History of Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation

/kloc-At the end of 0/9, due to the frequent trade between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, the British Hong Kong government negotiated with the then Manchu government to build a railway connecting Hong Kong and Guangzhou. 1898, the Hong Kong government reached an agreement with the Qing government at that time to build a railway connecting Kowloon and Guangzhou, and the concession was owned by the British side. The railway is divided into two sections, China and Britain, which were built by the Chinese and British governments respectively. 1905 After the construction of the Kowloon-Canton Railway was approved by the Legislative Council in September, the Hong Kong Government began to study the alignment and sent British engineers to take charge of the railway survey.

At that time, there were two schemes for the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The first plan is to go north directly from Tsim Sha Tsui, cross Bijia Mountain, and then reach the border along Sha Tin Sea and Tolo Harbour. The advantage of this scheme is that it can pass through Tai Po, the administrative center of the New Territories at that time, but the disadvantage is that it needs to dig a 2.4-kilometer Bijiashan tunnel. Another option is to go northwest from the coast of Tsim Sha Tsui, pass through the coasts of Tsuen Wan and Castle Peak Bay, and then go north to Tuen Mun and Yuen Long to reach the border. The advantage of this scheme is that only a few shorter tunnels need to be dug, which is technically much simpler than the first scheme. However, the route through this scheme is quite barren and the distance is longer than that of the first scheme. In the end, the British Hong Kong government finally accepted the first plan.

1906 started construction of the 35.4km British section, and143.2km China section also started construction on 1907. The Manchu government even invited China railway expert Zhan Tianyou to be the chief engineer of China section. At the beginning of the construction of the British section of the Kowloon-Guangzhou Railway, the track with a gauge of 6 10mm was used, but in the middle of the project, the standard track with a gauge of 1435mm was completely replaced. The project needs to build many bridges, dams and five tunnels, including the longest Bijiashan tunnel. This tunnel was the largest project in Asia at that time, and it took three years to complete. Due to the harsh construction environment at that time, more than 50 workers died in the tunnel during the project.

1 91010/0/month1day, the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway with a cost of 1.3 million pounds was put into operation. The opening ceremony was originally presided over by the governors of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hong Kong in Luohu. However, because China finally decided to send lower-level officials, the British side finally sent only Hong Kong Assistant Secretary of State to preside over the opening ceremony. At that time, the British section was a monorail system, and the trains were driven by steam locomotives. These stations include tsim sha tsui station, yau ma tei station, Sha Tin Station, Tai Po Station (later renamed Tai Po Kok Station) and Fanling Station. In the same year, Tai Po Market Flag Station was completed. On the other hand, since tsim sha tsui station has not been built, the temporary terminus will be located on Salisbury Road before 19 13.

1October 5th,19110, the through train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou was officially put into operation with the completion of the China section. At the beginning of the traffic, there are two shifts a day, and the driving time is about four hours. Seats are divided into first class and second class, and the fares are 5.4 silver dollars and 2.7 silver dollars respectively. 1911April, the Hong Kong Government accepted the proposal of Lyman House in Tai Po to build the Fanling-Sha Tau Kok Extension, that is, the Sha Tau Kok Extension. The materials used in the construction project are mainly 6 10 mm gauge rails previously removed from the British section of Kowloon-Canton Railway. 1 965438+April 20021day, Sha Tau Kok branch line was officially completed and opened to traffic. The branch line is a single-track operation with a total length of 1 1.67 km and five passenger and freight transport stations.

19 13 Kowloon-Canton Railway added a parking spot in Sheung Shui to facilitate passengers using Sheung Shui Golf Course. In the same year, the through train was accelerated, and the time from Kowloon to Guangzhou was shortened to 3 hours and 40 minutes.

19 14 train started to use tsim sha tsui station platform, and 19 16 whole station was opened.

At 19 19, He Wentian added a parking spot. 1923 there was a general strike in the provinces and ports, and the through train service was interrupted for a time, and it was not until 1927 that it returned to normal.

On June 5438+April 1 0928, the Sha Tau Kok branch line was officially closed, because the number of railway passengers decreased significantly after the Sha Tau Kok Highway was completed and opened to traffic the year before last.

