The New Territories Bus Route 78X is one of the "Fanling Queen's Hill Express" routes operated by Citybus. It runs between Queen's Hill Fanling and Kai Tak, observing Heung Yuen Wai Highway, Tolo Highway and Tate's Cairn Tunnel after Ma Mei Ha to and from Kwun Tong Business Area and Kowloon Bay Business Area.
Route 78X operates from Mondays to Fridays only, whereas weekend and holiday services are operated by Route 78C which observes Kwun Tong Town Centre.
Routes 78X and 79X are the first two Citybus solely-operated franchised bus routes serving the North District.
History[]
Commencing Background[]
The site of the former Queen's Hill Barracks in Fanling was partially allocated for public housing development in 2016 and named Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court for completion in 2021.
To cope with the population growth arising from the public housing development in Queen's Hill, four new bus routes have been proposed in the 2020-2021 Bus Route Planning Programme, one of which is between Queen's Hill and Kai Tak via Sha Tau Kok Road (Kwan Tei, Hung Leng, Ma Mei Ha), Heung Yuen Wai Highway (Lung Shan Tunnel), Tolo Highway and Tate's Cairn Tunnel to and from Kwun Tong Business Area, Kowloon Bay Business Area, as well as Tak Long Estate, Kai Ching Estate, as well as Richland Gardens and Kai Yip Estate for outbound and inbound trips respectively, with Kai Tak (Muk Yuen Street) (Location of "AIRSIDE", a large-scale office and shopping mall) as the terminus. Intially a one-way service is recommended to operate from Monday to Friday morning and evening peak hours.[1]
On 21 June 2021, the Transport Department announced that all four new Queen's Hill routes had been awarded to Citybus[2][3] with the route number "78X" allocated for the route between Queen's Hill and Kai Tak. As the Queen Hill Public Transport Terminus and Kai Tak (Muk Yuen Street), which were originally intended to serve as the termini at both ends of the route, were not yet in operation, the route was then terminated at Shan Lai Court and Concorde Road when it was introduced, and return trips were increased to two.
Route Change History[]
- 30 November 2021: Route 78X commenced service.[4][5]
- 26 January 2022: Terminus relocated from Shan Lai Court to Queen's Hill Public Transport Terminus:[6]
- Last bus time delayed from 16:00 to 17:15 from Fanling Queen's Hill from Mondays to Fridays.
- Frequency increased from 07:30 and 10:00 from Cheung Sha Wan from Mondays to Fridays, and the first bus time was advanced from 12:00 to 09:30 from Cheung Sha Wan on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
- Buses would return to "Shan Lai Court" bus stop and original routing from the new terminus via Lung Ma Road eastbound, U-turn, Lung Ma Road westbound, and the midway stop "Queen's Hill Estate" at Lung Ma Road westboundwas cancelled .
- When heading towards Queen's Hill, after arriving eastbound on Lung Ma Road, buses would enter Queen's Hill Public Transport Terminus and a new stop was set up to replace the original "Queen's Hill Estate" midway stop at Lung Ma Road eastbound, then return to "Shan Lai Court" stop via Lung Ma Road eastbound and U-turn, then return to Queen's Hill Public Transport Terminus along Lung Ma Road westbound as terminus.
- 17 July 2022: Enhanced to daily service and service hours was extended, and an additional stop at Kwun Tong Ferry Pier for the return journey was added, with departure time from Fanling Queen's Hill from 05:40 - 16:30 on Mondays to Fridays and 05:40 - 19:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays; whereas that from Kai Tak from 12:00 - 21:00 on Mondays to Fridays and 11:20 - 20:20 on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
- 19 August 2023: Departures on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays were diverted via the section of Kwun Tong Road at Kwun Tong Town Centre and were renumbered as Route 78C.
- 25 February 2024: Terminus was relocated from Concorde Road to the newly opened Kai Tak Public Transport Interchange: [7][8]
- New stops at "Tak Long Estate Carpark" on Shing Kai Road and "East Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters" on Concorde Road were added for Kai Tak direction;
- A new stop was added at "East Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters" on Concorde Road for Fanling direction;
- Both directions omitted the original roadside bus terminus located on Concorde Road.
Historical route information[]
Details of the past service hours and headways, fares and other route information of this route are set out in the "Historical route information" sub-page of this article.
Service Hours and Headways[]
The latest update is on 8/2023, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
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On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, passengers can take Route 78C between Queen's Hill and Kowloon East.
