This video a remake of a previous video incorporating your feedback, improving pronunciations, making corrections, and fully revamping the visuals and script. Please enjoy and consider sharing!
Hey Reese. I was just thinking about your Hong Kong video the other day before this updated release. I would love to see a video from you on the history and overseas operations of MTR Corporation, consider how influential and unique it is. Cheers!
The transit system in my hometown HK is state of the art and no country even comes close. Unfortunately, for us Locals, its name is forever tarnished by the infamous 721 831 incident. A shame.
You forgot the mention the Octopus Card isn't just for transit use, practically every chain fast food, restaurant, convenient store, super market, drug store, even some department store, use it for payment. Some school even use them to take attendance and some residential development use them as pass cards instead of keying in passcodes.
And on this note, I wish our Presto Card can have the same capabilities of being used for retail and fast food, if only Metrolinx allows for this. Oh well, one can dream.
One of Ireland's NTA''s biggest mistakes in my opinion was not opening up the Leap Card to retail use, such as vending machines and corner shops, considering many shops even have Leap Card chargers. Now with the process to move to contactless payment, the Octopus / Suica card dream may never happen here.
I lived in Hong Kong for two years in Causeway Bay, nearest to the Tin Hau MTR station (about 100 m from our flat). I loved using the MTR every day for getting around the city. The double decker trams (ding-dings) also were close to where we lived. The MTR is always so clean and well organised. I used to do a lot of hiking, both on HK Island and Lantau Island and it is wonderful how the MTR gets you to and from trailheads!
Hong Kong's metro is in a league of its own; managing to carry as much passengers per day as most of the world's top 10 busiest with half the number of stations and lines
@@Ash-vt7uuit’s due to the bottleneck at Tsing Ma Bridge being only double tracked, meaning it has to share tracks with the AirPort Express line which forces a reduction in headway. It’s why some trains terminate at Tsing Yi (station just before the bottleneck) so the city section gets more frequent service.
@@kaihang4685 ye I know but it’s still less frequent than other lines, if they decided to do cost cutting they’ll get the blame for the lack of foresight
I remember being in Hong Kong during a "crisis" where the system had cascading delays during a single rush hour. MTR was hit with a massive investigation and fine, with people getting fired! I lived in NYC at the time during one of the "summer of hells" and was stunned at the contrast in accountability and service quality. Also... Apart from Covid years the system is profitable and self funding before real estate!
Before the age of computerisation, most systemwide faults could be solved with sheer manpower--labour in Hong Kong was not expensive in the old days. Now, it takes a lot of experts to diagnose glitches when everything is running on Windows.
I am from Hong Kong and I know nothing of the massive investigation, or any major high-ups being fired. Fine, maybe, but to the government, but the government owns the largest share of MTR so they are just paying themselves.
@@diavolokelevra4795 MTR is a profitable corporation. The fines do not come from the govt. even though it is a majority shareholder. Large fines damage the confidence of the other investors.
As a HongKonger, I can firmly say most of the new towns in Hong Kong are TODs(transport-oriented development, for those who don't know), with MTR being the main mode of transport. For the pronunciation Reece, 'Tsuen Wan' should be pronounced as 'Chuen Wan'. Here's a fun fact: The urban line K-stock and the Tung Chung Line K-stock have different top speeds (80km/h and 130km/h respectively)as the motors on board the two trains are different. Here's something special about the Tseung Kwan O line, at off-peak hours, there is only a shuttle service between LOHAS Park and Tiu Keng Leng(roughly 10 minutes per train), the trains will terminate at Tiu Keng Leng, then enter a section of pocket track and re-enter service as a train towards LOHAS Park at platform 3.
You could also mention the LOHAS death loop where if you board the train to LOHAS by accident (instead of the train to Po Lam) at Tseung Kwan O you would return to TKO and head to the other platform only to catch the wrong train again 🤣
@@troy5094yep, but as a person who lives near Tseung Kwan O Station, I am particularly aware of this, and always have a look at the PIDS before boarding the train.
My partner is actually from Southern China and speaks Canto and eod, some sounds are just hard to replicate by a non native speaker! Thanks for watching!
My favorite of the MTR lines is the Disneyland Resort Line. Not only are the trains adorable with Mickey-shaped windows, Mickey-shaped handholds and cool bronze statues of Disney characters, but the two station designs of Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort are a nice touch. Because the train is meant to be a time machine, taking you from the future (Sunny Bay) to the past (Disneyland Resort). Hong Kong Disneyland was just a Diet Disneyland when it first opened in 2005 due to the budget, so it is amazing to see the transformation the park has been undertaking now with the additions of Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, a new and improved unique castle, and Arendelle.
More info on the East Rail Line platform gate retrofitting: The black and silver brackets on the platform edges seen throughout this video are where the gates will be installed, and MTR will change the stopping positions on the entire line to even out the passenger distribution - something which arguably causes overcrowding on the line as much as the reduced capacity of shorter 9-car trains.
@@RMTransit The actually reason of reducing the number of cars in East Rail Line from 12 to 9 is due to the recent extension from Hung Hum to Admiralty. Due to having crowded underground stations in Hong Kong Island, the maximum length of a train is 9-car as to meet fire regulations. It has been a huge outrage, since New Territories citizens now have to wait for at least 3 trains to board the East Rail Line during peak hours. Alongside the ever-increasing ticket price, most people in Hong Kong think negatively about the MTR, which is pretty ironic XD
@@Lx11avp R train cars are roughly the same length as MLR/IKK trains. I am pretty sure the measurements you see on the internet do not include the gangway length. If this isn't the case, it would have been impossible to have the MFO signage on the platforms. As for the new stations, the down end of the platforms have a reserved space for one car, the 9-car R trains wouldn't be any longer than a 9-car MLR train. The 9-car train however carries significantly more passengers than a 9-car MLR train.
*Interesting fact* HK MTR: *taking the longest and most expensive route from Tuen Mun to Chai Wan charges HK$28, i.e. ~£2.8* (journey time: 75min) (excluding airport express and disneyland lines) London Underground: *taking tube for just one station in zone 1 charges you £2.7* (journey time: 2min) while London Tube keeps striking once a month ~.~
9:37 The double cross platform interchange is the reason why Kwun Tong Line served Yau Ma Tai. After trains terminated at Mong Kok KTL trains would need a place to turn around, and just so happen the track needed for such turnaround extends to Yau Ma Tai so the planners went “why not?” and added the lower platform at Yau Ma Tai for TKL to terminate at, until the Whompoa extension was built
you know what I LOVE about the HK MTR? They keep the cabin SUPER COOL even in the hottest days of the Summer!!! It's extremely refreshing to enter one of those when it's hot like an oven outside :)
As a visitor to Hong Kong, I have been on most of these lines. The engineering, design, and operation of this system is quite impressive! In the past, I have envied the pace of development, too. Thanks for the video!
As a Hong Konger, some points I want to add: 1. Many of the residents criticise the system because they think the service quality in the past was better(kinda true haha). But still I think the system is one the best in the world. 2. A large portion of the people who will head back to the Mainland China live in North New Territories. In addition to the high price, most people don't use the high speed rail. The number of passengers has been quite low even before COVID. 3. Although the speed of HK Tramways is slow, its fare is incredibly cheap. Just HKD 3 (~USD 0.4) allows you to travel approx 13km from the west end of Kennedy Town to the east end of Shau Kei Wan. In addition, many stations of the Island Line are deep underground. Thus many people take the tram as 1st choice when they travel a short distance to save the time going up and down the ground. 4. Although the MTR network has a large coverage, buses still play an important role of HK's transport network due to the terrain. Especially when travel between East and West New Territories, the difference on traveling time is quite obvious. People also prefer to travel on bus if the distance is long. 5. The coverage of the Airport Express (AEL) is so little that many of the citizens would travel on airport buses to the Airport. The airport buses serves all 18 districts in Hong Kong, and therefore you can do less transit or even no need. But still the AEL should be your first choice if you travel to West Kowloon and HK Island.
Another HKer here although I’m technically an alumni as I’ve moved away for work. People bag on the MTR because they don’t know how good they have it. Yes, service may have been more reliable back when the system was small and glitches could be fixed by sheer manpower, when people made $6000/mo. Now with the sprawling network and computerisation, you need a smaller team of well-paid experts who need more time to fix things. It was a different era and HKers are infamous for pining for the simpler times, especially with its unique political history. While I whined about service disruptions taking 2 hours, someone has been regularly commuting from Tin Shui Wai to HK island which has been nearly impossible before West Rail. The advances are stunning, undeniable and deserves our appreciation.
the only odd one out but that one is granted a bully is "Tseung Kwan O" - as a native speaker it would sound more like "Journg (like Journal) Kwon O" imo
(I guess the same applies to Tseun Wan but I think you managed that really well, the TSE spelling in cantonese transliteration is more like a J/CH sound to me - in this case it's more like "(t)Choone Wan")
Hi Reece! As a Hong Kong student from UofT, I can surely say you nailed most of the pronunciations for the locations, which is very nice! Being in Toronto for a year now, I can definitely say that there are things that the MTR can learn from the TTC, such as connectivity- I really loved how stations like Spadina and Union have streetcar termini built directly inside the station without fare gates in between, and one staircase (or even none) to change within. The Light Rail you mentioned in the video is built inside a MTR station but it requires a bit of walking and two Octopus taps. Other than that, the transit projects in Trt are much more interesting here! Hybrid LRT and Subway Projects such as the Eglinton Crosstown are way more interesting than the East Rail Line crossing the harbour... (which is just like any other station) Anyway let me know if you're visiting HK anytime soon, I'll gladly be your tour guide! Thanks for this video, I am proud as a HKer to be featured haha ;)
MTR related developments also help drives other transits too. Most newer projects also has mass transit hub to facilitate various bus routes. That being said, there are downside of MTR extending to new neighborhoods. MTR drives down the demand for taxi and mini-buses, both are mostly independently own and operated. It also rise in rent and property value in once affordable area for residents and commercial spaces alike. For people looking to sell, rise in property value is great, but for people who are buying, Hong Kong is already the most expensive city for real estate, any rise in cost is bad.
MTR-centric new developments, especially across entire Tseung Kwun O area and along the Tung Chung line, but also for Kai Tak and upcoming Keu Tung stations, are bad for buses as the road network are designed around the residential development with bus terminal at center so buses either can only serve the outstirke of each development, or they must spend extra time to enter the central bus terminal/stop usually next to the MTR, and such extra time spent make the buses very uncompetitive. As a result, some of these transit-oriented development also have some of the higher rate of private automobile ownership across the city. Gentrification is a problem hard to avoid, as the transit improve accessibility of area previously hard to access because of lack of rail thus improving their desirability and reducing investment. What failed in Hong Kong though, is 1.) despite new transit development, the development size limit (restriction on height, or floor area ratio) have not increased compared to many than half a century ago, hence new development cannot absorb more amount of residents from further away but must displace original residents, and 2.) There are a general shortage of residential unit supply. New towns are much less constructed nowadays. Despite population dropping, family size is also reducing and private properties can sold out literally within one day. Hence whenever there are new development, they sell like hotcakes and price will of course increase. And there are no place in Hong Kong to build cheaper building, even that small residential community off Southern Lantau Island where you literally cannot access through road or rail and need double ferry connection to reach urban area, is now trading at a rate of half a million USD, hence there are no way to like develop a cheap housing community for existing resident from redevelopment project to relocate into at cheaper rate. Even if you build something with such intention, market mechanism will ultimately dilute the residents.
