Light Rail

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Light Rail 輕鐵

A Light Rail train on route 615 to Ferry Pier

No. of stations 68 Type Light rail Line length 36.2 km Districts Tuen Mun, Yuen Long Opened 18 September 1988 Voltage DC 750 V Gauge 1435 mm

West Rail Line  Yuen Long Terminus MTR Yuen Long Station Tai Tong Road Hong Lok Road Fung Nin Road MTR Long Ping Station Shui Pin Wai Fare zone 5 Tin Heng Tin Yat, Wetland Park Tin Fu, Tin Sau Chung Fu, Tin Yuet Fare zone 5A Chestwood Fare zone 4 Tin Shui, Tin Wing Ginza Locwood, Tin Wu Tin Tsz, Ping Shan Tin Yiu, Tin Shui Wai, Tong Fong MTR Tin Shui Wai Station Hang Mei Tsuen Hung Shui Kiu Fare zone 4 Chung Uk Tsuen Fare zone 3 Nai Wai Lam Tei Siu Hong MTR Siu Hong Station Kei Lun Kin Sang, Ching Chung Tin King Leung King, Tuen Mun Hospital, Fung Tei Fare zone 3 San Wai Affluence, Prime View Fare zone 2 Tai Hing (North), Tai Hing (South), Ngan Wai Shek Pai Stop, Choy Yee Bridge, San Hui Shan King (North) Ming Kum, Ho Tin, Hoh Fuk Tong Shan King (South) Kin On, Pui To Tuen Mun MTR Tuen Mun Station Tsing Wun, Town Centre Tsing Shan Tsuen, Yau Oi, On Ting Fare zone 2 Lung Mun, Siu Lun Fare zone 1 Tuen Mun Depot, Goodview Garden LRT Depot, Tuen Mun Swimming Pool, Sam Shing Terminus Butterfly, Siu Hei Melody Garden, Ferry Pier Terminus

Track layout diagram of original LRT network

The MTR Light Rail, also known Light Rail Transit (LRT), used to be one of the four systems of the KCR network in Hong Kong. It serves the northwestern New Territories, within and between Tuen Mun District and Yuen Long District.

It runs on 1435 mm track gauge (standard gauge), with direct current 750V.

The LRT should not be confused with the Hong Kong Tramways.

History

Planning and commencement

When Tuen Mun was developed in the 1970s, the government had set aside space for the laying of rail tracks. There was uncertainty however as to which company would be commissioned to build the train line. In 1982 Hong Kong Tramways showed interest in building the system and running double-decker trams on it, before finally being forced to abandon the project. Later that year, the KCRC decided to build the system. After some research, construction commenced in 1985.

By that time, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) had developed its own network in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and there were about 10 routes serving within the district internally, most of them profitable. However, the government introduced the concept of the "Light Rail Service Area" in both districts, forcing the KMB to withdraw all internal bus services in favour of the Light Rail. It also forced the KMB to impose boarding and alighting restrictions for external routes. It was decided that services between town centres and settlements would be provided solely by the Light Rail, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC would connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB's equivalent services where applicable.

The system was completed and fully operational on 18 September 1988. It consisted of two large and three small loops serving most of the public housing estates in northern Tuen Mun. Three branches: one to On Ting Estate in the southeast, one to the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier in the southwest, and another northern branch all the way into the town of Yuen Long along Castle Peak Road. It was then known as Light Rail Transit, or LRT, and is also called as the North-west Railway according to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance.

The system was divided into five fare zones, making it the only public transportation system in Hong Kong with such zoning. The feeder buses have fares independent of these zones, but provide discounts when passengers interchange between these buses and Light Rail. 70 single-deck LRT vehicles were manufactured in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia by Comeng, and shipped to Hong Kong for the seven LRT routes in the system. Three of the routes were to Yuen Long and the others were confined to Tuen Mun.

Extensions

The system's first extension came for the southern and eastern parts of Tuen Mun. The eastern extension branches off the main line south of Siu Hong Stop and crosses the river that runs through Tuen Mun immediately with a flyover. The line then runs along Castle Peak Road to a road north of the town centre, where it climbs to another flyover and rejoins the main route. The northern end of this extension is still the only non-triangular junction in the entire system.

