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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1975
DOUBLING THE RAILWAY LINE FROM HUNG HOM TO SHA TIN
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WORK WILL BEGIN THIS MONTH ON THE LAYING OF A SECOND RAILWAY TRACK FROM THE NEW KOWLOON RAILWAY TERMINAL AT HUNG HOM TO SHA TIN.
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY SIGNED A CONTRACT FOR THE PROJECT AT A CEREMONY AT THE P.W.D. HEADQUARTERS IN MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG.
THE $5 MILLION TRACK-LAYING PROJECT WAS DESIGNED BY THE RAILWAY DIVISION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WHICH WILL SUPERVISE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCHEME BY THE SUCCESSFUL TENDERER, THE CHUI HING CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD.
AT TODAY'S CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY, MR. S. GRUNBERG, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S RAILWAY DIVISION, SAID THE DOUBLE-TRACK ING WOULD TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO COMPLETE, BUT IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THE SECTION OF DOUBLE TRACK BETWEEN HUNG HOM AND MONG KOK COULD BE USED BY GOODS TRAINS WITHIN A YEAR.
MR. GRUNDERG SAID THE TRACK WIDENING TO SHA TIN WAS THE FIRST STAGE IN THE MAJOR PLAN TO PROVIDE DOUBLE-TRACKING AND IMPROVED RAILWAY FACILITIES ALL THE WAY TO TAI PO MARKET.
HE SAID APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE HAD NOW BEEN GIVEN TO OTHER MAJOR STAGES OF THE PROJECT, AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT PLANNING ON THEM WAS WELL ADVANCED.
THESE INCLUDED THE RE-MODELLING OF THE PRESENT STATIONS AT MONG KOK, SHA TIN, UNIVERSITY, TAI PO KAU AND TAI PO MARKET.
PLANNING WAS ALSO WELL UNDERWAY ON PROPOSALS FOR THE PROVISION OF A NEW STATION AT FO TAN, AND A NEW STATION AND BRANCH LINE FOR THE NEW HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB RACE-COURSE NEAR SHA TIN,
MR. GRUNBERG SAID THAT THE INITIAL WORK ON THE SIX KILOMETRES OF THE RAILWAY FROM HUNG HOM TO SHA TIN WOULD ALSO INVOLVE EARTH AND DRAINAGE WORKS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF RETAINING WALLS, FOUR BRIDGES AND OTHER ANCILLARY WORKS.
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THE LINE THROUGH THE BEACON HILL TUNNEL WOULD REMAIN SINGLE- TRACK, BUT THE TWIN-TRACKING OVER THE REST OF THE LINE WOULD ENABLE UP TRÁINS TO RUN ON ONE LINE AND DOWN TRAINS ON THE OTHER, CONSIDERABLY INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF THE RAILWAY.
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