TRAINS, TRAINS, FERRIES AND MORE TRAINS: GETTING AROUND HONG KONG
Apr 14 '04
The Bottom Line A great place to visit and not just for the transit system.
One of the banes of traveling is the actual getting around part. Not the getting from the proverbial point A to point B, but more so the reality of just getting around point B once you get there, or point A for that matter.
There is nothing to be gained from being able to fly from a major city in one country to another city in a second country thousands of miles away in two or three hours when it then takes you a similar amount of time to get from the airport to your hotel by local taxi. Some places it seems just do not place any priority on moving people, either the local inhabitants or visitors from one place to another in a quick and economical manner. Trust me I speak form experience on this matter.
Fortunately there are other places that do have such a priority. Hong Kong, or to be correct the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), just happens to be one of those places. This is a city that does attract more than a handful of visitors a year.
It is one of the major economic and business centres in the world as well as a popular tourist destination, and that can account for a plane load or two or twenty or more likely a hundred of foreigners every day or so. That is of course in addition to the millions of people that actually live in the Hong Kong SAR.
Despite these numbers, or perhaps because of them, getting around Hong Kong is actually quite easy. The region consists of four main parts, Hong Kong Island, and Kowloon, the peninsula immediately to the north are the original parts of the old British colony and to a large degree constitute the core of Hong Kong.
The other two regions are the so-called "new territories" and the outlying islands. The new territories are land leased from China when Hong Kong was still a colony. This region is now mainly a residential zone for those who commute to and work in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
The final are is a series of outlying islands. Many of these are sparsely populated and often used as a place to escape the hectic pace of the rest of Hong Kong.
The backbone of the transportation system in Hong Kong is the subway system or the MTR opened in 1979. There are five lines that connect Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, with three tunnels crossing under Victoria Harbour. Between them they have forty-nine stations, twelve of which serve as exchanges allowing one to connect from one line to another easily.
The Island Line (14 stations) runs across the northern edge of Hong Kong Island from Chai Wan Station near Causeway Bay in the east to Sheung Wan Station at the western edge of the island. This basically covers the commercial centre. At North Point and Quarry Bay Stations this line connects with the Tseung Kwan O Line (7 stations) the newest line to open. It serves the eastern part of Kowloon.
This line in turns connects in two places with the Kwun Tong Line (15 stations) that runs in a large loop through most of Kowloon. It connects at three locations with the Tsuen Wan Line (16 stations) that runs from Tsuen Wan in the new territories under Nathan Road, the main north south thoroughfare in Kowloon, and then under the harbour to connect with the Island Line at Admiralty and Central Stations.
The fifth line the Tung Chung Line (6 stations) connects Hong Kong Island to Lantau Island near the international airport via the western edges of Kowloon. (Note many of the stations serve more than one line, therefore the numbers given here total more than 49).
All told there are more than 80.4 kilometres of track that moves 2.3 million people a day. Service is frequent and runs from approximately 6:00 am to past midnight depending on the line.
The trains are modern, fast, quiet, and most of all clean. Aside fro quiet that description goes for the stations too. They are also immense, which considering the lack of available land in Hong Kong is surprising. Most have a variety of shops and snack bars in them. Some of the larger ones such as Kowloon Station literally contain shopping malls in them. Among the amenities available in several stations are free high-speed Internet kiosks.
Using the MTR is easy and most of it is automated, although uniformed attendants are available to deal with any questions or problems that may arise. The distance traveled determines fares. A short hop of one or two stations will cost as little as $9.00 Hong Kong Dollars. Longer trips can cost up to $40.00 HK. Automated easy to use machines with interactive route maps provide single fare tickets. There are also a variety of all day passes and a special rechargeable Octopus Card that can be purchased. For those spending a lot of time in Hong Kong this is an excellent value.
There is a sixth subway line the four stations Airport Express. While separate from the main MTR, the Airport Express does connect with the Tung Chung Line at Kowloon Station and the Island Line at Central/Hong Kong Station. The Airport Express has two other stations, at Tsing Yi Island and it's terminus at Chek Lap International Airport on Lantau Island.
A trip from the airport to Hong Kong Island takes just over twenty minutes and service is almost every twelve minutes. One-way fares run $90-$100 HK, and again special multi trip and family passes are available. Both the Kowloon Station and Hong Kong Station on the Island also have airport check in terminals. Depending on the airline being used passengers can pick up their boarding passes and check luggage here from the day prior to a couple of hours before their flight departs.
There are two other light railway lines that service the Hong Kong SAR. The KCR West rail line runs from Kowloon to the new territories and is basically a commuter line. Connections to the MTR are available at two stations Mei Foo (Tung Chung Line) and Nam Cheong (Tsuen Wan Line). The KCR East line runs north from Kowloon through the New Territories to the "old border" with China at Lo Wu. Connections to the MTR are on the Kwun Tong Line at Kowloon Tong Station.
While the MTR is the easiest and fastest way to get around Hong Kong, for the most part it doesn't offer much in the way of sightseeing opportunities. There are surface routes, buses and mini buses on most of the main streets and roads in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Buses also service the areas that the MTR does not, such as the new territories and the south side of Hong Kong Island including the communities of Aberdeen, Stanley and Repulse Bay.
Perhaps the best of these for sightseeing purposes are the old double decker trams that run along on the northern edge of Hong Kong Island parallel to the harbour. The view from the top deck is spectacular. Fares for surface transportation are as cheap or cheaper than the MTR, $2.00 HK for the tram. It should be noted that due to the high traffic densities these are not the most effective methods of getting around especially during rush hours.
Finally there are plenty of taxis available. All taxis use meters and the fares are prominently posted. Please note that there are extra charges for toll charges in the tunnels between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and also for excessive luggage. Also note not all taxi drivers speak English, so it is probably a good idea to have your destination written out in Chinese characters. Taxis are best used for short trips within Kowloon and/or Hong Kong Island or late at night when the MTR stops running.
Getting around by land is not the only option. Hong Kong is an island and a major seaport. Therefore a comprehensive ferry system is part of the whole local transportation grid. There are three main types of ferries.
First there are several ferries that connect Kowloon and Hong Kong Island to the hundreds of outlying islands. Some residents live on these islands and commute to the centre of the SAR daily. Others are used as weekend getaway spots. Depending on the size of the island and the demand for service this service can be frequent or not. Ferry terminals are located in both Kowloon and the north side of Hong Kong Island.
Several companies offer high-speed ferries and catamaran service to Macau and other nearby cities in the Pearl River Delta. There are large ferry terminals in both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island that are connected to the MTR. Travel time is usually an hour to Macau and slightly longer to Shenzen, Shekou, or other cities, with departures as frequently as every half hour. Fares run about $150.00 HK per person one-way to Macau and more to other destinations. There is even ferry service to such far off destinations as Shanghai, although less frequently.
One doesn't even have to come into Hong Kong from the airport anymore to use these high-speed ferries. A new Sky Pier has opened at Chek Lap International airport. Deplaning passengers can move to it, and on to Macau or the other noted cities without even clearing Hong Kong Customs and Immigration.
Finally there is the Star Ferry, a Hong Kong institution. These green and white ferries have been crossing Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon 1888. They may take longer than the tunnels but they do offer one of the best vies of the city, especially after dark. They are also the cheapest tourist attraction in Hong Kong. A one-way fare is only $2.20 HK for the open upper deck.
The last way to get around Hong Kong is of course the most basic, walking. Kowloon and Hong Kong Island are not very big and most of the popular attractions are quite close together. Besides if you get tired of strolling around there are plenty of other options available to get from point A to B.
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Member: James Smith
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