Front view of a double-decker tram at the Western Market Stop below the tower blocks of Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong, China
The Hong Kong Tramway, transporting daily 240,000 commuters along the northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island, is one of three remaining in the world (the others being at Blackpool, in the , and Alexandria, Egypt). It is, however, the only tramway exclusively using double-decker trams, which run on a narrow 3 feet 6 inches (1067mm) gauge track and are supplied with 550 V direct current from overhead cables. The trams are very crowded, carrying up to 115 people, and operate a HK$2 flat rate, best paid, because no change is given, by using an Octopus electronic smart card, introduced in 2001. People enter at the back and pay the exact fare when alighting at the front. Hong Kong trams have been a tourist attraction for over 100 years, since the 2nd Tramway Bill became law in 1901. In many places the trams run together with other vehicles, the tramway being in the middle of the road. In the 1970s and 80s a threat came from the development of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), but the people voted to keep the trams.
Size: 3277px × 5131px
Location: Western Market tram stop, Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, China
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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