MTR railways

MTR railways are safe, efficient, reliable, comfortable and environment-friendly mass carriers. They are the backbone of the public transport system, and are essential to Hong Kong’s continued economic, social and geographic development. They account for about 41 percent of daily public transport passenger travel and about 55 percent of land-based cross-boundary passenger trips to the mainland. The railways are run by MTR Co., Ltd. (MTRCL), a publicly listed company of which the government is the majority shareholder.

By the end of 2015, there were 85 stations in the 177.4-km network. The MTRCL also operates the 35.2-km Airport Express connecting urban areas to Hong Kong International Airport and Asia World-Expo, and a 36.2-km-long light rail network which makes 68 stops in the northwest New Territories. Light rail feeder bus services provide rail passengers with a more comprehensive service network. The entire system carries an average of around 5.1 million passengers each day.

Tramway

Electric trams have been running on Hong Kong Island since 1904. Hong Kong Tramways Ltd. runs seven routes on 13-km of double tracks along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, and about 3-km of single tracks around Happy Valley. The company’s 166 trams, including two open-balcony trams for tourists and private hire and three special maintenance trams, make up the world’s largest fleet of double-deck trams in operation. The tramway recorded a daily average of 180,000 passenger trips in 2015.

Peak Tram

Hong Kong’s other tramway is a cable-hauled funicular railway operated by Peak Tramways Co. Ltd. from Garden Road in Central to The Peak. The 1.4-km line began operation in 1888 and was modernized in 1989. In 2015, the Peak Tram recorded an average of 17,500 passenger trips a day. (SD-Agencies)

(This section is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return and the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen Daily, which will fall on the same day — July 1.)