How Hong Kong’s first electrified rail service, the KCR, arrived – late
- First announced in 1976, the fully electrified Kowloon-Canton Railway was launched in 1983
- Travel time from Hung Hom to Lo Wu on the fully electrified service was cut from 70 minutes to ‘about 36 minutes’
“Hunghom to Shatin in 8 minutes!” proclaimed a South China Morning Post headline on May 11, 1976, regarding the electrification of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR), an endeavour that would mark the end of diesel-powered trains for Hong Kong. “Apart from the obvious advantage of a much speedier service, an electrified system is ideal environmentally,” the story continued.
General manager of KCR, Reginald Gregory, told the Post: “The system is also safer for passengers as we would have automatically opening and closing doors.”
On October 24, 1978, the Post reported that the scheme had been given the green light and was expected to be completed within three years.
“Electrification of the Kowloon-Canton Railway is expected to cost significantly more than the original $400 million estimate,” reported the Post on February 14, 1979. By June, “Delay in placing certain contracts coupled with financial stringency” meant that work would not be completed until the end of 1982, an 18-month setback.
“The first consignment of the Kowloon-Canton Railway’s $500 million electric rolling-stock arrived at Hunghom yesterday – marking a big step forward in Hongkong’s ambitious train modernisation programme,” the Post reported on April 13, 1981.