The MTR Bus (Northwest New Territories) Route 506 runs between Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and Siu Lun, via San Shek Wan, Tsing Wun Road, MTR Tuen Mun Station, Tuen Mun Town Centre, On Ting Estate, LR Sam Shing Stop and Yau Oi Estate.
The ridership of Light Rail Route 506 had been average after it had launched, it had to be converted to bus service due to grade separation project in Pui To Road during KCR West Rail construction. It didn't return to Light Rail service even after KCR West Rail opened in 2003 and bus operations remained until now. Currently, it is the sole MTR Bus Route that does not begin with the letter "K".
History[]
- 23 September 1988: Light Rail Route 506 commenced service. For information on the development of this LRT Route and its services, see the ERTHK article "Light Rail Route 506".
- 14 July 2002: To tie in with the commencement of the overhead track works at Pui To Road, Light Rail Route 506 was suspended and replaced by a new Temporary Bus Route 506, which runs between Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and Yau Oi on a circular basis, with service hours from 05:30 to 00:30.[1]
- Initially, the route would arrive at Pui To Road and return to Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road via Tuen Mun Road, San Tak Street and San Wo Lane.
- At that time, KCRC expected that the above service changes would continue until the end of 2003.[2]
- 31 August 2002: After reaching Pui To Road at Yau Oi, the route was diverted to Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road (northbound), Ho Pong Street, Tsing Yin Street and Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road (southbound), with an additional stop at Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road northbound near Yan Ching Street[3]; and no longer via Tuen Mun Road, San Tak Street and San Wo Lane.
- 31 August 2003: The overhead track works at Pui To Road was completed, but given that there were not enough Light Rail trains at that time, the temporary bus route remained in operation; the KCRC submitted to the Legislative Council in July the Light Rail service rationalisation plan to tie in with the opening of West Rail and the temporary bus route 506 was expected to be cancelled one month after the opening of West Rail. [4]
- From December 2003: Late night service extended until 2am on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- 4 April 2004:[5]
- Divert via Ho Pong Street and Tuen Mun Station Public Transport Interchange before returning to Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road southbound, omit Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road northbound and Tsing Yin Street for Yau Oi direction. The original midway stop at Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road near Yan Ching Street and ACME Shopping Arcade were cancelled and replaced by a new stop at Tuen Mun Station Public Transport Interchange;
- The interchange discount with the KCRC was changed to only applicable to Octopus, and single journey ticket holders cannot enjoy the discount and the system of selling interchange tickets on buses was also terminated.
- 2 December 2007: Changed to operate by MTR Corporation following the rail merger.
- 12 October 2009: Route was extended from Yau Oi to Siu Lun (Siu Lun Street).
- After reaching the Tuen Mun Town Centre Bus Terminus, divert via Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Hoi Wing Road and Siu Lun Street, and returns to Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road for Yau Oi direction, and no longer observing Yau Oi Road.
- As early as in late 2008, there were complaints from residents of Yau Oi Estate about the noise nuisance and access hazards caused by the bus route running through Yau Oi Road. As the route does not have a stop at Yau Oi Road, MTR started to study and test the use of unladen buses in mid-2009 to calculate the time and resources required once the route was extended to Siu Lun Court. Subsequently, MTR indicated in the Tuen Mun District Council that the extension would require two additional buses to maintain the existing frequency and due to insufficient buses, the MTR said that the Routes A73 and K16 would have to be permanently discontinued in exchange for sufficient buses to extend to Siu Lun Court.
- After reaching the Tuen Mun Town Centre Bus Terminus, divert via Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Hoi Wing Road and Siu Lun Street, and returns to Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road for Yau Oi direction, and no longer observing Yau Oi Road.
- 14 March 2010: A new stop outside Exit C1 of Tuen Mun Station on the West Rail Line at Pui To Road was added to replace the old routing via old Tuen Mun Station PTI and Yan Ching Street to tie in with the opening of the new Tuen Mun Station Public Transport Interchange for Siu Lun direction.
