ABSTRACT
The transport requirements for the first new towns were erroneously based on the concept of local integration and demand for inter-urban services was underestimated. The rapid development of urban rail transport in the ten years from 1979 to 1989 transformed public transport in Hong Kong. Public transport operators, who in the past did little long term planning, have been drawn into the government planning process. Post-war regulatory legislation on public transport provided the government with considerable powers to control fares, determine routes and frequencies and the types of vehicles used. The limitations of man-powered transport prompted interest in the use of steam-power and electricity for greater speed which opened up the possibilities of developing land that hitherto had had insufficient access. The harbour as a transport link became even more important after 1860 when, under the Convention of Peking, the southern part of Kowloon came under British administration.
