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Rail transport in Hong Kong

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An Metro Cammell electric multiple unit running on the Tsuen Wan line

Hong Kong's rail network mainly comprises public transport trains operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC). The MTRC operates the metro network of the territory, the commuter rail network connecting the northeastern, northwestern and southwestern New Territories to the urban areas, and a light rail network in northwestern New Territories. The operations of the territory's two leading railway companies, MTRC and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), were merged in 2007 on grounds of economies of scale and cost effectiveness.[citation needed] The Hong Kong Government has an explicit stated[clarification needed] transport policy of using railways as its transport backbone.[1]

In addition to the MTR network, there are several smaller-scale railways run by different operators, including the Peak Tram and the Hong Kong Tramways, and other systems including the Disneyland Railroad and the Ocean Express.

History

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See also: Trams in Hong Kong § History, KCR § History, and MTR § History

The first mode of rail transport for the public in Hong Kong was the Peak Tram, serving The Peak (at Victoria Gap), the Mid-Levels and the city centre since 1888. This was followed by the Mount Parker Cable Car in 1892, but this system was terminated in 1932 and dismantled. The tram started service along the northern coast of the Hong Kong Island in 1904. The British Section of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (later the KCR East Rail, and now the East Rail line), a conventional railway, was opened in 1910.

It was not until 1979 that a rapid transit system, the MTR, was opened. Three years later, the British Section of the Kowloon–Canton Railway began its transition towards electrification, which changed it into a commuter rail, and eventually providing rapid transit-like service. The Light Rail Transit (LRT, now the MTR Light Rail) began its operation in the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long new towns in 1988. The two railway companies, MTR Corporation Limited and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, merged their operations in 2007 to form a single rapid transit network, with the KCRC granting the MTRCL a service concession to operate their KCR network.

In 2018, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway opened to connect Hong Kong with the Mainland Chinese high speed network through a 26-kilometre (16 mi) tunnel within Hong Kong to West Kowloon station. It has many train services to many Mainland Chinese cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, until service was suspended since midnight of 30 January 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

There are several extensions planned, such as Tung Chung West station and North Island line.

Trams and funiculars

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See also: Trams in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Tramways map

MTR

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Causeway Bay MTR station on the Island line
Main article: MTR
See also: Rapid transit in Hong Kong

Including lines owned and most of which previously operated by the KCR Corporation, the MTR network for local service comprises 10 heavy rail lines with 97 railway stations[needs update] and one light rail network with 68 stops:

This system makes about HK$2 billion in profit in 2014 which is mainly generated from its property holding and development business.[5][needs update] Its portfolio include two of the city's tallest skyscrapers.[5]

Cross-border services

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Through trains

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Main articles: Guangzhou–Kowloon through train, Beijing–Kowloon through train, and Shanghai–Kowloon through train

Commonly known as through train (chi. 直通車), the MTRC and railway companies of mainland China jointly provided cross-border train services from Hung Hom station, Kowloon, sharing most of the tracks with the East Rail line, to destinations in mainland China through neighbouring Shenzhen on three Through Train routes, namely Beijing line (to/from Beijing West), Shanghai line (to/from Shanghai) and Guangdong line (to/from Guangzhou East); these services have been suspended since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic from 30 January 2020 onwards. The Through Train service to Guangzhou (formerly Canton) was a legacy of Hong Kong's first railway, the Kowloon–Canton Railway. Outside Hong Kong it was operated through the rail network in mainland China, including the Guangshen railway, Jingguang railway and Hukun railway.

High speed rail

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High speed train to Hong Kong departing Guangzhou South station
West Kowloon station in Hong Kong, adjacent to Kowloon station and Austin station

A high-speed rail link connects Hong Kong with Shenzhen and Guangzhou in mainland China. The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (sometimes abbreviated "XRL HK section") is a 26-km long stretch of high-speed rail that links Hong Kong to mainland China. The Hong Kong section opened for commercial service on 23 September 2018.[6] From West Kowloon Terminus, trains run through regional stations in Guandong Province, including Futian, Longhua (Shenzhen North), and Humen, to Guangzhou South station and other cities in other provinces.[7][8]

With the completion of the rail link, the journey times have been reduced to 14 minutes between West Kowloon and Futian stations, 23 minutes between Hong Kong and Shenzhen North and 48 minutes between Hong Kong and Guangzhou South.[9] The service is a cooperation between the MTR Corporation and CR Guangzhou.

