People board the Airport Express train at Hong Kong International Airport
MTR Corporation Chairman Frederick Ma has defended the proposed introduction of fare hikes in Hong Kong’s Airport Express MTR, stating that it is the first fee hike since it came into operation in 1998.
Ma urged lawmakers to approve the proposed 10 percent fare hike, as cited in Hong Kong reports.
According to him, the service has been running at a loss and has been facing increasing costs from staff pay increases and facility upgrades.
The chairman also contended that its fares are cheaper compared to airport rail services overseas.
“The Airport Express has been in operation for 19 years and the fare has not been changed,” he said. “I think it’s just fair that we will be granted this 10-percent increase.”
If the plan is approved, starting this June, a trip via Octopus card from the Hong Kong station to the airport will cost HKD110, while trips to the airport from Kowloon and Tsing Yi will cost HKD100 and HKD65 respectively.
The fares for adult single-journey tickets are proposed to be raised by an amount between HKD10 and HKD15, while the fare for a 30-day round-trip ticket would see an increase of HKD15 to HKD30.
Ma is confident that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will commence operation by late 2018, hoping to reach an operation agreement with the Hong Kong government by late July.
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