Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

's rail network mainly comprises public transport trains operated by the

MTR Corporation Limited MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong K ...

(MTRC). The MTRC operates the metro network of the territory, the commuter rail network connecting the northeastern, northwestern and southwestern

New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...

to the urban areas, and a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

network in northwestern

. The operations of the territory's two leading railway companies, MTRC and the

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC; ) is a Government of Hong Kong, Hong Kong State-owned enterprise, wholly government-owned railway and land Asset management, asset manager. It was established in 1982 under the Kowloon-Canton Railw ...

(KCRC), were merged in 2007 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 The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot () narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in ...

and the Ocean Express.

History

The first mode of rail transport for the public in

was the Peak Tram, serving The Peak (at Victoria Gap), the

Mid-Levels Mid-Levels () is an affluent residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located between Victoria Peak and Central. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate professionals. It has a population ...

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 A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

started service along the northern coast of the

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

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 The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...

, 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 Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

(LRT, now the MTR Light Rail) began its operation in the

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...

and

Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang Wa ...

new towns in 1988. The two railway companies,

and

, 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

with the Mainland Chinese high speed network through a tunnel within Hong Kong to West Kowloon station. It has many train services to many

Mainland Chinese Mainland Chinese or mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC) ...

cities such as

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

and

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, until service was suspended since midnight of 30 January 2020 amidst the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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

Trams and funiculars

* Hong Kong Tramways: Double-decker

s, running on the north shore of

from Kennedy Town to

Shau Kei Wan Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east, Mount Parker (Hong Kong), Mount Parker to the south, Sai Wan Ho to the west, and ...

. *

Light Rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

: A light rail network in the Northwest

with high floor vehicles and partial street running. * Peak Tram: A

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

with six stations, connecting Central and the

Victoria Peak Victoria Peak ( zh, t=太平山, j=taai3 ping4 saan1) is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the tallest hill on Hong Kong Isla ...

. * Po Fook Hill Elevator: A

with two stations, connecting the car park and the upper section of Po Fook Hill Cemetery. * Discovery Bay Elevator: A

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

network for local service comprises 10

heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleratio ...

lines with 97 railway stations and one light rail network with 68 stops: * : between Lo Wu/

Lok Ma Chau Lok Ma Chau or Lokmachau is an area in New Territories, Hong Kong. It is the site of a major pedestrian (linked directly to the Hong Kong MTR) and road border Lok Ma Chau Control Point, crossing point between Hong Kong and mainland China. Ad ...

and Admiralty (formerly part of KCR/KCRC) * : between Whampoa and Tiu Keng Leng * : between

Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a New towns of Hong Kong, town built on a bay in the New Territories West (constituency), western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite Tsing Yi, Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market ...

and Central * : between Kennedy Town and Chai Wan * : between Admiralty and South Horizons * : between Tung Chung and

* : between Po Lam/

LOHAS Park LOHAS Park () is a Hong Kong seaside private residential development of the MTR Corporation. Overlooking Junk Bay, it is located in Tseung Kwan O Area 86, New Territories. Name and concept Formerly named 'Dream City', it was renamed LOHAS ...

and

North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Causeway Bay and Tsat Tsz Mui that projects ...

* : between Sunny Bay and

Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Experiences division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland and Dis ...

* : between Wu Kai Sha to

(formerly part of KCR/KCRC for Wu Kai Sha to

Tai Wai Tai Wai (Chinese: 大圍 ) is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District. With three rapid transit stations, one of which an interchange station serving two lines, fiv ...

section, and Hung Hom to

section; remainder owned by the government through the KCRC following an injection of assets) * : between AsiaWorld-Expo/

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

and

* : a

network with 11 lines and 68 stops serving the northwest

(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 Kowloon () is one of the areas of Hong Kong, three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a populat ...

, sharing most of the tracks with the

East Rail line The East Rail line () is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the rapid transit, mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu station, Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau station, Lok Ma Chau, both of which are Border checkpoint, b ...

, to destinations in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

through neighbouring

on three Through Train routes, namely Beijing line (to/from Beijing West), Shanghai line (to/from

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

) and

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

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 The Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR; ) was a railway network in Hong Kong.Legislative Council information paper CB(1)357/07-08(0 THB(T) CR 8/986/00, CB(1)1749/07-08(0/ref> It was owned and operated by the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (KC ...