West Kowloon station is served by both short-distance and long-haul train services. Short-distance services consist of a frequent service to mainland Chinese cities in neighbouring Guangdong province, including Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou, while long-distance services link Hong Kong to at least 16 major destinations in mainland China, including Beijing West, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East, Wuhan, Changsha South and Shanghai Hongqiao.[10]

A new railway connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong was proposed in the late 1990s by the Government of Hong Kong. This Regional Express Railway (RER) proposal was developed in the 1994 “Railway Development Study” (RDS); it foresaw a continual growth of Hong Kong's population over the next two decades and strong demand for cross-border passenger traffic.[11] By 2002, the concept of “regional express” gained further development and the proposal was advanced to be a high-speed rail line.[12] Construction of the Hong Kong section began in 2010. Following delays and controversies,[13][14][15] West Kowloon station was formally opened on 4 September 2018 and high speed trains started to run on the rail link to destinations in Mainland China from 23 September 2018.[16]

Station Name
English 		Station Name
Chinese 		Total
Distance 		Transfer Location
Hong Kong West Kowloon 香港西九龍 / 香港西九龙 MTR Tung Chung line Airport Express (via Kowloon)
MTR Tuen Ma line (via Austin) 		Yau Tsim Mong, Hong Kong

A second cross-border express railway, the Hong Kong–Shenzhen Western Express Railway, was proposed in the 2000s but shelved amidst concern over costs and the environment. The shelved proposal has been revived in October 2021 by the territory's then Chief Executive.[17][18][19]

Higher-speed capacity

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Apart from the XRL mentioned above, MTR's trainsets for the Guangdong service, namely Lok 2000 locomotives and its carriages the Ktt, are designed to be able to run at 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) but do not operate at those speeds on the tracks of the East Rail. The SP1900 EMUs (IKK trains; in reference to the Itochu, Kinki Sharyo and Kawasaki consortium) on the Tuen Ma line and formerly on the East Rail may run at 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) but also do not operate at those speeds on those lines.

Automated People Mover

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There is an Automated People Mover (APM),[20] a driverless electric train service, which is located at the basement level of Terminal 1 of Hong Kong International Airport. It travels the length of the 750-metre (2,460 ft) concourse between the East Hall and West Hall on a circular mode. Running at a speed of 62 km per hour, each APM carries 304 passengers in four cars. The APM operates every 2.5 minutes from 0600 to 0030 hours every day. It transports passengers whose flights are located at the West Hall, Southwest and Northwest concourses.

An Automated People Mover was also proposed by the territory's Chief Executive to connect Tsim Bei Tsui, Lau Fau Shan and Pak Nai in northwestern New Territories by the Deep Bay.[17][21][22][23]

Other minor systems

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Rail gauges and power supply

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See also: Track gauge in Hong Kong

Rail gauges and power supply of Hong Kong rails.

Rail Rail gauge Power supply Remarks Signal system Height of platform Width of widest car (mm) Loading gauge width (mm) Height of tallest car (mm) Height clearance Height of contact wire

(mm)

MTR      Island line,      South Island line,      Kwun Tong line,      Tseung Kwan O line,      Tsuen Wan line (collectively Urban Lines except for South Island line)[24] 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in) (except for West Island line, South Island line, and Kwun Tong line extension)
(almost standard gauge)

1435 mm (West Island line, South Island line, and Kwun Tong line extension)

1500 V DC [1] overhead cable Urban Lines:

SACEM and SACEM-SICAS for TKL, all lines to be upgraded to SelTrac in the 2020s

     South Island line:

Alstom Urbalis 400

1100 mm (43.3 in) 3118 3250 (with fixed platform gap filler) 3312 (without gap filler)

3940 (without platform)[25]

3700 (MTR Metro Cammell EMU (DC) without pantograph)

3910 (MTR Metro Cammell EMU (DC) with pantograph folded)

3755 mm (without pantograph)[25]

4100 mm (with pantograph folded)

(~4904 mm with pantograph folded in depots)

4200 mm (nominal and min., as built to same standards as Tung Chung line and Airport Express);

(~5029 mm in depots)

MTR      Tung Chung line,      Airport Express (collectively known as Airport Railway) 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)

(almost standard gauge)

1500 V DC (nominal) [2]; 1520 ± 20 V DC (in practice)[26] overhead cable SACEM, all lines to be upgraded to SelTrac in the 2020s 1250 mm (49.2 in)[25] 3118 (MTR Rotem EMU) 3250 (with fixed platform gap filler) 3312 (without gap filler)

3940 (without platform)[25]

3700 (MTR Adtranz–CAF EMU without pantograph) 3755 mm (without pantograph)[25]

4100 mm (with pantograph folded)

(~4904 mm with pantograph folded in depots)

4200 mm (nominal and min.);

4224.78 mm (mean);

4230 mm (max. on running lines)[26](~5029 mm in depot)

MTR      Disneyland Resort line 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)

(almost standard gauge)

1500 V DC [3] overhead cable SelTrac CBTC/R UTO 1100 mm (43.3 in) 3096 3250 (with fixed platform gap filler) 3312 (without gap filler)

3940 (without platform)[25]

3700 (without pantograph)

3910 (with pantograph folded)

3755 mm (without pantograph)[25]

4100 mm (with pantograph folded)

