直通车记事（The Tale of KCR Express)

最近“KCR（即广九铁路）直通车或取消”一事引发了许多网友的关注，在此我来说说我的一孔之见。

Recently, one thing went viral on the internet was that the KCR Express has pulled to a permanent stop. For that I have a few comments to offer.

作为百年列车，直通车见证了辛亥风云、北伐烽火、抗战洪流、新中国建立、改革开放后陆港两地的交流以及新时代祖国大陆和香港的日新月异。

In operation for more than a century, the KCR Express survived the Xinhai Revolution (which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty), the first Civil Revolution from 1926-27 in China and the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. It also linked China’s mainland and Hong Kong both after the reforms and opening drive that began in 1978 and in the new era after China resumed its sovereignty over the former British colony in 1997.

在我的家族历史中，直通车也留下了独特印记：1997年，作为“红墙小记”的父亲来港进行回归报道。在那里他对这座享有“东方之珠”的美誉的城市积攒了深度认知，也留下许多友谊。1997年7月1日，他随着许多人凝视着米字旗落下，红旗升起。

 

The rail service left its mark on my family, too. A state affairs journalist working for the China Daily, my father came to Hong Kong to report the handover ceremony in 1997.

 

Hong Kong, known as 'the Pearl of the Orient’, impressed him, both in terms of its economy and its city life. On the 1st of July, 1997, he along with millions of people witnessed the Five Star Red Flag replacing the British color.

2010年暑假，“红墙小记”的儿子随夏令营来到了香港，这也是他第一次踏上这片土地。“东方之珠”给他留下了极为深刻的印象。唯一让这位“小火车迷”感到遗憾的是，他没能体验港铁营运的东铁线。这条线路从红磡站出发，沿途经过粉岭、大学、上水等车站，最终抵达深港边境的罗湖口岸。口岸的另一侧，就是深圳火车站——当年“红旗小记”无数次经过的地方。

During the summer vacation in 2010, myself as son of the journalist came to Hong Kong for a summer camp. This was the first time for me to be here. The beauty of 'the Pearl of the Orient' also had a deep impression on me, a young boy back then. Everything went well, except that I had no chance for a ride on the East Line of MTR. Main stations on this line are Honghom, Fanling, University, Sheungshui and Lowu. Across the Lowu Station is the Luohu Customs and the Shenzhen Railway Station where my father first arrived decades ago.

 

时代的车轮滚滚向前。2018年西九龙站开通，高铁来到了香港，直通车风华不再。2020年新冠肺炎的爆发，更是让直通车的运营雪上加霜，如今已中断近两年。

Time waits for no one. The Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, which opened to traffic in 2018, brought high speed railway to Hong Kong, and took the KCR Express its long-standing favor from its audience. The pandemic of the corona virus stroke the KCR Express harder in 2020, putting it out of service ever since.

 

后疫情时代，直通车应该何去何从呢？今天我偶然看到了一张香港火车迷绘制图片，他的建议是借助联络线，把直通车的终点站从红磡车站改为西九龙站，一来可以给旅客出行更多选择，二来可以解决直通车在香港段与东铁线的共线问题，让东铁线向城市通勤铁路&深港交通线定位发展。

Is there any chance for the KCR Express to vie for a comeback in the post-corona period？The answer is obvious in a computer picture by a Hong Kong rail fan. And he suggested that with the KCR Express moving its terminal station from Honghom to the West Kowloon Station, it gets more options for the local passengers. Secondly, not sharing the same line with the KCR Express, the East Line could become a commuter line between Shenzhen & Hong Kong.

 

我个人还有一个小小的私心：直通车是旅客列车中比较特殊的存在，因此在涂装方面可以有更大的宽容度。蓝白涂装、红白涂装、甚至二次元涂装都可以有，以此来打造铁路文化。当然比起涂装，列车内部的环境更重要。毕竟咱们不是孟加拉人，没有买站票的习惯。

To me, the KCR Express is a vintage type of rail service, with larger liberty in coach painting (including but not limited to the Red-white feature and ACG feature) and in developing a 'rail culture'. Of course, indoor atmosphere is more important than the exterior, because at the end of day, our passengers are not climbing to the top of the train like in Bangladesh!

注：自2022年5月15日，东铁线过海段开通后的终点站延伸至金钟车站，原红磡站的地面站台停用。九广直通车的站台仍处于封存状态。

On the 15th of May, 2022, with the East Line extending its terminal station to Admiralty, the KCR halted its service to park in the old ground terminal in Honghom, till indefinite future. 

 

附：感谢用户ins@jtc_transport、ins@JR Team、ins@Leisure Sailor Eric 提供图片！ 

 

My appreciations go to ins@jtc_transport, ins@JR Team, ins@Leisure Sailor Eric for allowing me to use their copyrighted photos in this story.