. 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

A high-speed rail link connects Hong Kong with

and

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 High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

that links Hong Kong to

. The Hong Kong section opened for commercial service on 23 September 2018. 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. 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. The service is a cooperation between the

MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong K ...

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. A new railway connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong was proposed in the late 1990s by the

Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover 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. By 2002, the concept of “regional express” gained further development and the proposal was advanced to be a high-speed rail line. Construction of the Hong Kong section began in 2010. Following delays and controversies, 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. 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.

Higher-speed capacity

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 but do not operate at those speeds on the tracks of the East Rail. The SP1900 EMUs (IKK trains; in reference to the

Itochu is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It is one of the largest Japanese ''sogo shosha'' (general trading and investment companies) distinguished by the strength of its textil ...

Kinki Sharyo is a Japanese manufacturer of railroad vehicles based in Osaka. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation. In business since 1920 as Tanaka Rolling Stock Works, and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945, they produce rolling stock f ...

and Kawasaki consortium) on the Tuen Ma line and formerly on the East Rail may run at but also do not operate at those speeds on those lines.

Automated People Mover

There is an Automated People Mover (APM), a driverless electric train service, which is located at the basement level of Terminal 1 of

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...

. It travels the length of the 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.

Other minor systems

* Ocean Park Cable Car * Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad * Ngong Ping 360 (a bicable gondola lift owned and operated by MTRCL) * A track inside the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy

Rail gauges and power supply

Rail gauges and power supply of Hong Kong rails.

List of densely populated places without rail transport

* Hong Kong Island **

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

** Wah Fu ** Bel-Air (

Cyberport Cyberport is a business park in Southern District, Hong Kong, Southern District, Hong Kong, consisting of four office buildings, a hotel, and a retail entertainment complex. It describes itself as a List of technology centers, digital ...

) ** Pok Fu Lam **

Siu Sai Wan Siu Sai Wan () is a residential area in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located in the eastern part of Chai Wan, and is administratively under the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District. The population wa ...

* Kowloon ** Most of Tai Wo Ping (Shek Kip Mei) ** Tsz Wan Shan **

Sau Mau Ping Sau Mau Ping () is an area part of Kwun Tong District, in eastern Kowloon, Hong Kong. Name Its Chinese name was formerly So Mau Ping (), but this was often mis-rendered So Mo Ping (), meaning a place to 'Ancestor worship, visit one's ancestor ...

and Shun Lee ** Most of

San Po Kong San Po Kong () is an area in New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is largely industrial and partly residential. Administratively, it belongs to Wong Tai Sin District. Location San Po Kong is located south of Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin and ...

* New Territories ** Chai Wan Kok ** Sheung Kwai Chung ** Sai Kung **

So Kwun Wat So Kwun Wat, commonly pronounced So Kwun Fat, is an area on the south coast of the western mainland New Territories in Hong Kong. The proper So Kwun Wat is a populated area in the valley between Siu Lam and Sam Shing Hui. It includes So Kwun Ta ...

** Tsuen King Circuit ** Parts of

Tsing Yi Tsing Yi (), sometimes referred to as Tsing Yi Island, is an island in the New Territories of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of , the island has been extended drastically by reclamation alo ...

** Tuen Mun Pierhead

MTR route map

Former systems

* Mount Parker Cable Car * Sha Tau Kok branch * Wo Hop Shek branch * Monorail *

Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park was an amusement park on the west shore of Lai Chi Kok Bay in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong. It was once the largest amusement park in Hong Kong, and attracted people from all walks of life in the territory. History Operat ...

Monorail * Miniature railway in Luna Park, Fortress Hill * Tracks inside the Kowloon Wharves * Tracks inside the Taikoo Dockyard * Tracks inside the Whampoa Docks * Cement works in To Kwa Wan * Haematite mine at Ma On Shan * Tracks in the Victoria Barracks * Tracks near Tai Tam Tuk Raw Water Pumping Station * Praya East Reclamation Railway * Waglan Island * Sham Shui Po Camp * Diary Farm Ropeway in Pok Fu Lam * Nazareth House Ropeway in Pok Fu Lam

References

External links

我們未來的鐵路
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rail Transport In Hong Kong