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60-489: The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated CHT or XHT ) is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method. It is the earliest of three vehicular harbour crossings in Hong Kong , opened for traffic in 1972. It was constructed under a 30-year private-sector franchise based on a build–operate–transfer model, and

120-466: A joint-venture business , then known as Creative Star Limited. After three years of trials, the Octopus card was launched on 1 September 1997. Three million cards were issued in the first three months. The system's quick success was because MTR and KCR required all holders of Common Stored Value Tickets to replace them with Octopus cards within three months or have their tickets expire. Another reason

180-482: A tunnel boring machine to drill the final links to the portals on land. After these stages the tunnel is complete, and the internal fitout can be carried out. The segments of the tube may be constructed in one of two methods. In the United States, the preferred method has been to construct steel or cast iron tubes which are then lined with concrete. This allows use of conventional shipbuilding techniques, with

240-515: A UnionPay credit card, they can also purchase new Octopus cards in Huawei Wallet. The Australia-based company ERG Group (now Vix Technology ) was selected in 1994 to lead development of the Octopus project. It designed, built and installed the Octopus system. Operations, maintenance and development were undertaken by Octopus Cards Limited, and in 2005, it replaced the central transaction clearing house with its own system. The Octopus card

300-596: A bank after one working day, so drivers could be left over a weekend or longer waiting for their account to be reconciled. Installation and service fees are also a concern. Wong Yu-ting, the managing director of the Yellow Taxi Group, wanted retailers to offer discounts to Octopus taxi passengers, but the Transport Department objected as taxi fare discount is illegal in Hong Kong. In March 2018, Octopus Cards Limited announced plans to re-enter

360-560: A bus in Hong Kong without using the Octopus card requires giving exact change, making it cumbersome compared to using the Octopus card. By November 1998, 4.6 million cards had been issued, and rising to 9 million by January 2002. In 2000, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority granted a deposit-taking company licence to the operator. This increased the proportion of permitted non-transport–related Octopus card transactions from 15% of turnover to 50%. About HK$ 416 million

420-594: A central database or computer. The stored data may be transmitted after hours, or in the case of offline mobile readers, may be retrieved by a hand held device, for example a Pocket PC . In practice, different data collection mechanisms are used by different transport operators, depending on the nature of their business. The MTR equips its stations with local area networks that connect the components that deal with Octopus cards – turnstiles , Add Value Machines, value-checking machines and customer service terminals. Transactions from these stations are relayed to

480-487: A half years of operation, the operator had recouped the construction costs. In 1984, the Hong Kong Government introduced a tax in addition to the operator's toll to make the overcrowded tunnel less priced. The price for a car transit was now HK$ 10. In 1993, an electronic toll collection system was installed. Together with measures to control the flow of traffic, the vehicle capacity could be increased. It

540-467: A new China T-union version card, which could be used in 336 mainland China cities. The Cantonese name for the Octopus card, Baat Daaht Tùng ( Chinese : 八 達 通 ), translates literally as "eight-arrived pass", where Baat Daaht may translate as "reaching everywhere". Less literally, the meaning is taken as the "go-everywhere pass". It was selected by the head of the MTR Corporation,

600-720: A payment business, Octopus Cards Limited is regulated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Octopus' non-payment businesses are not subjected to such regulation and are operated by other subsidiaries of Octopus Holdings Limited. As of 2007, Octopus Holdings Limited was a joint-venture business owned by five transport companies in Hong Kong; 57.4% by the MTR Corporation, 22.1% by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, 12.4% by Kowloon Motor Bus, 5% by Citybus, and 3.1% by New World First Bus. The Government of Hong Kong owns 76.54% of

660-496: A private enterprise, which was granted a concession to operate and collect tolls for 30 years. The concession was given to the then Cross-Harbour Tunnel Company Limited ( Chinese : 香港隧道有限公司 ), today the Cross-Harbour Holdings Limited ( 港通控股有限公司 ), which was founded in 1965 to carry out the tunnel project. The Hong Kong government participated to 20% in order not to fully hand over their influence on