@@RMTransit Taxi and minibus runs off of propane rather than gas / diesel, so they aren't as bad as regular cars or full size buses. For a lot of poorer people (usually older) minibus are really affordable compared to the MTR and is the only options to go short distance to get grocery. But because of possible lower ridership with new MTR station, these minibus route might get cut, creating transit issues for these short range travel.
@@ArchOfWinter This is a problem for older neighborhood instead of newer ones I would say, since those older neighborhoods are self-contained within the extent of the MTR station and the connecting TODs, residents not much need to actually do short distance trips outside the area. And streets outside TODs are also commonly desolated so not much reason to desire it either (although it is a problem in its own). Older people get fare discount and government subsidy when riding MTR, and while minibuses mostly use LNG which have less air pollutants, theid CO2 emission aren't really much lower.
@@RMTransit The thing is MTR still have limited amount of station and many communities still need feeder connection to MTR stations as well as direct bus service to destinations across the city. That MTR network didn't scale up despite the city have much higher transit usage rate than other cities with comparable population and pushed so many transit users onto the road can be said as one thing MTR failed, and then making some of these feeder connections even worse is another thing they failed like the reconstruction of Hung Hom station intentionally move the station platform away from bus hub to try to keep passengers within its own network instead of doing intermodal interchange but without considering how much citizens it serve are still not living next to any of its stations and still rely on connecting services.
Hong Kong MTR is so well designed that it can be profitable just by operating the metro system. However it still develop residential buildings, shops and malls around the stations to even earn more profit. As a Hongkonger I must say that the MTR is really a convenient way to travel within Hong Kong
@@RMTransit MTR's rail operations are profitable, but the really useful thing with its involvement in TOD is that it can fund its own expansion, and along with the territory it has a somewhat outsized influence on how Hong Kong develops.
I think you mentioned this last time, but there was no focus on the trains themselves this time. Just wanted to say that there is some genius practical design on the newer MTR trains on the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line, despite their questionable reliability. These are what I like to call 'capacity boosting'. Basically, MTR no longer puts handrails in the centre of the carriage between doors to encourage people to move further inside. They also have more standing space next to the doors so that people who stand there do not block the way. This does come at the cost of losing a few seats to add the extra standing space, but I would say it is a fair trade-off as the newer trains' seats are more comfortable.
there's also some genius impractical design such as using shorter 9 car trains when 12 car trains was already crowded af, keeping first class where capacity is most needed, putting speed limits everywhere on Tsuen Ma Line and East Rail Line, plus broken and removed door seals on the CAF's and TCL K's.
@@HMSNeptun Of course 12 car trains are better than 9 car trains, but the tradeoff is worth the relieving on the Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line, as well as direct journeys between HK Island and N.T. But my point still stands - a 9 car new EAL train will be better at handling capacity than an old EAL if it were 9 cars long. If all the space is utilised properly (right now it is not, 12 car trains won't help either), 9 car trains can still handle capacity well. MTR can run more frequently if demand rises in the future, they are only running 80% of what is possible in the peak hours right now. This is not considering that there are more trains yet to enter service, and stop locations on the EAL will change once platform gates are installed. East Rail Line speed limits have been lifted as of May 2022 between 7am and 11pm. The speed limits in place before were due to noise restrictions at night, but the old signalling system could not change the speed limit depending on the time of day. Other East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line speed limits exist because of complicated trackwork or tight curves, which is necessary. The TCL door seal issue is really not a big deal. It does not affect safety or operational efficiency much.
I think I covered the stuff I mainly wanted to - always a challenge, the idea of putting more hand holds away from the doors is actually done in a decent number of systems!
@@squidgame2021 that's the problem: they don't have enough trains to run at full capacity. Even now during peak hours you can fail to get onto the train since it's too crowded. They phased out the 12 car trains way too soon and adding salt on top of that the new 9 car R-trains have a worse travel experience. 1. Vibrations. The vibration was not present in SP1900 and even the aging MLRs yet the new R-trains vibrate like crazy. 2. Choppy deceleration due to rough transition between regenerative braking and resistive braking. Again, the SP1900 does not have this problem (while MLR did not have regen at all). Complicated track work does not warrant a speed limit decrease. Track intersections can and are run at much higher speeds. For example the tracks on the tung chung line are run at speed (some cases at 130km/h) every single day. Due to narrow tunnels and high speed, removal of door seals on Tung Chung Line trains causes not only loud cabins, but also air pressure variance that causes discomfort to passengers.
@@HMSNeptun By full capacity, I meant what was possbile out of the current fleet. With more trains, they can run at a higher full capacity. MTR runs the EAL at 22 tph but this can be 27 tph if they wanted to. This can increase to 29 or 30 with more R trains. 12 car trains will not solve magically solve overcrowding, similar to how increasing the number of lanes in a highway does not reduce traffic. I don't understand the problem with waiting an extra train at peak hours, this is actually expected from a heavily utilised public transport system. And if a system was this crowded, any train will be fully packed no matter how long. From experiencing the EAL in peak hours recently, I can confidently say passengers are not distributed enough in the train. There are always parts of the train more crowded than another. MTR will change the stopping locations for R trains after platform gates are installed to even out the distribution which should ease the crowding in certain cars. I actually did an experiment at the Sheung Shui bound platform at Exhibition Centre station: my friend could get on the spacious car at the end of the train after the Book Fair but I had to wait 3 trains at the front of the platform. The takeaway is that R trains are not crowded if you don't want them to be. Hyundai Rotem bogies aren't that good in general, so bumpy rides were kind of expected. However they are only really noticeable in the cross harbour tunnel, and not at all below 100kmh which is the case for most of the EAL. The MLR motor cars did have some serious vibration though. The uncomfy deceleration is likely because the rate of deceleration is higher than IKKs and MLRs for sure (allows higher frequencies and higher running speeds), because R trains pulling into the old Hung Hom platforms had smoother deceleration. I would say a crowded R train is much more bearable than either MLR or IKK because of the capacity boosting features I mentioned in the original comment. You can't compare the track intersections between the Tung Chung Line and the ones on the Tuen Ma Line/East Rail Line with speed limits. A single diverging point on the Tung Chung Line and Airport Express can be more than 100m long, whereas the TML and EAL have much more complicated intersections in the same space. Of course the TCL can operate at higher speeds in these sections. Also to my knowledge, none of the TCL tracks are as complicated as the EAL or TML near the new Hung Hom station. I doubt that the TCL trains are louder than the M trains on the TKL, KTL extension or near Tai Koo on the ISL despite the removed door seals. I would say out of all these complaints, the East Rail Line crowding is the most reasonable but is more of an observation than a complaint. The other two are really trivial honestly and do not change the fact that the MTR is great. You don't see many *high capacity rapid transit* systems that run trains at speeds like the MTR.
As a Hong Konger working in the States and unable to return due to Covid, I am heartened and appreciative that you went back to add more visuals! To a visitor the MTR is a sensory feast, and to the locals it's a hyper-efficient and effective tool that we sometimes take for granted. Although some of its innovations have been applied in other cities worldwide, the noise reduction side skirts are, AFAIK, still unique to Hong Kong.
@@willy_gooseling69 Singapore has built its sound barriers/skirts trackside instead of on the trains' undercarriage since 2018, & I find them pretty effective
Victoria Harbour is very much the center of Hong Kong. The original parts of Hong Kong when it was British was the main Hong Kong Island and Kowloon which they got in 1842 and 1860 respectively. It wasn't until 1898 that they got everything else (hence the name New Territories) for a lease of 99 years. And along with Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Macau also has a transit system (built with the help of MTR), with the first section (Taipa Line) that already opened in 2019 with three other lines and a shuttle in the works.
Buses are also worth mentioning due to its fast and extensive network! Hong Kong buses regularly goes on expressways even in urban areas. These routes help reduce the stress on MTR network and provide convenient point-to-point express service so that passengers do not have to stand on crowded trains for a long time, especially in sururbans which is far away from urbans. Here are some famous express bus routes across different urban areas: 98D, 118, 215X, 788. In addition, there are bus interchanges located on expressways and tunnels, passengers could interchange different buses going to different places! Tuen Mun Road Bus Interchange which is located on Tuen Mun Road (Expressway connecting Tuen Mun and downtown) is the most successful bus interchange in Hong Kong, with about 25 regular routes stopping on this interchange. In Tuen Mun, residential areas are widely distributed and different bus routes serve for different area. On the urban side, different bus routes goes to different area via different expressways. Mainly Kolwoon East (61X, 62X, 258D, 259D); TST (260X); Yau Ma Tei (63X); Sham Shui Po & Mong Kok (59X, 60X, 66X, 67X); Hong Kong Island (960, 961); Sha Tin & other bus routes in Shing Mun Tunnel Bus Interchange (263). * Worth mentioning 118 uses the most congested tunnel in HK - Hung Hom Cross Habour Tunnel, which is the most convenient and cheapest tunnel. However, 118 is still a very popular bus route for passenger, as there are bus-only shortcut (northbound) and bus lanes (southbound), so buses don't waste so much time on traffic jams there!
As a resident in Hong Kong , thank you RMTransit for intensive presentation the most updated railways in Hong Kong. With my blind guess along with other videos you produced, you don't seem even live in Hong Kong. However you did such an accurate and up-to-date researches. Hats off to you! 😇
I work as contractor and now consultant to them. Was born in HK at a time but live in Toronto. I recall a time where there was no MTR and just had the East Rail before electrified. The last 40 years has really been something. However I felt like almost every tier 1 and 2 city in China has a system as good as HK nowadays. Crazy to see all this happened in the last 10 years. I hope you can do a top 10 transit system countdown with your discretion about what is top 10. In my mind most of the system in Asia are second to none as they were developed in the last 20 years.
HK’s system is ageing quite well, all things considered. Signalling is being upgraded, station designs refreshed and trains are being replaced at the scheduled end of life.
As a frequent traveler around the world from Hong Kong myself the train system in Hong Kong and China look very ugly and no character compared to many European cities although it’s being efficient. That’s the only good thing about HKMTR. Since your company have operations in Stockholm and other places in the world you guys should learn how to build stations nicer with more character.
One of my favorite parts of the MTR is that many of the stations are so large that they become the fastest (and air conditioned) way to get across parts of the city. I once walked from one side of Tsim Sha Tsui to the other to meet up for dinner.
Note though that using the TST underground bridge to continue a journey between TST and TST East is counted as two journeys. IDK if MTR changed this fare pricing rule today though.
Such a well made video! I live near the Tseung Kwan O Station, so I'm trained to listen to the announcements ('The next train will stop at Po Lam/Lohas Park'), so I won't get on the wrong train. My friend who lives in Po Lam was stuck in the Lohas death loop, and travelled to Lohas Park for 3 times lmao
I live here and I love our MTR system. It really is the best in the world; it's cheap, fast, comfortable, clean, and efficient - not to mention that it's constantly being developed and has such a distinct visual style that they have made some adorable merch! I'd love to see you cover other aspects of Hong Kong's transport like buses, trams and minibuses (
Not been to HK since 2017, very impressed that its still functioning so well. When you said one of the lines was built with consultation from a British rail company (obviously since it was a British colony) I couldn't help think it was a joke if you ever had the horror of travelling on a UK train.