During the period of 1930, the through train of Kowloon-Canton Railway was stopped due to the civil war. 1935 A parking spot was added to the Chegong Temple in Dawei, but it was closed the following year. 1In August, 937, the Kowloon-Canton Railway opened a through train from Kowloon to Shantou. Since War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the same year, the Chinese section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway has been repeatedly attacked by Japanese air. With the efforts of engineers, the Kowloon-Canton Railway can only maintain a limited service. 193810 June 12, one of the railway bridges in the Hua section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway was seriously bombed, and the through train service was completely stopped. In June of the same year, 65438+1October 2 1 Guangzhou fell, and the Chinese section of the Kowloon-Guangzhou Railway stopped operating. 194 1 On February 8, 2000, the Japanese army began to attack Hong Kong, and the British side bombed many facilities in the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, which hindered the Japanese army from advancing. On February 25th of the same year, Hong Kong fell. 1943, the Japanese side completed the repair of the entire section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway and reopened the through train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. On the other hand, most of the trains and equipment originally belonging to the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway were transported to Chinese mainland for use. So when Hong Kong regained its light, there were only two locomotives and a few trucks left. 19491June14th, the through train between Kowloon and Guangzhou was suspended for political reasons. Duan Hua changed Shenzhen Railway Station as the terminal and became the later guangzhou-shenzhen railway. While the English section is changed to lo wu station as the terminal. On the other hand, the Hong Kong Government has built the Hop Shek branch line from Fanling to wo hop shek cemetery, and provides passenger services in Tomb-Sweeping Day and Chung Yeung Festival every year, usually for transporting corpses.

On September 5th, 1955, two diesel locomotives began to serve the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, and finally all steam locomotives were replaced in August of 196 1.

1973, the double-track project of British section of Kowloon-Canton Railway started.

1975165438+1October 30th, Kowloon Terminus was moved from Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront to Hung Hom, and Tsim Sha Tsui Terminus was demolished soon, leaving only the Bell Tower (now a legal monument in Hong Kong, one of the landmarks in Tsim Sha Tsui). The Hong Kong Cultural Center was built in the original site, while the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Space Museum and New World Center were located. On the other hand, the through train from Kowloon to Guangzhou resumed operation on April 4, 1979.

During the period of 1978, the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway started the modernization electrification plan of the whole line, costing HK$ 3.5 billion. In the same year, the Hopsh branch line stopped operating due to the coordination project. Before that, even if people just traveled between Kowloon and Sha Tin, it was already a "big deal".

1981On April 26th, the new Bijiashan tunnel designed by double track was officially opened.

On May 6th 1982, the first phase electrification project of the British section was completed, and the electrified train on the suburban line from Kowloon to Shatian was officially put into use. 1May 2, 983, the project from Sha Tin to Tai Po Market was completed. The electrification project from Tai Po Market to Lo Wu was put into use on July 15 of the same year, and the opening ceremony was presided over by Sir Edward Youde, then Governor of Hong Kong. 1982, Xinwangjiao Station was opened to replace the original yau ma tei station. In the same year, Jiulongtang Station, which can be interchanged with the subway, was opened.

1983 The new tai po market station and Tai Wai temporary stations were opened, and the old tai po market station was converted into the Hong Kong Railway Museum.

1985 The Buddhist altar station and racecourse station station were opened one after another, and Dawei station and Taihe station were opened on April 23rd 1986 and May 9th 1989 respectively.

Before 1982, the management right of the British section belonged to the Hong Kong government department and was called the Kowloon-Canton Railway Bureau. With the adoption of the Regulations of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation in February of the same year, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation was formally established in February 1983, and has since left the government. The company is wholly owned by the Hong Kong Government, its operation is supervised by the Administration, and its members are appointed by the Governor of Hong Kong (changed to the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after the reunification). 1984 10 10 15, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation accepted passengers to pay with the "Universal Stored Value Ticket" (formerly the "Stored Value Ticket" of the MTR Corporation). On June 65438+1October 65438+July of the same year, the company accepted the invitation of the government to build and operate the light rail in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts in the northwest New Territories.

1988 September 18, the "light rail" in northwest new territories was put into service.

During the period of 1990, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation renamed the "Kowloon-Canton Railway-British Section" as "Kowloon-Canton Railway" and the "Light Rail" as "Kowloon-Canton Light Rail" to tie in with the construction of the first phase of the western railway corridor in Hong Kong.

1998 10 in June, the construction of the west railway officially started. At the same time, actively expand the light rail network and make it the main connecting tool of the West Rail.

In line with the government's policy of giving priority to railway development, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation decided to transform itself into an organization that plans, designs and builds large-scale new networks. At the invitation of the government, the company conducted a detailed study on the construction of several new railways and submitted a proposal. These new projects include three East Rail extensions: the Ma On Shan Railway connecting the East Rail at Tai Wai, the extension from Hung Hom Station to the eastern part of Tsim Sha Tsui, and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line as the second cross-boundary railway passage. .

1978 fully implement the double-track and electrified train project.

On May 6th, 1982, the first phase of the electrification project was completed, and the electrified train on the suburban line of Sha Tin, Kowloon was officially put into use.

