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...ets-except-subpar-work-those-involved-sha-tin


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## hkskyline

Update on remediation work at Hung Hom station : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...ion-spend-six-nine-months-bolstering-hung-hom


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protest by Studio Incendo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp blames French contractor Thales for crash that closed section of Tsuen Wan line for two days – but government slams over reliance on outsiders*
Rail operator says mistakes made implementing software on new signalling system led to unprecedented accident
March 18 crash left driver injured and train carriages badly damaged
July 5, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator has blamed a contractor for an unprecedented crash during an overnight test of a new signalling system, but the government has slammed it for being too reliant on outsourced help.

Two trains collided at a crossover junction near Central station in the early hours of March 18. One driver was hurt and the service between two major stations, Admiralty and Central on the Tsuen Wan line, was suspended for two days.

Revealing the findings of a three-month investigation into the accident on Friday, the MTR Corporation laid the blame squarely at the feet of the contractor, French multinational Thales, which it said made three errors when implementing a software change in 2017.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said the findings aligned with its own probe, but pointed out “the MTR Corp should avoid being overreliant on contractors and ought to be extra vigilant at all times.”
The corporation said it would appoint an independent body to assess the implementation risks of the project before putting the new system into service.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, MTR Corp’s CEO, apologised again for the accident. 

MTR Corp is the first rail company in the world to install a second backup signalling system aiming to boost service reliability to 100 per cent.
Thales, in a joint venture with fellow French company Alstom, was in 2015 awarded the contract to install the system on seven lines for HK$3.3 billion (US$420.4 million).

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...-blames-french-contractor-thales-error-caused


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## hkskyline

Patronage figures for May show average daily ridership of 4.8 million and over 46k for the Airport Express.

https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/investor/patronage.php


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## hkskyline

More on the signaling system problem that led to the train crash earlier this year : https://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-19-044-E.pdf


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## hkskyline

*MTRC pay increase falls short*
The Standard _Excerpt_
11 Jul 2019 

MTRC staff will receive pay rises of between 2.1 and 6.3 percent, but their union wants 8 percent.

MTR Corp employees will receive a pay rise ranging from 2.1 to 6.3 percent this year - slightly higher than last year's range of 1.95 to 5.9 percent.

The Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions, which represents about 4,000 MTR workers, said yesterday the pay rise did not meet its demands of no less than 8 percent for all employees. It will decide on the next step after consulting members.

The pay rise is classified into five grades based on performance. About 55 percent of the staff who achieved a grade three will get an increase of 4.2 percent, compared to 4.3 percent last year.

Those who achieved better grades of four and five will see their wages increase by five and 6.3 percent, compared to 4.7 and 5.9 percent last year.

Employees who are on grade two will get a 2.1 percent increase, and those on grade one will not get an increase.

Those who obtained grade three to five will receive an annual bonus of 1.6 to 2.27 times of their monthly salary.

The rail operator will grant an extra bonus equivalent to 30 percent of an employee's monthly wage as this year is the company's 40th anniversary.


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## Gannet!

How do they define the grade of a train driver or ticket seller? 

Seems like a strange system for that type of occupation where many tasks are not quantifiable.


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## hkskyline

MTR view/Hong Kong by Chungyu Lee, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Arson incident update : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3018909/hong-kong-man-mtr-arson-case-likened-walking-bomb


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## hkskyline

*Tuen Ma Line first phase to open in 2020 first quarter*
18 Jul 2019 
The Standard _Excerpt_

The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan Fan, said today the government has accepted the MTR Corporation Limited's recommendation of opening the first phase of the Tuen Ma Line, which includes Tai Wai, Hin Keng, Diamond Hill, and Kai Tak stations, and it is targeted to occur in the first quarter of next year.

The government has also accepted two separate reports from the MTRCL in respect of incidents relating to the Hung Hom Station extension.

"MTRCL recommended in the reports a series of works and measures at and near the Hung Hom Station extension in order to satisfy the relevant codes of practice and contract requirements. There will be long-term monitoring of the structure upon completion of the works tentatively in late 2020 or early 2021," Chan said.

"Taking into account the testing and trial run, the Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section can only be fully commissioned before the end of 2021."

The MTRCL said it will fund the costs arising from the Hung Hom incidents and certain costs associated with the phased opening of the Tuen Ma Line and its best estimate of such costs is around HK$2 billion in aggregate.


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## hkskyline

* MTR faces HK$400 million net loss for first half of 2020 amid coronavirus pandemic, protest fallout *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
July 7, 2020

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator has warned of a HK$400 million net loss in the first half of this year compared with a HK$5.5 billion net profit in the same period last year as it reels from the coronavirus pandemic and the city’s battered economy.

According to a statement on the stock exchange on Tuesday, the MTR Corporation said the estimated loss was caused by the severe impact of the Covid-19 crisis, the decline of its recurrent businesses, and the revaluation loss on its investment property portfolio estimated at HK$6 billion for the first half of this year.

“The group’s recurrent businesses are continuing to be significantly adversely affected as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the deterioration of the general economic environment,” it said.

The rail giant revealed that for the first six months of this year, ridership had dropped to only 637 million passengers, down 37.7 per cent from a year ago. The MTR Corp had taken a severe beating with the suspension of cross-border through-train services and high-speed rail from late January, while its domestic services suffered as school closures, work-from-home arrangements and social-distancing rules left many trains operating far below capacity.

It said the damaging legacy of the anti-government protests since last June, and the unfolding coronavirus outbreak were expected to shave HK$1.3 billion off its recurrent business profit in the first two months of this year.

More : MTR faces HK$400 million net loss amid pandemic, protest fallout


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong train services on Airport Express and Tung Chung lines disrupted temporarily after boat hits Rambler Channel Bridge *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
July 9, 2020

Train services on the Airport Express and Tung Chung lines were temporarily suspended after a boat hit the bottom of Rambler Channel Bridge.

According to police, the incident happened at about 11.40am. A tugboat was towing a barge and sailing under the bridge at the time of the incident. The bridge is located only 14 metres above water level.

A police source said a crane on the barge struck the bridge. Police were informed by the Marine Department, while related government departments were inspecting the structure.

Detectives from the Marine Regional Crime Unit “are investigating whether the boat captain had failed to lower the crane and whether criminal damage was involved,” he said.

Services between Hong Kong and Tsing Yi stations on the Airport Express line, and between Lai King and Tsing Yi stations on the Tung Chung line were suspended at about 12.23pm, as the 1,100-metre-long bridge was closed for urgent inspection, the MTR Corporation announced.

More : Hong Kong train services disrupted temporarily after boat hits bridge


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line E207, Sheung Shui by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong rail operator MTR Corporation to investigate near miss between train and maintenance workers*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 30, 2020

Hong Kong’s rail operator has opened an investigation after a train came within 100 metres of a track maintenance crew on Monday.

The early morning incident happened before services began on the West Rail Line near East Tsim Sha Tsui station, the MTR Corporation said.

No one was injured and services were not affected, but in a statement, the corporation said a traffic controller had been suspended from duty and would be helping with an inquiry into the near miss.

Officials said there may have been a breakdown in communication between the operations control centre and on-site maintenance personnel, and this would be one focus of the investigation.

“Human error cannot be ruled out at the current stage,” the statement added.

More : MTR to investigate near miss between train and maintenance workers


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## hkskyline

MTR - Tsuen Wan Line A288, Kwai Hing by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* 64-year-old could be first prosecuted for violating new public transport mask rules amid Covid-19 spike *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 15, 2020

Just hours after taking effect, a new regulation requiring Hong Kong residents to wear masks on trains amid a third wave of Covid-19 cases could have its first prosecution – a man arrested in an MTR station on Wednesday.

The stricter new rules, which became enforceable on Wednesday amid a major uptick in local infections, legally require all passengers on public transport to wear a mask or face fines of up to HK$5,000.

Separately, police are searching for a customer at a McDonald’s in Tuen Mun who attacked the restaurant’s manager in the early hours of Tuesday after being asked to put on a mask.

Most of the city’s commuters were law-abiding as the new rules took effect on Wednesday, according to Post reporters who visited bus and rail stations in Kam Tin, Hung Hom and Causeway Bay.

That was not the case at the Tai Wai MTR station, where police said a 64-year-old man allegedly produced a wooden pole when station staff asked him to put on a surgical mask at about 8.30am.

He then boarded a train before police arrived, only to be intercepted at Hung Hom MTR station and arrested for possession of an offensive weapon.

More : Man who refused to wear mask on MTR in Hong Kong could be first prosecuted under new rules


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## hkskyline

Metro-Cammell EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong protests: pair who vandalised rail station avoid jail but must serve 200 hours community service *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 20, 2020 

Two anti-government protesters who admitted vandalising a Hong Kong railway station and dodging train fare during last year’s civil unrest have been spared jail after the magistrate accepted they were genuinely remorseful.

The pair – medical appliance technician Lee Hok-man and vocational school student Hui Ka-kiu, aged 23 and 22 respectively – were each sentenced to 200 hours of community service plus a HK$500 (US$64) fine at Eastern Court for their offences committed on September 15, when an unauthorised rally descended into chaos across Hong Kong Island.

The procession was part of a wider democratic movement that stemmed from a now-withdrawn extradition bill allowing Hong Kong to send suspects to jurisdictions with which the city had no formal transfer agreement, including mainland China. 

More : Pair who vandalised MTR station given 200 hours of community service


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## hkskyline

* MTR adjusts service timing as passenger numbers fall *
RTHK _Excerpt_
July 21, 2020 

The MTR Corporation said on Monday it's adjusting its service to reflect "a significant decrease in the number of railway passengers" as a result of the latest government measures on social distancing. The changes would take effect from Wednesday.

It said peak hour train services would be unchanged, but non-peak services and services on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays on the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island, South Island, Tseung Kwan O, East Rail and West Rail lines would be maintained at an average interval of around 3.5 to 8 minutes.

The MTR said this may mean that passengers may have to wait an extra 30 second or up to two minutes. 

More : MTR adjusts service timing as passenger numbers fall - RTHK


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## hkskyline

ADTranz-CAF EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## Blackraven

Quick question:
We are studying the idea on the construction costs of Airport Rail systems for the Philippines.

Out of curiosity, how much is the overall cost for the Airport Express Rail service?


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## hkskyline

Blackraven said:


> Quick question:
> We are studying the idea on the construction costs of Airport Rail systems for the Philippines.
> 
> Out of curiosity, how much is the overall cost for the Airport Express Rail service?


Here is the cost, from at-the-time dollars. Note that the railway costs include the Tung Chung Line, although it runs parallel to the Airport Express and shares some tracks.

Source :


napco


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## Blackraven

hkskyline said:


> Here is the cost, from at-the-time dollars. Note that the railway costs include the Tung Chung Line, although it runs parallel to the Airport Express and shares some tracks.
> 
> Source :
> 
> 
> napco


I see.
And that includes 35 kilometers of railway, train stations...........and 11 train-sets imported from Spain, correct?


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## hkskyline

Blackraven said:


> I see.
> And that includes 35 kilometers of railway, train stations...........and 11 train-sets imported from Spain, correct?


Not sure if rolling stock is typically included in these capital projects. Within that website they listed out some of the key contracts and their costs, such as for individual stations, viaducts, tunnels, etc.


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line E90, Tai Hang by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

June patronage figures show 110 million riders for the month, averaging just shy of 4 million a day. 

Data : MTR > Patronage Updates

For comparison, June 2019 monthly patronage was almost 136 million. Note that the June figure is the highest since February (71.4 million).


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## hkskyline

* MTR Corp takes HK$334 million hit as rail giant posts worst performance since it went public in 2000 *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
Aug 6, 2020

Hong Kong’s rail operator saw net losses plunge to HK$334 million (US$42.8 million) in the first six months of 2020 from a profit in the same period last year – its worst performance since going public two decades ago.

The MTR Corporation’s loss, amid the coronavirus pandemic, stands in contrast to a HK$5.5 billion net profit in the previous period, it revealed on Thursday.

Part-privatised in 2000, the government now owns about 75 per cent of the corporation.

More : MTR racks up HK$334 million loss in worst performance since 2000 listing


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## hkskyline

* MTR sells US$1.2 billion green bond, largest issued in the city, after Covid-19 crisis leads to its worst financial performance in two decades *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
August 13, 2020

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator has sold a 10-year green bond worth US$1.2 billion in a move seen as an attempt to alleviate the financial damage wreaked upon it by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MTR Corporation said late on Wednesday that it had issued the largest green bond ever offered in the city, under its US$5 billion debt issuance programme, the second time in four years it had tapped into green finance.

The corporation said the issuance was oversubscribed with an order book of over US$3.75 billion, allowing the final issue price to tighten by 0.42 per cent from the initial price guidance.