- July 2012: The Transport Department stated that MTR planned to change the route numbering to K56 at the end of August to standardise the numbering of MTR bus routes and to prevent passengers from mistaking it for Light Rail routes, but District Councillors unanimously objected that once the numbering was changed, it would mean that 506 would be permanently operated as a bus, which would be a breach of KCRC's promise to reinstate Light Rail Route 506.[6]
- In the end, MTR shelved the plan to change the numbering and TD said it would continue to discuss with MTR on the long-term arrangement of 506.[7] However, the option of Route "K56" was also available at some locations of the MTR website.[Remark 1]
- 3 September 2012: Additional special departure from Glorious Garden to Tuen Mun Town Centre in one direction from Monday to Friday morning with departure times at 07:25 and 07:55.[7][8]
- August 2013: Transport and Housing Bureau was advised that MTR has decided to continue to operate Route 506 by bus.[9]
- 5 August 2013: Glorious Garden special departure was shortened from Tuen Mun Town Centre to MTR Tuen Mun Station.
- 2 September 2013: The frequency of special departures from Glorious Garden was increased to 5.[10]
- 16 June 2014: The frequency of special departures from Glorious Garden was increased to 6.[11]
- 29 February 2016: The frequency of special departures from Glorious Garden was increased to 7.[12]
- 21 December 2019: Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) Enquiry System was added to this route.
- 14 February 2022: Circular operation was cancelled and termini at Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and Siu Lun (Siu Lun Street) were set up.[13][14]
Service Hours and Headways[]
| from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier | from Siu Lun | Headways (mins) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mondays to Fridays | ||||
| 05:30 - 00:30 | 05:45 - 00:50 | 4 - 10 | ||
| Saturdays | ||||
| 05:30 - 00:30 | 05:45 - 00:50 | 5 - 10 | ||
| Sundays and Public Holidays | ||||
| 05:30 - 00:30 | 05:45 - 00:50 | 7 - 10 | ||
| Daily departures between 00:00 - 00:50 cannot catch up with the Tuen Ma Line last train from Tuen Mun Station. | ||||
| Detailed Departure Timetable |
|---|
|
MTR Bus Route 506/Detailed Departure Timetable |
Remarks:
- During certain festivals, such as Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, all MTR lines will run overnight and service hours on Route 506 may be extended, please refer to Passenger Notice for details.
Special Departures[]
| Glorious Garden → MTR Tuen Mun Station ● | |
|---|---|
| Hrs | Mins |
| Mondays to Fridays | |
| 07 | 00, 12, 24, 36, 48 |
| 08 | 00, 12 |
| No service on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays | |
There are also special departures during peak hours which are not officially listed and the departure time and is subject to confirmation:[15]
- LR Lung Mun Stop → Tuen Mun Town Centre
- Service during AM peak
- LR Tuen Mun Stop → Tuen Mun Ferry Pier
- Service during PM peak
- Light Rail Depot Stop → MTR Tuen Mun Station
- Unfixed headways
- Tuen Mun Ferry Pier → MTR Tuen Mun Station
- Unfixed headways
- This route provides Real-time Arrival Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Fare Remarks |
|---|
|
Octopus Interchange Concession Scheme
Interchange Concessions are offered when interchanging between this route and MTR Urban Lines, Light Rail or some MTR Bus Routes when using Octopus cards. Details are as follows:
- Interchange to Railway
| 1st leg | 2nd leg | Amount saved | Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail/Designated Interchange Stop for MTR Urban Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| ' | Light Rail | equivalent to bus fares | Butterfly Stop/Kin On Stop/Tuen Mun Stop |
| MTR Urban Lines | Tuen Mun Station | ||
| Light Rail | ' | Butterfly Stop/Kin On Stop/Tuen Mun Stop | |