On February 24th, 1982, 1982, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance was passed, including the establishment of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, which formally separated the Kowloon-Canton Railway from the government. This project originated from 198 1. The Hong Kong government intends to change the Kowloon-Canton Railway Bureau, which operates the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, from a government department to a company, so that the new company can operate according to commercial principles. After the establishment of the new company, although the company is still wholly owned by the government, its operation will be handled by the company itself, and then supervised by the management Committee, whose members will be appointed by the Governor of Hong Kong (now the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region).

1 983 February1day, the Kowloon-Canton Railway was officially changed to the operation and management of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Company.

1983 July 15, the electrification project from Sha Tin to Lo Wu was also put into use, and the then Governor Sir Edward Youde presided over the opening ceremony.

1984 company accepted the invitation of the government to build and operate a light rail in northwest New Territories. In September, 1988, Northwest New Territories Light Rail was put into operation.

In the11990s, the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway was renamed as the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Light Rail was renamed "Kowloon-Canton Light Rail".

In line with the government's policy of giving priority to railway development, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation was reorganized into an organization responsible for planning, designing and building large-scale new networks. At the invitation of the government, the company conducted a detailed study on the construction of several new railways and submitted a proposal.

1998 10 in June, the construction of the west railway officially started. At the same time, actively expand the light rail network and make it the main connecting tool of the West Rail.

Other new projects include three East Rail extensions: the Ma On Shan Railway connecting the East Rail in Tai Wai, the extension from Hung Hom Station to the eastern part of Tsim Sha Tsui, and the Sheung Shui-Lok Ma Chau extension as the second cross-boundary railway passage.

On 24 September 2002, the Government invited the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to build and operate the Kowloon Southern Line.

On June 25th, 2002, the Government announced that the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation was granted the right to build and operate the Shatin-Central Link (SCL).

On February 7, 2003, two new light rail extensions in Tin Shui Wai were opened to traffic. The total length of the two new branch lines is 4.4 kilometers, with 1 1 new station.

On February 20th, 2003, at 65438, the West Railway, which took five years to build, was officially put into use.

On June 38, 2004 +20041October 3, KCRC announced that it would shelve the Shazhong Line and replace it with the Shahong Line after re-examining the KCRC master plan with the government. The route of the new railway will be similar to the original sand line, but it will not cross the sea. Instead, it will be transferred to Hung Hom Station via Huangpu and then connected to the West Rail via the South Ring Road. The original East Rail will extend south across the sea to Central, so that the East Rail and the West Rail will form a cross-shaped route and meet at Hung Hom.

On June 24th, 2004, 10, Tsim Sha Tsui Branch Line of Kowloon-Guangzhou Railway was officially opened, and the train was extended from Hung Hom Station to Tsim Sha Tsui East Station.

On June 5438+February 2 1 day, 2004, Maanshan Railway was officially opened to traffic.

On June 6th, 2005, 165438+ South Kowloon Line was officially started.

On April 1 1, 2006, the Hong Kong Executive Council passed the merger plan of Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and MTR Corporation Limited. Major projects: merger of the two railways

The government plans to merge the two railway networks of MTR Corporation Limited and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. On February 24th, 2004, the government invited MTRC and KCRC to discuss the merger plan. The negotiations are expected to be completed within six months, and the merger arrangement of the two railways will be implemented in 2005/06. In this regard, there are different views from all walks of life. Some people think that the merger can save administrative expenses and leave room for fare reduction; Unified railway network to enhance the comprehensive transfer capacity of newly-built railways; Reduce the overlapping of routes in the railway network, thus reducing the waste of taxpayers' money. Some people think that the merger will make the system an "independent kingdom" and create a monopoly situation.

On April 1 1 2006, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, announced that the Executive Council had passed the merger plan of the two railways, and decided to hand over the management rights of several railways, feeder buses and properties of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to MTRC for 50 years (renewable), provide a series of price reduction plans (including canceling interchange parking fees and introducing the "increase and decrease mechanism"), and deal with the interchange of the Sha-Zhong Line as soon as possible.

On June 9, 2007, the MTRC special shareholders' meeting passed the merger plan of the two railways, and the two railways will be formally merged on February 2, 2007, announcing that the Kowloon-Canton Railway Company will terminate all its business.

65438+On February 2, 2007, the business of Kowloon-Canton Railway Company was formally merged into Hong Kong Railway Company Limited and put into operation. All railway assets of the company are granted to MTR Corporation in the form of service franchise; All other businesses, such as real estate, are sold to the MTRC. Since its establishment, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has stopped operating all railway, property and other businesses after 25 years.