Railways as the backbone of an urban area

When I was a young boy, I was extremely obsessed with railways. When my father drove near a railway station, my eyes would not be off the rails. When I was free, I would spend my time learning how a platform was designed and how we could improve on the existing railway network.

I was a railway lover.

Although in the recent few months, the railway company in Hong Kong, Mass Transit Railway, has not been serving the Hongkongers well, I would still love to talk about the Hong Kong railway system.

Since the service of the South Island Line started in 2016, the railway system has provided services in urban areas across all 18 districts in Hong Kong (learn more about the 18 districts at 18Challenge).

When we hang out with our friends, other than naming the restaurants or bars that we are meeting, we usually say the stations’ names - and we usually meet up near the stations.

When we hold a banquet or a party, we always consider the accessibility and pick places along the railways.

That is really interesting how the railway system in Hong Kong has shaped our social behaviour. (Recently, many Hongkongers are boycotting the railway company and it turns out Hongkongers can adapt to a completely different transport usage pattern - except for the unavoidable usages.)

Economically speaking, the apartments near or above the stations are always expensive - even more expensive when it has a sea view.

The railways in Hong Kong provide people with a lot of geographic mobility. It is because of not only the service coverage but also the frequency. In rush hours, it is like two minutes for one subway. For a dense city like Hong Kong, railways are the backbone of its functionality and mobility.

As people tend to use the railways or other transport modes (buses and walking), Hong Kong has a low gasoline demand and the ownership of cars is projected to be 80 cars per 1000 people (Sen, Meidan & Mahesh, 2017).

That is important because the usage of private cars is associated with air and noise pollution and greenhouse gas emission.

I do love railways and find Hong Kong railways life-changing. It is funny how my experience in Hong Kong has shaped my thoughts about public transport and urban density.

I hope to see when the density of Australia is getting higher, the governments would provide people with more and better (more effective and efficient) railways for mobility and accessibility.

What do you think?

• Do/Did you have a favourite transport mode that you want to see where you live?

• Which is your favourite rail-oriented country that you like?

Reference

Sen, A., Meidan, M., & Mahesh, M. (2017). Gasoline Demand in Non-OECD Asia: Drivers and Constraints. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Gasoline-Demand-in-Non-OECD-Asia-Drivers-and-Constraints-WPM-74.pdf