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ENTER THE MTR
tions. Heavily decomposed granite, solid rock, reclaimed land - all called for specialised technology. In many cases, Hong Kong's high water table necessitated tunnelling inside a cocoon of compressed air. Although a design solution for the system was produced by the corporation's lead engineering consultants, with the corporation itself responsible for supervising construction of the project, each tenderer was free to submit his own designs, subject to specifications. Because of the varied geological conditions and the fact that the civil engineering expertise came from many countries, nearly every form of construction was employed.
On the Tsuen Wan extension, all contracts
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civil, electrical, and mechanical were let at a fixed price in Hong Kong dollars and within given estimates. About half of the Tsuen Wan extension line is being constructed in similar ground conditions to those of the MIS, while the rest is through rock. When completed, the line will link a further 10 stations to the system: one station at ground level, six underground, and three overhead.
How it Began
The development of Hong Kong's mass transit railway system was preceded and attended by a great deal of study and government debate. The recommendation for such a system was first made in 1967 following a government-commissioned study by engineering consultants. The consultants' brief was to consider every aspect of Hong Kong's trans portation problems and to evolve the best solution consistent with the territory's future development. They recommended a high-capacity mass transit service in the main travel corridors, in combination with a complete surface network of public service vehicles. The study was prompted by what had become a perennial nexus: Hong Kong's un- relenting growth and the peoples' need for more and better public transport. At that time, the population stood at 3.8 million an increase of three million since the end of
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World War II. Today, the figure is about five million; by 1991 it is estimated that it will have reached six million based on the average annual rate of natural increase. Total daily rides on all forms of public transport during the 13 years from 1965 to 1978 increased by 80 per cent from 3.5 million to 6.3 million.
The consultants' recommendation to build a mass transit railway was also influenced by the fact that 80 per cent of Hong Kong's population, due to geographical conditions, live in heavily overcrowded land corridors surrounded by mountains and sea. Because of this, any urban road development programme to ease the problem sufficiently would have been possible only after a large-scale programme of property demolition and displacement of people.
A further study in 1970 was more definitive. This recommended a mass transit system with a total length of 52.7 kilometres, composed of four lines: three in Kowloon and one on Hong Kong Island. The government acted on the recommendation two years later when it agreed in principle to the construction of the first phase, called the initial system, with a route length of 20 kilometres.
The government then undertook large-scale surveys and ground investigations, trial tunnels and environmental studies, and developed the detail design of the railway to ensure that all aspects of the system were fully compatible with Hong Kong conditions. In 1973, the government decided to negotiate with four international consortia for the initial system to be constructed under a single contract with a ceiling price and, in 1974, a Letter of Intent was signed by a Japanese consortium. However, in January, 1975, the Japanese withdrew. Within a matter of weeks, the Mass Transit Railway Provisional Authority a government body - announced plans for the modified initial system. The
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