@@harang9759 It wasn't, the video is completely new. Started from scratch with the script and made the whole thing flow way better while also including more info!
@@squidgame2021 there's some about the 2019 protest, but the rest could be bout ghost and stuff. ( if you don't know, the HKP was very aggressive during the latter days of the protest, as the protest ended everyone return via the MTR, so the police "basically" followed the protestors down. one incident had the police coming in like wild wolfs and basically assaulted* and gassed everyone in the station's platform before closing the station to everyone including reporters. As naturally, everyone's mind went on the whirlwind and think of the worse, since a few stations down there's appearance of ambulance and arrested marshaled onto bus and vans, plus no one really believed the government's line of nothing happened during the closure. )
If you guys want some examples, the most famous one is about a KCR ad filmed in the 90s which featured some young kids. The video and audio were quite eerie, there seemed to be blood on one of the kids' faces, the number of kids seemed to be inconsistent, and it was rumored the kids died some time after filming. Other examples include supposed ghost sightings in the planned but unconstructed Rumsey Station near Sheung Wan, and the rumors of the middle track of Choi Hung Station (which as already been debunked).
Someone who’s lived in Hong Kong for most of my life, I love MTR points, there’s this app that gives you points when you take the MTR (with your Octopus Card) and as someone who takes the MTR everyday it’s so satisfying seeing those points stack up and looking through items that I can redeem
I'm a local Hong Konger, really like your video and I appreciate anyone taking about stuff about different places in the world and also(especially) Hong Kong.
14:17 Unfortunately, due to the signaling system on the TCL and AEL, AEL trains cannot overtake TCL trains. Sometimes when an AEL train is right at the back of a TCL train, the AEL train needs to stop at Sunny Bay station. The order of trains in the Lantau island section are determined in Tsing Yi, once a train entered the double-track section, the order cannot be changed. What a pity.
6:06 - 6:16 This part of Hong Kong is actually pretty poorly served by rails. "Tuen Ma Line" doesn't actually goes near popular destinations and light rails are very slow and complicated and are mostly used for local trips only Therefore a lot of bus lines proped up to provide express services to far destinations and there are 2 major interchanges to allow for bus transfers (Tai Lam Tunnel & Tuen Mun Road Bus Interchange) Hope you would cover express buses in Hong Kong one day 👍 P.S. If you want more information/ questions on Hong Kong transit you could give me the topic/ question. I would give you a google docs to see if you can find them useful
I don’t know about Tai Po and Fanling, but Shatin, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long are well-served by the rail. As for Sai Kung, I’m pretty sure they don’t want a rail to extend there because it’s already super crowded.
I would argue that because old KCR systems runs mostly overground and are designed like region rails rather than metros (i.e. Tuen Ma Line and East Rail line) they usually don't reach real town centres of cities but rather at the edge of cities. Therefore it takes some walking to reach the station and thus reducing it's convenience
It is also capable of reaching Mong Kok (with 5 minute walk), Sheung Shui and Admiralty There are 4 major bus lines (92, 792M, 99, 299X) and 2 minibus (1A, 101M) running into Sai Kung and combined they only have capacity of 2,700 passengers/ hour during peak hours (Buses only runs at 10 minute frequency even during peak hours). In comparison Tsuen Wan Line have a capacity of 80,000 passengers per direction per hour. Building metro into it would be very overkill...
The people of Sai Kung do not want rail. At holidays, Sai Kung is already super crowded even though the only public transport are minibuses and buses. Extended the rail there will be unbearable and will lead to overcrowdedness.
fun fact,Lai King station was built on a mountain side and when Lai King station opened, it was already designed so when the Tung Chung Line is built, it can have a cross platform interchange
Wibble… LAK was built in 1982, before the place I live in-Tung Chung-was even thought of; only when that was devised did the Down TWL get rerouted to allow the double XPI we have today.
18:20 As a Hong Konger I can’t understate how efficient the MTR is, in fact this rapid transit is so efficient that it makes the bus transit look extremely terrible in comparison, if your apartment/workplace is somewhat far from the nearest MTR then you need to take a bus or a minibus (or a taxi if you have that much money to burn) to get near your destination, which the arrival/launch intervals are very long baring few exceptions, sometimes walking to where you need to go from the station takes less time because you just miss a bus and now it will take 20 minutes for the next bus to launch, 20 minute bus intervals may sound good to a Europeans/American but to us? When the MTR arrival intervals are literally every 2 minutes or less, this would mean that hilariously travelling time on the MTR is sometimes shorter than the travelling to your destination from the station(not theoretical where you just ride the MTR for 1 station btw I meant a regular routine like going back home from work), not to mention the fact that Hong Kongers are extremely impatient, it just makes taking a bus very unappealing, there is literally a minibus that has 20-30 minutes interval and it was faster for me to walk to my destination every single time instead of waiting for this because walking takes only 10 minutes, if the arrival intervals for buses and minibuses were shortened then we would have a excellent transit, too bad that the buses doesn’t get as much attention as the trains because of the government’s doctrine, if they paid more attention to buses it would’ve been perfect, but overall I see transit here as one of the better things abt the city and one of the few things that the government invest heavily in that didn’t extreme backlash/controversy (Tomorrow Lantau), or ended up to be waste of money (M+ museum) as much I hate the government being so out of touch and not listening to the citizens demands (no not the 5 demands as much as I want it, but things like regulating cut out rooms conditions(idk if that’s the right word for it but basically the land lord puts a bunch of wooden planks to make lots of cramped rooms and rent them out for a high price per square foot) or that the restaurants didn’t get enough economic aid to get thru the pandemic etc) the transit is one of the things I like about my government
I remember as a kid, there were only a few stations on each line and there weren't even that many lines or extensions at all yet was still extremely easy to get by traveling from the new territories to the industrial areas.
Great presentation. I visited Hong Kong more than 30 years ago, and I recall waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of a vintage steam locomotive (possibly an old Soviet engine) passing through the area on "borrowed" electrified rapid transit tracks. As a kid, I thought it was quite spooky.
Superb summary - info dense but clear. I was in HK for most of 98 - staying in Tuen Mun, working at the 'new' airport. Daily travel initially by packed motor launch 'taxis' before the airport opened, slow public ferries afterwards. And yes, the MTR was and is excellent - including the 'fast' airport express (tho getting the line to Tung Chung then bus to the airport was way cheaper!). Amazing to see the MTR and the whole infrastructure develop at pace ever since. Even at the time, the contrast with say the London underground was stark - limited investment for best part of 30 years until the early 2000s. Just the DLR really to show. But the MTR's a fine example of the immense value of public transport/transit - as is Singapore's dyslexic MRT.
Fun fact: the London tube’s Elizabeth line is built with the help of MTRC (MTR Corp), therefore the platforms and train structures look very similar to MTR in Hong Kong. Most important of all, it has ac in the trains, which is very helpful during the heatwave.
4:32 Perhaps AC was chosen because the UK did at the same time, and because the MLR’s home route was indeed not unlike the lower ECML then-compatibility with CNR electrification across the border is perhaps a coincidence.
Thank you! not only for introducing our mtr to the world, but also for allowing me to look at the Hong Kong's transport system at a different perspective, and to appreciate and love it even more!
A few things to remark: 1. The Ktt locomotives were bought brand new from SLM / Adtranz instead of formerly owned by SBB, meanwhile bi-level coaches were made in Japan by Kinki Sharyo. 2. Tung Chung Line and Airport Express shares the double-track harbour crossing between Kowloon and Hong Kong 3. Full quad-track on Tung Chung Line and Airport Express should be more like an urban myth as the very initial plan back in 1989/90 was already similar to what we have today, the Chinese government only complained about the high cost of the whole airport project after this double-track plan.
I think it is counterintuitive to shorten each train set from 12 cars to 9 cars solely due to space constraints at the Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations, when the rest of the East Rail Line's infrastructure had been built to accommodate 12-car trains. It seems to me a waste of space and capacity at the other 14 stations between Mong Kok East and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau. The MTR should consider restoring some (but not all) of the 37 sets of R-train on the East Rail Line to 12 cars, which is absolutely achievable as long as the following can be implemented: (1) Immediately build out and incorporate the additional 10-car reserve space at the Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations as part of those stations' platform area. (2) Have MTR staff manually cordon off the 1st and 12th cars of each 12-car train that is bound for Admiralty at Mong Kok East to prevent passengers from occupying those two train cars at Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations such as to not delay boarding/alighting times at those 3 stations. (3) Since the platforms at Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations would be able to accommodate 10-car trains, the 1st and 12th cars of each 12-car train can remain in the tunnel, while the middle 10 cars can stop at the platforms of those three stations as usual. (4) Once the 12-car train reverses at Admiralty to head back towards Sheng Shui, MTR staff can lift the cordon at the 1st and 12th cars and allow North-bound passengers to occupy those cars. I am also aware that the MTR is looking to purchase an additional 6 sets of R-trains from ROTEM. Instead of ordering those 6 sets of R-trains, I recommend MTR order them as intermediary 3-car consists (6 train sets x 9 cars = 54 cars in total, or 18 three-car intermediary consists). Using the 18 three-car intermediary consists, MTR can convert 18 of the existing 37 sets of R-trains into 12-car trains, while the remaining 19 sets of R-train can remain as 9-car trains. I think this offers greater flexibility in terms of when 9-car and 12-car trains can be deployed depending on the time of the day.
The MTR is so convenient, and I agree it to be one of the best rail systems in the world. I left a clinic in the CBD at 10:50am, and I have to be in Diamond Hill by 11:30am. But the convenience of the MTR really helped, as the trains only took less than 30 minutes to reach my stop. This is how I don't have to worry to be late.
I’m such a big fan of the 90s/00s green/blue color scheme, which was everywhere from companies like Cathay, to the Airport Express, to government and school/university logos. It screamed “Hong Kong” like nothing else
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur! Stumbled upon your channel and I've been binge watching your videos. I travelled to Hong Kong in 2018 and I was certainly impressed with its transit system. When you mentioned Yuen Long, I immediately jumped in happiness because for years I failed to recall the name of this neighbourhood where I ended up at 5AM in the morning and joined the rush hour commuters to work to head back to my hostel. Great memories. Also, please do the Kuala Lumpur transit system which it adopted many interesting quirks from Hong Kong and Singapore.
3:18 hey it's my home town of Yune Long, looks like footage from 2020 to 2021 as that building under construction and the closed roads were like that during that time period
Hey Reese, figure that since you have the Lego Crocodile locomotive on your desk...the MTR store in Hong Kong recently released a commemorative "brick based construction toy" set (Royal Toys City Stories RT47) based on the recently retired Metro Cammell MLR train (they ran on the East Rail line from 1998 until 2022). It's not every day you can buy an official sanctioned set for a mass transit vehicle.
Thanks for creating this video featuring the MTR of my hometown of Hong Kong. I highly suggest you visit the city in the future when you have the opportunity and see it for yourself.