| MTR Urban Lines | Tuen Mun Station | ||
| Remarks: The interchange time limit is 1 hour; rail to bus journeys are counted from the time the card is tapped upon exiting the gates (MTR Urban Lines) or upon exit validation (Light Rail); whereas bus to rail journeys are counted from the time the card is tapped upon boarding the bus. The interchange time limit is 2 hours for bus journeys from a confirmed Light Rail entry point. The interchange discount is not applicable to the same Light Rail stop or the entry/exit gate of any Tuen Ma Line stations. Besides, holders of Disneyland Monthly Pass riding free rides on MTR network or paying only the First Class fare of East Rail Line are not entitled to interchange concessions. | |||
- Interchange to Buses
| 1st leg | 2nd leg | Amount saved | Suggested Interchange Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| ' | K51/K51A/K52/K52A/K52S | Free for 2nd leg | Any overlapping bus stop on both routes |
| K51/K51A/K52/K52A/K52S | ' | ||
| Remarks: The time limit for interchange is 1 hour, counting from the first tap. | |||
Bus Deployments[]
According to the Transport Department's Schedule of Services, a total of 14 air-conditioned double-deck buses are required to provide service on this route. The total capacity is not less than 1,984 passengers per direction during the busiest hour.
Routing[]
The distance of this route is approx. 6.0km, and the journey time is approximately 30mins. (The average speed is 12km/h.)
to Siu Lun[]
| Routing | Roads observed |
| ① Regular |
Wu Chui Road, Lung Mun Road, Tsing Wun Road, Pui To Road, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Tuen Wui Street, Tuen Mun Central Bus Terminus, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Hoi Wing Road, Castle Peak Road - Castle Bay and Siu Lun Street |
|---|---|
| ②* Special departure from Lung Mun Station to Tuen Mun Town Centre during AM peak |
Lung Mun Road, Tsing Wun Road, Pui To Road, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road and Tuen Wui Street |
| ③# Special departure from Light Rail Depot Stop to MTR Tuen Mun Station |
Lung Mun Road, Tsing Wun Road, Pui To Road and Ho Pong Street |
| ④% Special departure to MTR Tuen Mun Station only |
Wu Chui Road, Lung Mun Road, Tsing Wun Road, Pui To Road and Ho Pong Street |
| ⑤& Special departure from Glorious Garden to MTR Tuen Mun Station during weekday AM peak |
Lung Mun Road (D4 Road), Tsing Wun Road, Pui To Road and Ho Pong Street |
| MTR Bus Route 506 (Tuen Mun Ferry Pier → Siu Lun) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Tuen Mun Ferry Pier Area | Tuen Mun Ferry Pier  |
||
| 2 | Wu Chui Road | Melody Garden |
||
| 3 | Lung Mun Road | LR Butterfly Stop |
 Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail
| |
| 4 # | San Shek Wan | Lung Mun Road | Light Rail Depot Stop |
Starting Point for Special Departures using Routing ③ |
| & | San Shek Wan | Lung Mun Road (D4 Road) | Glorious Garden | Starting Point for Special Departures using Routing ⑤ Other departures omit this stop |
| 5 * | San Shek Wan | Lung Mun Road | LR Lung Mun Stop |
Starting Point for Special Departures using Routing ② |
| 6 | Tuen Mun Industrial Area | Tsing Wun Road | LR Tsing Wun Stop |
|
| 7 | Pui To Road | LR Kin On Stop |
Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail
| |
| # % & | San Hui | MTR Tuen Mun Station  |
Designated Interchange Stop for Tuen Ma Line/Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail Terminal for Special Departures using Routings ③④⑤ Other departures omit this stop | |
| 8 | San Hui | Pui To Road | MTR Tuen Mun Station |
Designated Interchange Stop for Tuen Ma Line/Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail
|
| 9 * | Tuen Mun Town Centre | Tuen Mun Town Centre |
Terminal for Special Departures using Routing ② | |
| 10 | On Yau | Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road | On Ting Estate |