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720-463: A reclaimed site on the western side of Hung Hom Bay , Kowloon , off then Hong Kong Technical College . The toll plaza is located at the Hung Hom end of the tunnel, and has 14 toll booths. It provides the first road link and the first link for land transport between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Prior to the opening of the tunnel, cross-harbour vehicular traffic depended on ferries and for passengers,

780-875: A six-foot sewer main laid in Boston , Massachusetts in 1893. The first example built to carry traffic was the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel constructed in 1910 under the Detroit River , and the first to carry road traffic is the Posey Tube , linking the cities of Alameda and Oakland, California in 1928. The oldest immersed tube in Europe is the Maastunnel in Rotterdam , which opened in 1942. The Marmaray Tunnel , connecting

840-553: A storage capacity of 1 to 64  kB , compared to 125 bytes provided by magnetic stripe cards. Octopus pre-dates the ISO/IEC 14443 standards so uses a nonstandard RFID system. The operating range of the reader/writer is between 30 and 100 mm (1.2 and 3.9 in) depending on the model used. Octopus is designed so that transactions are relayed for clearing on a store and forward basis, without any requirement for reader units to have realtime round-trip communications with

900-405: A vehicle operated by Hong Kong Monetary Authority . There are two main types of Octopus card ( On-Loan and Sold ), and two less common types ( Airport Express Tourist and MTR Airport Staff ). On-Loan cards are issued for use in day-to-day functions, primarily for fare payment in transport systems. They are further classified into Child , Adult , Elder , and Personalised categories, with

960-659: Is completed, at an as-designed 17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi) long. Construction started on 1 January 2021. 5. "Foundation of a tunnel by the sand-flow system", Tunnels and Tunnelling, July, 1973 by A. Griffioen and R. van der Veen Octopus card The Octopus card ( Chinese : 八達通 ; Jyutping : baat3 daat6 tung1 , Cantonese ) is a reusable contactless stored value smart card for making electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong . Launched in September 1997 to collect fares for

1020-586: Is now commonly used in most public transport, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, vending machines , convenience stores, photo booths , parking meters , car parks , and many other retails business where small payments are frequently made. Over 33 million Octopus cards are in circulation as of 2018, with the card being used by 99 per cent of Hong Kong residents. Notable businesses that started accepting Octopus cards at an early stage included PARKnSHOP , Wellcome , Watsons , 7-Eleven , Starbucks , McDonald's , and Circle K . Between June 2003 and November 2004,

1080-470: Is possible at all due to other factors such as the geology and seismic activity) or a bridge. Other advantages relative to these alternatives include: Disadvantages include: Tubes can be round, oval and rectangular. Larger strait crossings have selected wider rectangular shapes as more cost effective for wider tunnels. The first tunnel constructed with this method was the Shirley Gut Siphon,

1140-703: Is recorded and the appropriate fare based on distance travelled is deducted when they validate their cards again at the exit point. The MTR usually charges less for journeys made using an Octopus card instead of conventional single-journey tickets. For example, the adult fare of a single journey from Chai Wan to Tung Chung is HK$ 25.7 with an Octopus card, and HK$ 28.5 with a single journey ticket. Other public transport operators also offer intermittent discounts for using Octopus cards on higher fares and round-trip transits on select routes. The first trial of using Octopus card readers in Hong Kong taxis started in June 2006 with

1200-501: Is required for entry. Payments are made by holding the card against or within a few centimetres of an Octopus card reader. The reader acknowledges payment by emitting a beep, and displaying the amount deducted and the remaining balance of the card. The standard transaction time for readers used for public transport is 0.3 seconds, and for retailers' card readers is 1 second. When using the MTR heavy rail system, each passenger's entry point

