Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 659
Traveling in Hong Kong by MTR
Korean International Springboard, Lin, Athena – 14
Hong Kong is one of the world’s most convenient places to travel, thanks to its network of MTR stations, it
is easy to get around the city, but now this network has made quick access to China possible. This city, as it
made its way back to China, has built numerous connections to the country and in this essay, I will be
covering a few of them. I would also be talking about the transport inside Hong Kong.
The MTR was sarted on October 1, 1979, during the Hong Kong’s time as part of the British Empire and
consisted of 93 stations, from the beginning of its debut, it’s been popular among travelers of all kinds as it
was a quick, safe and comfortable way to get around the city. Originally, the MTR wasn’t the only railway
service in Hong Kong, the city also had its own transit system, the Kowloon-Canton railway corporation.
Eventually, in December of 2007, the two railway companies merged with one another, creating a new era
in Hong Kong’s railway development. The merged company had ten railway lines combined and promised
to improve the quality of service.
In 2018, the first connection to China through trains was introduced to the public. Hong Kong’s residents
could now comfortably and efficiently travel to China without much hassle, running from Hong Kong West
Kowloon, this high-speed railway connects the city to China’s high-speed rail network of over 29,000km
in length and 58 stations. This year, travel between Hong Kong and China has become easier with the
introduction of the High-speed bullet train running from Kowloon to places all around China. Hong Kong
has anticipated the the train’s debut since 2018, when construction was announced.
The MTR also operates the Airport Express, a fast link to the city’s airport and conference centre, AsiaWold
Expo. This High-speed railway runs between Airport station, Hong Kong station, Tsingyi, Kowloon
station and, previously mentioned, Asia Wold Expo. This transit system takes 24 minutes to go from HK
station to the airport and yes, it is popular among tourists as well as locals.