The MTR is efficient, but will it be able to keep up with the city's social changes?
Hong Kong's public transport system is the envy of transport officials the world over, but demands upon it are growing
From its appearance, it's difficult to believe that the nondescript building in Tsing Yi houses the Mass Transit Railway Corporation's nerve centre. Inside, huge rectangular screens are arranged on a curved wall, with subway lines represented by white dots, and short lines of moving fuchsia dots indicating the trains. Below are multiple screens showing the platforms of various stations, also in real time. Rows of staff members in yellow jackets sit quietly watching computer monitors.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the MTR is an efficient system that's the envy of almost every other city in the world. It's a 24-hour operation and, despite a number of glitches reported over the past year, boasted an on-time performance rate of 99.9 per cent in the first half of 2014. The shortfall accounts for the times when trains were more than five minutes late.
The MTR is practically the only mode of transport for millions of people, and became increasingly so during the first several weeks of the Occupy protests. Daily use rose to an average of 5.3 million passengers, up 20 per cent. There was a gap between trains of less than two minutes to move commuters as quickly as possible.
This efficiency is often taken for granted. Before the protests, the MTR Corp came under fire for its handling of incidents ranging from technical problems to tensions between local and mainland passengers. Particular criticism was levelled at the handling of a stray dog on the tracks at Sheung Shui station, which led to the animal's death.
But the railway company has even greater challenges ahead. As the government projects up to 100 million annual visitors to the city by 2023, many of whom will use public transport, questions are being raised over how the MTR will be able to move them all.
Mark Mihorean, assistant professor of business education at University of Science and Technology, insists that the MTR is a world-class service and that critics are often quick to jump on the negatives.