1260-469: Is the first major public transport system to use the Sony 13.56  MHz FeliCa radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. It is a contactless system, so users need only hold the card in close proximity to the reader. Data is transmitted at up to 212 kbit/s (the maximum speed for Sony FeliCa chips), compared to 9.6 kbit/s for other smart card systems like Mondex and Visa Cash . The card has

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1320-508: The Star Ferry . The project was joint-engineered by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners and Freeman Fox & Partners . Construction began in September 1969 and was to last four years. The concession period ran from the start of construction, and the operator accordingly completed the construction one year faster than planned. On 2 August 1972, the tunnel was opened for traffic, charging HK$ 5 per car crossing. After just three and

1380-696: The mobile app was opportune during the COVID-19 pandemic , as it helped provide merchants customers with peace of mind regarding potential virus transmission. By July 2021, over 15,000 taxi drivers had installed Octopus Mobile POS. In collaboration with China UnionPay , Octopus Cards Limited introduced Octopus card usage to two Fairwood restaurants in Shenzhen in August 2006. In 2008, five Café de Coral locations in Shenzhen also started accepting Octopus. Value cannot be reloaded to Octopus cards in Shenzhen, but

1440-487: The Automatic Add Value Service is available to automatically deduct money value from a customer's credit card to reload an Octopus card. The two Fairwood restaurants in Shenzhen that were enabled for Octopus card payments are located at Luohu Commercial City and Shenzhen railway station . Shenzhen became the first city outside Hong Kong in which Octopus cards may be accepted as payment. In Macau,

1500-467: The European and Asian sides of Istanbul , Turkey , is the world's deepest immersed tunnel at 55 metres (180 ft) below sea level; it is the first rail link crossing the straits. Construction began in 2004 and revenue service began in 2013. The tunnel is 13.6 kilometres (8.5 mi) long overall, of which 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) were constructed using the immersed tube technique. Currently

1560-479: The Hong Kong Government replaced its 17,000 parking meters with an Octopus card–operated system. Octopus card was then the only accepted form of payment until 2021 when new meters were introduced that accepted contactless payment , Faster Payment System and QR code payment. Octopus cards also double as access control cards in buildings and for school administrative functions. At certain office buildings, residential buildings, and schools, use of an Octopus card

1620-564: The KMB Customer Service Centre, New World First Ferry (NWFF) Octopus Service Centres, and the New World First Bus (NWFB) Customer Service Centre. A student on-loan Octopus Card was initially issued, but was discontinued in 2005. Above statuses have expiry date which can be checked at MTR enquiry machines. Holders may renew and extend their status period by application to MTR. Since 14 December 2017,

1680-679: The MTR Corporation (as of 31 December 2005) and wholly owns the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, so is the biggest effective shareholder of Octopus Holdings Limited, and of Octopus Cards Limited. The Octopus card is recognised internationally. It won the Chairman's Award at the World Information Technology and Services Alliance 's 2006 Global IT Excellence Awards for being the world's leading complex automatic fare collection and contactless smartcard payment system, and for innovative use of technology. In February 2007 it

1740-498: The MTR's Kowloon Bay headquarters through a Frame Relay wide area network , and then on to the central clearing house system (CCHS). Similar arrangements are in place for retailers such as 7-Eleven . Handheld devices are used to scan offline mobile readers, including those installed on minibuses. Buses either use handheld devices or a wireless system, depending on operator. The Octopus card uses encryption for all airborne communication and performs mutual authentication between

1800-418: The Octopus card and system had never been hacked . Octopus card readers include a fail-safe that prevents them from initiating a transaction when more than one card is detected at a time. On 11 February 2009, Sing Tao Daily reported that the fail-safe has been abused for fare evasion through the railway station turnstile. Passengers were stacking four or more cards on the reader before breaking through

1860-678: The Octopus card for payment are located at the Rua do Campo and the Sands Casino . Shenzhen Tong cards are now widely used in Shenzhen instead, and a combined Shenzhen Tong – Hong Kong Octopus card is available, called the Hu Tong Xing, with RMB & HKD in different purses. The Macau Pass is now widely used in Macau. Spare coins can also be added on to Octopus cards at "Coin Carts",