Very good coverage with the MTR is one of the best ways to go around HK. Though I will say you cannot underestimate the convenience of buses too. I do use buses and MTR about 50-50 split and prefer to use buses on longer commutes or want to go somewhere more direct because of the more comfy seating. Google maps is very helpful in letting you know which one is preferred.
Have been loving in Hong Kong for the past 8 years. It's train system and transport system as a whole is the best I have ever seen or heard about. It's clean, comfortable, fast, punctual, inexpensive, and station locations are all well planned. Many stations lead directly into Shopping Malls, bus stations, and even residential/large commercial estates. Almost every station has very good customer service and basic amenities.
Its interesting to see the MTR system being explained since when I was in HK, I never realized how great the system is, and how the it got a different view on how the West Kowloon station without the political issues involved.
truly, simply the best rapid transit system in the world. few other places - like taipei and singapore - come close, but none can touch the way MTR just blends service, efficiency, commercial interests, and make it all work
What really is hard to fathom for someone who hasn't experienced it is, the flow of crowds in Hong Kong's MTR is very, very constant, and repeated across the vast majority of its train stations. Having London's ridership but only about a third of London's station count.
This has been an accurate and informative video about the MTR. Thanks. Some of the cross transfer platforms arrangements are really necessary during the rush hour here. I have seen the massive interchange platform at Admiralty more than half full during crunch times. Also, here are a couple of additions for those interested…1. on the Airport Express or the Tung Chung line, when crossing the Tsing Ma bridge, the train is running THROUGH the bridge and, as a passenger, you may look down at the window and see right down to the sea below, 2. at Shatin station, some of the marble or stonework of the station contains fossils that someone found out (see how many you can find), 3. I’ve heard of commuters wanting to travel from Yau Ma Tei heading to Central to take the train IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL just get on the train at Prince Edward to go back to Central. By the way, I live near the bridge stubs you mentioned so thanks for letting me know what they are/were.
As a Hongkonger who is now living in Canada, this video has brought back so much memories for me. I live in the eastern New Territories when I grow up, so I uses the East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line extensively, though in recent years MTR‘s reputation has tanked due to the events in 2019.
The MTR also has TV included in newer trains, playing news reports. The Ma On Shan line was once 4 cars but then added to 8 cars due to the Tun Ma line.
I wouldn't say that KTT is irrelevant. The high speed rail between Guangzhou and hk is really fast but the terminal is in the middle of nowhere. The KTT takes you close to downtown Guangzhou so if you want to go to downtown Guangzhou, the travel time is actually somehow faster and easier on the KTT (no transfer vs two transfers) . There were government talks about shutting down the KTT but some of that is the politics of having spent so much money on the high speed line. Obviously neither have been in service since covid so we don't know if they will force them to shut down the KTT. Edit: it’s clear now that the ktt will not resume operations.
Since 2021, the infrastructure allows high speed train departing West Kowloon to approx Guangzhou East in the CBD via Dongguan (instead of Guangzhou South in the middle of nowhere). I wouldn't be surprised if they will run service on this line once the border reopens
Actually the rail link has made it possible to travel from West Kowloon by high-speed rail to downtown Guangzhou. A connection has been made north of Shenzhen to the KTT line to direct high-speed trains there.
Talk about a crazy system. US cities could really learn a lot from how the MTR operates and actually enjoys wide popularity with the residents of the city.
@@squidgame2021 also a fact that: The busiest and largest car-capacity Metro system with using Automatic Train Operation(ATO) in the world. Now, maximum train frequency having in 1.9 mins, during Morning Rush Hour of Island Line in normal weekdays.
There are two sets of bus systems operated by MTR, one at Tuen Mun/ Tin Shui Wai and one at Tai Po, as fedder bus services for Light Rail/ Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line respectively. Free of charge interchangings are available with such buses and indicated MTR routes.
Fun fact,when Asia World Exhibition has huge activities, trains from Tung Chun Line may go straight to that station to handle mass number of travelers.
2:47 That bridge fascinates me in the sense that: Both Hong Kong and Macau are left-hand drive, but China is right, but the route is set up so you have to switch sides twice.
Very informative video! As a local you covered a LOT of info which I was impressed by. I think I remember watching the old version of this video and now to see the newest update to the MTR included in the video is nice. Not a fanboy over the Admiralty Station, but that station deserves a whole video of its own just for how significant of a station it is to MTR... And how meme-worthy it has become XD I've been following MTR projects for years, and I'd like to comment on the part where future developments were discussed: The extensions to Tuen Ma South and Tung Chung West are confirmed and will start building in 2023. The extensions of Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O line are discussed, though for the latter the plan has been simplified many times. Not much mention has been made lately about the East Kowloon Line or the South Island Line West section. Rather, the most significant future project was sort of brushed over in this video: A link between the border and the Tuen Ma Line. It's called the Northern Link, which would connect the East Rail Line through a new station Kwu Tung, to the Kam Sheung Road Station in the Tuen Ma Line.
I did a summer programme in Hong Kong in 2011 so getting major nostalgia watching this. I was staying in Sha Tin in the NT. I was on the East Rail line a tons of time. I remember the cross border services flying pass
My earliest memory of the MTR was from when it only has three lines and was separate from KCR.This was back in the very beginning of the 90s. How it has expanded in the following decades.
I love the HK transit system, I was visiting in 2007. The tram has some of the longest historical legacies that created the whole social culture of HK. I spent most of my life overseas but watched a lot of Asian dramas. The tram created a lot of stories. Stories of grandma taking the kids to ride ding ding, as it was called, or young boys in the 60s and 70s going up to the peak declaring their ambitions to make something of their lives together, be it opening restaurants or gambling in the HK stock exchange or ending up in iconic roles in rival gangs. It’s such a part of hk’s legacy of how they make their way in life in colonial era and establishing a choice in life😢. While Trams is a mark of starting the industrial age in early years of colonial HK, into the modern age, MTR is the mark of the post modern age of HK history. My mom just graduated from high school in HK when it was building in HK. She landed a job as assistant to DA in central. She said it’s officially first finished in 1975. By then, I figured she must be working as a ticket dispenser in the HK jockey club. But even in the 90s there’s still a lot of drilling, loud drilling, in the streets back in 1999, when we were on our way to visiting my dad’s hometown in China. The mosaic tiles in the stations, dirty and mucky and many public washrooms, it was a lot more complex back then. I really wish you could do 80s-90s HK MTR. That orange in the station is everywhere. That iconic yellow with red line in all the double decker buses and shuttle buses. Even the interchange system was so memorable lol. There was a lot of vandalism and the homeless there back then, idk if it’s still the same, but it was such a different HK than now, without the airport line or Disneyland line. A childhood iconic memory would be begging mom and dad weeks on end and studying really hard and being extra good so that they could take you to Ocean Park. Going there weekly means you’re either a really good kid, or your parents really adored you or to others too much is spoil you lol.
Your image at 1:55 seems to show the Walled City on the right. Jackie Pullinger's book "Chasing the Dragon" is probably the best way to learn about its history.
This video a remake of a previous video incorporating your feedback, improving pronunciations, making corrections, and fully revamping the visuals and script. Please enjoy and consider sharing!
ohhh so that's why the old video was taken down
Hey Reese. I was just thinking about your Hong Kong video the other day before this updated release. I would love to see a video from you on the history and overseas operations of MTR Corporation, consider how influential and unique it is. Cheers!
im hk
The transit system in my hometown HK is state of the art and no country even comes close.
Unfortunately, for us Locals, its name is forever tarnished by the infamous 721 831 incident. A shame.
Great video. Now can you please put back up the one on the NYC Subway. That was fabulous.
You forgot the mention the Octopus Card isn't just for transit use, practically every chain fast food, restaurant, convenient store, super market, drug store, even some department store, use it for payment. Some school even use them to take attendance and some residential development use them as pass cards instead of keying in passcodes.
And on this note, I wish our Presto Card can have the same capabilities of being used for retail and fast food, if only Metrolinx allows for this. Oh well, one can dream.
One of Ireland's NTA''s biggest mistakes in my opinion was not opening up the Leap Card to retail use, such as vending machines and corner shops, considering many shops even have Leap Card chargers. Now with the process to move to contactless payment, the Octopus / Suica card dream may never happen here.
I mentioned it could be used for convenience payments!
You can also buy your baby with it. I think we paid $100hkd on the octopus when our daughter was born.
@@RMTransit Sorry, your video is so dense with information, I didn't retain all of it by the end!
I lived in Hong Kong for two years in Causeway Bay, nearest to the Tin Hau MTR station (about 100 m from our flat). I loved using the MTR every day for getting around the city. The double decker trams (ding-dings) also were close to where we lived. The MTR is always so clean and well organised. I used to do a lot of hiking, both on HK Island and Lantau Island and it is wonderful how the MTR gets you to and from trailheads!
You're aware of the Cantopop song "Next Station Tin Hau", right? (下一站天后)
I lived in Hong Kong for my intire life bc I live in hk and the hk MTR is the most easiest way to move around hk (in my opinion)
I also live in hongkong
Little fact about Tin Hau station: Tin Hau station is actually located in Causeway Bay! The actual Causeway Bay station is located at East Point
Hong Kong's metro is in a league of its own; managing to carry as much passengers per day as most of the world's top 10 busiest with half the number of stations and lines
I From Hong Kong !!! 🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰
( I Love Their Metro So Much !!! )
( My Favourite Line Is Tung Chung Line,
Because Of The Speed So Fast !!! )
😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩
Ye but the trains on that line are not the most frequent, although it’s prob alr peak hour frequency for North American metro systems
@@Ash-vt7uuit’s due to the bottleneck at Tsing Ma Bridge being only double tracked, meaning it has to share tracks with the AirPort Express line which forces a reduction in headway. It’s why some trains terminate at Tsing Yi (station just before the bottleneck) so the city section gets more frequent service.
@@kaihang4685 ye I know but it’s still less frequent than other lines, if they decided to do cost cutting they’ll get the blame for the lack of foresight
I remember being in Hong Kong during a "crisis" where the system had cascading delays during a single rush hour. MTR was hit with a massive investigation and fine, with people getting fired!
I lived in NYC at the time during one of the "summer of hells" and was stunned at the contrast in accountability and service quality.
Also... Apart from Covid years the system is profitable and self funding before real estate!
Indeed, the efforts to keep things running smoothly are awesome!
Before the age of computerisation, most systemwide faults could be solved with sheer manpower--labour in Hong Kong was not expensive in the old days. Now, it takes a lot of experts to diagnose glitches when everything is running on Windows.
I am from Hong Kong and I know nothing of the massive investigation, or any major high-ups being fired. Fine, maybe, but to the government, but the government owns the largest share of MTR so they are just paying themselves.
@@diavolokelevra4795 MTR is a profitable corporation. The fines do not come from the govt. even though it is a majority shareholder. Large fines damage the confidence of the other investors.
@@canto_v12 hmm, in hk,gov is the biggest stakeholder of mtr...
As a HongKonger, I can firmly say most of the new towns in Hong Kong are TODs(transport-oriented development, for those who don't know), with MTR being the main mode of transport.
For the pronunciation Reece, 'Tsuen Wan' should be pronounced as 'Chuen Wan'.
