COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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The modified initial system will have more than eight kilometres of bored tunnel, 3.5 kilometres of cut and covered tunnel, more than 2.4 kilometres of track above ground and a 1.6-kilometre tunnel across Victoria Harbour. There will be 12 under- ground stations and three above ground.
During the year, areas of land required for the construction of the railway were progressively made available to the contractors on completion of further resumptions and clearances. At the same time, major traffic diversions were effected to enable contractors to occupy the work sites when required.
As construction gathered momentum, more than 300 statutory notices were issued for the temporary removal of canopies, signboards and other projections from build- ings which were affected by the works. Close liaison was constantly maintained between the Mass Transit Railway Corporation and the government departments concerned, and particular attention was paid to the co-ordination of statutory action and public relations exercises with the progress of design and construction and also to ensuring that inconvenience to the public was kept to the minimum.
A scheme for advance payments of compensation for loss of business caused by the construction of the railway was instituted after being approved by the Executive Council. The scheme is designed to alleviate hardship for the smaller type of business operators occupying premises having a rateable value of less than $250,000.
Kowloon-Canton Railway
Work on modernising and expanding the Kowloon-Canton Railway continued during the year following the opening of the new $150-million railway terminus at Hung Hom in November 1975. The 34-kilometre railway runs from Kowloon to the Lo Wu border with China and it is owned by the Hong Kong Government. It serves people travelling to and from areas along its route through Kowloon and the New Territories and it also carries passengers and freight to and from China. Passengers for China change trains at the border.
In 1976 the railway operated 20 passenger trains and up to eight freight trains a day each way, apart from a short break following a tropical storm in August. The storm damaged the railway bridge over the Shing Mun River to such an extent that it had to be demolished and rebuilt. Services were quickly resumed on either side of the bridge and a shuttle bus service was used to carry passengers from one train to another. The bridge, which was damaged on August 25, was completely rebuilt and back in use on October 11.
To enable the railway to cope with the increasing volume of traffic, the busiest section of the line is to be double-tracked. The stretch from Hung Hom to Sha Tin is being dealt with first. At the same time, existing semaphore signals are being replaced by more efficient coloured light signalling and rails are being welded into continuous lengths to provide smoother and quieter journeys and to enable the use of machines for track maintenance.
Installation of air-conditioning in four first class coaches was commenced during the year. If results show that there is sufficient demand, more coaches will be air- conditioned.