|
| 11 | Mouse Island | Hoi Wing Road | LR Sam Shing Stop |
|
| 12 | Siu Lun Street | Siu Lun | ||
to Tuen Mun Ferry Pier[]
| Routing | Roads observed |
| ① Ordinary |
Siu Lun Street, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Pui To Road, Tsing Wun Road, Lung Mun Road and Wu Chui Road |
|---|---|
| ②＊ Special departure from Tuen Mun Station to Tuen Mun Ferry Pier during PM peak |
Pui To Road, Tsing Wun Road, Lung Mun Road and Wu Chui Road |
| MTR Bus Route 506 (Siu Lun → Tuen Mun Ferry Pier) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Mouse Island | Siu Lun Street | Siu Lun | |
| 2 | On Yau | Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road | Yau Oi Estate |
|
| 3 | Tuen Mun Town Centre | LR Town Centre Stop |
||
| 4 * | San Hui | Pui To Road | LR Tuen Mun Stop |
Designated Interchange Stop for Tuen Ma Line/Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail Starting point for Special Departures using Routing ② |
| 5 | Tuen Mun Industrial Area | Pui To Road | LR Kin On Stop |
Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail
|
| 6 | Tsing Wun Road | LR Tsing Wun Stop |
||
| 7 | St. Peter Church | |||
| 8 | San Shek Wan | Lung Mun Road | Glorious Garden | |
| 9 | Sun Tuen Mun Centre |
|||
| 10 | Tuen Mun Ferry Pier Area | LR Butterfly Stop |
Suggested Interchange Stop for Light Rail
| |
| 11 | Wu Chui Road | Tip Sum House Butterfly Estate |
||
| 12 | Wu Pik House Wu King Estate | |||
| 13 | Pierhead Garden |
Alighting Only | ||
| 14 | Tuen Mun Ferry Pier |
|||
Ridership[]
Route 506 runs via Tuen Mun IVE and Tuen Mun Station/Stop between Yau Oi Estate and the Ferry Pier Area, making it a very circuitous ride for the whole journey. Despite this, many Butterfly Beach area residents are willing to take it to Tuen Mun Station to transfer to the Tuen Ma Line, and queues of people waiting for the line are very common at Tuen Mun Station.
However, the once circular nature of the route makes it susceptible to delays and even lost trips when traffic jams occur. However, these services often depart within a short period of time after the regular service and are not effective in diverting passengers, with some bus captains even skipping stops. In view of this, MTR Bus proposed to cancel the circular operation of this route in 2016 and retain the special trips to stabilise the frequency at stops along the route[16], but the proposal was not implemented in the end. In 2021, the MTR proposed again to convert the route into two-way service[17] and it was eventually taken into effect from 14 February 2022.
- 2017: The Transport Department told the Tuen Mun District Council in June that the average occupancy rate of the morning special trips from Glorious Garden was about 70%.[18]
- 2021: The average occupancy rate was about 65% during both morning and afternoon peak hours.
Related Incidents[]
Traffic Accidents[]
- 25 June 2009: At around 00:00am, a Tuen Mun Ferry Pier-bound Dennis Trident (6XX) came to the traffic light junction at Wu Chui Road near Melody Garden and knocked down a man who suddenly stepped out from the front of the vehicle and died of his injuries after being taken to hospital. The injured man was taken to hospital and succumbed to his injuries.[19]
Gallery[]
Dennis Trident 11.3m buses (6XX) were once the main models running on Route 506
Volvo B9TL 11.3m buses (3XX) are the main models running on Route 506
Route 506 has special departures going only to MTR Tuen Mun Station
More pictures, photos and related information about this article are available in the following Gallery Page:
MTR Bus Route 506 (Edit)
Remarks[]
- ↑ e.g. "MTR Club" Registration Page, options inside "Recent MTR Rides" section. (Last obtained: 2 Jul 2013)）
Related Articles[]
ERTHK Article:
- KCR Bus Route 505 (Cancelled)
- MTR Bus Route 506 (Emergency Feeder Route)
- MTR Bus Route K52
References[]
- ↑ Light Rail News, July 2002.