Here's a fun fact: The urban line K-stock and the Tung Chung Line K-stock have different top speeds (80km/h and 130km/h respectively)as the motors on board the two trains are different.
Here's something special about the Tseung Kwan O line, at off-peak hours, there is only a shuttle service between LOHAS Park and Tiu Keng Leng(roughly 10 minutes per train), the trains will terminate at Tiu Keng Leng, then enter a section of pocket track and re-enter service as a train towards LOHAS Park at platform 3.
You could also mention the LOHAS death loop where if you board the train to LOHAS by accident (instead of the train to Po Lam) at Tseung Kwan O you would return to TKO and head to the other platform only to catch the wrong train again 🤣
@@troy5094yep, but as a person who lives near Tseung Kwan O Station, I am particularly aware of this, and always have a look at the PIDS before boarding the train.
He has significantly better pronunciation this time round. He can now pronounce Tuen and Yuen no problem so thats great
MTR should build again the Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei Cross Platform pair in here & will be solved the LOHAS Death Triangle XD
My partner is actually from Southern China and speaks Canto and eod, some sounds are just hard to replicate by a non native speaker! Thanks for watching!
My favorite of the MTR lines is the Disneyland Resort Line. Not only are the trains adorable with Mickey-shaped windows, Mickey-shaped handholds and cool bronze statues of Disney characters, but the two station designs of Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort are a nice touch. Because the train is meant to be a time machine, taking you from the future (Sunny Bay) to the past (Disneyland Resort). Hong Kong Disneyland was just a Diet Disneyland when it first opened in 2005 due to the budget, so it is amazing to see the transformation the park has been undertaking now with the additions of Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, a new and improved unique castle, and Arendelle.
More info on the East Rail Line platform gate retrofitting: The black and silver brackets on the platform edges seen throughout this video are where the gates will be installed, and MTR will change the stopping positions on the entire line to even out the passenger distribution - something which arguably causes overcrowding on the line as much as the reduced capacity of shorter 9-car trains.
Interesting details!
@@RMTransit The actually reason of reducing the number of cars in East Rail Line from 12 to 9 is due to the recent extension from Hung Hum to Admiralty.
Due to having crowded underground stations in Hong Kong Island, the maximum length of a train is 9-car as to meet fire regulations.
It has been a huge outrage, since New Territories citizens now have to wait for at least 3 trains to board the East Rail Line during peak hours. Alongside the ever-increasing ticket price, most people in Hong Kong think negatively about the MTR, which is pretty ironic XD
@@EdwardChan.999 actually,the max is 10 cars,but R-train cars are longer than MLR(rip) and sp1900,so only nine cars are provided for the 10 car space.
@@Lx11avp R train cars are roughly the same length as MLR/IKK trains. I am pretty sure the measurements you see on the internet do not include the gangway length. If this isn't the case, it would have been impossible to have the MFO signage on the platforms.
As for the new stations, the down end of the platforms have a reserved space for one car, the 9-car R trains wouldn't be any longer than a 9-car MLR train. The 9-car train however carries significantly more passengers than a 9-car MLR train.
*Interesting fact*
HK MTR: *taking the longest and most expensive route from Tuen Mun to Chai Wan charges HK$28, i.e. ~£2.8* (journey time: 75min) (excluding airport express and disneyland lines)
London Underground: *taking tube for just one station in zone 1 charges you £2.7* (journey time: 2min)
while London Tube keeps striking once a month ~.~
exclude Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau as well... although they're closed now due to covid.
You’ve just hurt the pride of so many Londoners
Most expensive is actually Disneyland station to Lo Wo/Lok Ma Chau which costs HK$58 which is only a little bit more than two tube trips in zone 1
cuz Hong Kong mtr doesnt rely on tickets to earn profit
i thought airport express was most expensive
Among all the cities I’ve travelled to I think HK has truly mastered the art of building subway/train systems. God bless Hong Kong 🇭🇰
9:37 The double cross platform interchange is the reason why Kwun Tong Line served Yau Ma Tai. After trains terminated at Mong Kok KTL trains would need a place to turn around, and just so happen the track needed for such turnaround extends to Yau Ma Tai so the planners went “why not?” and added the lower platform at Yau Ma Tai for TKL to terminate at, until the Whompoa extension was built
Love stuff like this!
*Yau Ma Tei
you know what I LOVE about the HK MTR? They keep the cabin SUPER COOL even in the hottest days of the Summer!!! It's extremely refreshing to enter one of those when it's hot like an oven outside :)
although in the summer, the amount of people can still make the mtr trains pretty hot and stuffy
@@2cv693It's the new energy saving initiative. They've raised the A/C temperature both in the cabin and in the MTR stations.
As a visitor to Hong Kong, I have been on most of these lines. The engineering, design, and operation of this system is quite impressive! In the past, I have envied the pace of development, too. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
As a Hong Konger, some points I want to add:
1. Many of the residents criticise the system because they think the service quality in the past was better(kinda true haha). But still I think the system is one the best in the world.
2. A large portion of the people who will head back to the Mainland China live in North New Territories. In addition to the high price, most people don't use the high speed rail. The number of passengers has been quite low even before COVID.
3. Although the speed of HK Tramways is slow, its fare is incredibly cheap. Just HKD 3 (~USD 0.4) allows you to travel approx 13km from the west end of Kennedy Town to the east end of Shau Kei Wan. In addition, many stations of the Island Line are deep underground. Thus many people take the tram as 1st choice when they travel a short distance to save the time going up and down the ground.
4. Although the MTR network has a large coverage, buses still play an important role of HK's transport network due to the terrain. Especially when travel between East and West New Territories, the difference on traveling time is quite obvious. People also prefer to travel on bus if the distance is long.
5. The coverage of the Airport Express (AEL) is so little that many of the citizens would travel on airport buses to the Airport. The airport buses serves all 18 districts in Hong Kong, and therefore you can do less transit or even no need. But still the AEL should be your first choice if you travel to West Kowloon and HK Island.
Another HKer here although I’m technically an alumni as I’ve moved away for work. People bag on the MTR because they don’t know how good they have it. Yes, service may have been more reliable back when the system was small and glitches could be fixed by sheer manpower, when people made $6000/mo.
Now with the sprawling network and computerisation, you need a smaller team of well-paid experts who need more time to fix things.
It was a different era and HKers are infamous for pining for the simpler times, especially with its unique political history.
While I whined about service disruptions taking 2 hours, someone has been regularly commuting from Tin Shui Wai to HK island which has been nearly impossible before West Rail. The advances are stunning, undeniable and deserves our appreciation.
My family always prefers to take the Airport Express to the island then grab a taxi
As someone living in London from Hong Kong I really appreciated ALL the pronunciations you did, it makes me just a little nostalgic...
the only odd one out but that one is granted a bully is "Tseung Kwan O" - as a native speaker it would sound more like "Journg (like Journal) Kwon O" imo
(I guess the same applies to Tseun Wan but I think you managed that really well, the TSE spelling in cantonese transliteration is more like a J/CH sound to me - in this case it's more like "(t)Choone Wan")
Hi Reece! As a Hong Kong student from UofT, I can surely say you nailed most of the pronunciations for the locations, which is very nice! Being in Toronto for a year now, I can definitely say that there are things that the MTR can learn from the TTC, such as connectivity- I really loved how stations like Spadina and Union have streetcar termini built directly inside the station without fare gates in between, and one staircase (or even none) to change within. The Light Rail you mentioned in the video is built inside a MTR station but it requires a bit of walking and two Octopus taps. Other than that, the transit projects in Trt are much more interesting here! Hybrid LRT and Subway Projects such as the Eglinton Crosstown are way more interesting than the East Rail Line crossing the harbour... (which is just like any other station) Anyway let me know if you're visiting HK anytime soon, I'll gladly be your tour guide! Thanks for this video, I am proud as a HKer to be featured haha ;)
Thanks for watching and commenting Isaac! I appreciate it!
Hallo 我係升F6嘅香港學生, 都好有興趣去多倫多大學讀書，想請教吓你DSE攞幾多分，因為我好驚入唔到，唔該晒🙇🏻♀️
@@husky4963 i pm u? ig wts signal dou okk!!
sumsum amber 中間有個underscore
But if you take the TTC long enough then you will start to miss the MTR
不過你搭得TTC多你會自然掛住港鐵
The cross platform interchanges at Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Admiralty, etc. are so impressive
I'm know! Admiralty turned out to work much better than I expected
Absolutely, engineering mastery!
When i was young i think it is normal, After travel to other counties i know the man who design this is Genius.
Prince Edward + Mong Kok, and Yau Tong + Tiu Keng Leng
Both are pairs for cross-platform interchange.
What is etc?
MTR related developments also help drives other transits too. Most newer projects also has mass transit hub to facilitate various bus routes.
That being said, there are downside of MTR extending to new neighborhoods. MTR drives down the demand for taxi and mini-buses, both are mostly independently own and operated. It also rise in rent and property value in once affordable area for residents and commercial spaces alike. For people looking to sell, rise in property value is great, but for people who are buying, Hong Kong is already the most expensive city for real estate, any rise in cost is bad.
MTR-centric new developments, especially across entire Tseung Kwun O area and along the Tung Chung line, but also for Kai Tak and upcoming Keu Tung stations, are bad for buses as the road network are designed around the residential development with bus terminal at center so buses either can only serve the outstirke of each development, or they must spend extra time to enter the central bus terminal/stop usually next to the MTR, and such extra time spent make the buses very uncompetitive. As a result, some of these transit-oriented development also have some of the higher rate of private automobile ownership across the city.
Gentrification is a problem hard to avoid, as the transit improve accessibility of area previously hard to access because of lack of rail thus improving their desirability and reducing investment. What failed in Hong Kong though, is 1.) despite new transit development, the development size limit (restriction on height, or floor area ratio) have not increased compared to many than half a century ago, hence new development cannot absorb more amount of residents from further away but must displace original residents, and 2.) There are a general shortage of residential unit supply. New towns are much less constructed nowadays. Despite population dropping, family size is also reducing and private properties can sold out literally within one day. Hence whenever there are new development, they sell like hotcakes and price will of course increase. And there are no place in Hong Kong to build cheaper building, even that small residential community off Southern Lantau Island where you literally cannot access through road or rail and need double ferry connection to reach urban area, is now trading at a rate of half a million USD, hence there are no way to like develop a cheap housing community for existing resident from redevelopment project to relocate into at cheaper rate. Even if you build something with such intention, market mechanism will ultimately dilute the residents.
To be honest, I think thats ok - taxis and minibuses are less environmentally friendly, and costlier in dollars and space
@@RMTransit Taxi and minibus runs off of propane rather than gas / diesel, so they aren't as bad as regular cars or full size buses.
For a lot of poorer people (usually older) minibus are really affordable compared to the MTR and is the only options to go short distance to get grocery. But because of possible lower ridership with new MTR station, these minibus route might get cut, creating transit issues for these short range travel.
@@ArchOfWinter This is a problem for older neighborhood instead of newer ones I would say, since those older neighborhoods are self-contained within the extent of the MTR station and the connecting TODs, residents not much need to actually do short distance trips outside the area. And streets outside TODs are also commonly desolated so not much reason to desire it either (although it is a problem in its own). Older people get fare discount and government subsidy when riding MTR, and while minibuses mostly use LNG which have less air pollutants, theid CO2 emission aren't really much lower.