More : Hong Kong MTR sells US$1.2 billion green bond, largest issued in the city


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## hkskyline

* July ridership for Hong Kong MTR plunges 17 per cent from rebound in June, with grim outlook amid Covid-19 third wave *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
August 19, 2020

Ridership of Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator in July slipped back from a strong rebound in June as the third wave of Covid-19 infections drove the city’s economy further into stagnation.

According to the MTR Corporation, patronage for domestic services was 91 million in July, down 34 per cent from 138 million a year ago. It also dropped 17 per cent compared with 110 million in June, which marked a rebound of 13 per cent from 97 million in May.

More : July MTR ridership plunges 17 per cent from strong rebound in June


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## hkskyline

DSC00404 copy by KP3357 Transport Studio, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

EMD G16 #56 &amp; #58 light engine by TRAIN TANG ., on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Brush Traction Battery Electric Locomotive by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

IMG_5830 by yuenmatthew.ch, on Flickr


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## Frenchlover

Hello hkskyline. Why often posting photos which have nothing to do with urban transport development? Maybe you should only post photos of new projects and a minima, with a legend. Thx


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## hkskyline

Frenchlover said:


> Hello hkskyline. Why often posting photos which have nothing to do with urban transport development? Maybe you should only post photos of new projects and a minima, with a legend. Thx


These maintenance vehicles help keep the urban rail lines running.


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## Pierre50

And it's interesting to see what is behind the scene with sometimes very performning vehicles. 
For instance the photo posted a few days ago with Loco L52 is an Electric overhead catenary + battery tractor produced by Brush. This vehicle has been unning since 1989
Hong Kong MTR is running at least 100 traction vehicules for maintenance purposes


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## hkskyline

A number of these older maintenance vehicles are retiring, so many train spotters have been out taking pictures lately.


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## hkskyline

56+60_VV04(1) by Wilson Ng 0216, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR Light Rail 1070 by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong’s rail operator faces setback after new signalling system assigns wrong route to train on East Rail line *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sep 11, 2020

Hong Kong’s costliest rail project ever may face further delays after the system’s beleaguered operator was forced to pump the brakes on a new batch of shorter trains and a new signalling system for the connecting East Rail line on Friday in order to fix route-setting glitches.

The setback came as the MTR Corporation was expected to roll out the first batch of trains with nine carriages, as opposed to the usual 12, along with a new signalling system, to ensure the line conforms to platform designs for its long-awaited Sha Tin-Central rail link when it becomes fully operational in 2022.

The first phase of the changes was to bring six of the shorter trains into service on Saturday, with another 31 to follow within 18 months.

More : Hong Kong’s rail operator faces setback with new signalling system


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## hkskyline

* Govt learned of MTR problems only on Thursday *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Sep 12, 2020

The government said on Saturday that it only learnt that issues have arisen with MTR's new signalling system for the East Rail Line on Thursday, one day before the rail firm went public with the issue.

The MTR announced on Friday that the system was being postponed, a day before it was due to go online.

The rail operator said the system's settings problems could potentially route trains into the wrong tracks, raising the possibility that two trains could be diverted to the same station.

The company had said the issue involves the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Stations and did not reveal how it found out about the problem.

But the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in a reply to RTHK said that the signalling problem also applies to Fo Tan and Racecourse Stations, and trains could end up wrongly following trains into the wrong station.

More : Govt learned of MTR problems only on Thursday - RTHK


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## hkskyline

More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - MTR Island Line


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## hkskyline

* Signal failure disrupts traffic on Kwun Tong Line *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Sep 16, 2020

A signal failure near Choi Hung Station on the Kwun Tong Line left service disrupted between Kowloon Tong and Kwun Tong stations for about 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, leaving many passengers temporarily stranded.

The MTR authorities said the service was suspended from 2.15pm before its personnel located the glitch and fixed it.

During that time service between Whampoa and Kowloon Tong stations, and from Kwun Tong Station to Tiu Keng Leng station, also ran at a reduced frequency, at 10 minute intervals.

Hundreds of passengers were caught unaware at the stations that were left without train service.

The disruption seemed to catch the MTR staff at Diamond Hill station off guard as passengers sought directions and availability of shuttle buses.

More : Signal failure disrupts traffic on Kwun Tong Line - RTHK


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## hkskyline

CRRC Changchun EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Should Hong Kong’s railway scene be opened up to competition to keep the MTR Corp on its toes? *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sep 19, 2020

The MTR Corporation’s aborted launch of a new signalling system has renewed calls for the Hong Kong government to shake up the city’s problematic rail transport scene.

Critics slammed the eleventh-hour decision to hold back the signalling system for the East Rail line last Saturday, after the company discovered a software glitch during testing.

They said it highlighted once again the company’s unresolved governance issues, including a poor corporate culture and a lack of transparency, despite an overhaul of its top management last year following a series of project scandals and mishaps.

More : Does Hong Kong’s MTR need competition to stay on its toes?


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## hkskyline

* MTR Corporation takes battering from coronavirus, as Hong Kong rail operator reports 40 per cent drop in passenger numbers in August *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sep 19, 2020

Passenger numbers on Hong Kong’s metro dropped 40 per cent in August as the third wave of the coronavirus hammered the city’s economy, and social-distancing measures kept people at home.

Official figures from the city’s rail operator, the MTR Corporation, showed 78.5 million domestic journeys on its network in August, down from 131 million a year ago, and a further 14 per cent drop from the 91 million rides in July.

With global air travel almost at a standstill, the Airport Express also suffered, with journeys down 88.6 per cent last month to 148,000, from about 1.3 million a year ago.

More : MTR Corp takes Covid-19 battering as passenger numbers drop 40 per cent


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## hkskyline

60+61 by KP3357 Transport Studio, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR Enhances Train Service for the Phased Resumption of Classes *
Press Release _Excerpt_
Sep 21, 2020

In light of the resumption of classes for all schools in late September, MTR Corporation will enhance weekday train services in mornings and around noon time starting from 23 September 2020 to provide greater convenience to students.

Patronage has dropped significantly amid the pandemic. The Corporation adjusted train service during non-peak hours according to the actual situation, yet we have continued to provide normal train service during peak hours by maintaining the headways of about two minutes on urban lines. To cope with the increase in anticipated passenger demand due to the resumption of classes, all local railway lines (except Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line) will step up train service during the period of 6:18 am to 7:15 am (prior to morning peak hours) and 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm on weekdays starting from 23 September (please refer to the annex for details). 

More : https://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-20-064-E.pdf


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## hkskyline

MTR - Kwun Tong Line A378, Kowloon Bay by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* No more MTR blunders and setbacks? Hong Kong rail giant launches review in bid to restore image *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sep 25, 2020

Hong Kong’s embattled rail operator is reviewing the way it is run and makes decisions in a bid to reduce the scope for error and salvage its reputation following a series of project blunders and other high-profile setbacks, the Post has learned.

The MTR Corporation’s governance inquiry coincides with the launch of a new strategy to guide the rail giant’s development over the next decade, as its chairman told workers that changes were unavoidable. 

More : No more MTR blunders and setbacks? Hong Kong rail giant launches review


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## hkskyline

East Rail is the only line in the city with a segregated First Class, which consists of a single car with nicer and more spacious seats. Fares are roughly double and you need to tap your Octopus card on the platform to ride under an honour system.


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## hkskyline

IMG_8875 by yuenmatthew.ch, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

62+58 VV04 by ATR212 7809, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR Light Rail 1016 by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* LCQ4: New signalling system of East Rail Line *
Government Press Release _Excerpt_
October 21, 2020

Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (October 21):

Question:

In May this year, three abnormal incidents happened during the testing of the new signalling system of the East Rail Line (EAL). The investigation report released by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) in mid-August indicated that such incidents were unrelated to the operation and safety of the signalling system. It was uncovered by a media report on September 11 that an incident of a train "taking the wrong route" happened during the testing of the signalling system, but the MTRCL had not made public the incident all along. The MTRCL subsequently announced the suspension of its plan, originally scheduled for September 12, of the commissioning of the new signalling system for EAL and the gradual introduction of new trains to EAL. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows if the successive emergence of problems in the signalling system during the testing was a result of the supplier of system software failing to cope with the excessive requirements on data collection set by the MTRCL for the system, which are higher than those set in general by the railway operators in various places; whether the MTRCL has reviewed if its practice of setting the aforesaid special requirements has brought additional risks to the system;

(2) given that while the incident of a train "taking the wrong route" reportedly happened as early as in May, the signalling system could still obtain approval from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) in August, whether the Government has examined if there are loopholes in the vetting and approval mechanism, as well as whether it involved deliberate concealment of the problem from the EMSD; how the Government will improve the vetting and approval mechanism and hold the persons concerned responsible; and

(3) how the Government will urge the MTRCL to make concrete improvements to its mechanism of vetting and approval for and overseeing the implementation of works contracts; whether it knows if the MTRCL will change the practice of procuring tailor-made software for the signalling system?

Reply:

President,

During the test of the new signalling system of the East Rail Line (EAL) conducted by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) on May 11, 2020, there were system reliability related abnormalities which might cause a train to enter an incorrect route and an incorrect station. Having been informed of the above on September 10, the Government requested the MTRCL to suspend the use of the new signalling system of the EAL. The Government requested the MTRCL to submit detailed report on the incident and to conduct further inspection and more detailed tests on the new signalling system. The new signalling system of the EAL can only be put into service after its system reliability is further assured.

After consulting the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Transport Department (TD) and the Highways Department, my reply to the respective parts of the Hon Michael Tien's question is as follows:

(1) The new signalling system of the EAL applies the "Communication Based Train Control" technology. Through continuous two-way communication between trainborne and trackside signalling equipment, data such as real-time speed and train position is collected for calculating the maximum moving distance of the trains, so as to maintain the safety distance between operating trains. The same signalling system technology has also been adopted by railways in other regions.

The new signalling system has to continuously collect the required information and data about operating trains to serve the above-mentioned functions after computer processing. During the test, more information and data about operating trains must be collected for analysis. This approach is widely applied in the tests, installation and signalling system upgrading of modern railway; and was the basis of the test and upgrading of the new signalling system of the EAL. Both the MTRCL and its software contractors possess relevant technology and test experience.

More : LCQ4: New signalling system of East Rail Line


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## hkskyline

* MTR passenger numbers rebound as virus eases *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Oct 26, 2020

Passenger numbers on Hong Kong's rail network reboundedby more than 28 per cent inSeptember from August, after workers returned to their offices and social-distancing measures were relaxed as the third wave of Covid-19 cases eased.

According to the MTR Corporation, patronage for domestic services was more than 100 million last month, down 20.4 per cent from about 127 million a year ago.

However, compared with 78.5 million in August, the figure represented a rebound of 28.5 per cent.

With global travel almost at a standstill, the Airport Express continued to take a beating, as passenger numbers plummeted by 82.7 per cent to just 179,000 in September, down from more than 1 million a year ago. However, the figures rose by almost 21 per cent compared to 148,000 in August.

For the MTR Corp's intercity, light rail and bus services, numbers dropped by 27 per cent year on year to about 13.4 million, down from 18.3 million. But ridership on the services was up by 23 per cent compared with almost 11 million in August.

More : MTR’s passenger numbers boosted by relaxing of social distancing


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## hkskyline

58+8004_VV04(2) by Wilson Ng 0216, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

#MTR #train #sunset #city #hongkong #HK by Angelalala Lui, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

IMG_1768 by yuenmatthew.ch, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Light rail goes green in update *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 16, 2020

The first two of a fleet of 40 new light rail vehicles with modified LED lighting will run in coupled sets for routes 610 and 751 starting tomorrow.

MTR Corp is also testing another new light rail vehicle in which lighting is supplied by renewable energy from panels atop the compartments.

These two brand new Phase 5 light rail vehicles each come with enhancements including an improved LED lighting system to enhance the ambience.

Handrail and straphanger arrangements were also improved to facilitate easy access to the multipurpose areas for wheelchair-bound passengers, a MTR spokesman said.

The new vehicles inherit the exterior design as well as the white, green and purple color scheme of the previous generations, while the driving cabin will provide a wider sightline for captains.

They have passed safety and performance tests, obtained approval from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and will be initially deployed to serve Routes 610 and 751 in coupled sets.

More : Light rail goes green in update


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## hkskyline

L53_MTR_loco by CTB 8806 Photography, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR passenger numbers rebound but fourth wave of coronavirus could see them fall again, Hong Kong group warns *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Nov 24, 2020

Passenger numbers on Hong Kong’s metro continued to climb in October as social-distancing measures were relaxed, but a concern group warned that could change in the face of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

According to the MTR Corporation, patronage for domestic services was more than 113.5 million last month, up 12.5 per cent from about 101 million in September, rising for the second straight month since the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit the city in July.

Compared with 108.5 million a year ago during the anti-government protests, when stations were regularly vandalised, passenger numbers last month was up by 4.7 per cent.

