SOUTH
Mity 18th
CHINA MORNING POST
73
PICK ZY
$9m contract to explore transit plan
A contract worth more than $9 million is about to be awarded to the British firm of Charles Brand Ltd to construct the first four test tunnels for the future mass transile underground railway...
But more dan hali oftais "amount will go to a local firm which is to sub contract for labour and materials for the special preliminary project that is aimed at seeing how the entire 32.7 miles of the “tube" will eventually be built.
Twelve Hongkong companies tendeïed for this sub- contract. which is worth $5.5 million, The successful bidder was the Wo Hing Construction Company.
Although both the main contract and the sub-contract which together are worth the $9 million have been decided, , the contracts have not
been awarded, as the various
yet
parties are currently drawing up the necessary legal documents.
Work is expected to start al the beginning of June on, the «four test, turmels, win the sitcs/ being fenced off and actual gaunaclling starting as soon after that as possible. The project will involve a local labour force of about 100 peopic.
The four tunnels are at the old Naval Dockyard. Hongkong Island: near the Peninsula Hotel, Tsimshatsui; Laichikok; and at Lok Fu. The experimental opgration is expected to last for nine months.
Charles Brand was chosen as the overall contractor for the initial scheme because of their wide experience in tunnelling, but it is also understood that some difficulty exists because of immense
an
amount of tunnel work now under way in Britain.
A unique feature of the main contract is that Brand's, in accepting the test tunnel job. will be ineligible from tendering for the initial contracts for the general mass transit project during its first three years.
This clause was incorporsted
V
so that the successfully bžider. would be guaranteed a role of complete impartiallity - and the reason behind this is that the preliminary project at the four sitcs will be largely experimental, to explore, what. methods are best for the full-t scale tunnelling.
Charles Brand will make its debut in the Far East with this contract, but they have already been engaged on major tunnelling projects in Britain. Among these are the Fleet Line extension to the London Underground, a two-and-a-half mile cable tunnel under the River Severn and a road tunnel under the Clyde in Scotland.
Work is expected to start simultaneously on the four test tunnels. but the most complicated one will be the tunnel at the dockyard, where the consultants expect that work will largely take place under compressed air.
Because of the special conditions that will be met during this initial scheme. Public Works Department planners decided that the overall exploratory contract should go to a UK firm, which has wide experience of such jobs.
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