Ku
RESSIONAL PAPER NO.24 1965
ANNUAL
DEPARTMENTAL
REPORTS
1964-65
GI KONG
HONG KONG
& PUBLIC LIBRA
IBKARIES
MANAGER AND
CHIEF ENGINEER, RAILWAY
HONG KONG
ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
BY THE
MANAGER AND CHIEF ENGINEER, RAILWAY
P. H. LAM, B.Sc. (H.K.), M.Sc. (LOND.), D.I.C.,
A.M.I.C.E., A.M.ASCE., M.INST.H.E.
FOR THE
FINANCIAL YEAR 1964-65
ONG PUBLIC
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY S. YOUNG, GOVERNMENT PRINTER
AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS, JAVA ROAD, HONG KONG
IBRARIES
EXCHANGE RATES
When dollars are quoted in this Report, they are, unless otherwise stated, Hong Kong dollars. The official rate for conversion to pound sterling is HK$16 £1 (HK$1-1s. 3d.). The official rate for conversion to U.S. dollars is HK$5.714-US$1 (based on £1=US$2.80).
39949-7K-8/65
CONTENTS
GENERAL SURVEY
TRAFFIC
·
ACCOUNTS
MECHANICAL WORKSHOPS
WAY AND STRUCTURES
STAFF
STAFF WELFARE
APPENDICES
KIT
KONG
圖
۱۷
Paragraphs
1
-
8
9 - 23
24 27
·
28 - 34
35 - 48
49 53
-
54 - 62
. I-XVII
PUBLIC LIBRAR
iii
GENERAL SURVEY
THIS year closed with very good financial results with a nett profit of $3,015,039 despite of the unprecedented number of typhoons and the exceptionally heavy rainfall which hit the Colony during the year. It has once again been one of many new records for this short line of 22 miles. The record figures are shown as follows:
(a) Gross railway revenue $13,288,745 was $1,768,579 more than
the record of $11,520,166 in 1963-64.
(b) Number of passengers 8,884,101 was 640,595 more than the
record of 8,243,506 in 1963-64.
(c) Goods tonnage 718,336 was 241,034 more than the record of
477,302 in 1963-64.
(d) Goods revenue $5,679,801 was $1,258,798 more than the record
of $4,421,003 in 1963-64.
(e) Number of live pigs by rail from China 1,003,174 was 177,027
more than the record of 826,147 in 1963-64.
(f) Number of passengers carried for any one day reached another new record by 117,272 on 5th April, 1964, Ching Ming Festival Day. This was 27,783 more than the previous record of 89,489 on 5th April, 1963.
2. Both the passenger and goods traffic continued to show an upward trend. (See Appendices XV and XVI).
3. Due to the continuous increase in population in the New Terri- Etories the local passenger traffic has gone up again by 5.14% over the 7 previous year. The total number of local passengers carried during the financial year was 7,985,613. The movement of passengers to and from China fluctuates unpredictably and the number of these passengers carried was 826,646, an increase of 27.50% over the previous year. (See Appendix XIV).
4. Over 98% of the goods carried this year was imported goods from China. The imported tonnage was 710,869, a considerable increase
1
of 51.82% over the previous year. The export tonnage was only 1,377,|| an increase of 14.08%. To cope with the very heavy goods traffic from China two additional sidings had to be installed in the Goods Yard at Blackheads.
5. For the period from 1st May, 1964 to 24th January, 1965, the Chinese Section did not allow any passengers from Hong Kong to enter the border town Sham Chun without a valid certificate showing that they had been inoculated against cholera at least six days before.
6. His Royal Highness Prince Souvanna Phouma, Prime Minister of Laos, and his party travelled by a Chinese special train from Canton to Kowloon on 8th April, 1964, after their visit to China on their way back to Laos.
7. His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Head of State of Cambodia, and his party travelled by a Chinese special train from Kowloon to China on 26th September, 1964, for a visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese Government.
8. His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Abdullah, brother of King Hassan the Second, and his Moroccan delegation to Peking for the Chinese anniversary celebrations travelled by a Chinese Special Train from Kowloon to China on 29th September, 1964.
