Ding-ding dreams

The love story with the ding-ding in Hong Kong has lasted for more than 115 years. CHINA DAILY

Since 1904, the suavely double-decker carriages of Hong Kong's trams have been traveling east to west (and vice versa) in about an hour and a half. They run the length of Hong Kong Island, making their way along a total route of 13 kilometers. Owned by the French joint venture RATP Dev Transdev Asia since 2010, Hong Kong Tramways is a public transport company unlike any other. "This 115-year-old tram network is absolutely unique on this planet," says Cyril Aubin, the managing director of HK Tramways."We design and build our trams on site using the same unique expertise." The trams are in fact 100 percent made in Hong Kong－the factory is located inside the Whitty Street depot, adjacent to the Central business district.

Over the years, the wooden structures of the older cars have been replaced by lighter materials. The technology, however, has changed very little and the production tools have remained unchanged for decades."They're very old machines that come from England and we keep them in working order－it's very important to us," says technical director Lam Kin-ho."Wooden and aluminum trams are very similar. The trams have a unique, iconic look and we don't want to change it when we build new ones. The public loves the old look of our trams; it's identical to their childhood trams."