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- This article is about KCRC as a corporation. For Kowloon-Canton Railway as a railway network, see KCR.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (九廣鐵路公司), frequently abbreviated to KCRC, is wholly owned by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and based in Hong Kong. It is a public corporation concerned with the task of operating and developing railway services within and to/from Hong Kong, and property development along its railway network in Hong Kong. The current chairman of the board is Michael Tien, who tendered his resignation on March 12, 2006 due to the lack of support from the KCRC management.
History
The Kowloon-Canton Railway had been operated as a department of the government, but in December of 1982, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance was enacted, creating the KCRC. The KCRC continues to be wholly government owned and its operations are monitored by a managing board, members of which are appointed by the chief executive of Hong Kong.
The KCRC expanded its operations in 1984, accepting the government's invidation to build and operate the Light Rail network in the New Territories, which came into service in September of 1988. The KCRC started to develop and lease property around the same time. The first joint-venture property development, Pierhead Garden, was completed in 1988. Today, profits generated from property and commercial services are used to fund railway service improvement projects and other strategic initiatives.
The KCR is currently constructing a spur line running from Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau to create a second border crossing.
The West Rail, opened on December 20 2003, has been criticised by passengers for its relatively high fares, inconvenient station locations, and failure to connect to the heart of the urban area. As a result the number of passengers that use the West Rail has been less than expected, causing problems for the KCRC.
At the end of 2004, two extensions were commissioned: the extension of the East Rail from the Hung Hom terminus to Tsim Sha Tsui East was opened on October 24, 2004; and the Ma On Shan extension, which will link Ma On Shan with the East Rail at Tai Wai was opened on December 23, 2004. These have so far proved less popular than expected, and the KCRC has offered special monthly tickets to encourage more passengers to use the new services.
Railway operations
Within Hong Kong the network has the following major systems: East Rail, Light Rail, West Rail and Ma On Shan Rail. These lines are supported by feeder buses operated by Kowloon Motor Bus or the KCRC itself.
In addition the company jointly operates intercity services to and from Guangzhou and other cities in mainland China.
Property development
Public spat between Chairman and acting CEO in 2006
On March 10 2006, with the signed support of all 5 operations directors and 19 managers, the Acting Chief Executive Officer Samuel Lai Man Hay wrote to the Managing Board. Lai complained the Chairman of the Board, Michael Tien's leadership style. Around 80% of the staff has signed for support to Lai.
March 11 2006, Michael Tien met the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang. In the afternoon of March 12 2006, Tien announced his resignation, while the effective date has to be determined by Tsang.
After further negotiation, Tien withdrew his resignation and Lai resigned. James Blake, the former Secretary for Works and a civil engineer, succeeded Lai as Chief Executive Officer at age 71.
MTRCL-KCRC merger proposal
There has been some discussion of merging the two companies of KCR Corporation and the MTR Corporation Limited to make the territory's transport system more efficient. The MTRCL backs such a merge while the KCRC opposes the plan. In March 2004, the Hong Kong government officially encouraged the two organisations to merge.
Future plans
The KCRC has also made proposals to plan, build, and operate the Kowloon Southern Link receiving permission for the project from the government on September 24 2002. The Kowloon Southern Link will connect the West Rail Nam Cheong station with the East Rail Tsim Sha Tsui East station. On June 25 2002 the government announced that KCRC had won its bid to build and operate the Sha Tin to Central Link. However, according to the latest planning of the government, the railway line will be built by the MTRC.
See also
- MTR Corporation Limited
- Transportation in Hong Kong
- List of Hong Kong companies
- List of Chinese companies
External links
"Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation"