In the 1980s, life in the New Territories was changing rapidly. New housing estates were opening in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, yet travelling remained a daily struggle for many residents, as buses and minibuses were the only public transport linking the areas.
To meet the needs of these growing communities, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) set out in 1984 to build Hong Kong’s first modern Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The single-deck light rail service was designed to provide fast and stable connections between various parts of Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and to allow convenient transit for other areas of Hong Kong.
On September 18, 1988, the light rail officially opened. For nearly 20 years, it was operated by the KCRC as one of its pillar railway services before merging with the MTR in 2007.
Here is a look back at photographs from the South China Morning Post showing how the light rail system changed travel in the New Territories.
