Typepad has closed down, so this site has been migrated to WordPress and it all seems to have gone smoothly (the security certificate went missing, but is now working).
However, some things may well be broken, and feel free to point out anything particularly bad and I’ll try to fix it.
The extension of the East Rail Line to Admiralty opened 3 years ago (in May 2022).
Those with a long memory will recall that this was part of the "Sha Tin to Central link" that I have written about a few times, starting back in March 2008 (Sensible changes) and, yes, I might have become slightly obsessed with the way that it was misreported (Sha Tin to Central – or maybe not and Sha Tin to Central Link misinformation).
Fortunately, we have (eventually) ended up with a good solution.
The southern terminus of East Rail is now Admiralty, which has 8 platforms (lucky) for 4 lines (ayeeah), meaning that you can continue your journey by going east, west or south. Most interchanges are fairly easy (if you can deal with the large crowds), and it certainly does make it more convenient to get from the New Territories East to Hong Kong Island. The only downside is shorter trains (First Class has survived, rather to my surprise), and yes I have written about that.
There's also the new Exhibition station, which maybe not quite as convenient for the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) as you might have hoped, but obviously it's much easier than walking from Wan Chai station. I had forgotten that it was originally planned to be an interchange with the North Island Line, which is why the platforms are on different levels, but that ain't happening any time soon.
There are also new platforms at Hung Hom, which were heavily delayed due to problems with construction. This is an interchange with the other part of the SCL Project: the Tuen Ma line, which opened in June 2021 (see here). For nearly a year there was a really inconvenient interchange between the old East Rail platforms and new Tuen Ma Line platforms, but now they are in the same place (albeit at different levels).
The Tuen Ma Line was previously known as the East-West line because it goes from the New Territories East (Ma On Shan / Sha Tin) to the New Territories West (Tsuen Wan, Yeun Long, Tuen Mun) via Tsim Tsa Tsui. It's by no means a straight line and can be a bit confusing when the southbound service is heading for somewhere that is very much North West of where you are.
Seems to me that it would be helpful to announce the intermediate station (e.g. Tuen Muen via TST) where that is appropriate, as they do on the Circle Line in London.
By Hong Kong standards it's not very frequent (every 5-6 minutes off-peak) though they enhance that when there are events at the new Kai Tak stadium. It also has two interchanges with the (KCR) East Rail, one at Tai Wai (easy for southbound connections because this section of the Tuen Ma Line has the two lines the "wrong" way round) and the new Hung Hom station.
There are more rail projects planned and under construction, the most significant being the Northern Link, which will go from the Kam Sheung Road station (on the Tuen Ma line) and a new Kwu Tung station (on the Lok Ma Chau section of East Rail). There is also a plan for a new line from HKU through Cyberport and Aberdeen to Wong Chuk Hang, that may be started in 2027.
I see that 10 years ago (yikes) I was complaining about the North Satellite Concourse at Hong Kong airport (because the only way to get there was by buses that sometimes had to wait for planes to pass).
They did finally link it up to the main terminal (in 2022), using a bridge. And yet…
The first problem is that the maps of Terminal 1 that you will see when you get through security don't show the North Satellite Concourse at all – on closer inspection that's because they show the lounges, and the NSC doesn't have one. Probably because it only has 9 gates, all for the smaller A320 / A321 single aisle planes.
What a strange decision to make with map, though, given that probably 95% of passengers won't be looking for a lounge, they'll be wanting to know where to find their gate. In case you're wondering, look for gate 12 and then you'll find the wonder bridge.
And, no, I don't want to use the terrible map on the HKIA website. There is a decent pdf map (of course there is) here - found via this webpage which explains the changes to gate numbering, including the fact that these NSC gates used to be 501-510.
But, hey, apparently this is great:
Passengers can enjoy the extraordinary experience of an aircraft passing beneath their feet
The bridge is 28 metres high – quite a long way up and down again the other side. So passengers and aircrew have to use the escalators to get there. There is a lift but it's only available for the disabled, presumably because it's too small.
So everyone has to take their cabin luggage (including small suitcases) on these fairly steep escalators. Which seems strange because almost everywhere else in Hong Kong (and beyond) the advice is not to do that, and to use the lift instead. But not here, oh no.
When you get there, the facilities are not great. The Starbucks was being renovated when I was there, and there were queues for water and the toilets. As far as I know, you can't go back to the main concourse.
Is this all temporary? Will it be abandoned when Terminal 2 opens?
Two stories from the Substandard about people using QR codes to get discounts on the MTR
The concept is that you use one payment platform (e.g. WeChat Pay) to enter the MTR and another (e.g. AlliPay) to leave, and rely upon not having anyone check whilst you are travelling (which in my experience never happens in standard class and is extremely rare even in First Class).
