The merger of the only two railway companies in Hong Kong became
effective on Sunday with the operation of a unified railway
network.
The merger of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) with the
Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) was an important milestone in the
railway development of Hong Kong, said Henry Tang, chief secretary
for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
government, at a ceremony marking the event.
He said the merger will create synergy and enhance economic
effectiveness, benefiting 2.8-million daily rail passenger trips
with a fare reduction from the first day of the merger.
The new railway service started at 05:28 a.m. local time Sunday
when the first train with MTR logo departed at East Tsim Sha Tsui
Station.
Staff and contractors worked through Saturday night to switch
over about 150,000 signs for the new service while train-lovers
jammed some KCR station courses to take pictures for memory.
The merged network, being operated by the MTR Corporation,
comprises nine heavy rail commuter lines, the Light Rail System in
the Northwest New Territories and the premium Airport Express.
The network is an important backbone of Hong Kong's transport
system as it accounts for about 40 percent of all public transport
journeys made in Hong Kong each day. The total route length of the
railway lines is 211.6 kilometers.
(Xinhua News Agency, December 3, 2007)