But Quentin Cheng Hin-kei, spokesman for the Public Transport Research Team, a commuter concern group, expected passenger numbers to fall in December as a fourth wave of the pandemic took hold in the city.

More : MTR gets passenger boost but group warns of impact of Covid-19 spike


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## hkskyline

* MTR 20pc rebate and price reduction on frequent user tickets extended*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 25, 2020

The “20 percent Rebate for Every Octopus Trip” will be extended for three more months till late March 2021, and a flat reduction of HK$100 for users of Monthly Passes will be provided for six more months till June 2021, the MTR Corporation announced today.

According to the financial arrangement agreed by the MTR Corporation and the Government, the Government will bear half of the total actual revenue forgone during the period between July 2020 and March 2021 with a cap of HK$0.8 billion.

The MTR Corporation will shoulder the remainder, depending on the actual MTR patronage during the initiative effective period.

More : MTR 20pc rebate and price reduction on frequent user tickets extended


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## hkskyline

IMG_3579 by yuenmatthew.ch, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

60+8003_VV04 by Wilson Ng 0216, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR L9005, Sha Tin by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Government invites MTRCL to proceed with detailed planning and design of Northern Link project *
Government Press Release _Excerpt_
Dec 16, 2020









_Posted on on.cc_

The Chief Executive in Council has given approval for the Government to invite the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to proceed with the detailed planning and design of the Northern Link (NOL) project.

The NOL is one of the seven recommended railway schemes in the Railway Development Strategy 2014. The project comprises Kwu Tung (KTU) Station and construction of a 10.7-kilometre-long railway link between the existing Kam Sheung Road (KSR) Station of West Rail Line (WRL) and KTU Station. The MTRCL proposed that the construction of the NOL would be carried out in two phases. Phase 1 would be KTU Station on the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line; and Phase 2 would be the NOL Main Line between KSR Station and KTU Station, with three intermediate stations at San Tin, Ngau Tam Mei and Au Tau. 

The primary function of KTU Station is to serve the transport need of the Kwu Tung North New Development Area which, upon full development, will accommodate a total population of 119 700 and 33 300 jobs. Upon its commissioning, KTU Station would facilitate residents in the area to use the rail-based transport system and reduce the time needed for a journey. 

A spokesperson for the Transport and Housing Bureau said, "It is estimated that KTU Station will save the public a cumulative total of about 135 million hours over 50 years of operation. The economic benefits, including the said time saving, of KTU Station are estimated to be about $14 billion in 2015 prices."

NOL Phase 2 connects the East Rail Line and the WRL, forming a loop of railway around the New Territories (NT) and Kowloon, thereby greatly improving the transport connectivity between NT East and NT West. The NOL Main Line will offer an alternative transport choice to the residents in the vicinity, reducing the travelling time for the existing population as well as the additional population arising from the developments along the alignment of the NOL in future.

The spokesperson said, "The NOL is crucial to unleashing the development potential of the largely underutilised areas along its alignment. The availability of the NOL can open up development opportunities with more efficient land uses for the areas along its alignment, realising the infrastructure-led, capacity creating planning approach as advocated by the current term of government. Not only will the increased transport capacity benefit key government projects under planning, it will also incentivise developers to advance their development plans with a larger housing yield."

More : Government invites MTRCL to proceed with detailed planning and design of Northern Link project


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## hkskyline

* Hung Hom to Mong Kok East MTR service suspension *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 17, 2020

East Rail service between Mong Kok East and Hung Hom stations will be suspended on ten selected Sundays between January and October next year to make way for Shatin to Central rail link construction works.

In a statement released yesterday, MTR Corp said the suspension was to make way for critical bifurcation works to connect the existing East Rail Line with the new railway section in Hung Hom Station and on Hong Kong Island.

The works involve track reconfiguration for connection to the new section, laying 875 meters of railroad tracks, installing 1 kilometer in total of overhead lines as well as modification of part of the equipment of the existing signalling system, according to the MTRC.

It explained that although their project team has been making use of the two-hour non-traffic hours at midnight to carry out concerned works, some critical works of different phases, given their complexity, must be conducted for longer hours and therefore had no choice but to temporarily suspend service.

The railway operator also said it will reserve sufficient time to check the equipment, signalling system and railroad tracks after the bifurcation works to ensure the service on the next day will not be affected.

More : Hung Hom to Mong Kok East MTR service suspension


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## hkskyline

Rotem EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Mixed reviews for new MTR line on full opening day *
June 27, 2021
RTHK _Excerpt_ 

The MTR's Tuen Ma Line has drawn mixed reviews on the first day of its full operation, with rail enthusiasts and residents happy about the convenience it offers, but others worried about a loss of business.

With the opening of two new stations, Sung Wong Toi and To Kwa Wan, the existing West Rail and Ma On Shan lines have now been merged - making the 56-kilometre Tuen Ma line Hong Kong's longest.

Trains on the route will run between Wu Kai Sha and Tuen Mun, with 27 stations in total.

Hundreds of people boarded a packed special train that left Sung Wong Toi station at 5:50 on Sunday morning to celebrate the line's full opening.

The crowd of fans waited outside the station since early morning and happily rushed to the platform when the station opened.

More : Mixed reviews for new MTR line on full opening day - RTHK

Images from _Ming Pao_ :


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## Arnorian

Does this qualify as "mixed reviews"?


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## hkskyline

Some of the negative rumblings about this project have surfaced in the weeks leading to yesterday's opening :

expensive short-distance fares relative to long-distance journeys
Hung Hom interchange is now more cumbersome as cross-platform change is no longer possible
no time savings from Hung Hom to Shatin on the new line


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows to learn lessons from problem-plagued construction of MTR’s Sha Tin to Central link *
June 26, 2021
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has vowed to learn from the troubled construction of the city’s most expensive rail project, a key stretch of which is slated to open on Sunday after repeated delays and cost overruns.

At a ceremony on Saturday ahead of the full opening of the Tuen Ma line – whose Tai Wai-Hung Hom section comprises part of the HK$90.7 billion (US$11.7 billion) Sha Tin to Central link – Lam admitted the rail project had been beset by challenges over the years.

“The Hong Kong government, MTR Corporation and our construction teams have deemed every challenge a motivation for innovation. We have sought to resolve the problems facing us and also learn our lessons to ensure smooth sailing for future projects,” she said.

More : Hong Kong leader vows to learn lessons from problem-plagued MTR project


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## hkskyline

To Kwa Wan station


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## hkskyline

DSC02802 by KP3357 Transport Studio, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DJI_0795 by Egg Jeffrey, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC04432 by KP3357 Transport Studio, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Suspended ceiling falls onto train platform in Diamond Hill Station *
August 10, 2021
The Standard _Excerpt_









_on.cc_

A suspended ceiling fell onto the ground at a platform in Diamond Hill MTR station around 5.30pm today.

The ceiling dropped onto the ground at No. 3 platform in the station as passengers are waiting for trains on Tuen Ma Line to travel to Tuen Mun. The glass shattered as the ceiling hit the ground.

Luckily no passenger was hurt in the incident.

More : Suspended ceiling falls onto train platform in Diamond Hill Station


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s MTR Corp rebounds from Covid-19 losses to post HK$2.67 billion profit for first half of year *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Aug 12, 2021

The MTR Corporation posted a turnaround from its record loss in 2020 to a profit of HK$2.67 billion in the first half of this year, as Hong Kong’s economy gathered steam amid the easing of the coronavirus pandemic.

That rebound was in stark contrast to the net losses of HK$334 million (US$42.8 million) in the same period last year.

The rail giant lost money for the first time in 2020 since its listing two decades ago, posting a record deficit totalling HK$4.8 billion, as it reeled from the sweeping social unrest in 2019 followed by the ongoing ravages of the coronavirus.

More : MTR rebounds from Covid-19 losses to post HK$2.67 billion profit


----------



## hkskyline

DSC00728 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line D001, Sheung Shui by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR gets six percent more passengers after Tuen Ma launch *
Aug 26, 2021
The Standard _Excerpt_

The MTR Corporation has seen passenger numbers go up six percent to 125 million due to the launch of Tuen Ma Line.

According to latest statistics released by the MTRC, its domestic lines saw 125 million passengers in July, a six percent increase from a month earlier. This is the highest passenger number so far this year, and the eighth consecutive monthly increase.

On an average weekday, 4.32 million people took various domestic lines of the MTR. As for the Airport Express, it saw 183,000 passengers in July, or a daily average of 5,900 - the highest in more than a year.

More : MTR gets six percent more passengers after Tuen Ma launch


----------



## hkskyline

* Cap MTR fare rise to half of inflation rate: Michael Tien *
Aug 26, 2021
The Standard _Excerpt_

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun proposed capping the MTR fare rise to 50 percent of inflation rate to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

Tien met with Lam this morning ahead of her Policy Address in October, during which he conveyed concerns about rising transport fares.

With a review into MTR's fare adjustment mechanism to be completed in 2023, Tien proposed that the hike should be capped at 50 percent of the inflation rate. The mechanism should also link to the MTR Corporation's profits. If the rail operator makes more than a certain amount of profit, it should be banned from fare hike, he suggested.

More : Cap MTR fare rise to half of inflation rate: Michael Tien


----------



## hkskyline

*New exhibition planned at Sung Wong Toi MTR exhibition * 
August 29, 2021
The Standard _Excerpt_ 

A new exhibition is being planned at Sung Wong Toi MTR station, Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun said. 

The official wrote in his blog today that some 400 artifacts from Song and Yuan dynasties are being exhibited at the MTR station since it opened in the end of June. They were selected by the Antiquities and Monuments Office among more than 700,000 artifacts found in Hong Kong. 

The station is part of Tuen Ma Line which fully commissioned last June.

More : New exhibition planned at Sung Wong Toi MTR exhibition


----------



## hkskyline

* Tung Chung Line Extension to end near Yat Tung Estate *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Sep 8, 2021

An extension at the Tung Chung MTR line to be completed in 2029 will end near Yat Tung Estate, a District Council document revealed. 

The Tung Chung line extension will comprise of two stations: Tung Chung East station, which will be above ground, and Tung Chung West station, which will be underground. 

The document, released by the Highways Department and the MTR Corporation to the Islands District Council, shows that Tung Chung East station will involve a diversion of 1.2 kilometers from the existing Tung Chung Line's rail tracks. 

Tung Chung West section will be an extension of about 1.3 km west from the existing Tung Chung Station. The station will be built to the west of Yat Tung Estate and will be the new terminus of the future Tung Chung Line.

According to the paper, a preliminary design of the Tung Chung Line Extension has been mostly completed and the project is now undergoing detailed design. 

More : Tung Chung Line Extension to end near Yat Tung Estate









_Ming Pao graphic_


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR may accept credit cards starting 2023 *
Sep 15, 2021
The Standard _Excerpt_ 

MTR passengers may start using credit cards to pay fares from 2023, transport chief Frank Chan Fan said.

MTR Corp will replace and upgrade the current Automatic Fare Collection systems in stations, including the entry and exit gates, in phases starting from 2022, Chan told lawmakers.

It is expected that passengers may start using credit cards for fare payment from 2023.

In January this year, MTR Corp started allowing heavy rail passengers to pay fares by using a QR code ticket.

Jointly launched by MTRCL and AlipayHK, the new QR code payment service are available at 1,000 entry gates.

More : MTR may accept credit cards starting 2023


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - Photowalk 2021-09 by Edmond Chau, on Flickr

MTR - Photowalk 2021-09 by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line D039, Sha Tin by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

CNR Changchun EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* Man dies after falling onto tracks at Mong Kok East Station *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Sep 18, 2021

A 59-year-old man died after he fell onto the rail tracks at Mong Kok East Station this morning.

The man surnamed Cheung fell onto the tracks as a train heading to Hung Hom at that time was entering the station. It was understood that the man was once stuck underneath the train as it passed through.

Other passengers witnessing the incident immediately reported to staffers at that station and police. Officers and firemen soon arrived and searched for the man along the tracks. They found the man under the train. Yet he was certified dead later.

More : Man dies after falling onto tracks at Mong Kok East Station


----------



## hkskyline

MTR Photowalk 2021-09 by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* Hong Kong leader to ‘unveil plans for new rail link’ with Qianhai in policy address *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sep 16, 2021

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is expected to announce the construction of a rail link connecting the northern New Territories and Shenzhen’s burgeoning Qianhai economic zone in her policy address next month, the Post has learned.

The rail project, estimated to cost billions of dollars, will serve as an extension of a planned HK$62 billion (US$8 billion) Northern Link to cater for the newly announced eightfold expansion of Qianhai.

Sources on Thursday said Beijing had planned the construction of a rail link connecting Hung Shui Kiu, a proposed new town in the western part of the New Territories, to Qianhai in a bid to facilitate its ambitious expansion blueprint and the integration of both places.

