The MTR network system in HK may well operate on a smaller and much more modern scale in comparison to London's train and tube network, however having utilised the MTR on a number of occasions, they have constantly delivered efficient, punctual and secure train services. With air-conditioning; up-to-date TV news, immaculate trains (it is illegal to consume food and beverages), clean non-fabric seats, visible competent staff on all train platforms and stations, surely this is a dream for every commuter. The Major clearly wants concrete improvement in our transport system (and it couldn’t get any worse) why surely, we can only aspire and learn from those who have successfully delivered results.

D, London, UK

I travelled on the Hong Kong underground eleven years ago and it certainly seemed very efficient. However, the proposed "Overground" system in London seems to have been cobbled together from a mixture of old BR and LT lines with a few new links. The proposed extension of the East London line to Croydon, for instance, will simply involve a takeover of existing Southern tracks, as far as I can make out. I can't see any way it will work with the frequency and efficiency we associate with the world's best metro services.

Barry, Wallington, UK

They will dictate the level of price incrementation performed by the Mayor of London by conditions and warranties within the contract. The penalty would be breach of contract and you certainly see that the Mayor of London would not wish to be found to be in breach of contract.

Tony Parkins, Wirral, England

It's a bit much to describe it as the Chinese running the trains. MTR, originally a Hong Kong company and still based there owes much of its success to the British Expats who ran it whilst under British rule. The vast majority of the engineering of its infrastructure in HK and the running of this infrastructure was at the hands of British trained engineers applying British design codes. Its punctual, clean and efficient and this is attibutable to the management over the years and to the workforce (mainly HK Chinese) trained under them. They are well suited to tackling London but it will be their hardest task to date as Londons infrastructure is far more complex.

Jack, cardiff,

I'm in Hong Kong on holiday right now and can indeed say the MTR is fantastic. It's very cheap and the trains are very frequent and always clean (it helps that they have banned drinking and eating on the trains with a HK$5000 fine). I say let MTR run the entire tube network.

Matt Williams, London, UK

Question: If the Mayor of London is to be able to set fares, frequency, and number of staff , how can MTR or ANY company be able to operate in a manner to ensure they make a profit?

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

The 'cheapest fare' is a joke. Once paper tickets are phased out, oyster prices will continue to rise. Train's are too expensive, although we're forced to either use them or pay £8 plus extortinate parking fares if we want to drive in to London.

SK, London,

The MTR works here in Hong Kong, because it operates in densely populated areas, spewing out trains on circular tracks at train frequencies of one every 2-3 minutes. The majority of it's trains are underground, and as you say it manages it's own tracks and doesn't carry freight. Vandalism is non-existent (I don't say virtually, because in 15 years of travel I haven't come across one incident) and crime such as muggings unheard of. MTR have been using a contactless payment card for over a decade so 98% of users travellers don't buy tickets. On top of that there is a high level of public accountability that whenever an incident occurs on one of the trains, like the recent fire that occured on one of it's transformers that disrupted service on one track for maybe a good 2 hours, the incident gets escalated to the highest levels of government.
Put the MTR in London however, and you might get a better service, but don't expect any miracle cures. The conditions just aren't there.

Mikios, Hong Kong, China

Owned mainly by China? The HK government has always been the majority stakeholder, a fact that can be readily accessed on Wikipedia. A little bit of research please.

Don, Hong Kong,