At that time, there were bus networks in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and about 65,438+00 routes overlapped with the planned railway network. However, the Government introduced the concept of "Light Rail Transit Zone", which eventually led the original operator, Kowloon Bus (KMB), to give up operating bus routes from Tuen Mun to Yuen Long (such as 59, 6 1 62) in exchange for KMB operating a number of buses from Tuen Mun to Yuen Long and the urban area (such as 58X, 59X, 69X and 67X). In addition, the government has introduced measures to restrict KMB from boarding and alighting passengers in the franchised area, and approved KCRC to operate toll feeder buses (that is, existing MTR buses) to take passengers to LRT stations in the area, replacing the original routes of KMB and GMB, thus financially supporting the operation of LRT.
The LRT was originally scheduled to open to traffic on August 8, 1988. However, during the trial operation of LRT from March to July 25th of the same year, there were 18 traffic accidents involving casualties, passers-by and other vehicles on the road, which were banned by the government, and LRT failed to open to traffic on August 8th. The first branch line of LRT system is located in the northeast and south of Tuen Mun. Let LRT serve more residents.
This is the first branch line implemented after 1986 released the expansion report of Hong Kong light rail system.
Three feeder lines are connected respectively: (Tuen Mun Pier to Youai), (Youai to Sansheng) and (Urban Area to Northeast Tuen Mun).
The branch line * * * is divided into three sections, with a total length of 5 kilometers. It has 9 stations and 1 terminal.
The third branch line started in June 1989 1 1, and the whole line was opened to traffic in February 1, 992.
Tuen Mun Pier to Youai
Connecting Tuen Mun Pier and Anding Village, it is built on the newly reclaimed "Rat Island".
There are four stations (Xiaoxi, Tuen Mun Swimming Pool, Fengjing Garden and Xiaolan).
Friendship with three saints
Connect Sansheng Village near Qingshan Bay.
There is 1 main station (sam shing terminus).
Tuen Mun Town Center to Northeast China
It extends from Siu Hong, passes through a viaduct across Tuen Mun River, goes south along Castle Peak Road, and finally passes through a viaduct, connecting the north track of Tuen Mun town center.
There are five stations (Beidu, Hehe, Xinwei, Jingfenghe).
1February 2, 992, after all the new branch lines were opened, * * * three light rail lines needed to be rearranged:
Line 505 extends to Sansheng.
Line 506 was changed to Youai as the terminal.
Line 507 extends to Tuen Mun Pier.
The new route, Line 6 14, will be opened from Tuen Mun Pier to Yuen Long (a new branch line passing through the south and northeast of Tuen Mun will replace Line 6 1 1).
Bus no.559 is cancelled. The second branch line is located in the new town of Tin Shui Wai. Tin Shui Wai was originally just a fish pond, but it developed into a new town in the1980s. Due to the population growth and the developer Cheung Kong Industrial's development of Jiahu Villa, a large private housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, the traffic demand has also increased. LRT decided to build a new branch line leading to Tin Shui Wai at Huishawei near Tang Fang Village Station, the main line of Castle Peak Road.
The construction route is 1986, the first and second sections of Tin Shui Wai proposed in the Youth Railway System Extension Report.
The total length is 2. 1 km.
* * * There are four stations (Hang Mei Village Station, Tianyao Station, Le Hu Station and Tianrui Station) connecting the main houses in the area.
Tin Shui Wai Branch Line1989165438+10/0, which was opened to traffic on 0/0.
In addition, two new routes have been put into service respectively, including the service to and from Yuen Long Terminus (72 1, Tian Rui to Yuen Long Terminus) and the service to and from Tuen Mun (Tianrui to Siu Hong, and then reorganized into 720 with 6 12).
Subsequently, Tin Shui Wai developed rapidly, and LRT further expanded the Tin Shui Wai branch line.
A track with a total length of about 800 meters will be built in the city center northeast of Tin Shui Wai.
The construction route is the third section of Tin Shui Wai recommended in the Youth Railway System Extension Report. 1986.
There are 1 station (Cuihu station) and 1 main station (Tianshuiwei main station).
The branch line started on March 1993 and was opened to traffic on March 26, 1995. Lines 720 and 72 1 were extended to Tin Shui Wai terminus on the same day. This is the third expansion of the LRT system, which is also located in the new town of Tin Shui Wai. Construction started at the same time as the "Tin Shui Wai reserved branch line".
Tin Shui Wai Phase IV Extension is to build a new extension in areas where the LRT service has not been provided in Phase III development route.
The construction route is 1986, the fourth section of Tin Shui Wai proposed in the Youth Railway System Extension Report.
Total length 1.7 km.
