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The MTR Light Rail, also known Light Rail Transit (LRT), used to be one of the four systems of the KCR network in Hong Kong. It serves the northwestern New Territories, within and between Tuen Mun District and Yuen Long District. It runs on 1435 mm track gauge (standard gauge), with direct current 750V. The railway line was operated by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) prior to the MTR-KCR merger and has since been taken over by MTR Corporation on 2 December 2007 after the merger completed.
HistoryPlanning and commencementWhen Tuen Mun was developed in the 1970s, the government had set aside space for the laying of rail tracks. There was uncertainty however as to which company would be commissioned to build the train line. In 1982 Hong Kong Tramways showed interest in building the system and running double-decker trams on it, before finally being forced to abandon the project. Later that year, the KCRC decided to build the system. After some research, construction commenced in 1985. By that time, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) had developed its own network in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and there were about 10 routes serving within the district internally, most of them profitable. However, the government introduced the concept of the "Light Rail Service Area" in both districts, forcing the KMB to withdraw all internal bus services in favour of the Light Rail. It also forced the KMB to impose boarding and alighting restrictions for external routes. It was decided that services between town centres and settlements would be provided solely by the Light Rail, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC would connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB's equivalent services where applicable. The system was completed and fully operational on 18 September 1988. It consisted of two large and three small loops serving most of the public housing estates in northern Tuen Mun. Three branches: one to On Ting Estate in the southeast, one to the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier in the southwest, and another northern branch all the way into the town of Yuen Long along Castle Peak Road. It was then known as Light Rail Transit, or LRT, and is also called as the North-west Railway according to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance. The system was divided into five fare zones, making it the only public transportation system in Hong Kong with such zoning. The feeder buses have fares independent of these zones, but provide discounts when passengers interchange between these buses and Light Rail. 70 single-deck tram units were manufactured in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia by Comeng, and shipped to Hong Kong for the seven tram routes in the system. Three of the routes were to Yuen Long and the others were confined to Tuen Mun. ExtensionsThe system's first extension came for the southern and eastern parts of Tuen Mun. The eastern extension branches off the main line south of Siu Hong station and crosses the river that runs through Tuen Mun immediately with a flyover. The line then runs along Castle Peak Road to a road north of the town centre, where it climbs to another flyover and rejoins the main route. The northern end of this extension is still the only non-triangular junction in the entire system. The southern extension mainly consists of a route linking On Ting and Ferry Pier, on the newly reclaimed land near the river mouth of Tuen Mun River, known as "Mouse Island" by local people. A short spur line is also built from the extension to another terminus at Sam Shing Estate, located near Castle Peak Bay. 3 Light Rail routes were diverted (route 505 was extended to Sam Shing), and 1 feeder bus route (route 559) cancelled as a result of these changes. Tin Shui Wai was originally an area with numerous fish ponds, but was developed as a residential town in the early 1990s. With the increase of internal commuter traffic demand, the Light Rail built a spur line north of Hung Shui Kiu station that opened in 1993, with four stations serving the initial housing areas of the town. The area was further developed in the next few years, and the spur line was extended by two stations: Chestwood and "Tin Shui Wai" in 1995 (Tin Shui Wai was renamed as Tin Wing after the opening of West Rail). 2 Light Rail routes were established, one to Tuen Mun (route 720) and one to Yuen Long(721). The age of West RailThe system remained essentially unchanged until the completion of the West Rail Line in December of 2003. Many changes were made, mainly around the new railway stations. The KCRC designed most railway stations in the Light Rail area to interchange with the new West Rail line. The idea was to encourage passengers to use the West Rail instead of the Light Rail for longer journeys to free up LRT vehicles for passengers making shorter journeys. For this purpose, an interchange discount system was launched with the introduction of the West Rail system, meaning that passengers would pay no more (and in some cases less) to travel on the West Rail instead of the Light Rail for the main part of their journey. Although this most recent extension is the largest ever, no new trams were purchased. And although rearrangements were made, some infrequent and unreliable services resulted, causing passengers to blame the lack of trams and poor arrangement of new services. The KCRC has since modified the inside of some trams to allow more standing room for passengers during peak hours. They have also several route alterations to arrange them better. Rolling stock
The rolling stock of Light Rail consists of three different types of LRVs that are divided into three phases. All LRVs are 20.2 m. long and have 3 sliding doors fitted the left side (when facing the running direction from inside). This means that island platforms cannot be utilized at all in the LRT system. Phase one LRVs were built by Comeng and put in service in 1988. They are numbered 1001-1070 and accommodate 43 sitting passengers and 161 standees. Phase two LRVs were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and entered service in 1992. They are numbered 1071-1090/1201-1210 and accommodate 26 sitting and 185 standees. Cars 1071-1090 are cab cars while 1201-1210 are cabless trailers. Phase three LRVs were built by A. Goninan and entered service in 1997. They are numbered 1091-1110 and accommodate 26 seating and 212 standees. Phase one LRVs have two wheelchair positions while both Phase two and Phase three LRVs have three positions. Traction systems for both Phase one and two LRVs consist of GTO thyristor chopper and DC traction motors, supplied by AEG, while drives for the Phase three LRVs consist of IGBT VVVF Inverters and AC traction motors provided by Mitsubishi. The maximum speed for all LRVs is 80km/h, although the rarely reach that speed because of the many grade crossings between stations and the close proximity between stations in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Tin Shui Wai. Physically, from the outside, it is difficult differentiate between the different types of LRVs. There are, however, distinct features that one can use to tell them apart; Phase three LRVs still retain their original electronic displays (green) while all other LRVs have had theirs replaced by new displays (orange). [1] StationsThe stations of this line are:
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