Cautious welcome for Hong Kong tram's French owner
Posted: 08 April 2009 1934 hrs

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HONG KONG : Hong Kong's newspapers cautiously welcomed French utility giant Veolia taking over the city's iconic tram network, but one lawmaker warned against turning it into a tourist draw.

Infrastructure conglomerate Wharf Holdings announced Tuesday it would sell half of its stake in the tramway to Veolia Environment, with the French company taking over the fleet's operations.

Most newspapers focused on protecting the heritage value of the tram, which is the only double-deck system still operating in the world and one of the most high-profile pieces of the city's colonial history.

The South China Morning Post described the Veolia takeover as heralding a "new line on an old friend," but warned about too many changes.

"(The announcement) inevitably provoked nostalgia -- and concern," the paper said.

The city's government was mindful of worries about a foreign owner.

"(The transport bureau) has stressed to Wharf and Veolia the importance of preserving the tradition of the tram service, including the overall outlook and design of the tram cars," a spokesman said in a statement.

"Veolia has assured us that it is fully committed to preserving the trams in Hong Kong recognising them as a unique piece of cultural heritage."

The Standard newspaper, through its lead columnist Mary Ma, welcomed the possibility of expanding the system to a newly reclaimed strip of land on the city's famous harbour.

Hong Kong's tram has been in operation for more than 100 years, but still remains well-used, carrying an average of 240,000 passengers a day.

Andrew Cheng, Hong Kong lawmaker and deputy chairman of the legislature's transport panel, said too much focus on tourism could jeopardise the tram's role as the cheapest and most convenient means of transportation.

"I do not object to the idea of turning it into a tourist attraction," he told AFP.

"But Veolia must make sure that the interest of overseas tourists will not overtake those of local passengers," he said, adding there should not be any substantial change to ticket prices, currently just two Hong Kong dollars (26 US cents).

Cheng said foreign companies did not always have a strong record of running Hong Kong's transport systems, citing Skyrail, the Australian company which operated cable cars taking people to a giant, mountain-top statue of Buddha.

MTR corporation, the local owner of the cable cars, sacked Skyrail after an unoccupied cabin plunged to the ground in 2007.

- AFP/sf