The main line is located in Tiancheng Road and Tianfu Road, connecting Tianrong Station and intersecting Tianyao Road.
* * * There are three stations (Ginza Station, Tianhu Station and Tianci Station) and 1 West Rail Interchange Station (Tin Shui Wai Station) connecting the main housing estates in the area.
The intersection of Tiancheng Road and Tianfu Road is an elevated track, and other branches and stations are built on the ground.
Tin Shui Wai reserved branch line
In the1990s, the development of Tin Shui Wai was always in the south of Tianhua Road. By the year 2000, it will continue to expand to the north of Tianhua Road, and at the same time reserve a place for the future development of light rail system. After 2000, the main residential areas north of Tianhua Road were also built one after another, and citizens moved in. With the population growth in the north. The light rail decided to build a new branch line in the reserved space.
The total length is 2.7 kilometers.
* * * There are 6 stations (Songfu Station, Tianfu Station, Tianheng Station, Wetland Park Station, Tianxiu Station and Tianyue Station), 1 main station (Tianyi Station).
Among them, the intersection of Tianhua Road and Tian Rui Road is an elevated track and an elevated station.
West Rail's former Tin Shui Wai Phase IV extension and Tin Shui Wai reserved area extension were opened to traffic (65438+February 7, 2003). On the opening day, the light rail line was reorganized and changed to a new branch line.
Line 720 was changed to line 75 1 and changed to stations such as Tin Shui Wai, Tian Rong and Songfu, with Tianyi as the terminal of Tin Shui Wai.
Line 72 1 was changed to line 76 1, and changed to Fu Song, Wetland Park, Tian Yue and other stations, with Tian Rong as the terminal of Tin Shui Wai. During peak hours, a short-distance line 76 1P will be added between Yuen Long and Tianyi.
On June 5438+February 65438+July, 2003, Line 70 1 Tin Shui Wai South Ring Road was added, starting from Tin Shui Wai Station, passing through Tianci, Tian Rong, Cuihu and Tianyao Station in one direction and finally returning to Tin Shui Wai Station.
On April 9, 2004, a new route, 706 Tin Shui Wai Ring Road, was added, which is opposite to the direction of 70 1 Line, except that the service scope of Line 706 was extended to Tin Shui Wai North.
On August 22nd, 2004, 705 Tin Shui Wai Ring Line was added to replace 70 1 Line, and the service scope was extended to Tin Shui Wai North. Increase the short-distance line 75 1P, and run between Tianyi Station and Tianshuiwei Station during peak hours.
On June 9, 2006, 10, 76 1P lines strengthened full-time service and replaced 76 10 lines. 65438+On February 2, 2007, the Kowloon-Canton Railway System and the Hong Kong Metro System merged into the MTR. The impact on LRT is relatively small. Only the signs of stations and carriages have been changed, while the fare and interchange rules have remained unchanged for the time being, and the by-laws have been changed to the Mass Transit Railway (Northwest Railway) By-laws. Although the merger has brought about the reduction of railway fares, the light rail system is not included, which has been criticized by residents in this area, except for the student discount provided on September 28, 2008.
The most famous feature of LRT is the open platform design and regional toll collection. The former is similar to the tram system on Hong Kong Island, while the latter is unique to Hong Kong.
Unlike railway stations with entrance gates, light rail stations have no entrance gates, and most of them only have platforms, so passengers can enter and leave freely (please refer to the section on "Charging Methods" for the payment method). Because of the open platform design, passengers can actually get on the bus without buying tickets or confirming Octopus. However, it is illegal to take LRT without a valid ticket. In order to prevent passengers from riding the "overlord car" (that is, refusing to buy tickets), MTR will randomly send passenger assistants at stations or train carriages to check whether passengers have valid tickets. Passengers are required to produce a valid one-way ticket, Octopus or West Rail All-day Pass for inspection. In 2003, before all KCRC front-line employees changed their uniforms, the uniforms of passenger assistants (ticket inspectors) were blue. Because the uniform is similar in color to the cartoon character Smurfs, many children and railway enthusiasts in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts call it "Smurfs".
The light rail system was divided into five toll areas when it was opened to traffic (increased to six after the expansion of the line in 2003), and it was the first railway system in Hong Kong to introduce the concept of regional toll. One-way fare is calculated by how many toll areas the starting point and the ending point pass through, and before 1997, four monthly tickets for light rail were also classified by toll areas. (Note: The feeder buses provided by MTR do not charge by region, but offer interchange concessions for passengers who transfer to LRT. )
In addition, some groups asked LRT to install screen doors on subway platforms and cancel the open platform design to improve the safety of passengers waiting on the platform. However, due to the difficulty in installing screen doors on open platforms, I believe this requirement is difficult to achieve.