- ↑ KCRC, "Two additional temporary bus routes for Light Rail to tie in with development projects" [News Release], 5 Jul 2002
- ↑ Light Rail News, Sep 2002
- ↑ 配合西鐵通車輕鐵服務重組計劃 (Rationalisation of Light Rail services to tie in with the opening of KCR West Rail)Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways, Legislative Council Panel on Transport, July 2003.
- ↑ 506改經西鐵屯門站 (Route 506 divert via WR Tuen Mun Station) NT West Bus + Light Rail Alliance.
- ↑ (K) 要求開辦龍門居經西鐵屯門站至新墟的公共交通服務 (Request for new public transport services from Lung Mun Oasis to San Hui via WR Tuen Mun Station), Minutes of the fourth meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee 2012-2013, 13 July 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 屯門區議會2012-2013年交通及運輸委員會第四次會議記錄 (Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee 2012-2013), 13 July 2012.
- ↑ 富健花園506特車之新站牌 (New Route 506 special departure stop sign at Glorious Garden), HKBF.
- ↑ 要求恢復506綫以輕鐵行走 (Request to resume Light Rail operations of Route 506), The third special meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee of the Tuen Mun District Council.
- ↑ 506富健特別班次加車 (Route 506 Glorious Garden special departure service enhancement), hkitalk.net
- ↑ 506富健特班再加班 (Route 506 Glorious Garden special departure service enhancement again), hkitalk.net
- ↑ MTR Corporation Limited, "Special Departures of MTR Bus Route 506 from Glorious Garden" [Notice].
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, [https://www.td.gov.hk/en/traffic_notices/index_id_65414.html Conversion of MTR Bus Route No. 506 (Tuen Mun Ferry Pier – Siu Lun) into Two-way Route] [Traffic Advice], 8 Feb 2022.
- ↑ MTR Corporation Limited, 506 changed to non-circular route.
- ↑ 屯門區議會2012-2013年交通及運輸委員會第二次會議記錄 (Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee 2012-2013) (Section 92).
- ↑ MTR Corporation Limited, "2016-2017年交通及運輸委員會 有關港鐵巴士K53綫及K58綫合併計劃、506綫新安排之又建議" ("2016-2017 Traffic and Transport Committee Further proposals on the merger of MTR Bus Routes K53 and K58 and new arrangements for Route 506"), 10 May 2016. (posted on "朱順雅 Beatrice Chu" Facebook page)
- ↑ 港鐵巴士506綫服務新安排 (New Service Arrangements for MTR Bus Route 506), Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee Paper No. 24 of 2021, April 2021.
- ↑ 屯門區議會2016-2017年交通及運輸委員會 截至2017年6月30日的工作小組進展報告 (Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee 2016-2017 Progress Report of the Working Group as at 30 June 2017), Tuen Mun District Council Traffic and Transport Committee Paper No. 50 of 2017.
- ↑ 港鐵循環巴燈位奪命 男子傷重不治 乘客證實車長依例行駛 (Man dies from injuries sustained on a circular route MTR bus at traffic light; Passenger confirms bus captain followed traffic laws), Apple Daily, 26 June 2009.
External Links[]
Template:Ref-MTR
- Route Information on MTR Official Website: 506 (PDF Route Map) (Archived Aug 2014)
- Route Information on KCRC Official Website: 506 (Archived Aug 2003)
Template:MTR Bus Routes
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| Italic: Specific service hours/part-time route; →: Outbound service only; ←: Inbound service only; ($): One-way to Central & Western District during morning peak hours on weekdays, two-way To/From Wan Chai District during rest of the day | |||||||||||||||||||||