@@RMTransit The thing is MTR still have limited amount of station and many communities still need feeder connection to MTR stations as well as direct bus service to destinations across the city. That MTR network didn't scale up despite the city have much higher transit usage rate than other cities with comparable population and pushed so many transit users onto the road can be said as one thing MTR failed, and then making some of these feeder connections even worse is another thing they failed like the reconstruction of Hung Hom station intentionally move the station platform away from bus hub to try to keep passengers within its own network instead of doing intermodal interchange but without considering how much citizens it serve are still not living next to any of its stations and still rely on connecting services.
Hong Kong MTR is so well designed that it can be profitable just by operating the metro system. However it still develop residential buildings, shops and malls around the stations to even earn more profit. As a Hongkonger I must say that the MTR is really a convenient way to travel within Hong Kong
IIRC they are only profitable thanks to the developments?
@@RMTransit I think he means MTR had a 100%+ farebox recovery
@@RMTransit MTR's rail operations are profitable, but the really useful thing with its involvement in TOD is that it can fund its own expansion, and along with the territory it has a somewhat outsized influence on how Hong Kong develops.
I think you mentioned this last time, but there was no focus on the trains themselves this time. Just wanted to say that there is some genius practical design on the newer MTR trains on the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line, despite their questionable reliability. These are what I like to call 'capacity boosting'. Basically, MTR no longer puts handrails in the centre of the carriage between doors to encourage people to move further inside. They also have more standing space next to the doors so that people who stand there do not block the way. This does come at the cost of losing a few seats to add the extra standing space, but I would say it is a fair trade-off as the newer trains' seats are more comfortable.
there's also some genius impractical design such as using shorter 9 car trains when 12 car trains was already crowded af, keeping first class where capacity is most needed, putting speed limits everywhere on Tsuen Ma Line and East Rail Line, plus broken and removed door seals on the CAF's and TCL K's.
@@HMSNeptun Of course 12 car trains are better than 9 car trains, but the tradeoff is worth the relieving on the Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line, as well as direct journeys between HK Island and N.T. But my point still stands - a 9 car new EAL train will be better at handling capacity than an old EAL if it were 9 cars long. If all the space is utilised properly (right now it is not, 12 car trains won't help either), 9 car trains can still handle capacity well. MTR can run more frequently if demand rises in the future, they are only running 80% of what is possible in the peak hours right now. This is not considering that there are more trains yet to enter service, and stop locations on the EAL will change once platform gates are installed.
East Rail Line speed limits have been lifted as of May 2022 between 7am and 11pm. The speed limits in place before were due to noise restrictions at night, but the old signalling system could not change the speed limit depending on the time of day. Other East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line speed limits exist because of complicated trackwork or tight curves, which is necessary.
The TCL door seal issue is really not a big deal. It does not affect safety or operational efficiency much.
I think I covered the stuff I mainly wanted to - always a challenge, the idea of putting more hand holds away from the doors is actually done in a decent number of systems!
@@squidgame2021 that's the problem: they don't have enough trains to run at full capacity. Even now during peak hours you can fail to get onto the train since it's too crowded. They phased out the 12 car trains way too soon and adding salt on top of that the new 9 car R-trains have a worse travel experience.
1. Vibrations. The vibration was not present in SP1900 and even the aging MLRs yet the new R-trains vibrate like crazy.
2. Choppy deceleration due to rough transition between regenerative braking and resistive braking. Again, the SP1900 does not have this problem (while MLR did not have regen at all).
Complicated track work does not warrant a speed limit decrease.
Track intersections can and are run at much higher speeds.
For example the tracks on the tung chung line are run at speed (some cases at 130km/h) every single day.
Due to narrow tunnels and high speed, removal of door seals on Tung Chung Line trains causes not only loud cabins, but also air pressure variance that causes discomfort to passengers.
@@HMSNeptun By full capacity, I meant what was possbile out of the current fleet. With more trains, they can run at a higher full capacity. MTR runs the EAL at 22 tph but this can be 27 tph if they wanted to. This can increase to 29 or 30 with more R trains. 12 car trains will not solve magically solve overcrowding, similar to how increasing the number of lanes in a highway does not reduce traffic. I don't understand the problem with waiting an extra train at peak hours, this is actually expected from a heavily utilised public transport system. And if a system was this crowded, any train will be fully packed no matter how long. From experiencing the EAL in peak hours recently, I can confidently say passengers are not distributed enough in the train. There are always parts of the train more crowded than another. MTR will change the stopping locations for R trains after platform gates are installed to even out the distribution which should ease the crowding in certain cars. I actually did an experiment at the Sheung Shui bound platform at Exhibition Centre station: my friend could get on the spacious car at the end of the train after the Book Fair but I had to wait 3 trains at the front of the platform. The takeaway is that R trains are not crowded if you don't want them to be.
Hyundai Rotem bogies aren't that good in general, so bumpy rides were kind of expected. However they are only really noticeable in the cross harbour tunnel, and not at all below 100kmh which is the case for most of the EAL. The MLR motor cars did have some serious vibration though. The uncomfy deceleration is likely because the rate of deceleration is higher than IKKs and MLRs for sure (allows higher frequencies and higher running speeds), because R trains pulling into the old Hung Hom platforms had smoother deceleration. I would say a crowded R train is much more bearable than either MLR or IKK because of the capacity boosting features I mentioned in the original comment.
You can't compare the track intersections between the Tung Chung Line and the ones on the Tuen Ma Line/East Rail Line with speed limits. A single diverging point on the Tung Chung Line and Airport Express can be more than 100m long, whereas the TML and EAL have much more complicated intersections in the same space. Of course the TCL can operate at higher speeds in these sections. Also to my knowledge, none of the TCL tracks are as complicated as the EAL or TML near the new Hung Hom station.
I doubt that the TCL trains are louder than the M trains on the TKL, KTL extension or near Tai Koo on the ISL despite the removed door seals.
I would say out of all these complaints, the East Rail Line crowding is the most reasonable but is more of an observation than a complaint. The other two are really trivial honestly and do not change the fact that the MTR is great. You don't see many *high capacity rapid transit* systems that run trains at speeds like the MTR.
The MTR is one of the best things about my trip to Hong Kong last year. So extensive, cheap, and reliable!
As a Hong Konger working in the States and unable to return due to Covid, I am heartened and appreciative that you went back to add more visuals! To a visitor the MTR is a sensory feast, and to the locals it's a hyper-efficient and effective tool that we sometimes take for granted.
Although some of its innovations have been applied in other cities worldwide, the noise reduction side skirts are, AFAIK, still unique to Hong Kong.
as a hongkonger who recently moved to the uk, i am genuinely surprised of the lack of sound barriers installed around roads and railway.
@@willy_gooseling69 different environment, culture, regulations and expectations.
@@willy_gooseling69 Singapore has built its sound barriers/skirts trackside instead of on the trains' undercarriage since 2018, & I find them pretty effective
@@lzh4950 Hong Kong’s Tuen Ma Line has both and it is VERY effective. The quietness is impressive for heavy rail.
Victoria Harbour is very much the center of Hong Kong. The original parts of Hong Kong when it was British was the main Hong Kong Island and Kowloon which they got in 1842 and 1860 respectively. It wasn't until 1898 that they got everything else (hence the name New Territories) for a lease of 99 years. And along with Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Macau also has a transit system (built with the help of MTR), with the first section (Taipa Line) that already opened in 2019 with three other lines and a shuttle in the works.
Macau's system is quite useless for now as the opened line is not located in the residential area and there are not many tourists during covid.
british colony
Hang on.......this user is just...NO!
wtf didnt know they had. we're all buses during a daytrip there last month
@@sunj8346Macau Peninsula Line: **still arguing which street should it runs through*
Buses are also worth mentioning due to its fast and extensive network! Hong Kong buses regularly goes on expressways even in urban areas. These routes help reduce the stress on MTR network and provide convenient point-to-point express service so that passengers do not have to stand on crowded trains for a long time, especially in sururbans which is far away from urbans. Here are some famous express bus routes across different urban areas: 98D, 118, 215X, 788.
In addition, there are bus interchanges located on expressways and tunnels, passengers could interchange different buses going to different places! Tuen Mun Road Bus Interchange which is located on Tuen Mun Road (Expressway connecting Tuen Mun and downtown) is the most successful bus interchange in Hong Kong, with about 25 regular routes stopping on this interchange. In Tuen Mun, residential areas are widely distributed and different bus routes serve for different area. On the urban side, different bus routes goes to different area via different expressways. Mainly Kolwoon East (61X, 62X, 258D, 259D); TST (260X); Yau Ma Tei (63X); Sham Shui Po & Mong Kok (59X, 60X, 66X, 67X); Hong Kong Island (960, 961); Sha Tin & other bus routes in Shing Mun Tunnel Bus Interchange (263).
* Worth mentioning 118 uses the most congested tunnel in HK - Hung Hom Cross Habour Tunnel, which is the most convenient and cheapest tunnel. However, 118 is still a very popular bus route for passenger, as there are bus-only shortcut (northbound) and bus lanes (southbound), so buses don't waste so much time on traffic jams there!
@@PatheticTV unfortunately he is not checking the comment 😂
As a resident in Hong Kong , thank you RMTransit for intensive presentation the most updated railways in Hong Kong. With my blind guess along with other videos you produced, you don't seem even live in Hong Kong. However you did such an accurate and up-to-date researches. Hats off to you! 😇
Proud to be a Hong Konger just for the MTR! Thank you for the updated vid!
I work as contractor and now consultant to them. Was born in HK at a time but live in Toronto. I recall a time where there was no MTR and just had the East Rail before electrified. The last 40 years has really been something. However I felt like almost every tier 1 and 2 city in China has a system as good as HK nowadays. Crazy to see all this happened in the last 10 years. I hope you can do a top 10 transit system countdown with your discretion about what is top 10. In my mind most of the system in Asia are second to none as they were developed in the last 20 years.
HK’s system is ageing quite well, all things considered. Signalling is being upgraded, station designs refreshed and trains are being replaced at the scheduled end of life.
As a frequent traveler around the world from Hong Kong myself the train system in Hong Kong and China look very ugly and no character compared to many European cities although it’s being efficient. That’s the only good thing about HKMTR. Since your company have operations in Stockholm and other places in the world you guys should learn how to build stations nicer with more character.
One of my favorite parts of the MTR is that many of the stations are so large that they become the fastest (and air conditioned) way to get across parts of the city. I once walked from one side of Tsim Sha Tsui to the other to meet up for dinner.
but there's no comparison to Japan underground
Note though that using the TST underground bridge to continue a journey between TST and TST East is counted as two journeys. IDK if MTR changed this fare pricing rule today though.
Such a well made video!
I live near the Tseung Kwan O Station, so I'm trained to listen to the announcements ('The next train will stop at Po Lam/Lohas Park'), so I won't get on the wrong train. My friend who lives in Po Lam was stuck in the Lohas death loop, and travelled to Lohas Park for 3 times lmao
Damn that sucked.
