Hong Kong is a huge metropolis. And quite often, to get from one end of the city to the other, you have to use several modes of transport. But the most popular is the subway. We invite you to learn more about the Hong Kong subway, as well as get acquainted with some tips to help you not get confused in the underground transport.
General information
The Hong Kong subway began its work almost forty years ago - in 1979. It quickly became the most popular public transport in the city. Today, about half of the inhabitants of the metropolis use the metro daily - approximately 4.2 million people.
The Metropolitan is a huge rail network that includes suburban routes and the subway itself. It bears the general name - Mass Transit Railway, or, for short, MTR.
Stations
To date, the Hong Kong subway has 84 stations. They are scattered throughout the city, making it easyget to any point. Hong Kong subway stations are signed with a hieroglyph, which is denoted by the letter "Ж". They are located directly on the streets and even in the buildings of large shops and offices.
There are 9 subway lines in total: Eastern, Kunthong, Chhyunwan, Island, Tongchun, Cheongkuangou, Disneyland, Western, Maongsan.
There is also a line to the airport.
Fare, tickets
There are three types of tickets on the Hong Kong subway: octopus card, one-time ticket and travel ticket.
Octopus-card is a contactless card that can be left in your wallet, but you just need to bring the accessory to the reader to get on the subway. The balance is displayed on the turnstile, as is the cost of the trip. The card can be replenished independently. If you no longer need it, but there is money left on it, then you need to hand it over to the metro ticket office and get the money back. It is noteworthy that you can pay with an octopus card not only in the metro, but also in shops and cafes.
Single ticket costs from 4 HKD to 26HKD and depends on the route of your trip and its distance. It is valid for only one trip, and when you exit, the turnstile takes it from you.
The tourist ticket is divided into an adult ticket, which costs 55 HKD at the subway ticket office or 52 HKD when bought online, and a child ticket, which costs 25 HKD. It is valid for one month for travel on all lines, except for the route to the airport.
You can buy a ticket at the box office or at the ticket machine. The latter are quite easy to use. You just need to select the desired station and pay the cost of the trip, which you will see on the screen.
Fares are not fixed, but vary by zone. The farther the zone is from the center of Hong Kong, the more expensive the route will cost. Free travel is allowed for children under three years old. Interestingly, this is determined not by date of birth, but by height. At each station, near the turnstiles, there is a giraffe ruler, where the growth of a 3-year-old child is recorded. If the kid is not above the mark, then he can ride for free.
Inside the subway
You can go down to the platforms by stairs or escalator. It is noteworthy that the handrails of the latter are treated every hour with a special compound that disinfects them. And every five steps there is a reminder in the form of a foot about where it is correct and safe to stand. By the way, long passages are equipped with special moving tapes - travalators.
Inside the stations and in the cars themselves, the air conditioning system is very well established. He is not only cool, but also purified. The cleanliness of platforms and carriages is carefully monitored by metro workers. In addition, people are also called to order. For this, there are rules prohibiting eating and drinking on the subway. This is constantly reminded by numerous scoreboards. Next to them are bags in which you can hide half-eaten food or an undrunk drink. Garbage can be thrown into special garbage containers,which are delimited by type of waste.
The platforms also take care of security. All stations are equipped with special protective glass, which also reduces the noise level of the rolling stock. Thanks to this, the Hong Kong subway is one of the quietest in the world. When the train has arrived at the platform, the glass doors open. By the way, the cars themselves are also quite quiet.
Each platform has illuminated boards that display information about the direction of the train and the time of its arrival. Inside the train cars there is a light map of the entire subway with train movement arrows. As you approach the station, the lights come on. Visual information is duplicated by speech in Chinese and English.
In the passages there are many signs with information about the direction, which makes it easy to navigate the subway. The text is also presented in two languages. Each exit, of which there are several at any station, is marked with a Latin letter and a sign describing where it leads, as well as photographs of the sights located above. The Avenue of Stars (Hong Kong) looks very interesting. East Tsim Sha Tsui MRT Station is decorated with photos of local monuments and landmarks.
Special attention in the Hong Kong subway is given to people with disabilities. Here, each station and transition is equipped with special elevators and turnstiles, which are wider than usual and allow people in wheelchairs to pass freely. For those who see poorly or do not see anything at all, tactile paths are provided in the metro. Also haveticket machines that emit a distinctive signal about their location, and all buttons are provided with text for the blind and are accompanied by voice speech when pressed.
Metro operating hours
The Hong Kong subway schedule does not depend on traffic jams and weather conditions. Opening hours start at 5:30 or 6 am and last until 1 am. The subway operates seven days a week all year round.
During peak hours, which are from 8:30 to 9 am and from 18 to 19, trains run at intervals of about five minutes.
Interesting facts about the Hong Kong subway
Every Hong Kong subway station has free Wi-Fi and there are terminals with free internet. This is convenient not only for local residents, but also for tourists.
The subway line that takes you to Disneyland is quite original. The car windows are shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. And the trains themselves are automated, not driven by drivers.
There is a special moment of pleasure for people following the route Kowloon (Kowloon) or Hong Kong (Hong Kong) - Airport. The metro pleases not only with a cheaper trip than a taxi. At these stations, you can check in for your flight and even check in your luggage. As a result, you will go to the airport with hand luggage, and you can get there in 20 minutes. Trains in this direction run every 12 minutes.
