I refer to H.K.C. Chan's letter concerning the Western Corridor Railway development and his mention of Japanese railways (South China Morning Post, August 13). Although I won't deny the cleanliness and good time keeping of Japanese railways I would dispute Mr Chan's claim that they are the world's most efficient. Mr Chan forgets to mention the massive government subsidies that these railways receive, something he as a taxpayer should bear in mind.
Why look to Japan when our own KCR and MTR corporations run efficient, clean and profitable services? I don't deny the high capital costs of the proposed Western Corridor Railway, but the track record (pardon the pun) of the above two corporations is second to none.
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