THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME
Lantau Link was opened to traffic on May 22, and has become a new landmark for Hong Kong. The North Lantau Expressway is a 12.5-kilometre highway along the northern coast of Lantau, joining the Lantau Link to Tung Chung new town and the new airport. It also opened to traffic on May 22.
Airport Railway
The AR will provide an efficient passenger link to the new airport, and will also offer much-needed relief to the existing MTR Nathan Road corridor. It will provide two separate services, operating mainly on the same track but with different platforms. The Airport Express service will link Central to the new airport, with stops at Kowloon and Tsing Yi; and the Tung Chung Line domestic service will link Central to Tung Chung, with stops at Kowloon, Tai Kok Tsui (Olympic Station), Lai King and Tsing Yi. Check-in facilities will be available at the Hong Kong and Kowloon stations for the Airport Express service.
In February, the AR Rambler Channel Bridge was structurally completed. In November, breakthrough was achieved at the Central Subway, joining the AR Hong Kong Station with the existing MTR Central Station. Meanwhile, system-wide installation as well as electrical and mechanical works continued in full swing. Delivery of rolling stock commenced with the first Tung Chung Line train and Airport Express train shipped to Hong Kong in January and September respectively. Test runs proceeded immediately afterwards and progressed well. Track-laying and energisation of overhead lines were substantially complete.
Formation of Land
In all, 1 669 hectares of land have been created: 1 248 hectares for the new airport platform; 67 hectares for Phase I of Tung Chung new town; 334 hectares for West Kowloon Reclamation; and 20 hectares for Central Reclamation Phase I.
Tung Chung new town, which is planned to house 320 000 people by 2011, will ultimately occupy two valleys at Tung Chung and Tai Ho at Lantau, plus a coastal strip of reclamation in between. Besides providing support services for the new airport, it will accommodate commercial and industrial developments and serve as an impressive gateway to Hong Kong for visitors. Housing is a mixture of private and public rental and home ownership scheme. Population intake has commenced since July after completion of the Phase I work in the second quarter of 1997.
The West Kowloon Reclamation will provide housing for more than 100 000 people, commercial space and vital road and rail arteries linking Kowloon with the new airport and north-west New Territories. The reclamation was substantially complete in 1997. Phase I of the Central Reclamation will provide opportunities for the development of Hong Kong's central business district, plus a site for the AR's terminus on Hong Kong Island. The project (excluding works entrusted to the AR Hong Kong Station Contract) was substantially complete by end-1996, ahead of the target completion date of mid-1997.
Project Management and Cost Control
The Airport Development Steering Committee (ADSCOM), which is chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration and comprises the Financial Secretary and Bureau Secretaries concerned, has the overall responsibility of overseeing, directing and co-
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