The southern extension mainly consists of a route linking On Ting and Ferry Pier, on the newly reclaimed land near the river mouth of Tuen Mun River, known as "Mouse Island" by local people. A short spur line is also built from the extension to another terminus at Sam Shing Estate, located near Castle Peak Bay. Three Light Rail routes were diverted (route 505 was extended to Sam Shing), and one feeder bus route (route 559) cancelled as a result of these changes.

Tin Shui Wai was originally an area with numerous fish ponds, but was developed as a residential town in the early 1990s. With the increase of internal commuter traffic demand, a Light Rail spur line was built north of Hung Shui Kiu stop that opened in 1993, with four stops serving the initial housing areas of the town. The area was further developed in the next few years, and the spur line was extended by two stops: Chestwood and Tin Shui Wai Terminus in 1995 (Tin Shui Wai Terminus was renamed as Tin Wing after the opening of West Rail Line). Two Light Rail routes were established, route 720 to Yau Oi and route 721 to Yuen Long Terminus.

The age of West Rail Line

The system remained essentially unchanged until the completion of the West Rail Line in December of 2003. Many changes were made, mainly around the new railway stations. The KCRC designed most railway stations in the Light Rail area to interchange with the new West Rail line. The idea was to encourage passengers to use the West Rail Line instead of the Light Rail for longer journeys to free up LRT vehicles for passengers making shorter journeys. For this purpose, an interchange discount system was launched with the introduction of the West Rail Line system, meaning that passengers would pay no more (and in some cases less) to travel on West Rail Line instead of the Light Rail for the main part of their journey. Although this most recent extension is the largest ever, no new vehicles were purchased. And although rearrangements were made, some infrequent and unreliable services resulted, causing passengers to blame the lack of vehicles and poor arrangement of new services^[1][2]. The KCRC has since modified the inside of some vehicles to allow more standing room for passengers during peak hours. They have also several route alterations to arrange them better.

Rolling stock

A Light Rail passing through a pedestrian crossing.

The rolling stock of Light Rail consists of three different types of LRVs that are divided into three phases. All LRVs are 20.2 m. long and have 3 sliding doors fitted the left side (when facing the running direction from inside). This means that island platforms (except the triangular platform at Siu Hong Stop) cannot be utilized at all in the LRT system.

Phase one LRVs were built by Comeng and put in service in 1988. They are numbered 1001-1070 and accommodate 43 sitting passengers and 161 standees. Phase two LRVs were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and entered service in 1992. They are numbered 1071-1090/1201-1210 and accommodate 26 sitting and 185 standees. Cars 1071-1090 are cab cars while 1201-1210 are cabless trailers. Phase three LRVs were built by A. Goninan and entered service in 1997. They are numbered 1091-1110 and accommodate 26 seating and 212 standees. Phase one LRVs have two wheelchair positions while both Phase two and Phase three LRVs have three positions.

Traction systems for both Phase one and two LRVs consist of GTO thyristor chopper and DC traction motors, supplied by AEG, while drives for the Phase three LRVs consist of IGBT VVVF Inverters and AC traction motors provided by Mitsubishi. The maximum speed for all LRVs is 80km/h, although the rarely reach that speed because of the many grade crossings between stops and the close proximity between stops in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Tin Shui Wai.

Physically, from the outside, it is difficult differentiate between the different types of LRVs. There are, however, distinct features that one can use to tell them apart; Phase three LRVs still retain their original electronic displays (green) while all other LRVs have had theirs replaced by new displays (orange). Phrase one rolling stock also have a wide window at the rear of the LRV that can be opened in case of a emergency, while phrase two rolling stack have a door at the back of the LRV. The interior of the phrase three rolling stock has a greenish look to it,and the doors are also green. ^[3]

Stops

The stops of this line are:

Current service pattern

There are currently 12 routes serving the Light Rail system:

