Time is money: Hong Kong commuters on new railway extension could save 28 minutes, but costs will rise
Some passengers on Kwun Tong Line will pay an extra HK$2.60 a trip as the government wants to cancel buses
Commuters travelling in Kowloon could save up to 28 minutes per trip when the Kwun Tong rail extension opens later this year. But it may cost some passengers an extra HK$2.60 a time as the government proposes cancelling several bus services within about six months of operations starting.
The 2.6km extension of the Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei to Whampoa via Ho Man Tin is scheduled to open in the third or fourth quarter this year.
A spokesman for the Coalition to Monitor Public Transport and Utilities, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, said this fare was comparable to that of other MTR lines generally. But he stressed that MTR fares as a whole were still expensive.
In coming up with the recommendations, which included putting on four green minibus routes to provide a feeder service to and from the two new stations, the government said it considered factors like reducing traffic congestion and emissions.
It also noted the affected bus routes – including Kowloon Motor Bus route 212, which takes commuters from Whampoa Garden to Tonkin Street in Sham Shui Po – had low commuter rates.