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1920-525: The Octopus card was introduced in December 2006 when two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the territory adopted its usage as payment. Similar to its usage in Shenzhen, an Octopus card may not be reloaded in Macau, and the currency exchange rate between the Macanese pataca and the Hong Kong dollar when using an Octopus card is MOP1:HKD1. The two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Macau that adopted

1980-539: The Smart Octopus. All card value and reward points are transferred and held in the Samsung Pay app. The physical card is then deactivated and can no longer be used. Users can also choose to purchase a new Adult or Elder Smart Octopus in the app. Smart Octopus provides features like instant transaction notification and in-app top-up function. In-app top-ups initially incurred a 2.5% handling fee but this fee

2040-486: The Transport Department. Cash and Octopus Cards are no longer be accepted for payment, and the toll booths have been removed from the entrances of the tunnel As of 2018, there are 44 bus routes passing through the tunnel. Immersed tube The tunnel is made up of separate elements, each prefabricated in a manageable length, then having the ends sealed with bulkheads so they can be floated. At

2100-484: The Yellow Taxi Group in the New Territories . It was reported on 30 October that eight of the twenty taxis participating in the trial had dropped out. Part of the reason was technical – drivers needed to return to the office every day for accounting. Most taxi drivers in Hong Kong are self-employed and prefer to account their profit and rent on a daily basis, while Octopus transferred money through

2160-583: The card and reader based on the ISO 9798-2 three-pass mutual authentication protocol. In other words, data communications are only established when the card and reader have mutually authenticated based on a shared secret access key. This means that the security of the Octopus card system would be jeopardized should the access key be exposed. A stolen Octopus card reader could be used with stolen Octopus software, for example, to add value (up to HK$ 3,000) to any Octopus card without authorization. Nevertheless, as of 2003,

2220-446: The cardless Octopus, named "Smart Octopus", is available with Samsung Pay , a mobile payment platform provided by Samsung . By using the phone's NFC function and magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology, users can tap their selected Samsung devices on Octopus readers, paying in a similar way as a normal physical Octopus cards. Users can choose to transfer their card data from an existing anonymous On-Loan Adult or Elder Octopus to

2280-449: The final location, this being a critical stage to ensure each piece is aligned correctly. After being put into place, the joint between the new element and the tunnel is emptied of water then made water tight, this process continuing sequentially along the tunnel. The trench is then backfilled and any necessary protection, such as rock armour , added over the top. The ground beside each end tunnel element will often be reinforced, to permit

2340-508: The first three based on age and different amounts of fare concession. With the exception of the Personalised cards, On-Loan cards are anonymous; no personal information, bank account, or credit card details are stored on the card, and no identification is required for the purchase of these cards. If an owner loses a card, only the stored value and the deposit of the card are lost. On-Loan Octopus cards may be purchased at all MTR stations,

2400-421: The iPhone or Apple Watch without needing to switch on the phone or authenticating the payment with Face ID , Touch ID , or password. Since 9 December 2020, Octopus card can be added to Huawei Pay. But it can only be used on Huawei phones sold in Hong Kong, Macau and China Users can download the Octopus app from Huawei AppGallery to purchase new Octopus cards or transfer physical Octopus cards. If users have

2460-585: The longest immersed tube tunnel is the 6.7-kilometre-long (4.2 mi) tunnel portion of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge , completed in 2018. The HZMB tunnel is set at a depth of 30 metres (98 ft) below sea level. Its length will be surpassed by 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) with the completion of the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge in 2024. The SZB project includes a 6.7 km-long (4.2 mi) immersed tube which also will be

