Track gauge in Hong Kong

Various track gauges are used in Hong Kong on different railways and railway lines.

## Current use

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### Standard gauge

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In Hong Kong, the ex-KCR East Rail line, the Tuen Ma line (combination of the 2 former ex-KCR West Rail and Ma On Shan lines), the ex-KCR Light Rail services, the West Island line, the Kwun Tong line extension and the South Island line[citation needed] use 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.

### Almost-standard gauge

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The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) lines (apart from the West Island line, Kwun Tong line extension and South Island line) that were not part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) use the track gauge of 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in), 3 mm (1⁄8 in) narrower than the standard gauge.[1][2][3] This gauge is also used on the Bucharest Metro in Romania.[4] It was formerly used by Nuremberg tramway before regauging to standard gange.

### Narrow gauge

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It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Narrow gauge railways in Hong Kong. (Discuss) (March 2024)

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Hong Kong Tramways, which has been operating tram service on northern Hong Kong Island since 1904, uses a narrow gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in).

## Rail gauge table

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Rail gauge  | Rail  | Length (km)  | Operator  | Service period

|
|
|
|

610 mm (2 ft)  | Sha Tau Kok Railway | 11.67  | Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation | 1912 – 1928
914 mm (3 ft)  | Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad | 1.5  | Hong Kong Disneyland | 2005 – present
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)  | Hong Kong Tramways | 30  | Hong Kong Tramways, Limited | 1904 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Kwun Tong line | 18.4  | MTR Corporation | 1979 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Tsuen Wan line | 16  | MTR Corporation | 1982 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Island line | 16.3  | MTR Corporation | 1985 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Tung Chung line | 31.1  | MTR Corporation | 1998 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Airport Express | 35.3  | MTR Corporation | 1998 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Tseung Kwan O line | 12.3  | MTR Corporation | 2002 – present
1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)  | Disneyland Resort line | 3.8  | MTR Corporation | 2005 – present
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  | East Rail line | 41.5  | MTR Corporation | 1910 – present
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  | Light Rail | 36.2  | MTR Corporation | 1988 – present
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  | Tuen Ma line | 57  | MTR Corporation | 2003 – present
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  | South Island line | 7.4  | MTR Corporation | 2016 – present
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  | Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section | 26  | MTR Corporation | 2018 – present
1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)  | Peak Tram | 1.365  | The Peninsula Hotels | 1888 – present

## Former narrow gauge

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It has been suggested that portions of this section be split out into another article titled Narrow gauge railways in Hong Kong. (Discuss) (March 2024)

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Preserved Kowloon-Canton Railway locomotive

The Kowloon–Canton Railway (now East Rail) was originally partially laid to 2 ft (610 mm) and 3 ft (914 mm) gauge during its construction, and the latter was proposed to be its gauge since the tunnel could only accommodate 3 ft gauge if the line was to be double track throughout. However it was built to standard gauge and was single track, retaining space at places for later expansion. The now-defunct Sha Tau Kok Railway, built in 1911 and closed in 1928, constructed of the same materials used for constructing the main line, was 2 ft gauge. The famous Hong Kong Tramways are 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. The MTR uses a gauge of 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in), 3 mm narrower than the standard gauge. Originally it was to be standard gauge but when the link between the KCR and MTR at Kowloon Tong fell into disuse due to the difference in the choice of voltage for their respective electrification plans, the latter favoured a narrower gauge for technical reasons. This has proven to be an impediment of the proposed merger between the two systems.[5]

The haematite mine at Ma On Shan used an electric internal railway network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm)

The Kowloon Godowns in Tsim Sha Tsui, before redevelopment in the 1970s, also had an extensive network of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge tracks using tiny hand-pushed 2-axle trucks. Similar systems existed elsewhere in Hong Kong. Railways believed to be metre gauge existed in Taikoo Dockyards and Whampoa Dockyards, though standard gauge is more probable for the latter, since it was connected to the main line network after 1937. A cement works in To Kwa Wan, north of the Whampoa dockyards, used a small internal narrow gauge system with jubilee track (prefabricated panels) and wagons, but apart from a few aerial photographs available at the Lands Department Mapping Office, there is little available information about this system.[5]

During the reclamation of Kowloon Bay for the construction of the Kai Tak estates, "jubilee" track and steam locomotives were used to convey spoil. This area became the Kai Tak Airport which has now been demolished.[5]

## See also

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* Bucharest Metro, which also uses 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in) gauge.

## References

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1. ^ "港鐵(MTR)". www.2427junction.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-30.
2. ^ "Hong Kong's MTR System". Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
3. ^ Allen, Geoffrey Freeman, Jane's World Railways, 1987–88, Jane's Information Group, 1987 (ISBN 9780710608482)
4. ^ "Metrorex – Network features". Metrorex. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
5. ^ a b c A Picture Album of Steam Locomotives in China, 1876 - 2001. China Rail Publishing House. 2001. ISBN 7-113-04147-7.

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