Kowloon-Canton Railway (East Rail)

The Kowloon-Canton Railway started operation in 1910 and was
double-tracked and electrified in the early 1980s. Operation of the system,
formerly run by a government department, was vested in the
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in 1982.

The 34-kilometre railway provides a suburban service to the new towns
in the north-eastern New Territories, a freight service to and from China,
and passenger services to and from Changping/Guangzhou and
Foshan/Zhaoqing. The suburban service has grown substantially since
electrification, and in 1997, the railway, with 13 stations, handled 716 000
passenger journeys daily. Passenger traffic was carried in a fleet of 351
cars, operated in train formations of 12 cars. Ordinary adult fares ranged
from $3.50 to $9.

In 1997, the KCRC continued efforts to improve facilities by upgrading
signal systems, renovating the Kowloon Station at Hung Hom,
redeveloping workshops and depots and building noise barriers at selected
locations along the railway.

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