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding Stop | Fare |
|---|---|
| Full Fare | $18.9 |
| Section Fare (to Kai Tak) | |
| Tate's Cairn Tunnel Toll Plaza | $8.5 |
| from Kwun Tong Ferry | $5.1 |
| Section Fare (to Fanling) | |
| Tate's Cairn Tunnel Toll Plaza | $12.7 |
| from Chun Yiu | $5.6 |
| from Hung Leng | $4.4 |
| Fare Remarks |
|---|
|
Octopus Interchange Concessions[]
Passengers using the same Octopus card to interchange to the designated route after this route within a specific time, or transfer from the designated route to this route can enjoy an interchange concession. The details are as follows: (Half discount for children and senior citizens.) Template:Citybus Route 78X Interchange Concession Scheme
Tate's Cairn Tunnel Interchange Concession Scheme[]
Template:Citybus Tate's Cairn Tunnel Interchange Concessions
Bus deployments[]
This route is operated by 3 buses. As the tender stipulates that Euro 6 or above buses with double wheelchair spaces must be used on this route, 12-metre Volvo B8L buses (Priority F/N 8824-8828, Second priority F/N 8813-8823, 8829) with additional wheelchair bays, which can carry two wheelchair passengers at the same time, must be used except in the event of an emergency or bus shortages, supplemented by Enviro500 MMC 12m (8547-8557) double-decker buses, also with double
Routing[]
to Kai Tak[]
Via: Lung Ma Road (eastbound), Roundabout, Lung Ma Road (westbound), Sha Tau Kok Road - Lung Yeuk Tau, Sha Tau Kok Road - Ma Mei Ha, Sha Tau Kok Road - Wo Hang, Heung Yuen Wai Highway, Fanling Highway, Tolo Highway, ＃(Tate's Cairn Highway), Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Kwun Tong Bypass, Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong Ferry Concourse access, Kwun Tong Ferry Bus Terminus, Wai Yip Street, Sheung Yuet Road, Wang Kwong Road, Kai Shun Road, Kai Shing Street, Shing Kai Road and Concorde Road
＃ Depending on traffic conditions, buses may be diverted to Tate's Cairn Tunnel via (Tate's Cairn Highway, Siu Lek Yuen Road, Tate's Cairn Highway) or (Tate's Cairn Highway, Shek Mun Interchange, Tate's Cairn Highway, Siu Lek Yuen Road, Tate's Cairn Highway).
| Citybus Route 78X (Queen's Hill Fanling → Kai Tak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Fanling (Queen's Hill) | Queen's Hill Estate | ||
| 2 | Lung Ma Road | Shan Lai Court | ||
| 3 | Lung Yeuk Tau | Sha Tau Kok Road - Lung Yeuk Tau | San Wai Barracks | |
| 4 | Kwan Tei | |||
| 5 | Lau Shui Heung | |||
| 6 | Hung Leng | Sha Tau Kok Road - Ma Mei Ha | Ko Po | |
| 7 | Hung Leng | |||
| 8 | Ma Mei Ha | Ma Mei Ha | ||
| 9 | Sha Tau Kok | Tai Tong Wu | ||
| 10 | Chun Yiu | |||
Heung Yuen Wai Highway;  Fanling Highway, Tolo Highway;  Tate's Cairn Highway
| ||||
| 11 | Sha Tin (Siu Lek Yuen) | Tate's Cairn Tunnel Toll Plaza | Section Fare begins here near The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong | |
| Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Kwun Tong Bypass
| ||||
| 12 | Kwun Tong Business Area | Kwun Tong Ferry Pier | Section Fare negins here near Hoi Yuen Road | |
| 13 | Wai Yip Street | How Ming Street | ||
| 14 | Shun Yip Street | |||
| 15 | Kowloon Bay Business Area | Sheung Yuet Road | Sheung Yuet Road | near MegaBox |
| 16 | Wang Kwong Road | Kowloon Bay Fire Station | ||
| 17 | Kai Tak North | Shing Kai Road | Tak Long Estate Carpark | |
| 18 | Tak Long Estate | |||
| 19 | Muk Hung Street | |||
| 20 | Concorde Road | East Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters | ||
| 21 | Kai Tak  |
|||
to Fanling Queen's Hill[]
Via: Concorde Road, Shing Kai Road, L3 road, Wang Chiu Road, Sheung Yuet Road, Sheung Yee Road, Wang Chiu Road, Hoi Bun Road, Shun Yip Street, Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong Ferry Concourse access, Kwun Tong Ferry Bus Terminus, Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong Bypass, Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Tate's Cairn Highway, Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway, Heung Yuen Wai Highway, Sha Tau Kok Road - Wo Hang, Sha Tau Kok Road - Ma Mei Ha, Sha Tau Kok Road - Lung Yeuk Tau, Lung Ma Road, Queen's Hill Public Transport Terminus, Lung Ma Road (eastbound), Roundabout and Lung Ma Road (westbound)
