Paul Tirvaudey: Shaping the Future of Hong Kong Tramways
As it celebrates its 120th anniversary, Hong Kong’s double-decker tram network has been thoroughly revamped.
Billy Potts was walking down Queensway when something caught his eye: his own tram. That is to say, tram number 18, the most extraordinary vehicle in the Hong Kong Tramways fleet. “Number 18 is still so surprising to many people. They never expect that such a thing could even exist, yet it is here,” he said. Even he seemed surprised: this was a rare chance to see the tram in the wild. He raised his phone to take a photo.
Potts, a designer, writer and regular contributor to Zolima CityMag, first designed the tram with collaborator Jenny Choi. Former Hong Kong Tramways managing director Cyril Aubin asked them to channel the tramway’s 120-year heritage into an eye-catching, customisable tram that could be hired for private tours or corporate events. Originally known as the Circus Tram, Potts has since refined the design to incorporate graphic references to Hong Kong street scenes, modular light boxes on the exterior and new furniture for the lounge-like interior.
It’s the most striking example of how the tramway has changed since it was bought by the Asian branch of the RATP in 2009. Over the years, the Parisian public transport operator has redesigned the tram network’s routes, wayfinding, branding and even the trams themselves. All of this was done to improve the efficiency and user experience of Hong Kong’s oldest street railway, but there was another goal in mind, too. “Cyril Aubin felt that the company was the steward of a very important part of Hong Kong's culture,” says Potts. “It is a unique mode of transportation that provides an immersive urban experience.”
That torch has now been taken up by Hong Kong Tramways’ latest Manager Director, Paul Tirvaudey, who came to Hong Kong from Paris just over two years ago. “I didn’t know Hong Kong well before I came here, but I knew the Hong Kong trams – because in the world of public transport they’re very iconic,” he says. “First and foremost, we are a public transport provider,” he adds. But it’s not lost on him that the tram occupies a unique position in Hong Kong’s history, culture and urban landscape. And designing a future for this venerable company requires sensitivity and finesse.
The RATP operates a variety of rail systems around the world, from the Gautrain in Johannesburg to the Doha Metro to the Casablanca Tramway. But all of those are modern metro or tram systems without the history and idiosyncrasies of Hong Kong Tramways. In that sense, says Tirvaudey, it likely has more in common with the 124-year-old Paris metro than with any other system in the RATP network. “The scale is obviously not the same,” he says — the Paris metro is more comparable in size and operations to the MTR — “but the challenges in terms of modernisation are similar. This is an old, traditional company with a strong identity and we need to find a balance between heritage and innovation.”
Hong Kong’s tram network dates back to 1903, when tracks were laid from Kennedy Town in the west to Causeway Bay in the east. Less than a decade later, passenger demand was strong enough that double-decker trams were introduced. Though Hong Kong has changed beyond measure in the past hundred years, the trams have remained constant; there is no better way to see the city than from the front seat on the top deck, windows open to the clamouring streets below.
For decades, the tram was the best way to cross Hong Kong Island, and there was even a plan to extend it to Kowloon. But its 1974 acquisition by local conglomerate Wharf Holdings coincided with a long period of decline. Dedicated tram lanes were given over to cars. Tracks were poorly maintained. When the MTR’s Island Line opened in 1981, the tram’s main appeal was its low price. The Millenium Tram, launched in 2000 in an effort to renew the rolling stock, was a widely-scorned flop: hermetically sealed and air conditioned, it was criticised for looking too much like a bus.
When the RATP bought Hong Kong Tramways, they launched a public consultation to find out how it could improve the system. Their first discovery was that most passengers thought the windows should stay open; one of the biggest complaints about the Millenium trams was that the front windows were sealed shut. Passengers also had a soft spot for the trams’ wood frames, which the Millenium trams had discarded with little sense of nostalgia.
One of the loudest complaints had to do with the tram system’s signage and wayfinding devices, which were virtually nonexistent. Under its previous ownership, the tram company had assumed that most passengers were regulars who didn’t need any information, but the public consultation revealed that 25 percent of passengers used the tram only occasionally. In response, Hong Kong Tramways redesigned maps and installed highly legible nameplates on top of each station, each one featuring the illustration of a classic tram in its distinctive dark green livery.
The next step was to undertake a complete overhaul of the rolling stock. Every year, a few more of the fleet’s 165 trams are rolled into the Whitty Street Depot, stripped to the chassis and rebuilt by hand. The new frames are aluminium, which cuts down on maintenance and increases the amount of space inside each vehicle, but the wood frames of old have found their way into hand-cut teak seats, which add a bit of organic warmth to the tram’s interior. Passenger flow was improved by finessing the entrances, exits and stairwells, and new seat handles keep standing passengers on sure footing. Meanwhile, a switch from DC to AC motors has led to smoother rides and energy savings. Known as Signature trams, these new models now account for more than half the fleet. “They’re not only more comfortable but more enjoyable,” says Tirvaudey.
In 2017, Hong Kong Tramways updated its branding, which dated back to the Wharf acquisition in 1974. “It was a bit outdated and reinforced the image in people’s minds that the tram was a dusty, old-fashioned company,” says Tirvaudey. Hong Kong-based studio Stepworks was in charge of the redesign, which swapped out the old logo — which consisted of a T-shaped agglomeration of blue, red and white lines that evoked tram tracks — with the unmistakable silhouette of a tram that appears to be smiling. The rebranding was accompanied by a new slogan: “Catch a ride, catch a smile.”
Tirvaudey credits all of these changes — better wayfinding, redesigned tramcars, new branding — with refashioning the tram’s image into an indispensable part of Hong Kong’s identity rather than an outdated mode of transport. Tram number 18 plays a big part in that, too, by giving corporate clients a venue for events that can be easily reconfigured to match their brand image. “This was an important part of the design intention as a great deal of [the tram company’s] revenue comes from advertising,” says Potts. Advertising and tram hires account for about 50 percent of the company’s revenue, with the rest generated by fares, which are currently HK$3 for most passengers.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the company hard, with daily ridership declining to just over 131,000 in 2021, down from 180,000 just before the pandemic and 230,000 in 2014. Tirvaudey says ridership is growing again but still hasn’t reached pre-Covid levels. Bringing people back to the tram might require more than good design: one of the main factors that discourage people from taking it is the speed. Because it runs in dedicated lanes for just 30 percent of its route, trams are often stuck in traffic, and the average commercial speed is just eight kilometres per hour, about the same as a casual jog. More reserved lanes could boost that speed closer to the 15 kilometres per hour that is considered the acceptable minimum in other cities with street-running trams.
There are more improvements coming. Tirvaudey says the company is focusing on collecting more real-time ridership data that will allow it to better adjust its service to demand. More and more of the fleet is being rebuilt as Signature trams, which have been well received by the public. And there may be further improvements to Hong Kong Tramways’ private hire and tourist trams, though details have yet to be confirmed. In any case, says Billy Potts, the tram’s heritage is assured. He says some people have asked him why they should take the tram instead of the bus. “Well, which is more charming? A tram or a bus?” he replies. “I think the answer is quite obvious. Take the tram every chance you get.”
Paul Tirvaudey spoke at the Business of Design Week Summit on December 6, 2024, about the brand's transformation after being acquired by RATP Dev. He discussed how this beloved local institution is embracing technology and reinventing itself for the future while honoring its storied past.
To see more details: https://zolimacitymag.com/designing-the-future-of-hong-kong-tramways/
Writer: Christopher DeWolf
Photos: Courtesy by May James of Zolima CityMag
This column is produced in partnership with Zolima CityMag, an online magazine that explores Hong Kong’s arts, design, history and culture.