By CGTN’s Cheng Lei

Mass Transit Railway (MTR), the Hong Kong-based metro operator established in 1975, is mapping out strategies to connect the other parts of the world. 

MTR actually runs metro lines in many big cities around the world, including three Beijing subway lines in the Chinese mainland, Melbourne’s metropolitan rail and Sydney’s Metro North West in Australia, the Stockholm-Gothenburg Intercity Express Service in Sweden, and the Elizabeth Line in London. 

A Stockholm Metro train. Stockholm Metro is now operated by MTR Tunnelbanan AB, a 100% owned subsidiary of MTR Nordic AB, which is wholly owned by MTR Corporation. / www.mtr.com.hk Photo 

However, building a network is only part of the plan. The company wants to diversify its investment portfolio to generate decent returns for shareholders, and export its expertise to the rest of the world. 

That is why MTR has established its own academy to train professionals. “It’s not just for Hong Kong, but also countries around the world, including the Belt and Road countries,” said company chairman Fred Ma. 

For MTR to go further, Ma said, an efficient and sustainable business environment is also important. 

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive-elect, has publicly encouraged development of the technology sector and promised more tax cuts for startups and small businesses. /VCG Photo 

MTR in Hong Kong has faced many problems in its development. One of the most notable has been customs and immigration arrangements for trains traveling between the mainland and Hong Kong.

“A lot of progress is being hampered by the political argument and progress – for example, the co-location issue that we have been talking about in the past couple of years,” Ma explained. “Without co-location, our express rail wouldn’t work as efficiently as it should, and our 84-billion-HK dollar  (10.8 billion US dollars) investment would be wasted.” 

CGTN Photo 

“I just hope the next administration of Hong Kong will break some of the deadlocks,” Ma said. 

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