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. The Hong Kong Government has an explicit stated transport policy of using railways as its transport backbone. 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
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
Hong Kong Tramways: Double-decker trams, running on the north shore of Hong Kong Island from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan. Light Rail: A light rail network in the Northwest New Territories with high floor vehicles and partial street running. Peak Tram: A funicular railway with six stations, connecting Central and the Victoria Peak. Po Fook Hill Elevator: A funicular railway with two stations, connecting the car park and the upper section of Po Fook Hill Cemetery. Discovery Bay Elevator: A funicular railway with two stations, connecting Discovery Bay North Plaza and Amalfi. Ocean Express Between Tai Wo Hau Road and Wo Tong Tsui Street in Kwai Chung
MTR
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 and one light rail network with 68 stops:
East Rail line: between Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau and Admiralty (formerly part of KCR/KCRC) Kwun Tong line: between Whampoa and Tiu Keng Leng Tsuen Wan line: between Tsuen Wan and Central Island line: between Kennedy Town and Chai Wan South Island line: between Admiralty and South Horizons Tung Chung line: between Tung Chung and Hong Kong Tseung Kwan O line: between Po Lam/LOHAS Park and North Point Disneyland Resort line: between Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort Tuen Ma line: between Wu Kai Sha to Tuen Mun (formerly part of KCR/KCRC for Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai section, and Hung Hom to Tuen Mun section; remainder owned by the government through the KCRC following an injection of assets) Airport Express: between AsiaWorld-Expo/Airport and Hong Kong Light Rail: a light rail network with 11 lines and 68 stops serving the northwest New Territories (formerly part of KCR/KCRC) This system makes about HK$2 billion in profit in 2014 which is mainly generated from its property holding and development business. Its portfolio include two of the city's tallest skyscrapers.
Cross-border services
Through trains
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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