• 505: Sam Shing to Siu Hong (via Leung King, Shan King (North), Shan King (South), Kin On, and On Ting)
• 507: Tin King to Ferry Pier (via Tai Hing (North), Tai Hing (South) and On Ting)
• 610: Yuen Long to Ferry Pier (via Tai Hing (North), Tai Hing (South) and Tsing Shan Tsuen)
• 614: Yuen Long to Ferry Pier (via Fung Tei and On Ting)
• 614P: Siu Hong to Ferry Pier (via Fung Tei and On Ting)
• 615: Yuen Long to Ferry Pier (via Leung King, Ming Kum and Tsing Shan Tsuen)
• 615P: Siu Hong to Ferry Pier (via Leung King, Ming Kum and Tsing Shan Tsuen)
• 705: Around the Tin Shui Wai loop anticlockwise
• 706: Around the Tin Shui Wai loop clockwise
• 751: Tin Yat to Yau Oi (via Chestwood, Affluence, and Choy Yee Bridge)
• 751P: Tin Yat to Tin Shui Wai
• 761P*: Yuen Long to Tin Yat (via Tin Shui)

*761P operates special services between Yuen Long and Tin Wing (via Wetland Park) at 30-minute intervals from 10:00 to 15:00 daily.

After the opening of West Rail Line, the demand for Light Rail services between Siu Hong and Yuen Long decreased. Therefore, half of 614 and 615 services were changed to short-distance services operating between Siu Hong and Ferry Pier, numbered 614P and 615P respectively.

Fares

The Light Rail is the only public transport system in Hong Kong to have fare zones and the only one with an honor system, in which there are no ticket gates. These fare zones apply only to passengers purchasing single-ride tickets from ticketing machines at LRT stops. Since the introduction of Octopus cards, however, passengers have a choice of ticketing options. All fares indicated below are for adults, while children and the elderly usually pay the concessionary fare, which is half the adult fare.

Single-Ride tickets

There are six fare zones — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 5A — for passengers purchasing single-ride tickets in Light Rail stops. A trip between two zones costs HK$4, HK$4.70 for three zones, and journeys further than three zones costs HK$5.8. Zone 5A was introduced solely for the latest extension in Tin Shui Wai, and both zones 5 and 5A are only connected to Zone 4. Therefore travelling between zones 5 and 5A is considered as travelling through three zones.

Octopus Cards

Octopus card fares are calculated based on the minimum number of stops travelled (from origin to destination stops), rather than the number of fare zones travelled through. All stops have Octopus card entry and exit processors at the entrances to and exits from platforms. Passengers may enter the system after placing their Octopus card on the reader of an orange-coloured 'Entry Processor' reader. This action is known as validation. At this point, HK$5.80 is deducted from the Octopus card. When the passenger completes their journey, they place their card on a dark-green coloured 'Exit Processor'. At this time, the difference between the HK$5.80 initially deducted, and the value of the fare travelled is refunded to the card. This design ensures that passengers revalidate their cards upon exit, otherwise they must pay the maximum fare of HK$5.80. A third type of processor exists at most platforms. Light-blue in colour, it is an 'Enquiry Processor', and allows passengers to check the balance on their card, along with the 10 most recent Octopus transactions, and, in the case of Personalised Octopus Cards, the number of Light Rail credits accumulated.

Passengers using Personalised Octopus Cards are able to participate in the Light Rail Bonus Scheme. Adults who spend HK$30 in six consecutive days, or children who spend HK$15 over the same period get an automatic credit of HK$3 and HK$1.5 respectively. Octopus card holders with student identity stored in the card can enjoy a rebate of HK$3.4 when HK$12 is spent in four consecutive days.

Picture gallery

Ming Kum Stop	Kin On Stop	On Ting Stop, below shopping arcade between On Ting Estate and Yau Oi Estate	Town Centre Stop
Tin Wing Stop (orange canopies)	Chung Fu Stop (on viaduct)	Tin Yuet Stop, Tin Yuet Estate is to the left	Tin Sau Stop, Vianni Cove estate is in the background right
Wetland Park Stop

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Light Rail (MTR)

• MTR Light Rail

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