Hong Kong’s MTR system remains the best in the world, so why lose faith in it?
Yonden Lhatoo reminds us that despite all the negative publicity surrounding the city’s most popular form of public transport, it is still doing a remarkable job and remains the envy of the world
One look at all the news about Hong Kong’s metro system these days and you’d think we’re talking about a train wreck of a service.
Anyone overseas who has never been to this city could be forgiven for assuming we have a third world-standard mass transit railway, given the constant negative media coverage about service disruptions, fare increases and construction flaws.
Lawmakers across the spectrum have set aside their usually rancorous political and ideological differences to indulge in some good old, bipartisan MTR bashing. Some are even saying they have lost faith in the railway operator and the people of Hong Kong can no longer trust it.
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Really? Let’s all take a chill pill and appreciate the fact that, at the end of the day, the most popular form of public transport in this city is a world-class operation that is easily one of the best – if not the best – on the planet.
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Experts will tell you Hong Kong’s MTR is one of the best designed, managed, and operated transport systems in the world, as well as one of the most successful and profitable.
It’s also the most-envied metro, which is why it’s a global leader in the mass transit business and is designing, building or running railway systems from Beijing and Shenzhen in China to Britain, Sweden and Australia.
When I was a university student travelling in India, it was common to arrive at a railway station and be told the train would be 24 hours or more late. Not much has improved since, I’m told.
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I’m not glossing over the problems plaguing the MTR as it tries to accommodate an ever-growing population and constantly expands its network, undertaking gigantic, multibillion-dollar projects. I’m just putting it into context.
Don’t forget that while the MTR was privatised nearly two decades ago, the government remains a hands-on majority shareholder and exercises plenty of oversight. You’re in good hands.
So, the next time you’re stuck in a hajj-style rush-hour crowd on the Admiralty station platform, entertaining dark thoughts as every train that pulls in is packed to the gills, forcing you to wait for the next one, remember that it’s all relative.
These are what you call first-world problems.
Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post