I've never used these payment methods, but the article claims that there is a way to manually enter your entry or exit station in the app. Which is convenient but seems very obviously open to abuse.
If they removed the feature in the two apps and charged for incomplete journeys (as in London) surely that would stop this abuse? If I have understand the Alipay app (MTR Press Release) they do tell you the fare you have been charged, so people could go to the Customer Service Centre to complain and maybe get a refund.
My question here is who is enabling this, and how much money are they making out of it? And how do they avoid being detected by the MTR? All very strange.
One other thing I have noticed with Alipay is that it seems not to apply sectional fares on minibuses. So at the start of the journey the fares are the same, but while the price on the Octopus reader drops as you get nearer to the destination, nothing changes on Alipay. Not that I have ever seen anyone use them!
It's more complex in London because there is daily capping, and TfL calculate the total spend for the day and deduct that early the next morning. So you will only know about the "incomplete journey" charge by logging on to the website or checking in the TfL Go app the next day (though you ought to be alerted by a larger than expected payment going out from your account). It's actually easy to request a refund but you do have to enter some details and there are some limits on how many refunds you can request each month.
Another problem in London is that if you tap in using a physical card and out using the same card on Google Pay or Apple Pay this creates two incomplete journeys! Which are easily reconciled by TfL if you contact them.
I have always suspected that a lot of people in London either don't realize that they have been charged for an incomplete journey or never get round to claiming a refund. Which is supported by this FOI request stating that were 40 million incomplete journeys in 2023 at a total cost of £231 million (average charge of £6.39). Only around 42,000 requests for refunds were received – which is around 0.1%. That's staggeringly low!
Back in 2014, the SCMP reported on the “painfully slow process” of installing platform screen doors on what were the KCR East Rail and Ma On Shan line (now the MTR East Rail Line and Tsuen Ma Line).
They returned to the subject in 2023 (paywall) and RTHK reported in February 2024 that work would be complete by the end of the year. Being the year 2024, of course.
There’s an update on the project here and the target completion date is now “in 2025”
The project team has overcome various challenges by learning from experience during the process, hence some of the works could be completed ahead of schedule. The progress of works is satisfactory so far.
Satisfactory, you say? Completed ahead of schedule?
It’s now April 2025, and the southbound platform at University Station has been started but there’s no obvious sign of it being completed (northbound was done some time ago). At Mong Kok East, the two main platforms are complete but not platform 1 (where southbound trains sometimes terminate in the rush hour if they still do that).
I suppose these two are a bit more difficult because the platforms are curved, but that SCMP report was 11 years and yet it’s still not finished [and I haven’t been to Lo Wu to check on progress there]
I previously wrote about this in January 2018 and Transit Jam reported on one suicide at Kowloon Tong last year (but work there was completed shortly afterwards) and another case happened in January 2025 at University station (The Standard).
And yes, other cities worldwide have a very long way to go to catch up with Hong Kong on this.
How it's supposed to work:
What sometimes (rarely) happens
The problem with (1) is that it causes people who are waiting to board to try to push past the people who are exiting the train. Which obviously causes delays, but if the station staff are not checking carefully (which is my suspicion about why this is happening) they then close the doors before everyone is onboard. Which makes me unhappy.
And, yes, it would be terrific if everyone did wait for people to exit before they try to board, but frankly the risk of the doors closing before you have boarded make this a bit more excusable.
[In case it's not clear, the MTR is generally excellent, which is why the occasional problem is noteworthy]
Since my last post, the government has announced changes to the Joy You scheme (so I was wrong):
The government is calling this the HK$2 flat rate cum 80 percent discount which is of course rather amusing to native English speakers (I really thought they knew that the word "cum" was problematic and had stopped using it, but there you go).
Why not just call it 2 /20 (or 2 / 20 / 240) in English and $2 / 8折 in Cantonese?
There was a comment by someone on Facebook complaining that the 240 trips limit was unfair on people who needed to take multiple forms of transport (e.g. Ferry, Minibus, MTR and Bus) to complete their journey. Well, yes, maybe, but I suspect that in most cases you could find a cheaper (albeit slower) way if you wanted to, and HKFP reports that this will only affect 360 people!
Overall, this seems quite a modest change that isn't going to save very much money. The next thing to do is actually implement the change – which seems like it ought to be straightforward but local media think it might not happen until September 2026.
This HK Standard report also says that the government is studying a segmented fare system for buses:
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po revealed that the Transport Department is in discussions with bus companies and has identified over 100 bus routes in Hong Kong that could implement a segmented fare system, with further research underway.
in Hong Kong, buses are operated by for-profit companies (and KMB/LWB and Citybus) and fares are generally higher than on the MTR. Presumably if they do introduce sectional fares they would have to increase fares to make up for the lost income.
