Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Research Articles

Integration and Autonomy in Organizational Governance: A Comparative Study of Two Government-Owned Railways in Hong Kong

This article identifies the patterns of integration and autonomy in organizational governance in two government-owned railways in Hong Kong in relation to relevant external and internal actors from the government, market and civil society. The Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation, a government department turned into a statutory corporation, and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, a statutory corporation turned into a listed company, are both profitable enterprises. They have been subjected to similar macro-governance influences (mainly political and policy changes), but their patterns of integration and autonomy with relevant actors in organizational governance are not the same. The historical variations in the integration-autonomy patterns, notably an increased tendency for government intervention, as well as major differences between the two railways in their relationships with market and civil society actors, can often be explained by three interrelated factors, namely, political conditions, community expectations and performance.

Back analysis of cut and cover tunnels in close proximity to an operating railway in Hong Kong

A second rail border crossing between Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China is being constructed. The Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is constructing the Hong Kong section of the link, the 7.4km Lok Ma Chau Spurline. The design and build contract, 'LBD201 - Sheung Shui to Chau Tau Tunnels' forms part of the Spurline and comprises the design and construction of 3.6km of 8.75m excavated diameter twin bored tunnels and approximately 1.4km of cut-and-cover approach tunnels and associated structures. This paper focuses on the back analysis of the particularly challenging East Approach cut-and-cover tunnels section of the project, which has recently been completed. The results of the back analysis showed the ground stiffness to be consistent with other published data. (A) This paper was presented at Safety in the underground space - Proceedings of the ITA-AITES 2006 World Tunnel Congress and the 32nd ITA General Assembly, Seoul, Korea, 22-27 April 2006. For the covering abstract see ITRD E129148. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.

Structural Integrity Studies of the Body shells of Light Rail Cars

This paper describes the process in assessing the body shell structural integrity of the Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) using conventional strain gauges and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) Sensor. Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) operates LRVs in Hong Kong North West New Territories since 1988. To provide a better comfort to passenger and to increase the carrying capacity by 15%, a new optimised saloon layout was developed. Structural assessment was thus arranged for verifying and validating the capability of the body shell in withstanding the new passenger loading. The evaluation process included literature review on the original structural design, packing density test using mock-up and intensive static & dynamic testing using conventional Strain Gauges (SG) and FBG sensors both in depot and at mainline. The assessment was successfully carried out proving the body shell is capable in taking up the new duty.

Unconventional Method of Train Detection Using Fibre Optic Sensors

Conceptual feasibility of using FBG sensors for train detection function has been established through research and field trials conducted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in collaboration with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. A stringent development process is required to commercialise the product which would have many advantages over conventional means of train detection. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University together with the two railway corporations have started on the development process and exploration of further applications of FBG sensors in the railway.

Public enterprise governance

Public enterprise management displays unique inherent tensions between its ‘publicness’ and ‘enterprise’ elements. The complex dynamics between these two sometimes overlapping and sometimes conflicting notions in managing a public enterprise can be interpreted with the aid of the concepts of governance. Public enterprise governance can be understood in terms of the dynamics among actors from the state, market and civil society in governing and managing collective affairs, each of very different values, norms and logics. This article introduces an analytical framework using the concepts of governance and public enterprises, and applies it to the wholly government-owned railway corporation, Kowloon – Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in Hong Kong. The KCRC can be regarded as commercially successful but this profitable public corporation has been plagued with many public governance controversies in its twenty-year history. Lessons from three major cases (the golden handshake affair, Long Valley saga and Siemens fiasco) are discussed.

ACHIEVING A UNIFORM AND CONSISTENT GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR A MAJOR RAILWAY SYSTEM

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) West Rail commissioned a five year ergonomics study in 1998 to assess four rail control systems. The study, which focused solely on ergonomics issues, was the first of its kinds in Hong Kong. The Railway recognized the need to consider the human aspect in their operations and aimed to achieve a uniform and consistent Graphical User Interface (GUI) with the existing systems and between the new systems being developed. A Uniform GUI provide benefits that are manifold; an overall integrated company aesthetic, the reduction of the probability of human error during operations, less rigorous training requirements, and the potential for promoting multi-tasking abilities amongst the different operators. With the increasing number of new railway lines being planned for future, there is a need to determine the standardization requirements and to examine what level of integration would be the optimal solution for a railway. This paper discusses the approach that was taken to achieve a uniform GUI for West Rail systems and the way ergonomics should be applied to future railways.