I live here and I love our MTR system. It really is the best in the world; it's cheap, fast, comfortable, clean, and efficient - not to mention that it's constantly being developed and has such a distinct visual style that they have made some adorable merch! I'd love to see you cover other aspects of Hong Kong's transport like buses, trams and minibuses (
Not been to HK since 2017, very impressed that its still functioning so well. When you said one of the lines was built with consultation from a British rail company (obviously since it was a British colony) I couldn't help think it was a joke if you ever had the horror of travelling on a UK train.
It always feels great when RM transit posts!
Even if it was posted before?
lol yes
@@harang9759 It wasn't, the video is completely new. Started from scratch with the script and made the whole thing flow way better while also including more info!
@@RMTransit oh I see, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding 😅
2:23 Greater Bay Area (大灣區) used to be called Pearl River Delta (珠三角), and PRD sounds much better than GBA.
Great Bay Area is more of a political term while Pearl River Delta is more of a geographical term. They can't be compared like that.
Excellent presentation - the Hong Kong system shows other places what is acheivable and also I'm sure creates much envy and desire to emulate!
There are also quite a few ghost stories/urban legends surrounding the MTR as well!
Ooh can you give some examples?
@@squidgame2021 there's some about the 2019 protest, but the rest could be bout ghost and stuff.
( if you don't know, the HKP was very aggressive during the latter days of the protest, as the protest ended everyone return via the MTR, so the police "basically" followed the protestors down. one incident had the police coming in like wild wolfs and basically assaulted* and gassed everyone in the station's platform before closing the station to everyone including reporters. As naturally, everyone's mind went on the whirlwind and think of the worse, since a few stations down there's appearance of ambulance and arrested marshaled onto bus and vans, plus no one really believed the government's line of nothing happened during the closure. )
I’m listening 👀
@@PrograError I don't think that counts as "urban legend", that's just news, btw can I ask for your source (sources in Chinese are ok)
If you guys want some examples, the most famous one is about a KCR ad filmed in the 90s which featured some young kids. The video and audio were quite eerie, there seemed to be blood on one of the kids' faces, the number of kids seemed to be inconsistent, and it was rumored the kids died some time after filming. Other examples include supposed ghost sightings in the planned but unconstructed Rumsey Station near Sheung Wan, and the rumors of the middle track of Choi Hung Station (which as already been debunked).
Someone who’s lived in Hong Kong for most of my life, I love MTR points, there’s this app that gives you points when you take the MTR (with your Octopus Card) and as someone who takes the MTR everyday it’s so satisfying seeing those points stack up and looking through items that I can redeem
I've been waiting for a video on this topic for so long!!
Hong Konger here. This is the best explainer of the MTR in English I've seen!
Dang, the editing on this video is next level. Dope stuff!
Thanks so much! Our editor is a masterclass.
I'm a local Hong Konger, really like your video and I appreciate anyone taking about stuff about different places in the world and also(especially) Hong Kong.
As a Hong Konger, I am really impressed by your correct pronunciation of the place names!
Thank's for the complement of our great railway. -Guy from Hong Kong
The reason I love MTR is because the train arrives every two minutes during rush hours. It’s so convenient and on time!
6:25 That is Long Ping Station, the station before Yune Long Station when heading eastwards
Definitely one of your best explainers! Very clear and I'm very hyped to go to Hong Kong :)
Yes finally the topic I been waiting for, thank you RMTransit.
14:17 Unfortunately, due to the signaling system on the TCL and AEL, AEL trains cannot overtake TCL trains. Sometimes when an AEL train is right at the back of a TCL train, the AEL train needs to stop at Sunny Bay station. The order of trains in the Lantau island section are determined in Tsing Yi, once a train entered the double-track section, the order cannot be changed. What a pity.
Aw man, as a hongkonger, this is the only thing I’m gonna miss about this city when I leave for university
Awesome MTR video! Let's not forget that Hong Kong's bus network and buses are equally impressive too!
6:06 - 6:16 This part of Hong Kong is actually pretty poorly served by rails. "Tuen Ma Line" doesn't actually goes near popular destinations and light rails are very slow and complicated and are mostly used for local trips only
Therefore a lot of bus lines proped up to provide express services to far destinations and there are 2 major interchanges to allow for bus transfers (Tai Lam Tunnel & Tuen Mun Road Bus Interchange)
Hope you would cover express buses in Hong Kong one day 👍
P.S. If you want more information/ questions on Hong Kong transit you could give me the topic/ question. I would give you a google docs to see if you can find them useful
I don’t know about Tai Po and Fanling, but Shatin, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long are well-served by the rail. As for Sai Kung, I’m pretty sure they don’t want a rail to extend there because it’s already super crowded.
I would argue that because old KCR systems runs mostly overground and are designed like region rails rather than metros (i.e. Tuen Ma Line and East Rail line) they usually don't reach real town centres of cities but rather at the edge of cities. Therefore it takes some walking to reach the station and thus reducing it's convenience
The East Rail Line does reach the center of Shatin though
It is also capable of reaching Mong Kok (with 5 minute walk), Sheung Shui and Admiralty
There are 4 major bus lines (92, 792M, 99, 299X) and 2 minibus (1A, 101M) running into Sai Kung and combined they only have capacity of 2,700 passengers/ hour during peak hours (Buses only runs at 10 minute frequency even during peak hours). In comparison Tsuen Wan Line have a capacity of 80,000 passengers per direction per hour. Building metro into it would be very overkill...
The people of Sai Kung do not want rail. At holidays, Sai Kung is already super crowded even though the only public transport are minibuses and buses. Extended the rail there will be unbearable and will lead to overcrowdedness.
fun fact,Lai King station was built on a mountain side and when Lai King station opened, it was already designed so when the Tung Chung Line is built, it can have a cross platform interchange
Wibble…
LAK was built in 1982, before the place I live in-Tung Chung-was even thought of; only when that was devised did the Down TWL get rerouted to allow the double XPI we have today.
18:20
As a Hong Konger I can’t understate how efficient the MTR is, in fact this rapid transit is so efficient that it makes the bus transit look extremely terrible in comparison, if your apartment/workplace is somewhat far from the nearest MTR then you need to take a bus or a minibus (or a taxi if you have that much money to burn) to get near your destination, which the arrival/launch intervals are very long baring few exceptions, sometimes walking to where you need to go from the station takes less time because you just miss a bus and now it will take 20 minutes for the next bus to launch, 20 minute bus intervals may sound good to a Europeans/American but to us? When the MTR arrival intervals are literally every 2 minutes or less, this would mean that hilariously travelling time on the MTR is sometimes shorter than the travelling to your destination from the station(not theoretical where you just ride the MTR for 1 station btw I meant a regular routine like going back home from work), not to mention the fact that Hong Kongers are extremely impatient, it just makes taking a bus very unappealing, there is literally a minibus that has 20-30 minutes interval and it was faster for me to walk to my destination every single time instead of waiting for this because walking takes only 10 minutes, if the arrival intervals for buses and minibuses were shortened then we would have a excellent transit, too bad that the buses doesn’t get as much attention as the trains because of the government’s doctrine, if they paid more attention to buses it would’ve been perfect, but overall I see transit here as one of the better things abt the city and one of the few things that the government invest heavily in that didn’t extreme backlash/controversy (Tomorrow Lantau), or ended up to be waste of money (M+ museum) as much I hate the government being so out of touch and not listening to the citizens demands (no not the 5 demands as much as I want it, but things like regulating cut out rooms conditions(idk if that’s the right word for it but basically the land lord puts a bunch of wooden planks to make lots of cramped rooms and rent them out for a high price per square foot) or that the restaurants didn’t get enough economic aid to get thru the pandemic etc) the transit is one of the things I like about my government
if depends... walking down to station and back up to street takes quite sometime
I remember as a kid, there were only a few stations on each line and there weren't even that many lines or extensions at all yet was still extremely easy to get by traveling from the new territories to the industrial areas.
Great presentation. I visited Hong Kong more than 30 years ago, and I recall waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of a vintage steam locomotive (possibly an old Soviet engine) passing through the area on "borrowed" electrified rapid transit tracks. As a kid, I thought it was quite spooky.
Superb summary - info dense but clear. I was in HK for most of 98 - staying in Tuen Mun, working at the 'new' airport. Daily travel initially by packed motor launch 'taxis' before the airport opened, slow public ferries afterwards.
And yes, the MTR was and is excellent - including the 'fast' airport express (tho getting the line to Tung Chung then bus to the airport was way cheaper!). Amazing to see the MTR and the whole infrastructure develop at pace ever since. Even at the time, the contrast with say the London underground was stark - limited investment for best part of 30 years until the early 2000s. Just the DLR really to show. But the MTR's a fine example of the immense value of public transport/transit - as is Singapore's dyslexic MRT.
And should note Hong Kong's Octopus card - easy access across MTR, ferries, busses - was a great model for others including London's Oyster.
|| Singapore's dyslexic MRT.
Why??
Thanks so much for watching! It's such a fantastic and world leading system.
Fun fact: the London tube’s Elizabeth line is built with the help of MTRC (MTR Corp), therefore the platforms and train structures look very similar to MTR in Hong Kong. Most important of all, it has ac in the trains, which is very helpful during the heatwave.
The minibus network is also an essential addition to the convenience of the MTR network worth mentioning
The 2 KCRC Locos were never owned by SBB they were directly delivered to Hong Kong.
4:32 Perhaps AC was chosen because the UK did at the same time, and because the MLR’s home route was indeed not unlike the lower ECML then-compatibility with CNR electrification across the border is perhaps a coincidence.
Thank you! not only for introducing our mtr to the world, but also for allowing me to look at the Hong Kong's transport system at a different perspective, and to appreciate and love it even more!
A few things to remark:
1. The Ktt locomotives were bought brand new from SLM / Adtranz instead of formerly owned by SBB, meanwhile bi-level coaches were made in Japan by Kinki Sharyo.
2. Tung Chung Line and Airport Express shares the double-track harbour crossing between Kowloon and Hong Kong
3. Full quad-track on Tung Chung Line and Airport Express should be more like an urban myth as the very initial plan back in 1989/90 was already similar to what we have today, the Chinese government only complained about the high cost of the whole airport project after this double-track plan.
I doubt is Urban myth when there has a book to recall all things during the discussion of Lantau Airport Railway project.
I think it is counterintuitive to shorten each train set from 12 cars to 9 cars solely due to space constraints at the Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations, when the rest of the East Rail Line's infrastructure had been built to accommodate 12-car trains. It seems to me a waste of space and capacity at the other 14 stations between Mong Kok East and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau.
The MTR should consider restoring some (but not all) of the 37 sets of R-train on the East Rail Line to 12 cars, which is absolutely achievable as long as the following can be implemented:
(1) Immediately build out and incorporate the additional 10-car reserve space at the Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations as part of those stations' platform area.
(2) Have MTR staff manually cordon off the 1st and 12th cars of each 12-car train that is bound for Admiralty at Mong Kok East to prevent passengers from occupying those two train cars at Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations such as to not delay boarding/alighting times at those 3 stations.
(3) Since the platforms at Hung Hom, Exhibition Centre, and Admiralty stations would be able to accommodate 10-car trains, the 1st and 12th cars of each 12-car train can remain in the tunnel, while the middle 10 cars can stop at the platforms of those three stations as usual.