More : Hong Kong leader to ‘unveil plans for Qianhai rail link’ in policy address


----------



## Arnorian




----------



## hkskyline

* MTR Corp to require front line employees to get vaxxed *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Sep 16, 2021

MTR corp announced today that staff in regular contact with passengers, customers and contractors are required to receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year. 

The targeted groups of staff constitute over half of the company’s workforce. 

Taking into account operational needs, the company will require staff who have not yet done so to meet the deadline of taking the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination either by October 31 or by December 31.

More : MTR Corp to require front line employees to get vaxxed


----------



## hkskyline

Carriage Rotating by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* New rail link to Shenzhen proposed *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Oct 6, 2021

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday proposed building a new cross-border rail to Shenzhen in her policy address and extending the Northern Link that's under planning to cover more areas in the New Territories.

Lam said railways will be backbone of the transport system in the proposed Northern Metropolis, which is currently served by the Tuen Ma and East Rail lines.

In her policy address, she proposed building a new cross-border Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway that will link Hung Shui Kiu to the special economic zone of Qianhai.

More : New rail link to Shenzhen proposed - RTHK


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - Tuen Ma Line, Pat Heung by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## kunming tiger

hkskyline said:


> * New rail link to Shenzhen proposed *
> RTHK _Excerpt_
> Oct 6, 2021
> 
> Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday proposed building a new cross-border rail to Shenzhen in her policy address and extending the Northern Link that's under planning to cover more areas in the New Territories.
> 
> Lam said railways will be backbone of the transport system in the proposed Northern Metropolis, which is currently served by the Tuen Ma and East Rail lines.
> 
> In her policy address, she proposed building a new cross-border Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway that will link Hung Shui Kiu to the special economic zone of Qianhai.
> 
> More : New rail link to Shenzhen proposed - RTHK


hopefully that gets the green light soon.


----------



## hkskyline

DSC02508 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* East Rail Line to reach HK Island as soon as June 2022 *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 22, 2021

The cross harbour section of the East Rail Line can commence service as soon as June or July in 2022, MTR said on Friday.

The project makes East Rail Line the fourth railway to connect Kowloon and Hong Kong Island with the cross harbour section.

After the extension from Hung Hom station, the line will first reach a new Exhibition Centre station, located near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and then the Admiralty station.

Jacob Kam Chak-pui, chief executive of MTR said the bifurcation works at Hung Hom station went well and expected October 31 to be the last day of suspension of service between Mong Kok East and Hung Hom stations for the works.

More : East Rail Line to reach HK Island as soon as June 2022


----------



## hkskyline

* New escalators launched in Admiralty MTR station *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 24, 2021

New escalators are launched in Admiralty MTR station on Sunday, connecting passengers to the Island Line and Tsuen Wan Line platform levels.

Upon the targeted commissioning of the East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension in June to July 2022, Admiralty station will become the new terminus of the East Rail Line.

Construction is taking place inside the station. The new escalators that come into service on Sunday brings passengers between the Island Line and Tsuen Wan Line platform levels. The old escalators will be temporarily closed.

More : New escalators launched in Admiralty MTR station


----------



## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line D013, Sheung Shui by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Rail tracks linked for East Rail's cross-harbor extension *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 31, 2021

Around 150 workers are expected to finish linking railway tracks of the existing MTR East Rail Line to the newly constructed section at Hung Hom station on Sunday to pave the way for a cross-harbor extension next year. 

East Rail service between Mong Kok East and Hung Hom stations are suspended on Sunday for the seventh time this year to facilitate critical bifurcation works for East Rail Line's cross-harbor section. 

The extension will provide railway services from Hung Hom Station to Admiralty Station, via the new Exhibition Centre Station at Wan Chai North. Its expected commissioning date is June to July 2022.

More : Rail tracks linked for East Rail's cross-harbor extension


----------



## hkskyline

IKK SP1900 EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* Another run for MTR chief *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 9, 2021

The boss of the MTR is excited - he's been reappointed for another term.

Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen will be chairman of MTR Corp for 2 1/2 years from January. His term will run until June 30, 2024, the government announced.

Auyeung said it was an honor for him to be reappointed.

"This is an exciting time for the corporation as part of the fabric of Hong Kong," he said. "The cross-harbour extension of the East Rail Line will be open next year, and we are embarking on new railway projects which will extend the existing railway lines to cover a wider population in Tung Chung, Tuen Mun and the Northern New Territories. "The extended railway network will drive community developments in those areas and benefit the population."

More : Another run for MTR chief


----------



## hkskyline

*Drill simulates terrorist attack in MTR station *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 10, 2021

An inter-departmental drill by the Police, Fire Services Department and MTR Corp was conducted to simulate a terrorist attack inside an MTR station. 

The drill, conducted on Tuesday at the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy in Pak Shing Kok, aimed to counter acts of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism. 

Police's railway response team, Kowloon East emergency unit, explosive ordnance disposal bureau and the Fire Services' Hazardous Materials Team conducted the drill at a mock-up railway station in the academy.

More : Drill simulates terrorist attack in MTR station


----------



## hkskyline

*Fare hikes just round the bend... *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 11, 2021

Commuters are set to pay from 3.2 to 3.8 percent more for bus and train fares in the new year.

That comes with the latest official statistics showing goods and utilities including electricity, gas, water, transport, clothing and meals in September cost 1.4 percent more than in the same month last year.

...

And if the consumer price index continues to rise, MTR fares could also increase as fare adjustments are based on a formula that takes into account transport workers' wage index and the composite CPI.

The rail company provided a 3.8-percent fare rebate to passengers for every fare-paying trip by Octopus from June 27, but that arrangement ends on January 1.

This means passengers will have to outlay 3.8 percent more for fares if the MTR Corp does not extend the rebate.

More : Fare hikes just round the bend......


----------



## hkskyline

DSC00548 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## Pierre50

What is the purpose of this transfer of a railcar on a truck ?


----------



## GojiMet86

Saw this on London Reconnections:









A Crossrail worthy interchange - Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Extension - London Reconnections


The leading source for independent news and analysis about transport in London and beyond. Award-winning coverage of transport infrastructure and politics alongside stories about the history of the Capital's transport networks.




www.londonreconnections.com





This shows the new interchange at Admiralty station:


----------



## hkskyline

MTR MLR Train (E112/E71) by AVBWU25_PJ8730, on Flickr


----------



## httpdospuntos

🥇🏆


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR tells staff they must get jabbed by February 23 *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Jan 9, 2022

The MTR Corporation has told its staff they won't be allowed to enter the company's premises if they haven't had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by February 23.

The rail operator said on Sunday that the requirement applies to all staff members, except those who are medically exempted.

It will not accept regular testing as an alternative, it added.

The company said the move is aimed at protecting staff and passengers in view of the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong.

It also said that staff eligible for a booster should get one as soon as possible.

More : MTR tells staff they must get jabbed by February 23 - RTHK


----------



## hkskyline

xpro1 touit 12 2.8 kodakchrome I fujiweeklyDSCF9572 by 19821018, on Flickr


----------



## saiho

Discuss


----------



## hkskyline

* June opening set for key MTR link*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 20, 2022

The cross-harbor section of the Sha Tin to Central link is set to open for business as early as June.

MTR Corp said this in a document tabled with the Wan Chai district council yesterday that put the newly-built Exhibition Centre Station at three levels below ground following its topping out in November 2020.

The installation of equipment and facilities like furnishings, mechanical and electrical appliances is said to be seeing good progress, and the station is currently undergoing statutory inspections.

More : June opening set for key MTR link


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR may freeze fares this year*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 20, 2022 

MTR may freeze fares this year under calculations based on the latest inflation rate released by the government on Thursday. 

Under the fare adjustment formula, MTR fare increase will take into consideration the Consumer Price Index in December, and the transport workers wage index in the fourth quarter last year. 

The government released figures today that the inflation rate for December was 2.4 percent. 

More : https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/186232/MTR-may-freeze-fares-this-year


----------



## hkskyline

*Yau Tong MTR station reopens after fire at train doors put out *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 22, 2022 

Yau Tong MTR station has reopened on Saturday afternoon after firefighters put out a fire that started at the train doors on the Kwun Tong Line train platform. 

The station was closed around 1pm, with MTR saying there was “a problem with the Platform Screen Doors equipment at Yau Tong Station.” 

According to sources at the scene, there was a fire at the train screen doors on the Kwun Tong Line train platform heading to Whampoa. 

More : Yau Tong MTR station reopens after fire at train doors put out

_Images from Ming Pao_ : https://fs.mingpao.com/ins/20220122/s00001/05ba898de5bacc4a78d360c812aa9833.jpg


----------



## hkskyline

*Unsecured billboard panel made train doors fall off: MTR report *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 27, 2022

Two MTR train doors fell off at Causeway Bay station last month because a billboard panel was left unsecured and leaned out, according to MTR Corp. 

MTRCL on Thursday released the investigation report on the incident on December 2, 2021, where a Kennedy Town-bound Island Line train saw its first pair of doors facing the trackside wall fall off when it entered Platform 2 of Causeway Bay station. 

The investigation panel revealed that the mild scratches were found on the third to eighth car of a preceding train using the same platform, at a height matching the position of the convertible trackside billboard. 

It was found that a movable access panel for changing the billboard poster had been leaning out and hit the doors of the preceding train when it departed from the platform. 

About a minute later, when the train in question entered the platform, the unsecured access panel hit and dislodged its first pair of doors. 

More : Unsecured billboard panel made train doors fall off: MTR report


----------



## hkskyline

*Govt announces Tuen Mun South Extension plan *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 28, 2022

The government is planning to extend the existing Tuen Ma Line from Tuen Mun Station southward by about 2.4 kilometers, including the provision of a new railway station near Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal and an intermediate station at Tuen Mun Area 16.

The railway scheme for the Tuen Mun South Extension was published in the Gazette on Friday in accordance with the Railways Ordinance.

The extension project is one of the seven recommended railway schemes under the Railway Development Strategy 2014.

More : Govt announces Tuen Mun South Extension plan


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR starts trial operations for East Rail cross-harbor extension *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 31, 2022

MTR Corp has started trial operations for East Rail Line’s cross-harbor extension ahead of its targeted launch this June or July. 

From Tuesday, non-passenger trains will run from Hung Hom to Exhibition station before reaching the terminus of Admiralty, the rail company announced on Monday. 

MTRCL said railway construction works have been substantially completed, with new trains delivered to Hong Kong and put into service. 

With the East Rail Line extending from Hung Hom Station to Admiralty Station, the 46-km route will become Hong Kong’s fourth cross-harbor railway line. 

It will allow passengers from the Northeast New Territories and Central Kowloon to reach Wan Chai North and Admiralty areas in a single ride.

More : MTR starts trial operations for East Rail cross-harbor extension


----------



## hkskyline

DSC06566 by bento.memories, on Flickr

DSC06552 by bento.memories, on Flickr

DSC06391 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Go to the end to see the East Rail train crossing the harbour to Admiralty.


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR cuts non-peak evening services*
RTHK _Excerpt_
Feb 7, 2022

The MTR Corporation announced on Monday that it will be reducing evening train frequencies after peak hours, in view of the latest epidemic situation.

The railway operator said starting February 11, the average waiting time will be extended by up to two minutes for most passengers taking trains after 8pm.

"After a prudent review of the latest passenger demand, carrying capacity, travel comfort as well as factors including manpower and energy consumption, MTR Corporation will make temporary and slight adjustments to the train frequencies of some railway lines," the company said in a statement.

More : MTR cuts non-peak evening services - RTHK


----------



## hkskyline

DSC08086 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR to accept WeChat Pay from Sunday *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Feb 14, 2022

Two more electronic payment platforms - UnionPay App and WeChat Pay -- will be accepted for MTR's mobile ticketing from Sunday. 

Following the change, commuteres will be able to pay for their train rides with those apps, in addition to the existing options of MTR Mobile and Alipay HK.

Users of these four apps will be able to use QR code tickets to go through entry or exit gates wrapped with purple stickers.

More : MTR to accept WeChat Pay from Sunday


----------



## hkskyline

*Coronavirus: service cuts loom for Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation after 100 employees get Covid-19 in past week, union warns of crisis*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Feb 19, 2022

Hong Kong rail giant the MTR Corporation may reduce operations after 100 employees, including 17 drivers, tested positive for Covid-19 over the past week, with its union warning of a looming service crisis.

The operator on Saturday said it had recorded 51 preliminary-positive infections among staff, including contract workers, with 31 testing positive via rapid antigen kits. The number of infections among its workers was at the highest level since the pandemic started in 2020.

The company’s Covid-19 tally over the past week had hit 100, of which 17 were train drivers, with the rest comprising station staff, maintenance workers and seven cleaning staff.

