In this edition of “Around the World in Trams” we take another look at one of Hong Kong’s famous double deck tramcars.
Always a tram in sight – in this case four and the base colour of the one disappearing in the far distance may be the system’s green fleet livery. Car 76 is at Canal Street West on a westbound working to Whitty Street Depot, a few stops short of the Kenedy Town terminus. Whitty Street is one of two depots, the other being the eastern depot at Sai Wan Ho, a few stops short of the Shau Kei Wan terminus. The two depots opened in 1989, replacing the original single depot at Sharp Street, when its site was redeveloped. Car 76 is advertising Longbridge Technology, a company based in Hong Kong that supplies financial technology infrastructure and associated services; the mention of Longbridge AI looks perhaps a little incongruous on a very traditional and old-fashioned tramcar.
Bus competition is once again very evident in this scene, with the yellow-liveried vehicles belonging to Citybus, who provide most of the main routes on the island. The bridge under which the tram is passing carries the approach road to the tunnel under Victoria Harbour, connecting the island to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon on the mainland. In the other direction the road passes through another tunnel under the central ridge of Hong Kong island to reach the south coast.
76 is typical of the trams serving Hong Kong today. The first double-deckers arrived in Hong Kong in 1912, by which time passenger demand was already outstripping the capacity of the single-deckers. The ten new cars were open-topped, with first class upstairs and also in part of the saloon. Upstairs proved unsurprisingly unpopular, particularly at first class fares, in rainy weather, leading to the installation of canvas canopies a year later. In 1925 fully enclosed double-deckers were put into service, with first class still upstairs but the whole of the lower saloon given over to third class. A similar upstairs/downstairs class distinction survives on Hong Kong’s Star Ferries to this day.
In the 1950s the enclosed double-decker design was further developed, with the tramway constructing cars in its own works. In the 1960s four-wheeled trailers were introduced for first class passengers, lasting in service until 1982, though the class distinction was abolished in 1972. The trailers were of a slightly more modern design than the trams themselves, leading to a visually unsatisfactory pairing. Development of all aspects of the double-deckers remains a work in progress, but the tramway remains committed to the traditional appearance of its cars.
Words by Donald Brooks
Photograph by Donald Brooks, 7th April 2026