Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei Section), which officially opened yesterday (Dec. 21), welcomed its first weekday of operation today (Dec. 22). A total of eight franchised bus routes now operate via the new route, including KMB Route 269S, which connects Tin Shui Wai and Kwun Tong Ferry Pier. With the opening of the Central Kowloon Bypass, travel times between Yau Ma Tei and Kowloon Bay during peak hours are expected to be significantly reduced from about 30 minutes to just 5 minutes. This not only improves connectivity between West Kowloon and East Kowloon but also benefits residents traveling between the New Territories and East Kowloon.
Starting today, KMB Route 269S, which runs between Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories and Kwun Tong Ferry Pier in East Kowloon, has been rerouted in both directions to use the West Kowloon Highway and the Central Kowloon Bypass.
Passengers test and praise the new route: "Very good, very good!"
At around 7:40 a.m., a reporter from DotDotNews boarded a special morning peak service of Route 269S in Tin Shui Wai. This route, tailored for peak hour commuters, attracted many passengers heading to work in Kowloon Bay.
One passenger, who commutes daily from Tin Shui Wai to Kowloon Bay for work, said he learned about the rerouting of Route 269S through the news. Although he had expected faster travel times, the actual time savings exceeded his expectations. He noted that previously, the journey via Lung Cheung Road took about 1.5 hours. Today, it only took about an hour, with the bus arriving at Kowloon Bay at 8:42 a.m.
As the bus passed near an international school, he excitedly exclaimed, "I've reached the international school already! This is very good! I didn't expect it to be so fast." He emphasized that the new route, which bypasses Lung Cheung Road, has been a major improvement for him.
Another passenger, Mr. Ha, who was traveling to Kwun Tong, mentioned that if he missed Route 269S in the past, he would usually switch to the regular Route 269C or even transfer at Wong Tai Sin to avoid congestion on Lung Cheung Road. He added that the new route, which now takes the West Kowloon Highway, also bypasses another congestion hotspot near Mei Foo, resulting in a smoother journey.
New stops seamlessly integrated, passengers snapping photos to commemorate
As the bus traveled along the Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei section), some passengers took photos of the new road signs to commemorate the experience. When the bus arrived at the first new stop, "Kai Tak Tunnel – Kai Shing Street," the reporter observed passengers at the stop taking pictures of the bus as it approached.
The second new stop, "Lam Wah Street Playground," replaces the previous "Kowloon Bay Lam Wah Street" stop located roughly 300 meters away. Since the new stop's name and location are very similar to the old one, it did not cause confusion among passengers. The reporter interviewed Mr. Kwong, who had just alighted at the new stop and was taking photos. He mentioned that he had traveled from Tin Yiu Estate in Tin Shui Wai to attend classes nearby and noted that his journey was shortened by nearly 30 minutes compared to before.
However, Kwong stated that today coincided with the Christmas holiday season, during which many students are on break, leading to lighter traffic and fewer commuters. As a result, the time savings may not fully reflect the usual situation during regular peak hours. He suggested that further observation would be needed after the Christmas holiday, saying, "If the new route really proves to be convenient, I hope more regular routes will adopt similar changes in the future." Some passengers also acknowledged the need for a balanced approach, noting, "We still need to consider the needs of residents along the original route (e.g., Lung Cheung Road and Wong Tai Sin areas)."
Starting today, a total of eight franchised bus routes will use the Central Kowloon Bypass during weekday peak hours. These include three new routes: KMB Route 33X (Tsuen Wan West to Yau Tong), KMB Route 252S (Tuen Mun Handsome Court to Kwun Tong Ferry Pier), and Citybus Route A28X (Tseung Kwan O to the airport). Additionally, five existing routes have been rerouted: KMB Routes 258X, 259S, 259X, 268P, and 269S, which connect Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, and Kwun Tong.
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