More : Hong Kong rail giant considers service cuts after 100 employees get Covid-19


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR to reduce non-peak train frequencies from Friday *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Feb 21, 2022

MTR will reduce the train frequencies of some railway lines during non-peak hours starting Friday, with most passengers having to wait one or two minutes longer than now. 

Train service during peak hours remains unchanged. 

MTRCL said its ridership on weekdays dropped significantly after Lunar New Year, as citizens went out less after strengthened anti-pandemic measures. 

"A 40 percent decrease in patronage was recorded when compared to last December, while the patronage of weekday evenings, weekends and public holidays plummeted by about 50 to 60 percent from December last year,” the rail operator stated. 

MTRCL decided on the adjustments after considering passenger demand amidst the latest pandemic, and factors including the excess in carrying capacity of trains, increased space while waiting for trains and traveling in trains, manpower and energy consumption.

More : MTR to reduce non-peak train frequencies from Friday


----------



## hkskyline

MTR EAL Siemens ER20 8002 + MTR EAL CKD0A by James, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*MTR to replace damaged track near Causeway Bay *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Feb 23, 2022

The MTR on Wednesday said a section of railway track near the Causeway Bay station will be replaced after services end at night, following the discovery of cracks during an overnight inspection.

The rail operator said the section in question had been reinforced for now and engineers had been deployed on site to monitor the situation.

A spokesman stressed locks had been put in place to ensure the track will not dislocate and trains run safely.

More : MTR to replace damaged track near Causeway Bay - RTHK


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## hkskyline

"dynamic zero-COVID" policy, 22/02/2022 by hugo poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR Mass Transit Railway Metro Cammell Stock K03/K01E98/E63 by Loh Wai Chung, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* 'MTR facing enormous challenge to keep things going' *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Mar 1, 2022

MTR bosses warned on Tuesday that scores of Covid infections among staff were leading to fewer trains running and the sporadic closure of some customer service centres, with the corporation facing an "enormous challenge" to keep things going.

The company said 270 staff members and contractors who provide train and maintenance services had been found to have the virus in the past 24 hours, and it warned that if the situation worsens, it might even have to temporarily close some stations.

The rail operator said waiting times on the Island and Tuen Ma lines were up to half a minute longer than usual during Tuesday morning's rush hour and the Tuen Ma Line would also see service adjustments during the evening peak period.

More : 'MTR facing enormous challenge to keep things going' - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation further reduces operations after logging record 227 new coronavirus infections among staff *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Mar 1, 2022

Hong Kong rail giant the MTR Corporation has further reduced operations after logging a record 227 Covid-19 infections among its employees in a single day, taking the total number of cases at the company to more than 1,100.

The rail operator said on Tuesday morning that trains would be running less frequently on the Island and Tuen Ma lines after several conductors were either infected or quarantined as close contacts.

“Since these train drivers can’t report for duty, the rail service on the Island line and Tuen Ma line has to be slightly adjusted during peak hours … The service will run at a longer interval by up to half a minute,” a spokeswoman said.

More : Hong Kong’s MTR Corp reduces operations after logging 227 new Covid cases


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## hkskyline

* MTR to reduce weekday frequency from Friday *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 2, 2022

Weekday services of eight railway lines will be reduced from Friday, after which passengers will have to wait one to four minutes longer for trains. 

The change resulted from staff shortage and drastic reduction in patronage amid the pandemic, MTR Corp said on Wednesday. 

Both peak and non-peak services will be affected for the eight lines, namely East Rail, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island, South Island, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung and Tuen Ma. 

More : MTR to reduce weekday frequency from Friday


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## hkskyline

*MTR sees Covid tester in action*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 3, 2022

With infection numbers shattering records, busy Hongkongers resorted to testing themselves for Covid-19 using rapid test kits during a meal or even on the MTR.

In a video circulated on the internet yesterday, a man sat on the floor of a MTR train and tested himself. He unmasked his face and inserted a stick into his nostril.

Three passengers seated next to the man did not seem to notice and was unclear whether he tested positive or negative. A netizen also posted two photos on online forum LIHKG, showing a middle-aged man testing himself while having a cup of milk tea and a dish of Hainanese chicken rice for lunch.

More : MTR sees Covid tester in action


----------



## hkskyline

*Exhibition Centre and Admiralty* stations on the East Rail extension (not yet open)


----------



## Zaz965

why do hong kong subway trains use some kind of fuselage covering the wheels?


----------



## hkskyline

*Union puts MTR hit at one in four staff 'out of commission' *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 7, 2022 

A quarter of the MTR Corp's staff are unable to work after contracting Covid or being put in quarantine, which is prolonging waiting times for train services, a union said.

Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions chairman Lam Wai-keung said yesterday that there are at least 2,500 MTR staff who are unable to work. That accounts for around 25 percent of the MTRC's overall manpower, he added.

Lam said: "Our colleagues are barely holding up as they are canceling their holidays and working overtime in order to maintain basic railway services.

More : Union puts MTR hit at one in four staff 'out of commission''


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## hkskyline

13:45 Monday, MTR (Tsuen Wan line) by yukikei, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR Corp reports HK$9.5 billion profit for last year *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 10, 2022 

MTR Corp Ltd (0066) on Thursday reported a net profit of HK$9.5 billion last year, a reversal from a loss of HK$4.8 billion in 2020. 

It recommended a dividend of HK$1.02 per share. 

Despite the pandemic, Chief Executive Officer Jacob Kam Chak-pui said the targeted opening date of the cross-harbor section of Shatin to Central Link – this June or July – will remain unchanged. 

The total revenue of 2021 rose by 11 percent to HK$47 billion from HK$42 billion in 2020. Some HK$13 billion of the total revenue was generated through its transport operations. 

The revenue from station commercial businesses and property rental and management businesses stood at HK$3.21 billion and HK$5.04 billion respectively. 

More : MTR Corp reports HK$9.5 billion profit for last year


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## hkskyline

z6 canon fd 24 1.4 asphDSC_9272 by 19821018, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

港鐵西門子ER20型機車 by bento.memories, on Flickr

港鐵CKD0A型內燃機車 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

DSC00742-2 by bento.memories, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* Man dies after entering track at Fanling MTR station *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 20, 2022

A man died after entering the tracks at Fanling MTR station on Sunday. 

At around 11.20am, a 62-year-old man surnamed Au entered the tracks when a Sheung Shui-bound East Rail train was approaching the platform.

The driver stopped the train immediately, and the manager of the railway platform pressed the emergency button to stop other trains from entering and leaving the station. 

More : Man dies after entering track at Fanling MTR station


----------



## hkskyline

* Safety first for new MTR line *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 24, 2022

The MTR held a practice drill yesterday to test its system for dealing with an emergency on the new cross-harbor extension of the East Rail Line.

The drill, involving MTR staff and emergency services personnel, was a preparation for opening the passenger service in June-July.

The exercise simulated a scenario in which smoke was emitting from a passenger's luggage in a train running from Hung Hom Station to the new Exhibition Centre Station. The train was immobilized in the tunnel between the two stations.

More : Safety first for new MTR line


----------



## hkskyline

* MTR to step up peak hour services next week*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 25, 2022

The MTR Corporation said on Friday it will enhance the service of railway lines and the Light Rail during peak hours starting from next week.

The move came as the railway company noted the operational manpower loss caused by the pandemic has been improved.

Starting from next Monday (Mar 28), train frequency on the East Rail Line during the morning and evening peaks on weekdays will be increased to every 4.5 minutes.

More : MTR to step up peak hour services next week


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## hkskyline

*MTR to freeze fares, extend current rebate*
RTHK _Excerpt_
Mar 28, 2022 

The MTR Corporation said on Monday that ticket prices will remain at the current levels this year, and the 3.8 percent fare rebate will also be extended till the beginning of next year.

The company has to freeze its fares based on a price setting formula agreed with the government in 2007 which takes into account the year-on-year inflation rate and the wage index for transport workers.

This is the third straight year where the railway operator has spared passengers a fare hike, even after it was hit hard by the recent Covid-19 outbreak.

More : MTR to freeze fares, extend current rebate - RTHK


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

MTR Metro-Cammell EMU / A199 KTL008 by 悠亞姐姐-三上油壓工作室, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong District - Tsing Yi, NT by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR mahjong players lose $5,000 in fines *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 12, 2022

Five men playing mahjong on an MTR train were fined HK$5,000 after they were convicted in a Kowloon City court yesterday of causing a nuisance in public places and violating MTR by-laws.

A video went viral online last October, showing several passengers playing mahjong inside an MTR carriage.

Several men were playing at a mahjong table, attracting onlookers who filmed the scene with their phones.

More : MTR mahjong players lose $5,000 in fines


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## hkskyline

* MTR to enhance passenger services starting Friday *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 12, 2022

The MTR Corporation will enhance the service of nine railway lines, Light Rail operations, and MTR Bus routes starting this Friday (April15), as the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic begins to ease. 

The corporation earlier reduced the train frequencies of some railway lines due to a decrease in passengers amid the pandemic. 

After comprehensive service enhancement, MTR said a total of some 5,200 train trips will be added to nine railway lines - Tseung Kwan O, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island, South Island, Tuen Ma, Tung Chung, East Rail, and Disneyland Resort lines - per week. 

More : MTR to enhance passenger services starting Friday


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## hkskyline

These UK-built rolling stock are retiring!

DSC02960 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

East Rail line Metro Cammell EMU (Mid-Life Refurbished Train) E96/[email protected] by Ethan Mok, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC_1303~2 by JohnnyLai.MT, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR to start metaverse trip *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 22, 2022

"The next station is - The Sandbox!"

Embracing the development of Web3, the MTR Corporation says it will start its metaverse journey in partnership with The Sandbox, a gaming virtual world and subsidiary of Animoca Brands.

As the first transport operator to join The Sandbox metaverse, the MTR will build a railway-focused virtual space to create unique and fun experiences through games.

More : MTR to start metaverse trip


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## hkskyline

Mother and child by Enbymutant, on Flickr


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

E61_SUS_EAL_REAR by 8088PZ_ Kwok, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* East Rail Line to reach HK Island on May 15: source *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Apr 29, 2022

RTHK has learnt that MTR is planning to launch the harbour-crossing extension of the East Rail Line on May 15.

That means southbound trains on the line will no longer stop at Hung Hom station, but at Admiralty via the Exhibition Centre Station.

In response, the rail giant said tests on the extension has been going smoothly, and it will announce the launch date in due course.

More : East Rail Line to reach HK Island on May 15: source - RTHK


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## hkskyline

MTR - East Rail Line D070, Tai Wai by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## sterlinglush

hkskyline said:


> * East Rail Line to reach HK Island on May 15: source *
> RTHK _Excerpt_
> Apr 29, 2022
> 
> That means southbound trains on the line will no longer stop at Hung Hom station, but at Admiralty via the Exhibition Centre Station.
> 
> More : East Rail Line to reach HK Island on May 15: source - RTHK


What? That's completely bizarre (not that things in Hong Kong have made sense for quite some time now). Why would southbound trains not stop at Hung Hom? Does that mean passengers travelling to Hung Hom on the East Rail line will have to transfer to the Tuen Ma line at Tai Wai? Or is this a temporary service pattern until some unspecified thing is finished?


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## hkskyline

sterlinglush said:


> What? That's completely bizarre (not that things in Hong Kong have made sense for quite some time now). Why would southbound trains not stop at Hung Hom? Does that mean passengers travelling to Hung Hom on the East Rail line will have to transfer to the Tuen Ma line at Tai Wai? Or is this a temporary service pattern until some unspecified thing is finished?


I think it's a typo. I believe they're moving the East Rail to the new Hung Hom station platforms underneath the Tuen Ma Line. Trains will still stop there.


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## Pierre50

I just expect "hkskyline's" answer is the right one. Otherwise I don't undestand why avoiding tranfers between lines which are the essence of a subway network which should allow all possible combinations between lines especcially in case of troubles.


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## hkskyline

Here is a crude map of Hung Hom station's layout.

Before the Tuen Ma Line opened, the West and East Rail lines terminated side by side on the same level (left). There are 2 sets of mixed platforms. However, trains don't necessarily arrive on the same set so sometimes you need to head upstairs and downstairs if your connection happens to be on the other set.

After the Tuen Ma Line opened last year, the West Rail platforms are no longer in use. The East Rail trains still stop at their old platforms, and the Tuen Ma Line moved further east to a new station in the same building (right), occupying the upstairs set of platforms. Interchange is still entirely within the fare-paid area.

When the East Rail extension opens, they should occupy the lower level of the new station, meaning there is no cross-platform interchange.


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

* East Rail cross-harbor extension to fully open on May 15 *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 3, 2022

The cross-harbor section of the East Rail Line will commence service on May 15, Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan announced. 

With the new extension, passengers can reach the commercial, convention & exhibition, and financial hubs in the Wan Chai North and Admiralty areas on the East Rail Line without interchanging. 

