Guangzhou–Kowloon through train

The Guangzhou–Kowloon through train (simplified Chinese: 广九直通车 or 港穗直通车; traditional Chinese: 廣九直通車 or 港穗直通車; pinyin: Guǎngjiǔ Zhítōngchē or Găngsuì Zhítōngchē) was an inter-city railway service between Hong Kong and Guangzhou jointly operated by the MTR Corporation of Hong Kong and the Guangzhou Railway Group of mainland China. Services operate along the East Rail line within Hong Kong territory, crossing the Hong Kong–Chinese border at Lo Wu, and continuing along the Guangmao Railway and Guangshen Railway in Guangdong province.

Guangzhou–Kowloon through train
廣九直通車
A KTT train provided by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
Locale
First service5 October 1911 (1911-10-05)
Last serviceJanuary 2020 (2020-01)
Current operator(s)
Route
TerminiHung Hom
Foshan
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz Overhead catenary
Track owner(s)
A China Railways DF11 locomotive hauling 25Z train cabs provided by the China Railway Corporation passing through University station in Hong Kong

Twelve trains ran in each direction every day, with a journey time of 1 hour 40 minutes.[1]

The MTRC operates the KTT service on this route. The KTT service is provided by double-decker trains, usually comprising two Premium Class carriages and five First Class carriages. China Railway Guangzhou Group provides the other trains on this route.

Places served by the MTR Guangzhou–Kowloon Through Train include: Hong Kong, Dongguan, Guangzhou.

History

Early years

Steam locomotive W.G. Bagnall 0-4-4T, used in former Sha Tau Kok Branch Line.

The original line of the Chinese section was called Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCR) and the British section was called Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR), which later stretched a rapid transit network in the other New Territories regions in Hong Kong. The engineering partnership Messrs Arthur John Barry and John Wolfe-Barry were Consulting Engineers to the project.[2]

The segment within Hong Kong, then a British Crown colony, was known as the British section. Construction began in 1906, and it was opened on 1 October 1910 [3] as a single-track system, roughly corresponding to the present-day East Rail line).

The complete railway between Kowloon in Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Canton (Guangzhou) was opened on 5 October 1911.[4] With the Chinese section opened in 1911, through-trains ran from the southern terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui across the border to the southern Chinese city of Canton. Trains were steam-hauled. From the one-line railroad, the KCR network was expanded to three railway lines and a light railway system, with 32 railway stations and 68 light rail stations.

At first trains on the British Section ran northwards from a temporary terminus at Kowloon Point through the eastern New Territories up to the border with China at Lo Wu. The permanent southern terminus, Kowloon station in Tsim Sha Tsui, opened slightly later in 1914.

A narrow gauge railway operating works trains was used in the construction of the standard gauge British Section. The narrow gauge materials were later used to build the now-defunct Sha Tau Kok Railway.

Communist era

After the Chinese civil war and the victory of the Communists in mainland China in 1949, through-trains were no longer able to cross the border.

On 4 April 1979, the through train service between Canton (Guangzhou) and Kowloon (Hung Hom) resumed after agreement between Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. In January 1993, the service was extended to Foshan, and to Zhaoqing on 28 March 1995. Starting from 8 October 1995, some trains stopped at Changping station in Dongguan. In 1996, the northern terminus was relocated from Guangzhou railway station to Guangzhou East station.

Train service to Zhaoqing ended on 16 April 2017 due to renovation. Service to Foshan also stopped from 10 July 2019 following the opening of Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link. Both border crossings closed on 15 December 2021, ruling out any return of the through train service to the two cities.

The through train service was completely shut down on 28 January 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong.[5] Sources in April 2022 said the train service would not resume due to the Express Rail Link service extending to Guangzhou east station, therefore ending the century-long history of the through train service.[6]

Stations

Historic stations

Map of Kowloon–Canton Railway service in 1911

The following shows the stations served by the through train in 1911 upon the commencement of service.[7] Most of them became stops of Guangzhou–Shenzhen railway. The through train service was suspended on 14 October 1949 after communists occupied Canton.

During this period, the through train service included new stops, such as in Tin Ho (天河), Wan Luk (雲麓), Sheung Shui (上水).

Name District Opened in Closed in
English Chinese
Canton
also Tai Sha Tau
廣九/大沙頭 Canton, Kwangtung 1911 1974
Shek Pai石牌 1911
Che Pi車陂Punyu, Kwangtung 1911
Wu Chung烏涌 1911
Nam Kong南崗 1911 2009
Sun Tong新塘Tsengshing County, Kwangtung 1911
Tong Mei塘美 1911 2007
Nga Yeo雅瑤 1911 ?
Sien Tsun仙村 1911
Shek Ha石廈 1911 ?
Shek Tan石灘 1911
Shek Lik Kou石瀝滘 1911
Shek Lung石龍Tungkun County, Kwangtung 1911
Sai Wu
also Cha Shan
西湖/茶山 1911
Nam Sheh南社 1911 2007
Wang Lik橫瀝 1911 2009
Sheung Ping & Muk Lun
also Sheung Ping
常平木倫 1911
Tu Tong土塘 1911
Cheung Muk Tou & Shek Ma
also Cheung Muk Tou
樟木頭石馬 1911
Lum Tsun 林村 1911 2010
Tong Tou Ha 塘頭廈 1911
Shek Ku石鼓 1911 2007
Tin Tong Wai天堂圍 1911 2007
Ping Wu平湖Sun On County, Kwangtung 1911
Li Long李朗 1911 2007
Pu Kut布吉 1911
Shum Chun
also Sham Chun Market
深圳/深圳墟 1911
Chinese section | British section
Sheung Shui 上水 New Territories, Hong Kong 1930 -
Fanling粉嶺 1911
Tai Po Market大埔墟 1911 1983
Tai Po
later Tai Po Kau
大埔/大埔滘 1911 1983
Sha Tin
also Shatin
沙田 1911
Mong Kok油麻地 Kowloon, Hong Kong 1911
Hung Hom紅磡 1911 1930/40s
Kowloon九龍 1911 1975

Modern service

Name District Service
English Chinese Started in Ended in
Hung Hom紅磡 Kowloon, Hong Kong 1979 2020
Changping常平 Guangzhou, Guangdong 1995 2020
Guangzhou East廣州東 1979 1996
Guangzhou 廣州 1996 2020
Foshan佛山 Dongguan, Guangdong 1995 2014
Zhaoqing肇慶 Zhaoqing, Guangdong 1995 2017

See also

References

  1. MTR
  2. Minutes of the Hong Kong Legislative Council: 13 May 1909; 10 March 1910; 20 April 1911 www.legco.gov.hk.
  3. Hong Kong Government Gazette from 1910-10-07; https://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/g1910/15197.pdf. Retrieved 2021-04-24
  4. The remaining section, i.e., the Chinese Section, corresponds to the present-day Guangzhou-Shenzhen Section of the Guangshen Railway Corporation (Simplified Chinese: 广深铁路).
  5. "高鐵城際直通車1.30起暫停 港鐵:乘客可獲全數退款 (22:46) - 20200128 - 港聞". 明報新聞網 - 即時新聞 instant news (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  6. "港鐵停保養 城際直通車或永久停運 田北辰:高鐵料明年可抵廣州東站 屆時取消直通車". 明報新聞網 - 每日明報 daily news (in Traditional Chinese). 9 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  7. "Canton Kowloon Ry. Time Table". 3 October 1911. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
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