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LCQ12: Service hours of Light Rail and MTR buses in New Territories West
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     Following is a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (May 28):

Question:

     Quite a number of the residents in New Territories West take the Light Rail (LR) or feeder buses as well as the West Rail Line (WRL) for travelling to and from the urban areas every day. Some Tuen Mun residents have relayed to me that by the time they arrive at Tuen Mun on the last train of WRL, the last train of the LR routes and the last bus of the feeder bus routes concerned have already departed. As a result, they can go home only by taxi or on foot, which causes inconvenience and personal safety hazards to them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the current numbers of LR and feeder bus routes whose last departure times from West Rail stations are earlier than the arrival times of the last WRL trains at those stations; and the major housing courts and estates that these LR and feeder bus routes pass en route;

(2) whether it knows why the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has not arranged for the last departure times of all feeder bus routes from West Rail stations to dovetail with the arrival times of the last WRL train at those stations; and

(3) whether it will request MTRCL to extend the service hours of all relevant LR and feeder bus routes so as to cater for the needs of the passengers of the last WRL trains; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,
 
     My reply to the Hon Tam Yiu-chung's question is as follows:

     At present, passengers can interchange to all routes of the Light Rail (LR) network or switch to MTR buses at the Yuen Long Station, Tin Shui Wai Station, Siu Hong Station and Tuen Mun Station of the West Rail Line (WRL). Of the 11 LR routes, Route 751 (from Tin Shui Wai to Tin Yat; from Tuen Mun to Yau Oi; and from Siu Hong to Yau Oi), Route 610 (from Siu Hong to Tuen Mun Ferry Pier) and Route 505 (from Tuen Mun to Sam Shing) synchronise with the last train of WRL. As regards MTR bus routes, their last departures are all earlier than the arrival of the last WRL train.

     Currently, mainly due to the need to reserve fairly ample time for the repair/maintenance works of the LR system and MTR buses to ensure their good condition and operational safety, not all departures of the last trains of LR routes can synchronise with the arrival of the last WRL train.
  
     Notwithstanding, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) is aware of the local aspirations and has been studying the feasibility of synchronising the last train arriving at the above stations of WRL with LR routes. The study was recently completed which confirms the feasibility of this proposal. To achieve this, MTRCL has to adjust the repair/maintenance schedule of facilities like LR vehicles and tracks, etc., and adjust train service to a certain extent. MTRCL plans to implement the synchronising arrangement within this year. By then, the service hours of certain LR routes will have to be extended to enable all passengers alighting from the last WRL train to interchange to LR heading for 68 stops of the entire LR network. The non-synchronisation situation between the last trains of WRL and LR will no longer appear. MTRCL will announce details once finalised.
  
     As for MTR buses, most of the routes and sections they run on coincide with LR routes. Therefore, extending the service hours of LR routes can basically fulfill the interchanging needs of most WRL passengers. Regarding the MTR bus routes not covered by the LR network, as the current patronage of the last departures of these buses is extremely low, with only around 10 to 20 passengers per trip, the service demand is very low. Besides, many sections of these bus routes are supplemented by the overnight service of other means of public transport (such as franchised buses and public light buses). Therefore, MTRCL has no plan to extend the service hours of MTR buses.

Ends/Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:45

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