Guangzhou–Kowloon through train

Guangzhou–Kowloon through train 廣九直通車
A KTT train provided by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Guangdong Province Hong Kong
First service	5 October 1911 (1911-10-05)
Last service	30 January 2020 (2020-01-30) (Suspended) 31 July 2024 (2024-07-31) (Discontinued)
Current operator(s)	MTR Corporation CR Guangzhou
Route
Termini	Guangzhou East Hung Hom
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz Overhead catenary
Track owner(s)	China Railway (China section) KCRC (Hong Kong section)
Route map Guangzhou East Changping Guangdong, China Hong Kong Kowloon (Hung Hom)

A China Railways DF11 locomotive hauling 25Z train cabs provided by the China Railway Corporation passing through University station in Hong Kong

The Guangzhou–Kowloon through train (simplified Chinese: 广九直通车 or 港穗直通车; traditional Chinese: 廣九直通車 or 港穗直通車; pinyin: Guǎngjiǔ Zhítōngchē or Găngsuì Zhítōngchē) was an inter-city railway service between Hong Kong and Guangzhou jointly operated by the MTR Corporation of Hong Kong and the Guangzhou Railway Group of mainland China. Services operate along the East Rail line within Hong Kong territory, crossing the Hong Kong–Chinese border at Lo Wu, and continuing along the Guangmao Railway and Guangshen Railway in Guangdong province.

Twelve trains ran in each direction every day, with a journey time of 1 hour 40 minutes.

The MTRC operates the KTT service on this route. The KTT service is provided by double-decker trains, usually comprising two Premium Class carriages and five First Class carriages. China Railway Guangzhou Group provides the other trains on this route.

Places served by the MTR Guangzhou–Kowloon Through Train include: Hong Kong, Dongguan, Guangzhou. The service had been suspended since the outbreak of COVID-19, and officially discontinued in 31 July 2024, following an announcement by the General Administration of Customs on the closure of all four railway ports of the inter-city through trains, approved by the State Council in June 2024. The customs citing the reason being that high-speed passenger trains have effectively met the travel needs of passengers between the mainland and Hong Kong.

This service has now been replaced by high-speed rail services from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou East.

History

Early years

Steam locomotive W.G. Bagnall 0-4-4T, used in former Sha Tau Kok Branch Line.

The original line of the Chinese section was called Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCR) and the British section was called Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR), which later stretched a rapid transit network in the other New Territories regions in Hong Kong. The engineering partnership Messrs Arthur John Barry and John Wolfe-Barry were Consulting Engineers to the project.

The segment within Hong Kong, then a British Crown colony, was known as the British section. Construction began in 1906, and it was opened on 1 October 1910 as a single-track system, roughly corresponding to the present-day East Rail line).

The complete railway between Kowloon in Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Canton (Guangzhou) was opened on 5 October 1911. With the Chinese section opened in 1911, through-trains ran from the southern terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui across the border to the southern Chinese city of Canton at Tai Sha Tau station. Trains were steam-hauled. From the one-line railroad, the KCR network was expanded to three railway lines and a light railway system, with 32 railway stations and 68 light rail stations.

At first trains on the British Section ran northwards from a temporary terminus at Kowloon Point through the eastern New Territories up to the border with China at Lo Wu. The permanent southern terminus, Kowloon station in Tsim Sha Tsui, opened later in 1914.

A narrow gauge railway operating works trains was used in the construction of the standard gauge British Section. The narrow gauge materials were later used to build the now-defunct Sha Tau Kok Branch.

Modern era

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, through-trains were initially unable to cross the border. On 4 April 1979, the through train service between Canton (Guangzhou) and Hung Hom resumed after agreement between Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. In January 1993, the service was extended to Foshan, and to Zhaoqing on 28 March 1995. Starting from 8 October 1995, some trains stopped at Changping station in Dongguan. In 1996, the northern terminus was relocated from Guangzhou railway station to Guangzhou East station.

Train service to Zhaoqing ended on 16 April 2017 due to renovation. Service to Foshan also stopped from 10 July 2019 following the opening of Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link. Both border crossings closed on 15 December 2021, ruling out any return of the through train service to the two cities.

Suspension and discontinuation

The through train service was suspended on 28 January 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Sources in April 2022 said the train service would not resume due to the Express Rail Link service extending to Guangzhou east station.

On 31 July 2024, the General Administration of Customs announced the closure of all remaining four railway ports for the inter-city through trains, which was already approved by the State Council in June 2024, marking the official discontinuation of the service. The reason for the discontinuation being that the high-speed passenger trains have effectively met the travel needs of passengers between the mainland and Hong Kong.

Stations

Historic stations

Map of Kowloon–Canton Railway service in 1911

The following shows the stations served by the through train in 1911 upon the commencement of service. Most of them became stops of Guangzhou–Shenzhen railway. The through train service was suspended on 14 October 1949 after Communist China occupied Canton, and was only resumed on 4 April 1979.

During this period, the through train service included new stops, such as in Tin Ho (天河), Wan Luk (雲麓), Sheung Shui (上水).

Name		District	Opened in	Closed in
English	Chinese
Canton also Tin Ho	廣州／天河	Canton, Kwangtung	1911	1974
Shek Pai	石牌			–
Che Pi	車陂	Punyu, Kwangtung
Wu Chung	烏涌
Nam Kong	南崗			2009
Sun Tong	新塘	Tsengshing County, Kwangtung		–
Tong Mei	塘美			2007
Nga Yeo	雅瑤			?
Sien Tsun	仙村			–
Shek Ha	石廈			?
Shek Tan	石灘			–
Shek Lik Kou	石瀝滘
Shek Lung	石龍	Tungkun County, Kwangtung
Sai Wu also Cha Shan	西湖／茶山
Nam Sheh	南社			2007
Wang Lik	橫瀝			2009
Sheung Ping & Muk Lun also Sheung Ping	常平木倫			–
Tu Tong	土塘
Cheung Muk Tou & Shek Ma also Cheung Muk Tou	樟木頭石馬
Lum Tsun	林村			2010
Tong Tou Ha	塘頭廈			–
Shek Ku	石鼓			2007
Tin Tong Wai	天堂圍			2007
Ping Wu	平湖	Sun On County, Kwangtung		–
Li Long	李朗			2007
Pu Kut	布吉			–
Shum Chun also Sham Chun Market	深圳／深圳墟
↑ Chinese section | British section ↓
Lo Wu	羅湖	New Territories, Hong Kong	1910	–
Sheung Shui	上水		1930
Fanling	粉嶺		1911
Tai Po Market	大埔墟			1983
Tai Po Kau	大埔滘			1983
University	大學		1956	–
Sha Tin	沙田		1911
Mong Kok	旺角	Kowloon, Hong Kong
Hung Hom	紅磡			1921
Kowloon	九龍			1975

Modern service (ended 2020)

Name		District	Service
English	Chinese		Started in	Ended in
Hung Hom	紅磡	Kowloon, Hong Kong	1979	2020
Changping	常平	Dongguan, Guangdong	1995	2020
Guangzhou East	廣州東	Guangzhou, Guangdong	1996	2020
Guangzhou	廣州		1979	1996
Foshan	佛山	Foshan, Guangdong	1993	2019
Zhaoqing	肇慶	Zhaoqing, Guangdong	1995	2017

See also

• Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link

External links

• MTRC intercity passenger services