In London, buses are heavily subsidized by TfL (which is under local government control) with a flat fare of £1.75 (roughly HK$17), compared with £2.90 peak for the Underground / Overground in Zone 1/2 (£2.10 for journeys outside Zone 1). Outside London, bus fares can be eye-wateringly expensive, though there is currently a price cap of £3 (on some routes) which is covered by a government subsidy. A few cities are bringing buses under local authority control, most notably Manchester where the flat fare is now £2 (as in London, this actually allows multiple journeys within 60 minutes).
Oh, sorry, this is supposed to be about buses in Hong Kong, not the UK.
The biggest problem remains that for passengers aged 60-64 (even after these changes), the government is paying 80% of the standard fare. And most of those people will still be working. At 65 the government is paying 30%, which seems more reasonable. But it would be brave to take that benefit away from 60-64 years old.
There has been some controversy recently about the HK$2 flat fare for the elderly on public transport. This was introduced in 2012 for people aged 65 or older, and then extended in 2022 to those aged 60 or over.
This report says that the scheme costs around HK$4 billion per year (roughly US$500 million). That's about 0.5% of total government expenditure.
Before this scheme was introduced, there were half-price fares for those over 65, offered by most of the various transport operators (all of which are for-profit companies). All that was required was an “Elder Octopus” card. There is no age (or ID) check when they are issued, but there is a penalty of HK$500 if anyone is caught using one when under age.
When the HK$2 fare was introduced, this was available with the “Elder Octopus” card (which meant it was available to non-residents). Then, with the extension to 60 came the personalized Joy You card, which is only for Hong Kong residents.
Every time the JoyYou card is used the government pays the transport operators the difference between their fare for the journey and HK$2.
At this point it needs to be explained that fares on most buses and minibuses are based on the assumption that the passenger is travelling to the final destination. So it is entirely possible that the fares for travelling the exact same journey will vary by the bus route you choose. If one of the buses is long-distance or Cross-Harbour, the difference can be substantial.
If you have the JoyYou card it doesn’t matter which bus you choose – the government will pay the balance of the fare, whether that is HK$22 or HK$3 (if you are over 65, then the concession fare applies, so the government has less to pay).
Technically, it should be possible for passengers to swipe out when leaving the bus, as suggested here, though you have to wonder how many people would actually do it. [Update: it seems that some KMB routes have an Octopus reader on bus stops that give a refund, so that you pay less for travelling only part of the distance]
Minibuses do have some sectional fares, available on request, but you probably wouldn't bother if you had a JoyYou card.
MTR fares are all point-to-point, so it isn't an issue.
There have been reports of fraudulent usage – one scheme involved minibuses, with a number of Elder Octopus cards being used as per HKFP:
The tip-off came from the Transport Department, who noticed there was an unusual number of senior citizens taking the minibus late at night….The government only charges such individuals HK$2 per trip and the rest of the fare is returned to minibus operators by the government. Since the fare for the Sheung Shui-Kwun Tong route is HK$22.50 the government provided a subsidy of HK$20.50 the minibus driver would have then received his contractual share of the profits.
This report says that there were an average of 112 cases of abuse uncovered annually between 2017-2019 out of almost half a billion $2 trips taken every year: that’s 0.00001% of trips, costing the government an estimated HK$13,000 per year. This SCMP report (paywall) says that it rose to 314 cases in 2022, and this rather confusing story says that:
The MTR Corporation imposed surcharges on approximately 9,680 individuals deemed ineligible for the fare scheme…and two cases were successfully prosecuted. One individual received a fine of approximately HK$14,000 and was required to repay HK$2,000 in underpaid fares. Another individual was convicted of two counts of false accounting, receiving a sentence of 120 hours of community service, along with a fine of around HK$5,800 and a repayment of HK$620 in underpaid fares.
Hard to believe that this is a major problem, especially since the introduction of the JoyYou card.
On the other hand, some people are complaining that the scheme isn’t generous enough:
Younger seniors fight for lower fares | The Standard
Currently, those aged 65 and above pay HK$12.60 for a trip from Sheung Shui to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations, but those below 65 must pay the full price of HK$25.10. JoyYou holders aged 60 to 64 traveling from Admiralty to Lo Wu pay HK$49.60 – the same as any adult passenger. But those 65 and over pay a concessionary fare of HK$24.80.
Here’s a tip: take the MTR from Admiralty to Sheung Shui, exit the station, wait about a minute and then swipe back in and you’d pay HK$14.60 (over 65) or HK$27.10 (60-64) in total. It's very easy because the exit is at platform level. [Fares have increased since that story was published, but the principle is the same]
Those below 65 are also excluded from the concessionary fare for trips to the Racecourse station in Sha Tin.