(~4904 mm with pantograph folded in depots)

4200 mm (nominal and min., as built to same standards as Tung Chung line and Airport Express);

(~5029 mm in depot)

(note: depot shared with Airport Railway)

MTR      East Rail line,      Tuen Ma line (formerly operated by KCR/KCRC) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge)		 25 kV AC overhead cable electrical supply same standard as railways in mainland China      East Rail line:

Siemens Trainguard MT CBTC

     Tuen Ma line: SelTrac CBTC DTO

3 ft 6 in (1066.8mm)[27] 3220 (MTR Hyundai Rotem EMU)[clarification needed] 3250 (with fixed platform gap filler) 3300 (without gap filler)

~3900 (without platform)

4600

(Ktt Kinki Sharyo coach)[28]

16 ft 6 in (5029.2 mm) (with pantograph folded) 17 ft 4 in (5283.2 mm)[27] (nominal and minimum)
MTR      Light Rail (formerly operated by KCR/KCRC) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge)		 750 V DC overhead cable Siemens Trainguard IMU 100 910 mm

(35.8 in)

2650 2670 5250 mm (with pantograph folded) 5300 mm (nominal and minimum)
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge) 		25 kV AC overhead cable everything[clarification needed] same standard as railways in mainland China 1250 mm (49.2 in) 3380 3400 5250 mm (with pantograph folded) 5300 mm[29] (nominal and minimum)
Peak Tram 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
(Russian gauge)		 N/A N/A Funicular
Hong Kong Tramways 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 550 V DC overhead cable N/A 20 ft 8 in (6299.2 mm) (with trolley pole folded) (estimated) 21 ft (6400.8 mm) (estimated)
Hong Kong International Airport Automated People Mover N/A (Automated guideway transit) 3-phase 600 V AC Third Rail SelTrac
Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad 3 ft (914 mm) N/A N/A powered by three steam-shaped diesel locomotives
Ocean Park Ocean Express [zh] 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(Standard gauge)		 N/A N/A Funicular

List of densely populated places without rail transport

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MTR route map

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MTR System Map with effect from 15 May 2022

Former systems

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See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rail transport in Hong Kong.
  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "'Ocean Express' funicular railway at Ocean Park". 8 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Ocean Express--Regulatory Control, Operation and Maintenance Experience" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Highways Department - Lift and Pedestrian Walkway System between Kwai Shing Circuit and Hing Shing Road, Kwai Chung".
  5. ^ a b Sigalos, MacKenzie (30 March 2015). "How Hong Kong's subway turns a $2 billion annual profit". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  6. ^ "XRL to start operation on September 23". The Standard. 23 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Transport and Housing Bureau - Policy / Issues in Focus". www.thb.gov.hk.
  8. ^ "HONG KONG SECTION OF GUANGZHOU-SHENZHEN-HONG KONG EXPRESS RAIL LINK PROJECT PROFILE" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Key Information". Express Rail Link. MTR Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Frequency and Capacity". MTR Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  11. ^ "立法会参考资料摘要：铁路发展策略" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 16 May 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  12. ^ "广深港间拟建区域快线 可能采用磁悬浮列车". 新华网. 1 February 2002. Archived from the original on 18 December 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  13. ^ "High speed rail link project delayed". RTHK. 16 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Severely damaged TBM to delay Hong Kong XRL". Tunnellingjournal.com. 16 April 2014.
  15. ^ Benjamin Haas (in Seoul) (4 September 2018). "Hong Kong cedes part of rail station to China in secretive ceremony". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Mainland port area of cross-border express rail link terminus opens". Xinhua Net. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  17. ^ a b "New rail link to Shenzhen proposed - RTHK".
  18. ^ "news.gov.hk - Northwestern rail link essential: CE".
  19. ^ "Hong Kong leader to 'unveil plans for Qianhai rail link' in policy address". 16 September 2021.
  20. ^ "In-Terminal Transport". Archived from the original on 13 October 2007.
  21. ^ Shum, Michael; Wang, Wallis (7 October 2021). "New rail links to power north vision". The Standard. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
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  23. ^ "The Chief Executive's 2021 Policy Address - Policy Address".
  24. ^ MTR Urban Lines Vision Train
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Cheung, Kam-Cheung (1995). "Redevelopment of Kowloon Station". HKU Scholars Hub. doi:10.5353/th_b3198232 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  26. ^ a b Shing, Adrian (12 September 2012). "Predicting the Contact Wire Wear of a Railway System Using ANN". Rail Knowledge Bank. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  27. ^ a b "Under the Wires to Lo Wu". The Railway Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  28. ^ "MTR Corporation Hong Kong, China Passenger Car". Kinki Sharyo. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  29. ^ Cheng, William (15 June 2014). "A Design Overview of Traction Power Supply System for the First High-speed Rail System in Hong Kong" (PDF). Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
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