TRAFFIC
9. Traffic earnings for the year under review amounted to $12,556,657 showing an increase of 16.76% over the amount of the previous year. Comparative figures are as shown below:
1964-65 $12,556,657
1963-64
$10,755,613
Increase
$1,801,044 (16.76%)
10. Passenger Traffic. Local and non-local passenger journeys increased by 5.14% and 27.50% respectively. The considerable increase of the latter was chiefly attributed to the increase of Sham Chun bound passengers on journeys to see the various shows and operas staged therein quite frequently.
11. To facilitate passengers visiting the cemeteries at Wo Hop Shek and Sandy Ridge, 31 special trains in addition to the normal service of 34 trains, were run on Ching Ming Festival Day, 5th April, 1964
2
and 8 on Chung Yeung Festival Day, 14th October, 1964. On these two days, 117,272 and 25,297 passengers (excluding season, monthly and scholar ticket holders) respectively were carried. The figure of 117,272 is a new record for the number of passengers carried in one day.
12. The figures for passenger traffic, showing number of journeys and revenue, appear in Appendix IV.
13. Goods Traffic. There was a considerable increase in goods traffic during the year. The increase over the previous year was 241,034 metric tons in weight and $1,146,474 in revenue, representing percent- age increases of 50.50 and 42.73 respectively. The large increase in goods traffic was due to the increasing amount of exports from China.
14.
The principal commodities imported by rail into Hong Kong during the year under review are shown below:
Apples
Bamboo poles
Beans ...
Bean noodle (pressed)
Beer
Bricks
Canned goods
16,513 metric tons
2,703 22,013
2,140
75
་་
14,784
多多
3,352
5,782
Cardboard
13,518
Caustic soda
6,583
"
Cement
26,659
་་
""
Chinese medicine
4,560
"
Cotton piece goods
21,957
Eggs
36,894
"
Fish, frozen
8,646
99
"
...
Glass sheets
10,644
79
99
Iron bars
Iron wares
3,757
今
6,428
哆喃
11
Iron wire
4,483
29
99
Meat, frozen
Newsprint
Oranges
Onions
Paper
Pears
15,007 9,994 10,902
..
""
""
"
3,009
"
Potatoes
11,538 13,880 13,648
19
49
་་
Pressed wood
Soda
Steel bars
Stones ...
Vegetables (fresh)
9,768 2,456 26,919 2,782 18,405
"
25
•
**
19
3
15. The figures of livestock imported by rail for the same period are as follows:
Buffaloes
Cows
Goats
Pigs
1,245 head 5,858
568 ་་
1,003,174
16. A total of 5,369 cold storage wagons was sent over to the British Section by the Chinese Section, containing the following goods:
Description of goods
Weight in metric tons
No. of wagons
5
Beer
111
Chestnuts
1,302
Eggs
420
Fish
1,274
Fresh fruits
32
Lotus roots
687
Meat
34
Potatoes
101
Poultry
42
Prawns
153
Shrimps
184
Sundries
Vegetables
:
:
:
:
:
123
2,137
22,407
8,646
22,223
502
15,007
355
1,977
803
3,147
2,880
13,321
1,024
17. During the year under review, notable commodities to China by rail were 706 metric tons of personal effects, 103 metric tons of diplomatic belongings, 41 metric tons of sewing machines, 51 metric tons of bicycles, 31 metric tons of newspapers, 24 metric tons of printed matters and 16 metric tons of electric appliances.
18. Some 5,336 metric tons of mail and mail packets compared with some 6,436 metric tons in the preceding year were conveyed by rail to China for the Post Office. This amount was distributed very evenly over the whole period under review.
19. Details relating to goods traffic appear in Appendix V.
20. Operation. Train punctuality for the year under review was poor. This poor result was mainly caused by the imposition of speed restrictions to trains for practically the whole year round as a result of the constructions of the water tunnel under the railway line near
4
Tai Po Tau for the Plover Cove Water Scheme and the Indus River Pumping Station near Mile 21, and the laying of telephone cables and pipeline across the railway tracks in Kowloon Station Yard for Peninsula Hotel. The record number of typhoons, Viola (on 28.5.64), Ida (on 8.8.64), Ruby (on 5.9.64), Sally (on 10.9.64), Tilda (on 15.9.64) and Dot (on 13.10.64) also played a part in interrupting the normal schedules and causing train delays considerably.
No. of scheduled
passenger trains
Percentage
Trains on time
Trains delayed for less than 5 minutes Trains delayed for 5 minutes and over
4,264