Travel Tips: Metro Travel in Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Metro Travel in Hong Kong is perhaps the most convenient Metro Travel anywhere in the world (at least from what I have seen, even better than the MRT in Singapore). There are 5 or 6 lines which cover the entire city of Hong Kong. While you can pay for every journey by cash, it is not economical at all and it is highly recommended that you buy an Octopus Card as soon as you arrive in Hong Kong.

This Octopus Card works in all metros as well as in McDonalds and at some other merchants as well and if you use the Octopus Card you get decent discounts as well. At the time of taking the Octopus Card you need to pay a refundable deposit of HKD 50 and also load money onto the Card. For a stay in Hong Kong in excess of 4 days it is recommended that you load the card with at least HKD 500 per person. The loading machine is there at every MTR station and you can get the card refunded / unloaded at the MTR Station or at the airport as well.

You need to tap the card before starting any journey and again at the time of getting out of the destination station. At the time of tapping at the time of exit you get the amount deducted for the trip as well as the balance available.

On every line in the Hong Kong MTR you have trains in either direction every 4 minutes, and you will not find them crowded at all other than at peak hours (even at that time they are not very crowded if you go by Mumbai local standards). Above every door there is a map of that line which gives you how that line is connected to every other line and there are flickering lights which indicate which MTR station you are at. From this board above every door, you also get to know which side the next station is going to come on. There is continuous voice commentary in Chinese and English as well on the approaching station. This I found very convenient for disabled people and I could not help thinking how unfriendly India is for travelling for people at large and for disabled people in particular.

Almost every MTR station has an elevator and escalators and convenience stores which accept the Octopus Card. The only problem you may face is that the MTR Service Desk executives are usually not fluent with English and I had to use sign language to get my point across. When you reach your destination MTR station there are different exists to the station such as Exit A,B, C …… and a suitable labeled board as to where this exits take you.

The main MTR Stations where most of the tourist attractions are located are Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon Side and Central on the Hong Kong Island side. The Airport would be the main MTR station on Lantau island.