were to proceed, with a population of about 150, 000 persons, there would be a requirement to provide a branch link from the Tuen Mun tramway into Tin Shui Wai and to provide an additional two lane highway between the North West New Territories and the urban areas by means of a single bore tunnel from Kam Tin to Tsuen Wan. The additional cost to Government, including land resumptions and clearances, would be in the order of $1,000 million for highways and $200 million for public transport.
31
If Tin Shui Wai were developed to a population of 3 25,000 persons by 1996, and accepting a total of 722, 000 persons for the North West New Territories, further improvements to public transport system would be required with additional expenditures attributable to Tin Shui Wai of about $770 million. No net additional expenditures on highways would be required for Phase 2 development because of the level of expenditures incurred in Phase 1.
32
In order to cope with an ultimate population of 535, 000 persons at Tin Shui Wai and a total North West New Territories population of some 1,020,000 persons, additional expenditure of $1,800 million on a KCR link to Tai Po would be required by the turn of the century. Without Tin Shui Wai, such expenditure could be deferred but would sooner or later be incurred. Limited expenditure only would be required on highways in the North West New Territories. Overall, the injection of development at Tin Shui Wai would require road and public transport programmes to be advanced by up to 5 years. However, there would be net additional transportation costs attributable to Tin Shui Wai totalling approximately $1,370 million within a 20 year time frame.
33
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The above assessments make allowance for modest growth only in road-based traffic between Hong Kong and China. In this connection, it is seen that restraints will in due course arise in the Sha Tin Tai Po Lo Wu corridor. This means that improved connections in a western corridor could well be required, particularly given the need to provide better alternative access to the Kwai Chung container terminal and possibly both an airport on North Lantau and new port facilities at Tuen Mun. Indeed, it may well be found that capacity
G.S. 166