East Rail｜The survey indicated that 67% of the respondents switched to the MTR to cross the sea, and the micro-organization approved the consultation period was too short

The cross-sea section of the East Rail Line will be opened to traffic tomorrow (15th). Although "East Rail Crossing the Sea is really exciting", a series of bus lines may be reduced in frequency.

A survey by a non-governmental transport organization found that more than 80% of the passengers interviewed did not agree that the cross-sea section of the East Rail Line is sufficient to improve the local cross-sea traffic, and 67% of the respondents are now using buses or ferries. Sea opportunities are less.

The organization criticized the Transport Department for delaying the announcement of the traffic adjustment plan less than two weeks before it opened to traffic. In recent years, the consultation on bus route changes has made people feel "more and more shrinking". At the district council, they only asked the district councillors to inform them and did not let them express Opinions, the community lacks the opportunity to participate in the discussion.

The "Joint Concerning Railways and Public Transport Planning", which is composed of 16 private transportation concern organizations, held a press conference today (14th), pointing out that some passengers who are not directly benefited from the traffic adjustment by the Transport Department will be affected.

(Photo by Lu Nuojun)

Over 80% of adults disagree that the cross-sea section of the East Rail Line can improve traffic

MTR announced last week that the East Rail Line would be officially opened to traffic, held an open day for the convention and exhibition station on Monday (9th), and recently released a promotional MV that invited well-known railway fans and a number of celebrities to sing the song "Green 儂子". "The new song "East Railway Crossing the Sea is Really Excited".

However, after the new railway is opened to traffic, the Transport Department will make different traffic adjustments, and some passengers who are not directly benefited may be affected. Joint”) held a press conference on the matter today (14th).

The Joint Group recently interviewed more than 1,800 residents of Kowloon City District and Wong Tai Sin District to find out their opinions on the opening of the cross-sea section of the East Rail Line and the adjustment of related bus services. It was found that more than 80% of the respondents did not agree with the concept of “relying on the East Rail Line alone”. Crossing the sea is enough to improve cross-sea traffic.” Among the 582 passengers who currently use buses or ferries, 390, or 67%, said they had little or no chance of switching to the MTR to cross the sea, and only 16 said they had very little chance. high.

In addition, the survey asked passengers what factors they consider when choosing means of transport. When the respondents ranked the priorities, they showed that the most important thing was the frequency of travel and the number of transfers, while the length and stability of the journey were not the most important.

Residents of "iron-free areas" were shot innocently

The joint stated that they noticed that the Transport Department not only did not take advantage of the opening of the new railway to reorganize and improve the planning of the tunnel and bus routes, but instead considered large-scale adjustments to the frequency of all tunnel bus services in Hong Kong, including those passing through the CHT, WHC and EHC. The wide range and far-reaching impact are unprecedented. For example, passengers in the areas of Tsz Wan Shan and Ho Man Tin Village have not directly benefited from the cross-sea section of the East Rail Line, but their daily cross-harbour bus services will be affected. Reduced; there are also residents in some areas such as To Kwa Wan who use buses or minibuses more for commuting due to distance or geographical factors, but are subject to the government's "railway as the backbone" transportation policy and rely on buses to access residents in "rail-free areas" Often innocent "shots" are caused by bus cuts and route cancellations.

Co-representative Lin Hongzheng pointed out that compared with railways, buses have unique advantages, such as easier point-to-point services; among passengers, "some are looking for speed and others are looking for comfort". However, at present, the Transport Department only focuses on the advantages of railways over other means of transportation. for fast.

He believes that frequency reduction should not be the only option for bus companies to deal with crossing the East Rail Line. Routes can still be reduced in frequency when they are full.

▼"East Rail Crossing the Sea is Really Excited" Promotional MV▼

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In the past, when a new railway was opened to traffic, the Transport Department usually announced the public transport adjustment plan in advance and consulted people in the area extensively.

The joint pointed out that for the West Island Line, which opened to traffic in 2014, the Transport Department had announced the preliminary plan for the reorganization of the bus route 17 months before the opening. The Public Transport Service Adjustment Plan for the Opening of the Cross-sea Section of the East Rail Line was postponed to May 3 this year, and it was only announced hastily. It was only 12 days before the opening date, and there was no public consultation, and no discussion or deliberation at the District Council.

▼May 9 MTR East Rail Line Convention and Exhibition Station Open Day▼

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Co-representative Ji Junan described the consultation as "more and more shrinking" and lacked effective channels to understand residents' needs. He also pointed out that the "passenger liaison group meeting" held by the bus company on a regular basis was only to meet the requirements imposed by the franchise. The way of opinions is also one-way, lacking interaction among residents, bus companies and government departments, criticizing them for not being able to effectively follow up on community needs.

They suggested that, in the short term, the Transport Department should work with bus companies and minibus operators to organize various consultation activities. In the long run, it should regularly review the bus planning policy and organize public participation activities according to social and development needs to ensure that the planning policy is timely. Going forward, making public transport services more in line with the needs of citizens.

▼May 13th NWFB and Citybus Tunnel Bus No. 301 "Retirement"▼

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East Rail | The 47-year-old platform of Hung Hom Station will complete its mission. Witness the transformation from East Rail Terminal to a station. ｜Convention and Exhibition Station Transportation Interchange is the first to be opened as a terminal for 18 bus lines on Saturday

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