Hong Kong certainly has noticeable technological sophistication over Toronto in some areas. At the airport alone, I noted a few: minimal delay between touching the ground and being told to disembark, scanning passengers’ heat signatures as they walked by (presumably for illegal animals), baggage carousels that would pause to avoid dropping bags onto existing bags… The airport also looks quite nice.
The Airport Express, a light rail from the HKG airport directly to downtown Hong Kong, is something I dearly wish we had in Toronto. Comfortable, on-time, and fast, what’s not to like about it? I suppose it’s a tad expensive for public transit (about HK$100), but well worth it.
A mention of public transit in Hong Kong must inevitably include the MTR (Mass Transit Railway). Perhaps I have yet to travel enough, but I’m not sure how it could be done better. It has comprehensive coverage, it’s clean and fresh looking, it’s cheap, and its ubiquitous Octopus Card is a nice touch. In particular, the Octopus Card is fascinating, not because its proximity sensing capabilities obviates the need for cumbersome coins or card swipes, but because it enables charging a passenger in proportion to his/her usage (i.e. distance traveled). It makes so much more economic sense!
The MTR stations are also quite interesting for their cleanliness and their sheer length. The no food/drink policy in the MTR must help a lot towards keeping it clean. Since I was visiting during the Chinese New Year, ridership was down significantly, but I could tell the MTR stations were built to accommodate far more people, by virtue of the impressive length and width of some of spaces.
As with most public transit, the MTR is also a good way to see the local residents and fashion. On the whole, not really that different from what I’m used to, but still an opportunity to capture a few odd moments. Considering the number of people that can be on the trains, I love how there’s a breeze in the train when it’s moving.