It will be the fourth cross-harbor railway route. The estimated transit time from Hung Hom to Admiralty will be shortened from 19 minutes to 7 minutes. And the transit time from Admiralty to Kowloon Tong will be cut to 13 minutes. 

More : East Rail cross-harbor extension to fully open on May 15


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## Stuu

sterlinglush said:


> What? That's completely bizarre (not that things in Hong Kong have made sense for quite some time now). Why would southbound trains not stop at Hung Hom? Does that mean passengers travelling to Hung Hom on the East Rail line will have to transfer to the Tuen Ma line at Tai Wai? Or is this a temporary service pattern until some unspecified thing is finished?


It means in the sense of "not terminate at" Hung Hom, but instead carry on under the harbour


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## hkskyline

* End of the line: Hong Kong railway fanatics prepare to bid farewell to the last of their beloved electric trains*
Hong Kong Free Press _Excerpt_
May 2, 2022

Many railway enthusiasts in Hong Kong have been nervously counting down over the past few months. One of their treasured electric train models, which has served the city for decades, will soon vanish from sight as it goes into retirement, and they have little idea when their last ride may be.

Standing on the platform of Sha Tin station, railfan Thomas Yeung squinted as a Mid-Life Refurbishment Train (MLR-train) emerged from a distance. The 19-year-old lifted his camera with a long zoom lens and began snapping away. He made sure he had a variety of photos documenting the sporadic sighting of this 12-car vehicle.

The second year university student knew it might be his final chance to see the iconic East Rail Line train in action before he travelled to Australia for his studies.

More : End of the line: Hong Kong railway fanatics prepare to bid farewell to the last of their beloved electric trains - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP


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## hkskyline

*Exhibition Centre Station*

4/30


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## hkskyline

* MTR bosses show off new station's explosive feature *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 5, 2022

The casing of a half-tonne bomb dating back to World War Two and a giant seascape-themed wall were on Thursday revealed among the features of the East Rail Line's new Exhibition Centre Station.

MTR architects said that to reflect the station's proximity to Victoria Harbour, a local artist has created a themed-wall named "Water Memory", complete with 1,200 photos capturing waves off Wan Chai Pier at different times of the day and year.

"The wall faces Victoria Harbour. I guess many passengers may not be able to tell east, south, west and north when they are down at the station. But if you see this wall, you will know you are facing north," said the MTR's acting chief architectural manager, Cheng Kwok-wai.

More : MTR bosses show off new station's explosive feature - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* In Pictures: Hong Kong’s East Rail Line cross-harbour MTR link to open May 15 with new Exhibition Centre station *
Hong Kong Free Press _Excerpt_
May 4, 2022

More photos : In Pictures: Hong Kong's East Rail Line cross-harbour MTR link to open May 15 with new Exhibition Centre station - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP


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## hkskyline

* Railway fans bid farewell to last 12-car electric train*
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 6, 2022

Many railway fans have on Friday bid farewell to one of their beloved electric train models - the Mid-Life Refurbishment Train, which has served the city for 40 years, as it will go into retirement to make way for the launch of the Sha Tin to Central Link. 

The 12-car train, nicknamed the “fly-headed train” for its vague resemblance to the insect, has run its final journey on the East Rail Line this afternoon, since going into service on the exact same day 40 years ago. 

For railway fans in Hong Kong, MLR-trains were a cherished legacy from the Kowloon–Canton Railway era, which came into service in October 1910 when the city was still under British colonial rule. 

The last MLR-train departed Hung Hom station for Sha Tin at 1.09pm, with fans on board enjoying the train’s last ride. 

More : Railway fans bid farewell to last 12-car electric train


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## hkskyline

More photos : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Farewell to East Rail's MLR Trains


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## hkskyline

* New Hong Kong cross-harbour rail link a boon for commuters, but bus operators expect big loss of passengers *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 7, 2022

A new section of Hong Kong’s MTR rail system opening on May 15 will allow commuters to get from parts of the New Territories to Central faster, with savings along some routes, but bus operators are dreading their loss of business.

The cross-harbour Hung Hom-Admiralty section of the Sha Tin to Central MTR link is expected to result in thousands switching from bus to rail.

The rail section, also known as the cross-harbour extension of the East Rail Line, will be the fourth cross-harbour railway route directly connecting the northeastern New Territories, central Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

More : New cross-harbour rail link a boon for Hong Kong commuters, not bus operators


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## hkskyline

E71_SHS_REAR by 8088PZ_ Kwok, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC01113 by bento.memories, on Flickr

DSC00952 by bento.memories, on Flickr

DSC01076 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Bomb casing from WWII become popular photo spot on Exhibition Centre station open day*
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 9, 2022

Citizens rushed to pose with World War II bomb casing displayed at Exhibition Centre station on Monday before the station will commence service on May 15.

The MTR on Monday launched an open day for the new station, with a total of 5,600 quotas available for seven sessions. All tickets were distributed for free via the MTR app and have been snatched up by citizens shortly after being available.

Many visitors were parents bringing along their children. Some residents in Sha Tin worried that the train may be too crowded at Sha Tin and Tai Wai stations as the number of carriages was reduced from twelve to nine.

More : Bomb casing from WWII become popular photo spot on Exhibition Centre station open day


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong train buffs get first look at new Exhibition Centre station ahead of opening of final section of city’s most expensive rail project*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 9, 2022

Hong Kong’s railway buffs have been given a first look at the MTR’s new Exhibition Centre station, including a display featuring a large World War II bomb uncovered during construction, ahead of the May 15 opening of the final section of the long-overdue Sha Tin to Central link.

Around 400 to 500 visitors, mostly railway fans and families with young children, had queued up outside a station exit near the Harbour Centre in Wan Chai before the open day began at 10am on Monday, a public holiday for Buddha’s Birthday.

The 1,400 tickets available were snapped up in minutes after being distributed for free on the “MTR Mobile” application and “The Gulu”, a mobile ticketing app, last Thursday. Each ticket allowed entry for up to four people.

More : Eager Hong Kong rail fans get first look at new Exhibition Centre station


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## hkskyline

*Exhibition Centre Station*

5/6

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察東鐵綫過海段金鐘站及會展站 Visit to Admiralty and Exhibition Centre Stations of East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension (6.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Luohu Port to get East Rail, high-speed rail linkups as $1.16m study scheme kicks off *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 11, 2022

The Luohu Port border crossing in Shenzhen will be reconstructed to cater for a future East Rail Line extension to the north, with Shenzhen having started accepting tender offers for a 990,000 yuan (HK$1.16 million) study on the project.

The tender exercise for the study into the mainland side of the Lo Wu crossing that has been in use since 1986 ends on May 17.

According to documents from transport authorities, the revamped crossing will be the southern end of the Ganzhou-Shenzhen highspeed railway, with room set aside for connections to the East Rail Line.

This will pave the way for the Northern Metropolis envisioned in policy to be connected with China's highspeed railway network.

News of the reconstruction came as train services in Hong Kong proceeded smoothly on the first day of the East Rail Line operating with nine instead of 12 car trains ahead of the line's extension.

More : Luohu Port to get East Rail, high-speed rail linkups as $1.16m study scheme kicks off


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

紅磡站 by bento.memories, on Flickr

紅磡站 by bento.memories, on Flickr

紅磡站 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Sha Tin-Central link will be a hit with commuters with launch of cross-harbour stretch, city leader says ahead of long-awaited opening *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 14, 2022

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has hailed the city’s costliest rail project as one that will be immensely popular among residents, with its long-awaited cross-harbour section set to open on Sunday after repeated delays and cost overruns.

At a ceremony on Saturday at the Exhibition Centre station, ahead of the full opening of the Hung Hom-Admiralty section of the long-overdue HK$90.7 billion (US$11.7 billion) Sha Tin to Central link, Lam said the stretch would bring greater convenience to commuters.

She added that the government was studying the feasibility of extending the line to Luohu district in Shenzhen to serve as a cross-border rail gateway to the emerging Greater Bay Area economic zone.

More : Hong Kong leader hails expected popularity of MTR’s costliest rail project


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## hkskyline

* East Rail's first cross-harbour train departs *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 15, 2022

Railway enthusiasts reported queueing all night to be part of history as the first ever service on the cross-harbour section of the MTR's East Rail Line departed early on Sunday morning.

Some people joining the service at the new Exhibition Centre station said they'd joined the line at 10pm on Saturday to guarantee a place on the first train.

MTR executives and guests were also aboard the train, which made its way beneath the harbour to Hung Hom in just five minutes.

More : East Rail's first cross-harbour train departs - RTHK


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## hkskyline

KCR Kowloon railway station 7 by 悠亞姐姐-三上油壓工作室, on Flickr

KCR Kowloon railway station 4 by 悠亞姐姐-三上油壓工作室, on Flickr

KCR Kowloon railway station 1 by 悠亞姐姐-三上油壓工作室, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

m9p minolta m 28mm f2.8_L1012615 by 19821018, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Rush hour: more than 2,000 Hong Kong railway fans in dash for first train on new cross-harbour section of MTR’s Sha Tin-Central line *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 15, 2022

Thousands of railway fans rushed to board the first train at dawn on Sunday on a new cross-harbour section of Hong Kong’s costliest MTR project, with the long-awaited launch following years of repeated delays and cost overruns.

Despite the light rain, train enthusiasts had lined up overnight outside the entrance of Exhibition Centre station in north Wan Chai to be the first passengers on the stretch.

The Hung Hom-Admiralty section – via Exhibition Centre station in the Wan Chai North interchange– is more commonly known as the cross-harbour extension of the East Rail line. It is the fourth cross-harbour railway route connecting Hong Kong Island with Kowloon and the New Territories.

More : ‘MTR’s post-DSE gift’: Hong Kong train fans in first-ride rush on Sha Tin-Central line


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*Crossing harbor on East Rail Line "much more comfortable”: passenger *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 15, 2022

Tens of thousands of citizens went to the Exhibition Centre station to take the train on the first day of operation.

A shoe was left behind at the station in the early morning after railroad fans rushed to get on the first special train of the East Rail cross-harbor extension.

One passenger said crossing the harbor is “much more comfortable” as the East Rail Line is the only MTR line with a first-class carriage. "I can now sit in first-class from the New Territories directly to Hong Kong Island," he said.

More : Crossing harbor on East Rail Line "much more comfortable”: passenger


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## hkskyline

* Commuters welcome East Rail Line extension *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 16, 2022

Some commuters on Monday morning found going to work much less hassle than usual as they travelled on the newly extended East Rail Line.

The cross-harbour section operated smoothly on its first working day, having received a warm welcome from train enthusiasts during its launch over the weekend.

The 46-kilometre line now connects the northeastern New Territories with Hong Kong Island for the first time.

More : Commuters welcome East Rail Line extension - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Mixed reviews for new East Rail cross-harbor extension on first workday *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 16, 2022

The MTR's new East Rail cross-harbor extension has drawn mixed reviews on Monday - the first day of the working week - after it commenced full operation yesterday, with residents happy about the convenience it offers, but others worried about bus companies cutting back their services.

With the opening of the new Exhibition Centre Station, the new station now connects Hung Hom and Admiralty that extends the East Rail line across Victoria Harbour, making it the MTR's fourth cross-harbor line.

With Admiralty Station the terminal of the East Rail Line, passengers from New Territories East will be spared several changes to cross the harbor, before they switch to the Island Line.

More : Mixed reviews for new East Rail cross-harbor extension on first workday


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## hkskyline

* Bus fears amid switch to East Rail *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 17, 2022

The East Rail Line cross-harbor extension has drawn mixed reviews following its debut yesterday, with most commuters praising the quicker and more convenient route while others raised fears over bus companies cutting services.

MTR Corp said the line's operation went smoothly yesterday, adding that as of 11am, 25,800 people had used the new Exhibition Centre station.

Silver bullet trains - trains that travel exclusively between specific stations with no stops in between - were deployed at Sha Tin and Tai Po Market stations during morning rush hours to speed up the journey to Admiralty, MTRC said, adding this helped keep the platforms relatively clear.

More : Bus fears amid switch to East Rail


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## hkskyline

*Exhibition Centre station*








































































































































More photos on my website : The New Exhibition Centre Station


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## hkskyline

* Public consultation on review of MTR fares to start in third quarter *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 18, 2022

The next review of MTR fare adjustments will begin in the second half of this year, and public consultation is expected to start in the third quarter of 2022.

Lawmakers at the Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday pointed out that despite MTR Corp recording a substantial fiscal surplus, it could still increase its fares, even if the decision is not in line with the public’s expectations.

Frank Chan-fan, Secretary for Transport and Housing, wrote in a reply that the government understands public concerns on MTR fares and will pay close attention to different views during the Fare Adjustment Mechanism (FAM) review.