Groundwater and ground movement around deep excavation

The Tsuen Wan West Station of Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation was constructed on both previously and recently reclaimed land. The project comprised approximately 600 m of cut-and-cover approach tunnels and a 400 m long station structure constructed in a 20 m deep excavation. Extensive instrumentation monitoring was carried out to monitor groundwater levels, ground movements and displacement of adjacent structures during the course of construction. This paper presents background information on the construction site and the monitoring results. It was found that the groundwater regime on the seaward side was strongly influenced by tidal movements throughout the monitoring period, whereas the landward groundwater regime showed a diminished tidal influence soon after construction of the diaphragm wall. Rock grouting carried out beneath the diaphragm wall was effective in mitigating drawdown of piezometric level outside the wall. The magnitude of the drawdown was found to be a function of diaphragm wall depth. Data on ground settlement, diaphragm wall deflection and groundwater were interactively discussed as the construction progressed. Finally subsurface settlement data were reviewed to highlight the adverse effect of pre-trenching for diaphragm wall construction and excessive drawdown in the weak rock layer.

Development of an alternative design for the West Rail viaducts

The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) West Rail Phase I project consists of a new 30·5 km long railway in the North West New Territories of Hong Kong. Of the overall route, approximately 13·4 km is elevated on viaduct and station structures. In accordance with the Hong Kong Noise Control Ordinance, the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong imposed stringent controls on the noise levels caused by trains running on these viaducts. The conforming design for the viaducts was prepared by KCRC's appointed detailed design consultants. The joint venture contractor, Maeda–Chun Wo Joint Venture, wished to submit a most competitive bid for the viaduct contracts. Robert Benaim and Associates investigated options for an alternative design with the objective of finding a more economic design solution. It would be essential to submit with the tender an authoritative report that analysed the noise and vibration performance of any proposed alternative, and compared this on an equal basis with the performance of the conforming design. The process by which the alternative viaduct design was developed is outlined in this paper.

Development of an alternative design for the West Rail viaducts

The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) West Rail Phase I project consists of a new 30·5 km long railway in the North West New Territories of Hong Kong. Of the overall route, approximately 13·4 km is elevated on viaduct and station structures. In accordance with the Hong Kong Noise Control Ordinance, the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong imposed stringent controls on the noise levels caused by trains running on these viaducts. The conforming design for the viaducts was prepared by KCRC's appointed detailed design consultants. The joint venture contractor, Maeda–Chun Wo Joint Venture, wished to submit a most competitive bid for the viaduct contracts. Robert Benaim and Associates investigated options for an alternative design with the objective of finding a more economic design solution. It would be essential to submit with the tender an authoritative report that analysed the noise and vibration performance of any proposed alternative, and compared this on an equal basis with the performance of the conforming design. The process by which the alternative viaduct design was developed is outlined in this paper.

An Alternative Safety Performance-Monitoring Tool: The Safety-Sampling Method

A number of performance-monitoring tools have been used in the Hong Kong construction industry to monitor safety performance. They include the traditional Safety Officers’ regular inspection, Safety Supervisors’ daily Inspection, accident statistics, and a more recent approach, the use of safety audit. These tools all have their strengths and weakness. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is currently developing a number of railway infrastructure projects. These railway Infrastructure projects may employ in year 2002 up to a maximum of 20,000 construction workers that accountfor 1/4 of the total construction workforce in Hong Kong. It is therefore important for the Corporation to have an efficient and effective safety petformance-monitoring tool to monitor the safety petformance of its Contractors. This study analyzed the strengths and weakness of the various safety petformance-monitoring tools and used an action research approach, based on a safety audit and feedback system designed by the Finni...

VIADUCT DESIGN FOR MINIMIZATION OF DIRECT AND STRUCTURE-RADIATED TRAIN NOISE

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is constructing the West Rail extensions from Kowloon into the New Territories. The Hong Kong Noise Control Ordinance (NCO) stipulates that operational noise levels along parts of this alignment are not to exceed an Leq(30 min)of 55 dB(A). Satisfying the criteria requires a decrease of roughly 24 dB in the wayside noise level characteristic of an unmitigated viaduct with compulsory reductions in both the direct train and structure-radiated noise. Given the required reduction in noise level, edge sound barrier walls alone will not adequately attenuate direct train noise. Other considerations also rule out extensive use of full enclosure. A mitigation design was developed which consists of augmenting the performance of absorptive parapet walls by creating noise plena beneath the cars and under adjacent walkways. These in-series plena provide source attenuation of undercar noise to supplement the edge walls. A mathematical model is described and results are presented demonstrating that the attenuation achieved with the in-series plena augmenting absorptive edge walls is 12–17 dB greater than the edge walls alone. A model of the structure, trackform and vehicle is developed to determine the structural vibration levels caused by wheel/rail interaction and to predict structure-radiated noise levels from the viaduct vibration. Model predictions are compared with measurement data: resilient baseplates, resiliently supported ties and floating slab trackform (FST) are evaluated with regard to wayside noise reduction. FST with soft resilient baseplates is found to be the only trackform which adequately reduces the structure-radiated noise; however, all trackforms provide less vibration reduction on the viaduct than in tunnels because of the relatively low impedance of the viaduct. Structural changes in the viaduct can affect the level of radiated noise, especially at low frequencies, but not sufficient to eliminate the floating slab. Projections of total wayside noise are obtained by combining the structure-radiated and direct train noise. Results confirm that both the direct and the structure-radiated noise must be adequately attenuated to conform to the NCO. Noise radiated from the floating slab is significant if the rails were attached with stiff fixation; otherwise, the train noise dominates.

