The Light Rail, also known as the Light Rail Transit (LRT), officially the North-West Railway, is a light rail system in Hong Kong, serving the northwestern New Territories, within Tuen Mun District and Yuen Long District. The system operates over track, using overhead power supply. It was once one of four systems comprising the KCR network in Hong Kong, before the MTR–KCR merger in 2007. It has a daily ridership of about 483,000 people. History Planning and commencement When Tuen Mun was developed in the 1970s, the Hong Kong government set aside space for the laying of rail tracks. There was uncertainty however as to which company would be chosen to build the railway. In 1982, Hong Kong Tramways showed interest in building the system and running double-decker trams on it, before abandoning the project after negotiations over land premiums for related property development failed. The government sought another builder. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) was "heavily indebted" at the time, and so Secretary for Transport Alan Scott invited the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) to consider the project instead. The KCRC announced they would build the system in 1984 to a budget of $1.5 billion, after investigating ways to improve commercial viability. After some research, construction commenced on 14 July 1985. By that time, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) had developed its own network in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and there were about 10 routes serving within the districts internally, most of them profitable. However, the government introduced the concept of the "Light Rail Service Area" in both districts, within which the LRT would monopolise all public transport services, forcing the KMB to withdraw all internal bus services in favour of the Light Rail. It also forced the KMB to impose boarding and alighting restrictions for external routes. It was decided that services between town centres and settlements would be provided solely by the Light Rail, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC would connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB's equivalent services where applicable. The system was completed and fully operational in September 1988. The first section was opened to the public on 14 September 1988, with free rides between Tuen Mun and Yuen Long; normal, all-day service began four days later, on 18 September. The system consisted of two large and three small loops serving most of the public housing estates in northern Tuen Mun. Three