More : Public consultation on review of MTR fares to start in third quarter


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## hkskyline

*Admiralty Station*



























































































More photos on my website : The New Admiralty Station (May 15, 2022)


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## hkskyline

*Faulty MTR train disrupts East Rail Line morning peak hour service *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 24, 2022

MTR services on the East Rail Line were disrupted during the morning peak hours on Tuesday after there was an equipment fault on a train near Admiralty Station. 

The railway operator said the incident, which happened at around 8.46am, had stretched passengers’ travel time on the East Rail Line for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. 

According to the MTR, an East Rail Line train was said to have malfunctioned after arriving at the Admiralty Station and had to be taken out of service. 

More : Faulty MTR train disrupts East Rail Line morning peak hour service


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## hkskyline

* East Rail train's false alarm led to disruption: MTR *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 25, 2022

MTR says what its staff believed to be a "technical glitch" detected on a East Rail train on Tuesday morning rush hour turned out to be a false alarm.

The rail firm said the train was about to turn around in Admiralty and head to Sheung Shui when the incident occurred, causing services to be disrupted for more than half an hour.

Jacob Kam, the firm's chief executive, said the train in question was found to be operating normally after an inspection.

More : East Rail train's false alarm led to disruption: MTR - RTHK


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

* 27pc increase in passengers for East Rail Line morning peak hours *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 26, 2022

The East Rail Line saw its ridership during peak hours in the morning increased by 27 percent to about 33,100 after the cross-harbor extension commenced services for more than a week. 

Yet, the ridership for the Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line decreased by 10 to 20 percent. 

The Transport and Housing Bureau said the number of commuters on the busiest section of the East Rail Line during the busiest hour in the morning increased by 27 percent from about 26,000 to about 33,100, citing statistics provided by MTR. 

More : 27pc increase in passengers for East Rail Line morning peak hours


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## hkskyline

*Grumblings over snafu at super interchange *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 25, 2022

The cross-harbor extension of the East Rail Line broke down at Admiralty Station during rush hour yesterday morning.

That was just 10 days after the extension went into service and the breakdown set off anger among some 5,000 passengers affected.

According to the MTR Corp, the train arrived at Admiralty Station at 8.46am and was involved in a turnaround in a tunnel when its captain discovered a mechanical malfunction.

The captain then notified the MTR's operations control center and after an initial inspection it was arranged for the malfunctioning train to be taken off the main track at Admiralty.

Also needing to be moved was a standby train parked on a sidetrack to allow the malfunctioning train to be put on that section instead.

More : Grumblings over snafu at super interchange


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## hkskyline

*Railway unions call for pay rise after MTR reports HK$9.55bn revenue *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 27, 2022

Two unions have asked MTR Corp Ltd for a pay rise no less than the levels of civil servants' rate hikes, citing the train company's HK$9.55 billion of revenue in 2021. 

The pay rise is only one of the three demands proposed by the Hong Kong Railway Workers General Union and the Federation of Hong Kong Transportation and Logistics Industry Unions. 

The other two are setting a pay rise mechanism based on seniority and announcing the salary median of MTR workers for future rate adjustments. 

More : Railway unions call for pay rise after MTR reports HK$9.55bn revenue


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## hkskyline

* Signal failure disrupts Island line MTR services *
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 1, 2022

A signal failure disrupted Island line MTR services at 12.47pm on Wednesday, according to the MTR Corporation.

The railway operator said due to a signaling fault near Kennedy Town Station, Island Line trains would operate at a slower speed between Chai Wan Station and Kennedy Town Station.

Trains were operating at 15-minute intervals.

More : Signal failure disrupts Island line MTR services


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*MTR Corp to install platform screen doors at Tai Po Market and Racecourse MTR Stations *
May 27, 2022
The Standard _Excerpt_ 

New automatic platform screen doors will be installed at the Tai Po Market Station and Racecourse Station on the East Rail Line in the mid-next year, the MTR Corporation told a Legislative Council meeting on Friday. 

Speaking to lawmakers during the meeting, a spokesperson of the railway company said relevant work for the installation is currently underway, with staff now adjusting the system to have trains stop precisely to align with the platform screen doors. 

Separately, lawmakers raised concerns over the false alarm on the monitoring system of the newly opened cross-harbor extension of the East Rail Line on Tuesday, which disrupted services during the morning rush hour. 

More : MTR Corp to install platform screen doors at Tai Po Market and Racecourse MTR Stations


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## hkskyline

Xiangfan Overhead Line Inspection Vehicle by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR ADL E500 12m - NF9153 by Bus Photo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

DSC06424 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Monk Kok East, 5 June 2022 by samuel. w, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

D058/D060,TLS02/TLN01,E96/E77 by Loh Wai Chung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Road closures, no-fly zones amid Xi sighting *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jun 29, 2022

Exhibition Centre MTR Station will be closed tomorrow and on Friday while drones will be banned across Hong Kong - with a stepped-up no-fly zone for aircraft around Victoria Harbour - during President Xi Jinping's expected visit for handover celebrations.

Police said yesterday they will offer personal protection and an escort fleet for Xi and core security areas will be set up in places he visits and passes.

...

The area near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai North, where the inauguration ceremony for John Lee Ka-chiu's government will be held on Friday morning, will be another core security zone. The HKCEC peninsula will be closed from 2am today.

More : Road closures, no-fly zones amid Xi sighting


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## hkskyline

nex7 olympus xa2 35 3.5 _DSC00363 by 19821018, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR to give away 75 annual passes with unlimited trips to celebrate HKSAR 25th anniversary*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jun 21, 2022 

The MTR is giving away 75 annual passes with unlimited subway trips for a year to its riders to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The news came as the railway company launched an “Instant Win” lucky draw promotion to give away 25,000 prizes per week for three consecutive weeks to mark the silver jubilee of the establishment of the HKSAR. 

Starting from June 28, for three consecutive Tuesdays, the “Instant Win” lucky draw will give out 25,000 prizes per week via MTR Mobile, for a total of 75,000 prizes, including MTR Annual Pass, MTR Free Domestic Single Ride, MTR Malls and MTR Shops eVoucher, and MTR fare discount. 

More : MTR to give away 75 annual passes with unlimited trips to celebrate HKSAR 25th anniversary


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## hkskyline

Interchange by https://www.flick


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## hkskyline

* How rail giant MTR Corp is moving Hong Kong closer to mainland China *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 4, 2022

When Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to Hong Kong last week for celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to China and the swearing-in of new leader John Lee Ka-chiu, he used the high-speed rail service connecting the city and the mainland.

The Chinese leader arrived with his entourage on Thursday afternoon, returned to Shenzhen at the end of the day, and repeated the train journey on Friday for the second day of his visit.

It put the spotlight on Hong Kong’s railway service, which has grown significantly in the 25 years since the British returned the city to China.

More : How the MTR Corp is moving Hong Kong closer to mainland China


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## hkskyline

* MTR Corp employees to get pay rise of at least 1.6pc *
The Standard _Excerpt_
July 6, 2022

The MTR Corporation on Wednesday revealed that most of its staff would receive a pay increase of at least 1.6 percent and a 1.5-month annual bonus this year after having their salaries frozen for the last two years. 

The salary increases will range from 1.6 percent to 5 percent according to employees’ performance. Those with outstanding performances will also be eligible for an annual bonus of at least 1.5 to a maximum of 2.17 times their monthly salary. 

Based on the company’s performance appraisal, most employees will enjoy a pay bump of 3.3 percent - 5 percent. The pay increases came into effect on July 1, according to the railway company.

More : MTR Corp employees to get pay rise of at least 1.6pc


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

Time killer by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong’s MTR Corp apologises to family of elderly man found dead in station toilet hours after missing report filed, vows to investigate *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 24, 2022

Hong Kong’s rail network operator has apologised after an elderly man was found dead in a toilet for people with disabilities at Hung Hom station four and a half hours after relatives first alerted staff members that he was missing inside one of the bathrooms.

The family and a district councillor on Sunday questioned whether the MTR Corporation was negligent in handling the missing person report, while one of the man’s sons claimed a doctor said the deceased would still be alive if he had been found earlier.

“The corporation understands and apologises for the queries aroused from the case, including the case handling and communications of the case on the day,” the company said after the family held a press conference in the morning. “At this stage, we are committed to completing the investigation as early as possible and will take follow-up actions and improvements to protocol seriously according to the investigation findings.”

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...-mtr-corp-apologises-family-elderly-man-found


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## hkskyline

* MTR apologizes over Hung Hom tragedy, pledges installation of motion sensors in accessible toilets *
The Standard _Excerpt_
July 24, 2022

The MTR Corporation on Sunday apologized for the queries aroused from the Hung Hom tragedy and pledged to install motion detectors in its accessible toilets.

The news came hours after the family of a 66-year-old man - who was found dead inside an accessible toilet in Hung Hom Station last Wednesday - held a press conference this morning accusing the railway operator of negligence.

The railway operator said in a statement that it has decided to conduct an internal investigation on the case handling, including a review of all the details from the receipt of call for assistance, and whether the guidelines and procedures of the corporation have been strictly followed by staff and related personnel. 

More : MTR apologizes over Hung Hom tragedy, pledges installation of motion sensors in accessible toilets


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## hkskyline

[email protected] by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Ho Man Tin Station*


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## hkskyline

Sunset-9078 by Johnny Yan, on Flickr


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## saiho




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## hkskyline

AIRPORT22_-57 by Cheng Harry, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

MTR ADTranz CAF-Train V601/V801 by Loh Wai Chung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Metro-Cammell EMU / A260 TWL021 by 悠亞姐姐-三上油壓工作室, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Q-Train Day time Dynamic Test A753/A754 by Loh Wai Chung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong’s MTR reveals broken emergency button in station toilet where elderly man was found dead in report sent to family of deceased *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Sept 29, 2022

Hong Kong’s sole rail operator has revealed for the first time that an emergency call button inside a toilet for people with disabilities at Hung Hom station where an elderly man died was broken in a report sent to the family members of the deceased.

Hui’s relatives on Thursday disclosed the findings of MTR Corporation’s investigation report which was sent to them one month after the tragedy in July. The report looked into why it took more than four hours to find Hui after family members first alerted staff that he was missing.

Family members of Hui said they believed the failure of the emergency system had led to his death and they were considering filing a civil lawsuit against the railway company.

More : Broken button in station toilet where elderly Hong Kong man died: MTR Corp


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## hkskyline

"the world is a reflection" by hugo poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSCF1115 by samuel. w, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

港鐵Brush電力機車 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Driver error causes MTR train car doors to open before platform, no injuries reported *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 13, 2022

The MTR’s Kwun Tong line saw an incident involving the opening of the doors of a moving train prior to it fully reaching the station platform. 

According to an announcement by the MTR on Thursday, a train captain suddenly opened the doors of a train on the Kwun Tong line, headed toward Yau Ma Tei station, at 6pm last night before one of its carriages had fully arrived at the platform. 

The captain soon noticed, however, and immediately closed the doors, allowing the train to restart and arrive at the correct position on the platform. 

More : Driver error causes MTR train car doors to open before platform, no injuries reported


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong Policy Address: New rail link among 6 major infrastructure projects, public transport subsidy extended *
Hong Kong Free Press _Excerpt_
Oct 19, 2022

A new rail link connecting Kam Tin in Yuen Long with Kowloon Tong was among six major infrastructure projects confirmed by Chief Executive John Lee in his first Policy Address on Wednesday. The new Central Rail Link is designed to alleviate pressure on the existing Tuen Ma Line – the city’s longest – and will help link areas in the Northern Metropolis development region with Kwai Chung and central Kowloon.

The new railway will serve as an extension of the Northern Link rail project, which is expected to complete construction in 2027. It will connect the East Rail Line with the Tuen Ma Line via the new development areas in the Northern Metropolis plan such as Kwu Tun and San Tin.

Government sources told HKFP on Tuesday that the new link may only have a few stops, and that Kowloon Tong was chosen as it was an interchange station.

More : Hong Kong Policy Address: New rail link among 6 major infrastructure projects, public transport subsidy extended - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP


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## hkskyline

pentax q kern 13mm 1.8_IMGP7386 by 19821018, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*FTU: policy speech let down congested eastern Kowloon*
RTHK _Excerpt_
Oct 21, 2022

John Lee's Policy Address failed to address the problems of a fast-growing area of eastern Kowloon that is congested and short of transport links, the Federation of Trade Unions said on Friday.

The unionist group said about 300,000 residents of areas such as Shun Tin and Sau Mau Ping were seeing their livelihoods suffer because they lacked mass transport links.

It expressed disappointment that the Chief Executive failed to announce help for the area, especially given that a further 100,000 people are expected to move to new public housing there in future.

Officials had put forward plans in 2014 for an East Kowloon MTR line that would serve the area. Lee announced six major transport projects in his policy blueprint on Wednesday, including a Tseung Kwan O line extension and a new Central Rail Link to connect Kam Tin in Yuen Long with Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung, but the East Kowloon line was not mentioned.

