Hong Kong MTR

[miklcct]

Anyone has thought about the Hong Kong MTR network, which is the world's most effecient with 99.99% on-time rate, but with it's own unique challenges?

There is a Guiness World Record for this system but it is outdated, as new stations have since been opened.

There are 3 main caveats in the system:
- Racecourse: only open on a race day, which means a full-network challenge can only be done on such a day.
- Lo Wu & Lok Ma Chau: these are in the closed area, and to access these stations legally, you must cross into / out of mainland China (once crossed, you are free to return immediately on the mainland side). Unless you start at one and end at the other, your time will be affected by the border crossing. It is technically illegal, but tolerated, to board a train to Lok Ma Chau (not as Lo Wu as the train is cleared) and return, claiming that you want to go to Lo Wu but accidentally boarded a wrong train.

The extensive express bus network in Hong Kong also creates many opportunities to beat the train in the outer reach of the system, unlike in London. For example, once in Chai Wan, you can jump onto an express bus back to Exhibition Centre faster than the train.

Thinking out load, the following may be a route I want to use:
Chai Wan - Wan Chai
Exhibition Centre - Admiralty
Admiralty - South Horizons
take the Kai-to to Aberdeen, then minibus to Kennedy Town
Kennedy Town - Central
Hong Kong (by this point all the stations on the island are done) - Sunny Bay
double back to Disneyland
back to Sunny Bay - Tung Chung
bus to the Airport
double back for AsiaWorld-Expo and back to the Airport
bus to Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun - Tsuen Wan West
run to Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan - Tsim Sha Tsui, double back to Yau Ma Tei,
Yau Ma Tei - Whampoa, double back to Ho Man Tin
Ho Man Tin - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Prince Edward
run to Mong Kok East
Mong Kok East - Hung Hom - Austin
back to Ho Man Tin, then fast bus to either Po Lam or Lohas Park (depending on which comes first), then to Tseung Kwan O, double back for another branch and back to Tiu Keng Leng
Tiu Keng Leng - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Wu Kai Sha
back to Sha Tin Wai and run to Sha Tin
Sha Tin - Fo Tan or Racecourse (depending on the timetable), run to the other and head for the border crossing, once crossed into mainland China, return immediately to Sheung Shui and head to the other to finish.

[jrparkin]

I didn't know that two of the stations were in Mainland China. Do I understand you need to go through the border crossing once or twice. You said one train is cleared to go into China, does this mean this doesn't have border controls

[ANDY_JS]

Anyone has thought about the Hong Kong MTR network, which is the world's most effecient with 99.99% on-time rate, but with it's own unique challenges?

There is a Guiness World Record for this system but it is outdated, as new stations have since been opened.

There are 3 main caveats in the system:
- Racecourse: only open on a race day, which means a full-network challenge can only be done on such a day.
- Lo Wu & Lok Ma Chau: these are in the closed area, and to access these stations legally, you must cross into / out of mainland China (once crossed, you are free to return immediately on the mainland side). Unless you start at one and end at the other, your time will be affected by the border crossing. It is technically illegal, but tolerated, to board a train to Lok Ma Chau (not as Lo Wu as the train is cleared) and return, claiming that you want to go to Lo Wu but accidentally boarded a wrong train.

The extensive express bus network in Hong Kong also creates many opportunities to beat the train in the outer reach of the system, unlike in London. For example, once in Chai Wan, you can jump onto an express bus back to Exhibition Centre faster than the train.

Thinking out load, the following may be a route I want to use:
Chai Wan - Wan Chai
Exhibition Centre - Admiralty
Admiralty - South Horizons
take the Kai-to to Aberdeen, then minibus to Kennedy Town
Kennedy Town - Central
Hong Kong (by this point all the stations on the island are done) - Sunny Bay
double back to Disneyland
back to Sunny Bay - Tung Chung
bus to the Airport
double back for AsiaWorld-Expo and back to the Airport
bus to Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun - Tsuen Wan West
run to Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan - Tsim Sha Tsui, double back to Yau Ma Tei,
Yau Ma Tei - Whampoa, double back to Ho Man Tin
Ho Man Tin - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Prince Edward
run to Mong Kok East
Mong Kok East - Hung Hom - Austin
back to Ho Man Tin, then fast bus to either Po Lam or Lohas Park (depending on which comes first), then to Tseung Kwan O, double back for another branch and back to Tiu Keng Leng
Tiu Keng Leng - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Wu Kai Sha
back to Sha Tin Wai and run to Sha Tin
Sha Tin - Fo Tan or Racecourse (depending on the timetable), run to the other and head for the border crossing, once crossed into mainland China, return immediately to Sheung Shui and head to the other to finish.

I love the HK metro. Used it in about 2008, and went as far towards mainland China as you can go without needing to go through border controls. (Although that might have been on the normal train, not the metro, can't remember). If I ever go there again I might have a go at doing some sort of "tube challenge" on it.

[miklcct]

Anyone has thought about the Hong Kong MTR network, which is the world's most effecient with 99.99% on-time rate, but with it's own unique challenges?

There is a Guiness World Record for this system but it is outdated, as new stations have since been opened.

There are 3 main caveats in the system:
- Racecourse: only open on a race day, which means a full-network challenge can only be done on such a day.
- Lo Wu & Lok Ma Chau: these are in the closed area, and to access these stations legally, you must cross into / out of mainland China (once crossed, you are free to return immediately on the mainland side). Unless you start at one and end at the other, your time will be affected by the border crossing. It is technically illegal, but tolerated, to board a train to Lok Ma Chau (not as Lo Wu as the train is cleared) and return, claiming that you want to go to Lo Wu but accidentally boarded a wrong train.

The extensive express bus network in Hong Kong also creates many opportunities to beat the train in the outer reach of the system, unlike in London. For example, once in Chai Wan, you can jump onto an express bus back to Exhibition Centre faster than the train.

Thinking out load, the following may be a route I want to use:
Chai Wan - Wan Chai
Exhibition Centre - Admiralty
Admiralty - South Horizons
take the Kai-to to Aberdeen, then minibus to Kennedy Town
Kennedy Town - Central
Hong Kong (by this point all the stations on the island are done) - Sunny Bay
double back to Disneyland
back to Sunny Bay - Tung Chung
bus to the Airport
double back for AsiaWorld-Expo and back to the Airport
bus to Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun - Tsuen Wan West
run to Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan - Tsim Sha Tsui, double back to Yau Ma Tei,
Yau Ma Tei - Whampoa, double back to Ho Man Tin
Ho Man Tin - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Prince Edward
run to Mong Kok East
Mong Kok East - Hung Hom - Austin
back to Ho Man Tin, then fast bus to either Po Lam or Lohas Park (depending on which comes first), then to Tseung Kwan O, double back for another branch and back to Tiu Keng Leng
Tiu Keng Leng - Diamond Hill
Diamond Hill - Wu Kai Sha
back to Sha Tin Wai and run to Sha Tin
Sha Tin - Fo Tan or Racecourse (depending on the timetable), run to the other and head for the border crossing, once crossed into mainland China, return immediately to Sheung Shui and head to the other to finish.

I love the HK metro. Used it in about 2008, and went as far towards mainland China as you can go without needing to go through border controls. (Although that might have been on the normal train, not the metro, can't remember). If I ever go there again I might have a go at doing some sort of "tube challenge" on it.

There were 2 separate networks, MTR (the metro network), and KCR (the suburban train network) back then, but as they performed the same function, the government arranged the MTR to eat the KCR.