| Citybus Route 78X (Kai Tak → Queen's Hill Fanling) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Kai Tak North | Kai Tak | ||
| 2 | Concorde Road | Inland Revenue Centre | ||
| 3 | East Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters | |||
| 4 | Kowloon Bay | Wang Chiu Road | Block 8 Richland Gardens | |
| 5 | Kai Yip Estate | |||
| 6 | Kowloon Bay Sports Ground | |||
| 7 | Kowloon Bay Business Area | Lam Wah Street | ||
| 8 | Sheung Yee Road | Sheung Yee Road | near MegaBox | |
| 9 | Kwun Tong Business Area | Wai Yip Street | Shun Yip Street | |
| 10 | Lai Yip Street | |||
| 11 | How Ming Street | |||
| 12 | Kwun Tong Ferry Pier | near Hoi Yuen Road | ||
| Kwun Tong Bypass, Tate's Cairn Tunnel
| ||||
| 13 | Sha Tin (Siu Lek Yuen) | Tate's Cairn Tunnel Toll Plaza | Section Fare begins here near The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong | |
| Tate's Cairn Highway; Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway; Heung Yuen Wai Highway
| ||||
| 14 | Sha Tau Kok | Sha Tau Kok Road - Ma Mei Ha | Chun Yiu | Section Fare begins |
| 15 | Tai Tong Wu | |||
| 16 | Ma Mei Ha | Ma Mei Ha | ||
| 17 | Hung Leng | Hung Leng | Section Fare begins | |
| 18 | Ko Po | |||
| 19 | Lung Yeuk Tau | Sha Tau Kok Road - Lung Yeuk Tau | Lau Shui Heung | |
| 20 | Kwan Tei | |||
| 21 | San Wai Barracks | |||
| 22 | Fanling (Queen's Hill) | Queen's Hill Estate | ||
| 23 | Lung Ma Road | Shan Lai Court | ||
| 24 | Queen's Hill Estate | |||
Ridership[]
East Kowloon is connected to Sha Tau Kok Road north of Luen Wo Hui by both Route 78X and KMB Route 277A. Route 78X, which runs through Wai Yip Street in East Kowloon, has a stop far away from the Kwun Tong town centre area, where the flow of people is higher, and although it is convenient for passengers commuting to and from work in the business areas of East Kowloon during peak hours on weekdays, it has a poor patronage due to the demand problem during off-peak hours and holidays.
According to the Bus Route Planning Programme and other documents, the ridership of this route is as follows:
- 2023: The occupancy rate as 63% during the busiest hour; the average occupancy rate after 8:00 pm on weekdays towards Queen's Hill was less than 20%, and about 15% after the evening peak hours.
Gallery[]
Remarks[]
Related articles[]
- Citybus Route 78C
- Citybus Route 78P
- KMB Route 277A
References[]
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, 2020-2021年度巴士路線計劃 (2020-2021 Bus Route Planning Programme) [Consultation Paper], February 2020
- ↑ 羅庭德Facebook專頁消息 - 皇后山新巴士服務 (Facebook post from District Councillor Law Ting Tak - New bus services for Queen's Hill), 21 June 2021.
- ↑ 城巴搶攻皇后山開四線 粉嶺過海車程110分鐘 最快第四季前啟用 (Citybus to launch four bus routes to Queen's Hill, 110 minutes across the harbour from Fanling; all to be commenced by the fourth quarter at the earliest), HK01, 15 Jul 2021.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Introduction of Citybus Route 78X (Queen's Hill - Kai Tak" [Traffic Advice], 22 November 2021.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Expands Network in North District With New Routes from Queen’s Hill" [News Release], 22 November 2021.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Strengthens the Bus Service in Queen’s Hill Launches Route 679 and 979 with Service Enhancement on Route 78X and 79X" [News Release], 21 January 2022.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "[https://www.td.gov.hk/en/traffic_notices/index_id_74580.html Public Transport Arrangements for the Opening of Kai Tak Public Transport Interchange]" [Traffic Advice], 20 February 2024.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Commencement of Kai Tak PTI & Routeing / Bus Stop Alterations of Route 78C, 78X and A25" [Passenger Notice], 20 February 2024.
External links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: (to Kai Tak (via: Kwun Tong))
- Citybus Official Route Information: (to Queen's Hill Fanling)
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Template:List of North District Bus RoutesTemplate:List of Kowloon City District Bus Routes Template:Tate's Cairn Tunnel Bus Routes