BACKGROUND
1. The Island Corridor is a narrow 12 km strip along the north of Hong Kong island
hommed in by the harbour and the hills. It is densely developed and along it lies the
Victoria Central District, commerical and industrial areas and the homes of about
one million people. Connected to the corridor are links from the prosperous residen-
tial areas of south island, the Peak and Mid levels, together with that from the
Mainland via the Cross Harbour Tunnel.
The Corridor is now recognised as one of Hong Kong's worst and fastest growing
transport problems.
2. The Hong Kong Government announced plans in 1978 for the development of a mass
transport system along the Corridor. The original intention was an Island Line extension to the Mass Transit Railway (MTP) but tre disruption caused by building
this by cut-and-cover was thought to be unacceptable in the short term. Recently a strategy has been proposed by the UK based consultants Martin and Voorhees Associates incorporating a Light Rail Transport (LRT) System based on a continental single deck light rail vehicle, The vehicles would operate at ground level (sharing space with road vehicles), except in the Central District where they will run in tunnel and link
to the MTR. The strategy also includes a computer controlled traffic system, bus
priority schemes and new highways.
3a The LRT proposals are strongly supported by some sectors of the Government, the
Environment Branch in particular. However doubts cast in other quarters concem the reliability of the LRT costing, the train/road traffic conflict and the traffic
disruption during implementation. Against this background the ITR Corporation has been asked to prepare a study (to be submitted to the Executive Council in March) on a fully bored underground tunnel extension to the newly opened NTR, The economic viability of such a system is likely to depend heavily on assumptions made on the gain resulting from property redevelopment at stations. Given the strong support of many Government offic- ials to the LRT and the current success of the MTR there is likely to be a lively debate
over the following months before a decision is made.
4. There are no British producers of Light Rail vehicles (although Met Can has a co-operative agreement with a Geman manufacturer) and, having regard to the success of UK firms in supplying equipment for the new MTR there would be most potential for
British fins if the HTR solution was adopted.
Overseas Unit
TCC Division,
February 1980
IN CONFIDENCE