More : https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1672045-20221021.htm


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## hkskyline

DSC01870 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* 'Trackless transit' to ease Kowloon East woes: Lam *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Oct 24, 2022

Transport Secretary Lam Sai-hung said on Monday that the government was looking at innovative transit technology to ease transport problems in eastern Kowloon as he confirmed that the idea of an MTR line for the area was no longer on the agenda.

The Federation of Trade Unions had questioned why improving transport for Sau Mau Ping, Choi Wan and Shun Tin was not mentioned in Chief Executive John Lee's Policy Address last week, but Lam said the administration was now looking at an elevated, trackless system for the area.

Asked why the MTR line was no longer proposed, Lam said "because when we explore further, we find that the rate the railway climbs, there has to be a limit and this will result in very deep stations and that will become very costly.

"That is why we explore an alternative. We call it the elevated, trackless rapid transit system, to replace the original heavy rail system."

Lam said officials were still studying the idea and expected to have an outcome in the first half of next year to put to the public.

FTU lawmaker Bill Tang, who represents Kowloon East, had said on Friday that 300,000 people living in the area were seeing their livelihoods suffer because of a lack of mass transit, a problem that would be made worse as a further 100,000 residents move in in the coming years.

The party questioned why the East Kowloon MTR line, first put forward in a railway development plan in 2014, was not included in the Policy Address, and suggested a rubber-tyred metro line linking the area to the MTR network as an alternative.

More : 'Trackless transit' to ease Kowloon East woes: Lam - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Planners to raise game as MTR fix goes off rails *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 25, 2022

Authorities are exploring the possibility of building an elevated rapid transit system to ease traffic congestion in east Kowloon as the idea of an MTR line in the area has been dropped, says the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai-hung.

The trackless system aims to improve transport for Sau Mau Ping, Choi Wan and Shun Tin, where 300,000 people are now living and 100,000 more are expected to move to public housing estates there in the future.

Lam said yesterday previous plans to build an MTR line in east Kowloon was dropped due to technical difficulties. The government will give more details of the new system in the first half of next year.

"We found that for the rate of the railway climbs, there has to be a limit, and this will result in very deep stations, and that will become very costly," Lam said.

"Also, the overall transport performance will be diminished because of the inconvenience of passengers traveling from the ground level down to the stations. That is why we explore an alternative. We call it the 'elevated trackless rapid transit system,' to replace the original heavy rail system," he said.

More : Planners to raise game as MTR fix goes off rails


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong Disneyland MTR Train by globetrekimages, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

COVID-19-Mass transit Railway, Hong Kong by Edmond Chau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DSC07512 2 by bento.memories, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Research into new updated rail system planned for East Kowloon *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 2, 2022

The transport chief announced today that the scheme of the East Kowloon Line will plan to construct an elevated trackless rapid transit system instead of rails and is scheduled to start in the first half of next year. 

In the Legislative Council today, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung confirmed that the new line will extend from Po Tat via Sau Mau Ping, Shun On, Shun Lee, and Choi Wan, connecting with MTR Choi Hung Station. 

According to a proposal for the city’s railway development issued in 2014, the government initially planned the construction of the East Kowloon Line railway to connect the Diamond Hill Station of the MTR Kwun Tong Line and the Po Lam Station of the MTR Tseung Kwan O Line via Choi Wan, Shun Tin, Sau Mau Ping, and Po Tat. 

However, after the study, authorities decided to develop the East Kowloon line as an "elevated trackless rapid transit system" rather than a heavy railway system, and it will switch to running through areas from Choi Hung to Sau Mau Ping only. 

“That’s due to the fact that the project will encounter significant technical difficulties, including constructing deep underground stations, railway tunnels, and very long service passages for connection to the ground level on hilly terrain in the uphill areas,” explained the transport minister. 

More : Research into new updated rail system planned for East Kowloon


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## hkskyline

"you're not alone..." by hugo poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR to honor disabled with free rides on November 13*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Nov 1, 2022

To support this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the MTR Corporation is offering free rides to disabled commuters and their caretakers on November 1.

Any passengers using their personalized Octopus cards with “Persons with Disabilities Status” can simply hop on any MTR, Light Rails, and MTR buses that day free of charge.

They can also present their valid Registration Card for People with Disabilities at any MTR Customer Service Centre to redeem themselves and their caretaker free Single Journey Tickets.

More : MTR to honor disabled with free rides on November 13


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## hkskyline

IKK SP1950 EMU by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*MTR top brass may pay for accidents *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 1, 2022

Senior MTR Corp managers may suffer pay and bonus cuts upon train mishaps, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said yesterday, with authorities set to request the railway operator adjust executives' wages based to the severity of the blunders.

In a Legislative Council transport panel meeting, Lam said the government will keep urging the MTRC to speed up the replacement of old trains, after a derailment last month raised concerns about four-decade-old trains.

That saw a train go off the rails at Yau Ma Tei station on November 13, ripping off two sets of doors and causing a partial service suspension on the Tsuen Wan line for the rest of the day.

More : MTR top brass may pay for accidents


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## hkskyline

* MTRC under fire in Legco over November train accident *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 2, 2022 

The MTR Corporation (MTRC) on Friday came under fire during a Legco panel meeting, with lawmakers complaining that the firm did not prevent an accident that saw two pairs of doors ripped off a train at Yau Ma Tei Station last month.

Business and Professionals Alliance legislator Lo Wai-kwok said the MTRC failed to learn from the experience of previous mishaps in recent years, including an incident involving a set of doors coming off a train at Causeway Bay Station in December 2021.

The firm apologised again for last month's incident, saying it plans to submit a final investigation report in two months, and complete a comprehensive survey on its trackside equipment.

More : MTRC under fire in Legco over November train accident - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Passengers evacuated through railway tunnel in Hong Kong after services disrupted by fault on MTR train *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Dec 5, 2022 

Passengers were forced to evacuate through a railway tunnel on Monday morning after Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation announced services had been disrupted on the Tseung Kwan O line due to an equipment fault on a train.

Photos show passengers walking along the tracks guided by an MTR employee in the second such evacuation in a month.

A source said couplings connecting two compartments of a train travelling from Lohas Park station to Tseung Kwan O station had twisted and failed to function at about 8.30am.

“The train suddenly emitted a very loud bumpy sound before it halted and the electricity went out. We suspect the train hit something again,” the insider said.

The rail giant said engineers were carrying out emergency repair work and that it would take some time to move the faulty train from the tracks.

More : Passengers evacuated through tunnel in Hong Kong after rail services disrupted


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## hkskyline

* Fresh MTR drama sparks another tunnel evacuation *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 5, 2022 

Hundreds of MTR passengers were forced to abandon a train and walk along the tracks on Monday morning after a fault in the coupling between two carriages sparked the second tunnel evacuation in less than a month.

Firefighters were sent to the scene at Tseung Kwan O Station to assist with the evacuation of some 1,500 people. Two of the passengers felt unwell and were taken to hospital.

The incident, at around 8.30am, led to around four hours of service disruption to much of the Tseung Kwan O Line.

More : Fresh MTR drama sparks another tunnel evacuation - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* MTR to review asset management and maintenance *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 5, 2022 

The MTR Corporation on Monday said it's deeply concerned about two recent incidents involving its trains that severely disrupted services.

In a statement issued after the breakdown of a train on Monday morning on the Tseung Kwan O Line, the rail company announced it will carry out a comprehensive review of its asset management and maintenance regime.

After being briefed on the recent railway service incidents, the MTR Board urged "the MTR management to carry out in-depth investigations and make improvements to ensure a safe and reliable train service."

More : MTR to review asset management and maintenance - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* 'Faulty coupler part caused TKO train to break down' *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 8, 2022 

The MTR Corporation said a preliminary investigation found that a fault in the coupling between two carriages led to the breakdown of a train on the Tseung Kwan O line on Monday.

The railway firm said at a media briefing on Thursday that after a thorough inspection, it’s found a faulty part in the coupler between the sixth and seventh carriage, which triggered the safety system and stopped the train.

The company’s Operations Director, Tony Lee, said the manufacturer of the component has sent representatives to Hong Kong to help with the probe, adding that an initial report has been submitted to the government.

More : 'Faulty coupler part caused TKO train to break down' - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Device behind recent MTR disconnect last checked in 2018 *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 14, 2022 

Energy absorption devices of couplers connecting train carriages, like the one involved in last week's MTR train incident, are put through routine maintenance checks once every nine years, with the last inspection conducted on the one in question being in 2018, officials of the railway operator said yesterday.

The mishap disrupted services during morning rush hours on December 5 between Tiu Keng Leng and Po Lam stations, and between Tiu Keng Leng and Lohas Park stations for about four hours, and forced 1,500 passengers to walk through the tunnel to the Tseung Kwan O station.

According to the rail operator's preliminary investigation, the malfunction was caused by a mechanical failure of the energy absorption device of the coupler connecting the sixth and seventh train cars.

More : Device behind recent MTR disconnect last checked in 2018


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## hkskyline

NR6_8172 by NEO CHONG, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* MTR to resume overnight festive train services *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 19, 2022 

The MTR Corporation has announced on Monday that it will provide overnight train service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, except for on the Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Lines.

Services on the Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line and East Rail Line will be stepped up from 8pm on December 24 and 31, while MTR Bus routes 506, K51 and K54 will have their services times extended.

Overnight train services on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve had been suspended for the last two years due to the pandemic.

More : MTR to resume overnight festive train services - RTHK


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## hkskyline

MTR 8002, Fo Tan by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Introduce profitability index to bar MTR from increasing fares if recorded profits: DAB *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 19, 2022 

The largest pro-establishment party proposes the government add a profitability index to prevent MTR Corporation from increasing fare prices during the years they turned a profit, and increase the maximum fine to HK$50 million for each incident.

The government are having their third review regarding the MTR Fare Adjustment Mechanism (FAM). The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) states that MTR has been profiting for the past few years, but under the FAM, the corporation can constantly increase fares, leading to dissatisfaction among the public.

The party hopes introducing the profitability index could help against the constant fare increase.

More : Introduce profitability index to bar MTR from increasing fares if recorded profits: DAB


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## hkskyline

Hong Kong MTR by Malia Pedersen, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong government panel to scrutinise MTR Corp review of operations after two high-profile incidents in space of three weeks *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Dec 23, 2022 

The Hong Kong government has set up an independent panel led by engineering experts to “closely oversee” an MTR Corporation review of its operations after two major railway incidents in the space of three weeks.

The government said it was “deeply concerned” and that the panel would ensure the review by the train operator was “comprehensive, in-depth, sound and thorough”, a spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said on Friday.

“The panel will submit a report to the secretary for transport and logistics upon completion of the relevant review, and make recommendations on matters relating to railway safety regulation so as to maintain the safety and reliability of railway services in Hong Kong,” he said.

More : Hong Kong government panel to oversee MTR review after high-profile incidents


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## hkskyline

* Govt to fully fund trackless transit system connecting Po Tat and Choi Hung *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 3, 2023

The government will wholly fund the construction of an elevated trackless rapid transit system in East Kowloon connecting Po Tat and Choi Hung, said the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions on Tuesday.

"The route of the system will be less than five kilometres, starting from Po Tat via Sau Mau Ping, Shun On, Shun Lee, and Choi Wan to Choi Hung East Station, to provide the journey time from Po Tat to Choi Hung East around 10 minutes," said lawmaker Tang Ka-piu after the federation launched a meeting with the Transport and Logistics Bureau this morning.

According to the authority, the to-be-built Choi Hung East Station will be located next to St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, 100 metres away from the existing Choi Hung MTR Station.

More : Govt to fully fund trackless transit system connecting Po Tat and Choi Hung


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## hkskyline

North Point MTR station, Hong Kong by lai king yin, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Services to border will be ramped up, says MTR *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Jan 6, 2023

The MTR Corporation said on Friday that it is ramping up train services to Lok Ma Chau Station, which will be the busiest border crossing when quarantine-free travel with the mainland resumes.

Up to 35,000 Hong Kong residents can head north each day via Lok Ma Chau from January 8, with the same number of mainlanders able to travel in the opposite direction.

On top of this, SAR and mainland residents can return to their own side of the border without having to secure a place under the quota arrangement.

More : Services to border will be ramped up, says MTR - RTHK


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## hkskyline

*Cross-border rail travel gathering steam*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jan 10, 2023

Local commuters taking the East Rail Line said it took longer than usual for them to go to work yesterday morning as travelers between Hong Kong and the mainland took advantage of the quarantine-free arrangement on the first working day after borders reopened.

At Tai Wai station, trains bound for Admiralty and Lok Ma Chau were running at two-minute intervals during the morning rush hour.

Seats were still available on trains to Lok Ma Chau but trains to Admiralty were packed.

More : Cross-border rail travel gathering steam


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