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2520-487: The parent company of Octopus Cards Limited, in a naming competition in 1996. The number eight refers to the cardinal and ordinal directions , and the four-character idiom sei tùng baat daaht ( Chinese : 四 通 八 達 ), a common expression loosely translated as "reachable in all directions". Eight is also considered a lucky number in Chinese culture , and the phrase baat daaht can possibly be associated with

2580-523: The project. The tunnel was designed with two lanes for each direction of travel for a capacity of 80,000 vehicles. The project was structurally managed jointly by the British engineering firms Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners and Freeman Fox & Partners. The tunnel links the main financial and commercial districts on both sides of Victoria Harbour , connecting Kellett Island (a former island now connected to Hong Kong Island by reclamation ), with

2640-798: The same magnetic cards in 1984. The Common Stored Value Ticket was a version that held a balance for use over multiple trips. In 1989, the Common Stored Value Ticket system was extended to Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) buses providing a feeder service to MTR and KCR stations, and to Citybus . It was also extended to a limited number of non-transport applications, such as transactions and payments at photo booths and for fast food vouchers. In 1993, MTR Corporation announced it would move to use contactless smart cards. In 1994 it partnered with four other major transit companies in Hong Kong, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation , Kowloon Motor Bus , Citybus , and Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry , to create

2700-404: The same time, the corresponding parts of the path of the tunnel are prepared, with a trench on the bottom of the channel being dredged and graded to fine tolerances to support the elements. The next stage is to place the elements into place, each towed to the final location, in most cases requiring some assistance to remain buoyant. Once in position, additional weight is used to sink the element into

2760-401: The segments being launched after assembly in dry docks. In Europe, reinforced concrete box tube construction has been the standard; the sections are cast in a basin which is then flooded to allow their removal. The main advantage of an immersed tube is that they can be considerably more cost effective than alternative options – i.e., a bored tunnel beneath the water being crossed (if indeed this

2820-407: The shares of Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry were transferred to New World First Bus and New World First Ferry . In the same year, together with MTR Corporation, the company changed from non-profit making status to a profit making enterprise. Due to the expansion of the company's businesses, Octopus Holdings Limited was established in 2005 with Octopus Cards Limited restructured as a subsidiary. Being

2880-535: The similar-sounding faat daaht , which means "getting wealthy" ( Chinese : 發 達 ) in Cantonese. The English name Octopus card was also selected in the naming competition. It also references the number eight, since an octopus has eight tentacles . The logo used on the card features an infinity symbol . The Octopus card was originally introduced for fare payment on the MTR; but usage quickly expanded to other retail businesses in Hong Kong. The card

2940-490: The taxi payment market with a new mobile app for taxi drivers. The mobile app is able to receive funds by tapping the passenger's Octopus card to the device's Near-field communication (NFC) reader, or by allowing passengers to scan a QR code. In October 2020, Octopus Cards Limited launched Octopus Mobile POS, a more compact version of the Octopus reader to help taxi drivers and small- and medium-sized retailers accept cashless payments. The new Octopus Mobile POS, that works with

3000-434: The territory's mass transit system , it has grown into a widely used system for transport and other retail transactions in Hong Kong. It is also used for purposes such as recording school attendance and permitting building access. The cards are used by 98 percent of the population of Hong Kong aged 15 to 64 and the system handles more than 15 million transactions, worth over HK$ 220 million, every day. The Octopus card system

3060-405: The title passed to the Hong Kong government in 1999 upon termination of the franchise. It has become one of the most congested roads in Hong Kong and the world, with 116,753 vehicles passing through it daily in 2013. The Hong Kong government used the operator model "Build Operate Transfer", or "BOT", for the implementation of the tunnel project; Financing and construction was the responsibility of

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3120-528: The tunnel. In November 2019, Hong Kong protesters set roadblocks across the northern tunnel entrance and set fire to tollbooths, as many roads around the Polytechnic University were blocked, leading to the closure of the tunnel for a dozen of days. The tunnel generates approximately HK$ 700 million in annual toll revenue. In 2023, manual toll collectors have been phased out with HKeToll , an electronic toll collection service introduced by

