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Hong Kong Tramways (; Cantonese IPA: ; Mandarin Pinyin: xiang1gang3 dian4che1) is one of the three tramways in the world that have regular operation of double-decker trams (the others being Blackpool, England and Alexandria), and is the only system that runs exclusively on double-deckers.
Operated under The Wharf, the tramway runs on the northern Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley. 240,000 residents commute by tram every day. Serving from 1904, it is one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Trams in Hong Kong have not only been a form of transport for over 100 years, but also a major tourist attraction.
History
The electric tram system was proposed in 1881; however nobody was willing to invest in a system at the time. In August 1901, the Second Tramway Bill was introduced and passed into law as the 1902 Tramway Ordinance. Hong Kong Tramway Electric Company Limited, a British company, was authorised to construct and operate the system. It was soon taken over by the Electric Tranction Company of Hong Kong Limited, and the name was changed to Hong Kong Tramways Company Limited in 1910.
In 1922, a new company, Hong Kong Tramway Limited (HKT), was founded to take over and operate the system. The Tramway Ordinance of 1902 had awarded a 25-year operating mandate, which was then extended to a 50-year contract and expired on 23 May 1952. Due to the extension of the mandate, the Hong Kong Government had the chance to purchase the tramway at 5-year intervals, provided always that 6 months' notice of such intention was given. In 1974, Hong Kong Tramways became part of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company Limited and now operates under the Wharf Transport Investments Ltd.
The Hong Kong Tramways system was built from May 1903 (see #Timeline of Tramways History below). After equipment testing, the electric tram began operation on July 30 1904. At that time the main route went along the northern waterfront of Hong Kong Island from Arsenal Street in Causeway Bay to Shau Kei Wan, with a branch serving Happy Valley. Shortly after, the line was extended westards to Kennedy Town. The length of the route was 15 km (9.3 miles), the same as today, except for track relocations and the extension of the Happy Valley branch in 1914. Originally constructed with both single and double-track sections, the last single-track section was eliminated in August 1949. Reserved track along Queensway (then part of Queen's Road East) was introduced from 1955.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were fears about the survival of the trams when the Mass Transit Railway began to construct the Island Line, which runs along a route that is similar to the trams' route. A survey was taken by the company in 1984, and the results concluded that the public would prefer to keep the tram system intact.
Operations
The system is 13 km (8 miles) long, with a total track length of 30 km (18.6 miles), and it runs together with other vehicles on the street. Its operation relies on the 550 V direct current (d.c.) from the overhead cables, on 3'6" gauge (1067 mm) tracks. The trams provide service to only part of Hong Kong Island: they run on a double track along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan, with a single clockwise-running track of about 3 km (1.9 miles) around Happy Valley Racecourse. There are six major overlapping routes:
|
| Service hours | ||||
| From | Bound | Weekdays | Saturdays | Sundays and general holidays |
| Kennedy Town | eastbound | 05:10-23:54 | 05:07-23:57 | 05:12-23:54 |
| Western Market | eastbound | 06:00-00:02 | 06:01-00:00 | 06:13-00:00 |
| Happy Valley | eastbound | 06:34-23:10 | 06:34-23:10 | 06:34-23:10 |
| west bound | 05:59-00:37 | 06:00-00:40 | 06:04-00:37 | |
| North Point | westbound | 06:07-23:17 | 05:20-23:17 | 06:07-23:17 |
| Shau Kei Wan | westbound | 05:58-23:55 | 05:58-23:36 | 05:56-23:36 |
| average frequency during peak hours: 90 seconds | ||||
| Duration of journey (in minutes) | |||||
| Western Market | Causeway Bay | Happy Valley | North Point | Shau Kei Wan | |
| Kennedy Town | 23 | 55 | 60 | 70 | 80 |
| Western Market | - | 35 | 40 | 50 | 58 |
| Causeway Bay | 40 | - | 5 | 35 | 42 |
| Happy Valley | 35 | 5 | - | 15 | 25 |
| North Point | 50 | 15 | 35 | - | 15 |
Just like buses, trams in Hong Kong can be very crowded. The maximum capacity of each tramcar is 115 people. During the busier periods of the day, trams often line up since there are many tramcars running at the same time. In 2002, the trams recorded an average of 240,000 passenger trips daily.
There are seven terminal points, at Kennedy Town, Whitty Street, Western Market, Causeway Bay, North Point, Shau Kei Wan and Happy Valley. Tram stops are densely located in an average interval of 250 metres (820 feet). Most of them are located in the middle of road, connected by pedestrian crossings or footbridges. Major ones include Yee Wo Street stop at Causeway Bay, Pacific Place stop at Admiralty, and Prince's Building / Landmark stop at Central. Travelling in the lower deck of the tram allows travellers to have a close up view of the local street life, while occupying the front seats of the upper deck gives good views of the town as the tram rattles by.
The tram service starts at 05:10 and ends at around 01:00 every day. On average, the interval between each tram is approximately 1.5 minutes in peak hours.
As the trams move slowly, with a maximum speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph), they are comparatively safe. Only a few major accidents have occurred. In fact, according to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics department, up to the end of 2002, fewer than 10 traffic accidents involving trams occurred per year on average, meaning that the likelihood of a tram being involved in an accident is very low.
Fleet
Hongkong Tramways Ltd now owns 163 double-decker trams, including two open-balcony trams (28, 128) for tourists and private hire and one special maintenance tram (200). It is the only fully double-decker tram fleet in the world. Most of the trams in operation were rebodied in the late 1980s or early 1990s. They are equipped with sliding windows. Since the early 2000s these trams have been upgraded to provide better operating performance and safety.