(4) Once the 12-car train reverses at Admiralty to head back towards Sheng Shui, MTR staff can lift the cordon at the 1st and 12th cars and allow North-bound passengers to occupy those cars.
I am also aware that the MTR is looking to purchase an additional 6 sets of R-trains from ROTEM. Instead of ordering those 6 sets of R-trains, I recommend MTR order them as intermediary 3-car consists (6 train sets x 9 cars = 54 cars in total, or 18 three-car intermediary consists). Using the 18 three-car intermediary consists, MTR can convert 18 of the existing 37 sets of R-trains into 12-car trains, while the remaining 19 sets of R-train can remain as 9-car trains. I think this offers greater flexibility in terms of when 9-car and 12-car trains can be deployed depending on the time of the day.
I am living in Hong Kong and the video is updated and nicely done. It's a good and correct information for anyone who plans to come to Hong Kong.
The MTR is so convenient, and I agree it to be one of the best rail systems in the world.
I left a clinic in the CBD at 10:50am, and I have to be in Diamond Hill by 11:30am.
But the convenience of the MTR really helped, as the trains only took less than 30 minutes to reach my stop. This is how I don't have to worry to be late.
15:00 I like how the apt express' 90s aesthetic hasn't aged badly (ofc the info displays and lighting were upgraded)
The fact that MTR still uses this aesthetic in building new stations speaks volumes. Truly a forward-looking design in the 1990s.
I’m such a big fan of the 90s/00s green/blue color scheme, which was everywhere from companies like Cathay, to the Airport Express, to government and school/university logos. It screamed “Hong Kong” like nothing else
Kowloon station is the best designed station on the network. Nothing beats it.
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur! Stumbled upon your channel and I've been binge watching your videos. I travelled to Hong Kong in 2018 and I was certainly impressed with its transit system. When you mentioned Yuen Long, I immediately jumped in happiness because for years I failed to recall the name of this neighbourhood where I ended up at 5AM in the morning and joined the rush hour commuters to work to head back to my hostel. Great memories.
Also, please do the Kuala Lumpur transit system which it adopted many interesting quirks from Hong Kong and Singapore.
3:18 hey it's my home town of Yune Long, looks like footage from 2020 to 2021 as that building under construction and the closed roads were like that during that time period
Yeah Yuen Long pride!! We’re all village mobsters according to some people. 🤣
@@canto_v12 true
My dad helped to build the South Island Line Ocean Park station and Hung Hom Station for the tuen ma line
Hey Reese, figure that since you have the Lego Crocodile locomotive on your desk...the MTR store in Hong Kong recently released a commemorative "brick based construction toy" set (Royal Toys City Stories RT47) based on the recently retired Metro Cammell MLR train (they ran on the East Rail line from 1998 until 2022). It's not every day you can buy an official sanctioned set for a mass transit vehicle.
There's something slightly meta watching this video on my way to work on the MTR.
Nice work!
Thanks for creating this video featuring the MTR of my hometown of Hong Kong. I highly suggest you visit the city in the future when you have the opportunity and see it for yourself.
Very good coverage with the MTR is one of the best ways to go around HK. Though I will say you cannot underestimate the convenience of buses too. I do use buses and MTR about 50-50 split and prefer to use buses on longer commutes or want to go somewhere more direct because of the more comfy seating. Google maps is very helpful in letting you know which one is preferred.
Have been loving in Hong Kong for the past 8 years. It's train system and transport system as a whole is the best I have ever seen or heard about. It's clean, comfortable, fast, punctual, inexpensive, and station locations are all well planned.
Many stations lead directly into Shopping Malls, bus stations, and even residential/large commercial estates. Almost every station has very good customer service and basic amenities.
Service,frequency,safety,cleanliness and ease of use makes it #1
Any time i use any another system seems like a tradedown in comparison
Admiralty is like the King's Cross of Hong Kong
Its interesting to see the MTR system being explained since when I was in HK, I never realized how great the system is, and how the it got a different view on how the West Kowloon station without the political issues involved.
Nice vertical train music at the intro!
Not only the MTR is the best. Hong Kong is by far the most amazing city in the world
truly, simply the best rapid transit system in the world. few other places - like taipei and singapore - come close, but none can touch the way MTR just blends service, efficiency, commercial interests, and make it all work
What really is hard to fathom for someone who hasn't experienced it is, the flow of crowds in Hong Kong's MTR is very, very constant, and repeated across the vast majority of its train stations. Having London's ridership but only about a third of London's station count.
This has been an accurate and informative video about the MTR. Thanks. Some of the cross transfer platforms arrangements are really necessary during the rush hour here. I have seen the massive interchange platform at Admiralty more than half full during crunch times. Also, here are a couple of additions for those interested…1. on the Airport Express or the Tung Chung line, when crossing the Tsing Ma bridge, the train is running THROUGH the bridge and, as a passenger, you may look down at the window and see right down to the sea below, 2. at Shatin station, some of the marble or stonework of the station contains fossils that someone found out (see how many you can find), 3. I’ve heard of commuters wanting to travel from Yau Ma Tei heading to Central to take the train IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL just get on the train at Prince Edward to go back to Central. By the way, I live near the bridge stubs you mentioned so thanks for letting me know what they are/were.
As a Hongkonger who is now living in Canada, this video has brought back so much memories for me. I live in the eastern New Territories when I grow up, so I uses the East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line extensively, though in recent years MTR‘s reputation has tanked due to the events in 2019.
The MTR also has TV included in newer trains, playing news reports. The Ma On Shan line was once 4 cars but then added to 8 cars due to the Tun Ma line.
I take this everyday for school it’s so cool to see people cover this (sorry for my bad english)
MTR also runs 4th line in Shenzhen and Stockholm-Gothenburg line in Sweden.
If you decide to take the peaktram, try to be there as early as possible. There could a very long line during peak hours
I wouldn't say that KTT is irrelevant. The high speed rail between Guangzhou and hk is really fast but the terminal is in the middle of nowhere. The KTT takes you close to downtown Guangzhou so if you want to go to downtown Guangzhou, the travel time is actually somehow faster and easier on the KTT (no transfer vs two transfers) . There were government talks about shutting down the KTT but some of that is the politics of having spent so much money on the high speed line. Obviously neither have been in service since covid so we don't know if they will force them to shut down the KTT. Edit: it’s clear now that the ktt will not resume operations.
Since 2021, the infrastructure allows high speed train departing West Kowloon to approx Guangzhou East in the CBD via Dongguan (instead of Guangzhou South in the middle of nowhere). I wouldn't be surprised if they will run service on this line once the border reopens
Part of the Ganzhou-Shenzhen high-speed railway
Actually the rail link has made it possible to travel from West Kowloon by high-speed rail to downtown Guangzhou. A connection has been made north of Shenzhen to the KTT line to direct high-speed trains there.
Thx for the news, as I don’t live in hk atm. That would actually make ktt irrelevant yeah. I am a sucker for those locomotives tho.
Interesting to hear your thoughts!
I have been living in Hong Kong since I was born and you somehow knows more about the MTR than I do
Talk about a crazy system. US cities could really learn a lot from how the MTR operates and actually enjoys wide popularity with the residents of the city.
MTR Early three Lines: The successor of the London Underground's Victoria Line
Fun fact: The earliest MTR drivers were trained on the Victoria line as since its opening it used Automatic Train Operation.
Certainly remind me of it!
@@squidgame2021 also a fact that: The busiest and largest car-capacity Metro system with using Automatic Train Operation(ATO) in the world.
Now, maximum train frequency having in 1.9 mins, during Morning Rush Hour of Island Line in normal weekdays.
There are two sets of bus systems operated by MTR, one at Tuen Mun/ Tin Shui Wai and one at Tai Po, as fedder bus services for Light Rail/ Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line respectively. Free of charge interchangings are available with such buses and indicated MTR routes.
Fun fact,when Asia World Exhibition has huge activities, trains from Tung Chun Line may go straight to that station to handle mass number of travelers.
Yaay my local transit system. 😊
2:47 That bridge fascinates me in the sense that: Both Hong Kong and Macau are left-hand drive, but China is right, but the route is set up so you have to switch sides twice.
Very informative video! As a local you covered a LOT of info which I was impressed by. I think I remember watching the old version of this video and now to see the newest update to the MTR included in the video is nice. Not a fanboy over the Admiralty Station, but that station deserves a whole video of its own just for how significant of a station it is to MTR... And how meme-worthy it has become XD
I've been following MTR projects for years, and I'd like to comment on the part where future developments were discussed: The extensions to Tuen Ma South and Tung Chung West are confirmed and will start building in 2023. The extensions of Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O line are discussed, though for the latter the plan has been simplified many times. Not much mention has been made lately about the East Kowloon Line or the South Island Line West section.
Rather, the most significant future project was sort of brushed over in this video: A link between the border and the Tuen Ma Line. It's called the Northern Link, which would connect the East Rail Line through a new station Kwu Tung, to the Kam Sheung Road Station in the Tuen Ma Line.
I did a summer programme in Hong Kong in 2011 so getting major nostalgia watching this. I was staying in Sha Tin in the NT. I was on the East Rail line a tons of time. I remember the cross border services flying pass
The days of doing triple interchange to get to most parts of the island is over with the Shatin-Central link!
Wow.. great presentation. Just came back from 5 days visit. Very impressed by the MTR networks. TTC, are you listening???
My earliest memory of the MTR was from when it only has three lines and was separate from KCR.This was back in the very beginning of the 90s. How it has expanded in the following decades.
You can also use the Octopus card to buy things at most stores in Hong Kong
I love the HK transit system, I was visiting in 2007. The tram has some of the longest historical legacies that created the whole social culture of HK. I spent most of my life overseas but watched a lot of Asian dramas. The tram created a lot of stories. Stories of grandma taking the kids to ride ding ding, as it was called, or young boys in the 60s and 70s going up to the peak declaring their ambitions to make something of their lives together, be it opening restaurants or gambling in the HK stock exchange or ending up in iconic roles in rival gangs. It’s such a part of hk’s legacy of how they make their way in life in colonial era and establishing a choice in life😢.
While Trams is a mark of starting the industrial age in early years of colonial HK, into the modern age, MTR is the mark of the post modern age of HK history. My mom just graduated from high school in HK when it was building in HK. She landed a job as assistant to DA in central. She said it’s officially first finished in 1975. By then, I figured she must be working as a ticket dispenser in the HK jockey club. But even in the 90s there’s still a lot of drilling, loud drilling, in the streets back in 1999, when we were on our way to visiting my dad’s hometown in China. The mosaic tiles in the stations, dirty and mucky and many public washrooms, it was a lot more complex back then. I really wish you could do 80s-90s HK MTR. That orange in the station is everywhere. That iconic yellow with red line in all the double decker buses and shuttle buses. Even the interchange system was so memorable lol. There was a lot of vandalism and the homeless there back then, idk if it’s still the same, but it was such a different HK than now, without the airport line or Disneyland line. A childhood iconic memory would be begging mom and dad weeks on end and studying really hard and being extra good so that they could take you to Ocean Park. Going there weekly means you’re either a really good kid, or your parents really adored you or to others too much is spoil you lol.
Your image at 1:55 seems to show the Walled City on the right. Jackie Pullinger's book "Chasing the Dragon" is probably the best way to learn about its history.