The
MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is Hong Kong's
underground train system, comprising four lines,
which operate from 6am to 1am. The Island Line
(marked blue on maps) runs along the north shore of
Hong Kong Island, from Sheung Wan in the west to
Chai Wan in the east, taking in important stops such
as Central, Wanchai and Causeway Bay. The Tsuen Wan
Line (red) runs from Central, under the harbour,
through Tsimshatsui, and then northwest to the new
town of Tsuen Wan. The Kwun Tong Line (green)
connects with the Tsuen Wan Line at Mongkok in
Kowloon, and then runs east in a circular direction,
eventually coming back down south under the harbour
to join the Island Line at Quarry Bay. Finally, the
Tung Chung Line (yellow) follows much of the same
route as the Airport Express, linking Central and
Tung Chung.
You can buy single-journey tickets ($4-11)
from easy-to-understand dispensing machines in the
stations. The old Common Stored Value Ticket is now
being phased out, and instead you can buy an Octopus
Card (tel 2993 8880 for information), a
rechargeable stored-value ticket which can be used
for travel on the MTR, KCR, LRT, the Airport Express
and some ferries and buses. You pay a deposit of $50
to get the plastic card, then add value to it by
feeding it and your money into machines in the MTR.
Your fare is then electronically deducted each time
you use the ticket - which doesn't have to be fed
into the turnstile, just swiped over the yellow
sensor pad on the top.
The MTR is not to be confused with the KCR
(Kowloon-Canton Railway), which is Hong Kong's main
overground train line, running from Kowloon station
in East Tsimshatsui, north through the New
Territories to the border with China at Lo Wu. Apart
from the direct trains running through to Guangzhou,
there are frequent local trains running between
Kowloon and Lo Wu, though note that you are not
allowed to travel beyond the penultimate station of
Sheung Shui, unless you have documentation for
crossing into China. There is an interchange between
the KCR and MTR at Kowloon Tong station. A third
transport system, the LRT (Light Rail
Transit) runs between towns in the western New
Territories, though tourists rarely use it.