3180-459: The turnstile, deliberately triggering the fail-safe to avoid deduction of credit from their cards. If challenged they could blame a malfunction and present an Octopus card with a record of an unsuccessful transaction. The Octopus card system is owned and operated by Octopus Cards Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Octopus Holdings Limited . Founded as Creative Star Limited in 1994, it was renamed Octopus Cards Limited in 2002. In January 2001,

3240-759: The world's widest immersed tube, carrying eight traffic lanes. Prior to the completion of the Marmaray and HZMB tunnels, the Transbay Tube in San Francisco Bay, completed in 1969, was the world's deepest and longest immersed tube, at 41 metres (135 ft) below water level and 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) long. The length of both the HZMB and SZB will be surpassed by the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link connecting Denmark and Germany when it

3300-445: Was a coin shortage in Hong Kong in 1997. With the transfer of Hong Kong away from British rule, there was a belief that older Hong Kong coins embossed with Queen Elizabeth II 's head would rise in value, so many people held on to them waiting for their value to increase. The Octopus system was quickly adopted by other Creative Star partners. KMB reported that by 2000 most bus journeys were completed using an Octopus card. Boarding

3360-555: Was administered by The Cross-Harbour Tunnel Company Ltd until August 1999, when the operation franchise agreement expired and the government assumed control. From 1 November 2010, the tunnel was managed, operated and maintained by Serco on a contract basis. The tunnel was then operated by Chun Wo Tunnel Management Limited, which was awarded a contract lasting from 2016 to 2022. On 1 November 2022, Serco took over from Chun Wo Tunnel Management Limited. The 2017 Hong Kong action film Shock Wave , starring Andy Lau , set its main plot in

3420-976: Was deposited in the Octopus system at any given time as of 2000. On 6 November 2005, Octopus Cards Limited launched Octopus Rewards, a program that allows cardholders to earn rewards with participating merchants. Founding partners for the Octopus Rewards program included HSBC , UA Cinemas and Wellcome. The rewards are in the form of points, or reward dollars , stored on the card. The rate at which reward points are earned per dollar spent differs between merchants. Reward points can be redeemed as payment for purchases at partner merchants for at least HK$ 1 per reward dollar. New cards with greater levels of security were launched in 2015. Holders of first generation cards could voluntarily replace their cards at an Octopus Service Point without charge. From January 2018, first generation cards started to become unusable. From 26 March 2024 onwards, Octopus Card Limited launched

3480-516: Was found that when customers added value to their cards at self-service add-value points in MTR and Light rail stations, their bank accounts were debited even if the transactions had been cancelled. Octopus Cards Limited claimed that the fault was due to an upgrade of communication systems. Initially, two cases were reported. The company then announced that use Electronic Payment Services (EPS) at add-value service points would be suspended until further notice, and that it had started an investigation into

3540-557: Was removed in June 2020 when support for Apple Pay was launched. Since 2 June 2020, Octopus cards can be added to Apple Pay. As Octopus cards use FeliCa technology, only Apple Watch 3 , iPhone 8 , and subsequent model are supported. Octopus for Tourists was launched in August 2020. Users can choose to create a virtual Octopus card inside Apple Pay by topping up with their loaded credit cards, or to transfer data from an existing physical Octopus card. It supports Apple Pay's Express Transit function, which allows payments to be made from

3600-1008: Was the world's second contactless smart card system, after the Korean Upass . It won the Chairman's Award at the World Information Technology and Services Alliance 's 2006 Global IT Excellence Awards for, among other things, being the world's leading complex automatic fare collection and contactless smart card payment system. Its success led to the development of similar systems elsewhere, including Navigo card in Paris , Oyster card in London , Opal card in New South Wales , and NETS FlashPay and EZ-Link in Singapore . When Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) began operations in 1979, it used recirculating magnetic stripe cards as fare tickets. The Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) adopted

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