Light Rail (KCRC) Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
in 1992. This design was the second generation of trains, which also included 10 trailers.]]The Light Rail is one of the three lines of the KCRC network in Hong Kong.
It services the northwestern New Territories, especialy such locations as Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Tin Shui Wai.
| Table of contents |
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2 Stations 3 Current service pattern 4 Fares |
History
When Tuen Mun was developed in the 1970's, the government had saved space for laying train tracks. There was uncertainty as to which company would be commissioned to built the train line, and in 1982 Hong Kong Tramways showed interest in building the system and running double-decker trams on it. After financial assessment, however, the company was forced to abandon the project. Later that year, the KCRC decided to build the system. After some research, construction commenced in 1985.
By that time Kowloon Motor Bus had developed its own network in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and there were about 10 routes confined in the district, most of them profitable. However, the government introduced the concept of the "Light Rail Service Area" in both districts, forcing the KMB to withdraw all internal bus services for the Light Rail. It also required the KMB have boarding and alighting restrictions for external routes. Services between big towns and settlements is provided directly by the Light Rail, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB equivalent services if necessary.
The system was completed and fully operational on 25 September 1988. It consisted of two big and three small loops serving most public housing estates in borthern Tuen Mun and three branches: One to the On Ting Estate in the southeast, one to the Tuen Mun ferry pier in the southwest, and another northern branch all the way into the town of Yuen Long, along Castle Peak Road.
The system is divided into five fare zones, making it the only public transportation system in Hong Kong with such zoning. The feeder buses have fares independent of these zones, but provide discounts when passengers interchange between these buses and Light Rail. 70 single-decker tram units were bought for the seven tram routes in the system. Three of the routes go to Yuen Long and the others are confined in Tuen Mun.
The system's first extension came for the southern and eastern parts of Tuen Mun. The eastern extension branched off the main line south of Siu Hong station and crosses the river that runs through Tuen Mun immediately with a flyover. The line then runs along Castle Peak Road to a road north of the town centre, where it climbs to another flyover and rejoins the main route. The northern end of this extension is still the only non-triangular junction in the entire system.
The southern extension mainly consists of a route linking On Ting and Ferry Pier, on the newly reclaimed land near the river mouth known as "Mouse Island" by local people. A short spur line is also built from the extension to another terminus at Sam Shing Estate, located near Castle Peak Bay. Three Light Rail routes were diverted, and one feeder bus route cancelled.
Tin Shui Wai was originally very bucolic, but was developed as a residential town in the early 1990's.
With the increase of internal commuter traffic, the Light Rail built a spur line north of Hung Shui Kiu station that opened in 1993, with four stations serving the initial housing areas of the town. The area was further developed in the next few years, and the spur line was extended by two stations: Chestwood and Tin Wing in 1995. Two Light Rail routes were established, one to Tuen Mun and one into Yuen Long.
The system remained essentially unchanged until the arrival of the West Rail in December of 2003. Many changes were made, mainly around the new railway stations. The KCRC designed most railway stations in the Light Rail area to interchange with the new line. Although this most recent extension is the largest ever, no new trams were purchased, and although rearrangements were made, some infrequent and unreliable services resulted, causing passengers to blame the lack of trams.