A 64-year-old JoyYou Card holder and punter, Cheung, said it is unfair that he must pay the full fare of HK$ 16.60 for his weekly commute to the racecourse while his elders enjoy a HK$2 fare.
"I don't understand why they're setting the eligibility for certain concessions at 65 when they give the card to people 60 years old and above," he said.
Not sure it’s really commuting, but indeed it seems that the HK$2 fare does apply for the over 65s only, which is quite confusing. Another tip – break your journey at Sha Tin (though here you have to go up to the concourse level and back down again), or go to Fo Tan and walk from there!
JoyYou fares don't apply on Airport Buses and there are no concessions for the elderly on the Airport Express – except for special offers for a limited time.
Will anything change? It wouldn't be unreasonable to increase the flat fare in line with inflation. Or change it to not apply during the morning rush hour. They could increase the minimum age, but that would seem strange so soon after lowering it to 60.
How about negotiating with the transport companies? They are getting extra revenue with minimal extra cost, so they could afford to pay part of the subsidy, but I can't see that happening.
By way of comparison, London has free travel for the over 60s, except during the morning rush hour. To apply you need to be resident in any of the 32 London Boroughs. This is largely moving money from one part of the government to another, because Transport for London (TfL) is a public body and the train companies are effectively under government control and will soon be nationalised.
In most of the rest of England you only get free bus travel, and only from the state retirement age (currently 66, rising soon to 67), though that does apply nationwide.
Of course the fundamental issue here is that it doesn't really make sense to offer these concessions when most people can work well beyond 60, and most could afford to pay.
The previous British government did instruct TfL to start raising the minimum age up to state retirement age, but they seem to have found the money to avoid doing that. I suspect that nothing will change with the JoyYou card either.
The Uselect chain of supermarkets, which used to sell reasonably priced products from Tesco, has closed down.
It used to be quite good, and there was a time when I could get delivery from them through Honest Bee but (unsurprisingly) they closed five years ago.
It didn't help when Tesco stopped exporting during the pandemic, and Uselect started stocking Coles products (from Australia) instead, and maybe some from Morrisons.
Last time I went looking for their branches in Tsim Sha Tsui both had closed, so this isn't a surprise. Retail in Hong Kong isn't doing so well, and Uselect had probably never reached critical mass (plus competing with the PnS / Wellcome duopoly is hard)
Meanwhile, M&S seem to be doing well, and are expanding their food offerings. Even Sha Tin has two branches, a small (food only) one next to the MTR station and a bigger one at the far end of New Town Plaza III. Their prices are kinda OK for Hong Kong, though almost all the "fresh" meat and fish has actually been frozen and defrosted, presumably so they can ship it more cheaply.
I stopped reading the SCMP years ago, but their letter column remains a delight
Adjust traffic lights to suit pedestrians’ needs
I refer to the letter, “Stricter speed limits for pedestrian safety” (February 1). I fully agree with the suggestions in the letter. On one specific point, referring to elderly pedestrians, your correspondent writes, “Many are scared stiff about being penalised for neglecting the traffic lights; they face a fine of HK$2,000 even when there is no incoming traffic”. This is a problem the Transport Department fails to acknowledge or address.Very frequently, the time phase of traffic lights does not seem to be optimised and adjusted to suit current traffic conditions. This results in long periods of time during which a section of road might have little or no traffic but crowds of pedestrians are bunched up together on far-too-narrow pavements, unable even to walk along the pavement, let alone cross the road. It is extremely frustrating to wait for more than one or two minutes to cross a road when there is absolutely zero motor traffic.
This failure to account for pedestrian considerations needs urgent improvement. Traffic light phases at busy junctions should be constantly monitored and adjusted to facilitate pedestrian movements more readily when there is light traffic. This could be done by the central control room, where crossings are camera monitored. Artificial intelligence technology could also be used to adjust traffic light phases affording greater priority to pedestrians.
There is another possible feature that could be used in remote and less busy light-controlled crossings. This system is used extensively in the United Kingdom and Europe. The lights are normally kept on green in favour of vehicular traffic, but when a pedestrian presses a button at the crossing, the traffic lights are almost immediately switched in favour of the pedestrian, allowing them just enough time to cross the road before changing back in favour of vehicles.
P.A. Crush, Discovery Bay
I think it might blow PA Crush's mind, but Hong Kong already has several of these pedestrian-controlled crossings, as he would know if he had read Press the Button and Wait from here nearly 20 years ago.
The problem is that most people seem to be unaware of the magic that is available if only they would press the button. They will stand there patiently waiting for the lights to change, and wait and wait.
Most crossings are 100% automatic and they also have a button, but that is only to make a sound when it is time to cross. So it is possibly a little confusing.
A little.
Ordinary Gweilo 