Seamless real-time control systems challenges for the railway industry

Since the explosive growth of computing technology in real time computer control systems during the 1970s, system integration has always required special attention. With the advent of networking technologies, system integration has become so complex that it often requires unique customised solutions, and despite the technological advances, system integration still remains a challenging problem to be resolved. The article explores the subject of applying system integration to the mass transit railway industry. Also included is an analysis of the problem from a process and technology viewpoint, and a look at the emerging technologies that promise to simplify system integration. A case study on a new system interfacing approach that is being followed in the design of Hong Kong's new West Rail line by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation is also described.

Crew scheduling of light rail transit in Hong Kong: from modeling to implementation

Our work concerns the problem of crew scheduling for the Hong Kong Light Rail Transit, which together with Heavy Rail Transit, makes up the two divisions of Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation. As the Corporation is rapidly expanding on routes, capacities and territorial coverage, there are pressing needs for timely constructions of crew schedules whenever passenger demand variations necessitate modifications in train timetables, typically every 3–4 months. We aim at automating this complex schedule construction, adopting computer and operations research models. The implementation runs as a decision support tool, with an overwhelming reduction in human effort in crew schedule construction; as the entire crew schedule can be constructed iteratively in less than half an hour on a PC. This work concerns the problem of crew scheduling for the Hong Kong Light Rail Transit (LRT), which together with Heavy Rail Transit, makes up the two divisions of Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation. As of early 1996, LRT operates eight routes, two train depots and 57 stations on its operational network. It is rapidly expanding on routes, capacities and territorial coverage, hence pressing needs for timely constructions of crew schedules whenever passenger demand variations necessitate modifications in train timetables, typically every 3–4 months. Computer-assisted manual solutions from old software can take up to 1 month of painstaking work. Our project aims at automating this complex schedule construction, adopting a novel optimization modeling approach amenable for decomposition into separate solution stages by network and heuristics algorithms. The entire crew schedule can be constructed iteratively in less than half an hour on a PC. The implementation runs as a decision support tool, with contributions of an overwhelming reduction in human effort in crew schedule construction and a feasible and better (higher productivity rate) schedule, with possible further manual improvements that can be made.

Workplace analysis and business process re- engineering: Railway Control Centres

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in Hong Kong is presently responsible for the safe and efficient transportation of large volumes of people. It is one of the very few mass transit railway operators in the world which can be operated without requiring financial subsidy from the government. In the year 2003, KCRC will open a new 30 kilometer railway that will connect Hong Kong with the northern western suburban New Territories, namely the West Rail (WR) Phase I. Railway monitoring and control functions will be performed via a centralized remote control centre supported by a number of smaller control rooms located in stations and depot. The new control centres will be designed and built to support the new railway operations. In creating each new control centre, it is essential to consider to means to reduce operator error and to enhance the manmachine interface. This paper reviews the techniques used to conceptualise the processes in each control centre given that none of it exists today. These modeling techniques make it possible to understand the interaction between the operators and the proposed control and communications systems to enable decisions on staffing levels, ergonomics and other facilities to be assessed and determined. The approach adopted is in line with the modern concept of Business Process Reengineering. Normal and emergency operational considerations are also modeled to formulate an accurate representation of the working environment. Based heavily on the systematic methodology adopted by human factors experts, the method has proved very useful in completing the conceptual design for all the operations control centres in the new KCRC West Rail project.

Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and its Golden Handshake Affair

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsIan ThynneIan Thynne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Waikato, New Zealand, and Project Director of IASIA’s Working Group on Public Enterprise Management and the Public-Private Mix.

Total quality management in a public transport organisation in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, most transport services are provided by large public organisations. The quality of the services is continuously criticised by the public. Critics describe them to be insensitive to complaints and quality improvement. Their operations are not in line with the recent quality developments in most markets; e.g. quality assurance and total quality management (TQM). In this connection, staff of the infrastructure and building department of the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) have instituted the ‘internal computer index’ to monitor the performance of departments within the KCRC in 1994. This paper had detailed their first attempt to bring in the ‘internal customer’ and ‘continuous quality monitoring’ concepts which are originated from the total quality management approach to develop an ‘internal customer satisfaction index’ as a tool for continuing quality enhancement, to identify areas for improvement, arousing the different surveyed units, and finally, to provide a systematic way to lift quality awareness within the KCRC. The scheme was initiated in 1994. From June to December 1994, the implementation of the scheme has recorded a slight progressive improvement in the performance index, inferring that the approach can provide an effective tool in upgrading the quality of services provided by the infrastructure and building department of the KCRC. The study also highlights the importance of total involvement within an organisation in executing the scheme.