Tram 120 is the only tram still maintaining its original 1950s double-deck design. The cabin is varnished with its original light-green color, reak-lined windows and rattan seats.
In 2000, three new trams (officially called "Millennium trams"), 168 - 170, started operation. These trams have aluminium alloy metal bodies. A prototype air-conditioned tram, 171, is now in testing.
The tram fleet first consisted of 26 single-deck trams, with bodies 29 ft (8.8 m) long and 6 ft 1 in (1.9 m) wide, imported from England. However, they were quickly removed because of the rapid modernisation programmes. These tramcars were replaced by open-top double-deck tramcars from 1912 onwards. The introduction of permanent roofs for trams in 1923 was a big improvement to the system. In 1960s, adding trailers was proposed due to the increasing population and demands. In December 1964, after testing a prototype built by Taikoo Dockyard in Hong Kong, ten trailers were ordered from England and were added to the trams in Hong Kong in early 1965. Ten additional trailers were ordered from England in 1967, bringing the total number of trailers to 22. The trailers served as the first class of the trams. Trailers were withdrawn at the end of 1982 since they produced too much noise when moving.
Fleet Details
- Manufacturer: HK Tramways
- Rebuilt (1986) - 159
- Millennium tram: 3
- Maintenance car: 1
Historic Fleet Original cars (1904-1912)
- Total: 26
- Manufacturer: Dick Kerr & Company of Preston, England (#1-16) and Electric Railway & Tramway Works Limited of Preston (a Dick Kerr subsidiary) (# 17-26)
Second Generation (1912-1918)
- Manufacturer: United Electric Car Company
Third Generation (1918-1930s)
- Manufacturer: English Electric Company
Fourth Generation (2000) - aluminum alloy Current cars (1930s-1964)
- Total: 166
Hong Kong Tramways operated single deck cars from 1964 to 1982.
Depot
North Point Depot and Sharp Street Depot
With the upsurge in the number of trams, by 1932 the original depot was too crowded. Hongkong Tramways then got hold of the North Point Depot site at King's Road for tram parking purposes (storage for 30 cars).In 1951, the North Point Depot was closed and the construction for a single comprehensive depot at Russell Street in Causeway Bay to house the whole tram fleet (approximately 120 cars) was started. Upon its completion, the depot was renamed Sharp Street Depot. To give way to the redevelopment of the area, Sharp Street Depot was closed in 1989 and split into two depots, the present Sai Wan Ho depot (East Depot) and the Whitty Street depot (West Depot).
The old Sharp Street tram depot was dismantled and the Times Square commercial complex was constructed on its site.
Arsenal Street Depot
Arsenal Street Depot was the earlier of the HKT's storage facilities and replaced by Whitty and Sharp Street Depots.Whitty Street Depot
Whitty Street , also known as West Depot, is the location of the main depot for HK Trams current operations. It became the main depot when the Sharp Street Depot was closed to make way for Times Square in 1989.There is a two storey work shop, which was responsible for re-builds in the 1980s. Car # 168, the newest in the fleet was built here.
Sai Wan Ho Depot
Sai Wan Ho became East Depot after the closure of the Sharp Street Depot in 1989. This depot storage is under an expressway and home to 56 cars.
Costs
Fares on the trams are low by local standards. The fare is Kong dollar|HK$" target="_blank" >*2 for adults, and HK$1 for children under 12 and senior citizens 65 and above. Unlike other forms of public transport in Hong Kong (such as the Mass Transit Railway), the fares are fixed regardless of the distance travelled. Payment using coins or Octopus card is made upon alighting from a tram, by depositing the exact fare (no change can be given) or swiping the card on the box next to the driver. Monthly tickets are also available at the cost of HK$170, sold at Whitty Street tram depot and Causeway Bay and North Point termini at the end of each month.
Ordinary and antique trams are also available for private hire. The open-balcony antique trams are especially welcomed by people holding parties or promotional events. Tourists can also travel the open-balcony trams through tours organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Timeline of Tramways history
- 1881 : Idea of tramway system was proposed in Hong Kong
- 1901 : Proposal accepted by Hong Kong Government
- 1902 : Hong Kong Tramway Electric Company Ltd founded, and the name changed by the end of this year to Electric Tranction Company of Hong Kong Ltd
- 1903 : Tramways engineering development started
- 1904 : Track connecting Wan Chai, Happy Valley and Shau Kei Wan were completed
- 1910 : Name of the company changed to The Hongkong Tramways Ltd
- 1912 : Double-decker trams were introduced
- 1922 : Electricity was contracted and supplied by Hongkong Electric Co. Ltd (HEC)
- 1932 : North Point Depot came into service
- 1949 : Double track adopted, and radical renewal started
- 1954 : North Point Depot closed and Russell Street Depot expanded and renamed Sharp Street Depot
- 1964 : Three locally-made trams added
- 1967 : New-type trams designed
- 1974 : The Hongkong Tramways Ltd acquired by The Wharf (Holdings) Limited
- 1979 : Last tram was manufactured
- 1982 : All trams were mustered out
- 1986 : Another renewal
- 1989 : Sharp Street Depot closed and split into Sai Wan Ho and the Whitty Street depots
- 2000 : New generation trams (Millennium trams) introduced
- 2001 : A electronic smart card payment system Octopus introduced
See also
References
External links
- Hong Kong Tramways
- History of Trams - HK Tramways
- History of Dick Kerr Co.
- Report #4 "British Double Deck Trams in China" Hongkong Tramways
Tram transport in Hong Kong | Railway companies of Hong Kong | Wharf
"Hong Kong Tramways"