The stations of this line are:
Stations
| Name | Connections | Opening Date |
|---|---|---|
| Light Rail Tuen Mun District Central Loop Starting from the north, zone 3 | ||
| Siu Hong | West Rail | 18 September 1988 |
| Kei Lun | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tsing Chung | 24 September 1988 | |
| Kin Sang | 24 September 1988 | |
| Tin King | 24 September 1988 | |
| Leung King | 24 September 1988 | |
| San Wai | 24 September 1988 | |
| Shek Pai | 18 September 1988 | |
| Ming Kum | 18 September 1988 | |
| Kin On | 18 September 1988 | |
| Ho Tin | 18 September 1988 | |
| Choy Yee Bridge | 18 September 1988 | |
| Affluence | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tuen Mun Hospital | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tai Hing Linkage Starts between Choy Yee Bride and Affluence | ||
| Ngan Wai | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tai Hing South | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tai Hing North | 18 September 1988 | |
| Shan King Branch Branches off the central loop north of Ming Kum | ||
| Shan King North | 24 September 1988 | |
| Shan King South | 24 September 1988 | |
| Pier Branch Branches off the central loop west of Kin On, zone 2 | ||
| Tsing Wun | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tsing Shan Tsuen | 18 September 1988 | |
| Lung Mun | 18 September 1988 | |
| LRT Depot | 18 September 1988 | |
| Butterfly | 18 September 1988 | |
| Melody Garden | 18 September 1988 | |
| Ferry Pier | Ferries to Tung Chung and Airport | |
| Town Centre Branch Branches off the central loop east of Kin On | ||
| Tuen Mun Formerly San Fat | West Rail | 23 September 1988 |
| Town Centre | 23 September 1988 | |
| On Ting | 23 September 1988 | |
| Yau Oi Loop Branches off the Town Centre branch north of On Ting | ||
| Yau Oi | 23 September 1988 | |
| San Hui Branch Branches off south of Siu Hong | ||
| Fung Tei | 2 February 1992 | |
| Prime View | 2 February 1992 | |
| San Hui | 2 February 1992 | |
| Ho Fuk Tong | 2 February 1992 | |
| Pui To | 2 February 1992 | |
| Southern Extensions Continuing from On Ting, south of the junction with Yau Oi Loop | ||
| Siu Lun | 1 February 1992 | |
| Goodview Garden | 1 February 1992 | |
| Tuen Mun Swimming Pool | 1 February 1992 | |
| Siu Hei | 1 February 1992 | |
| Sam Shing Branch Branching off south of Siu Lun | ||
| Sam Shing | 2 February 1992 | |
| Yuen Long Branch Starting from the terminus in Yuen Long, zone 5 | ||
| Yuen Long | West Rail | 18 September 1988 |
| Tai Tong Road | 18 September 1988 | |
| Hong Lok Road | 18 September 1988 | |
| Fung Nin Road | 18 September 1988 | |
| Shui Pin Wai | 18 September 1988 | |
| Ping Shan | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tong Fong | 18 September 1988 | |
| Hung Shui Kiu | 18 September 1988 | |
| Chung Uk Tsuen | 18 September 1988 | |
| Nai Wai | 18 September 1988 | |
| Lam Tei | 18 September 1988 | |
| Tuen Mun District Original Branch | ||
| Tin Shui | 10 January 1993 | |
| Locwood | 10 January 1993 | |
| Tin Yiu | 10 January 1993 | |
| Hang Mei Tsuen | 10 January 1993 | |
| First Extension | ||
| Tin Wing | 23 March 1995 | |
| Chestwood | 23 March 1995 | |
| Tin Shui Wai Loop Starting between Tin Yiu and Hang Mei Tsuen, zone 4 | ||
| Tin Shui Wai | West Rail | 6 December 2003 |
| Tin Tsz | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Wu | 6 December 2003 | |
| Ginza | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Wing | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Yuet | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Sau | 6 December 2003 | |
| Wetland Park | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Heng | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin yat | 6 December 2003 | |
| Tin Fu | 6 December 2003 | |
| Chung Fu | 6 December 2003 | |
There are currently nine routes serving the Light Rail system:
Current service pattern
Routes 614, 615 and 751 have short-distance services, numbered 614P, 615P, and 751P respectively. 614P and 615P run between Siu Hong and Ferry Pier stations, and 751P runs between Tin Yat and Tin Shui Wai stations.
Fares
The Light Rail is the only public transport system in Hong Kong to have fare zones. However, since the introduction of Octopus cards, there are now different faring systems for passengers using different kinds of tickets. All fares indicated below are for adults, while children and the elderly usually pay the concessionary fare, which is half the adult fare.
Single-Ride Tickets
There are six fare zones — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 5A — for passengers purchasing single-ride tickets in tram stations. A trip between two zones costs HK$4, HK$4.70 for three zones, and journeys further than three zones costs HK$5.8. Zone 5A was introduced solely for the latest extension in Tin Shui Wai, and both zones 5 and 5A are only connected to Zone 4. Therefore travelling between zones 5 and 5A is considered as travelling through three zones.
All stations have Octopus card machines at the ends of platforms. Passengers put their cards on the machines upon entry to the departure station as well as when exiting at the destination station.
The fare is calculated depending upon the number of stations travelled through to reach the destination station, based on the minimum possible number of stations travelled. There are seven different fare classes.Octopus Cards