WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 1982
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NEW TRUNK ROAD TO LINK NEW TOWNS
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THE NEW TOWNS OF TAI PO AND FANLING/SHEK WU HUT WILL BE LINKED TO SHA TIN IN THE SOUTH AND YUEN LONG IN THE WEST BY A SIX-LANE TRUNK ROAD, PART OF THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD.
THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON, SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY IN REPLY TO THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, WHO ASKED ABOUT THE PLANNING AND PROVISION OF TRANSPORT FACILITIES IN THE TWO AREAS IN VIEW OF THE PROJECTED POPULATION GROWTH.
MR MACPHERSON SAID WORK ON THE SECTION BETWEEN SHA TIN AND TAI PO HAD ALREADY BEGUN AND WORK ON THE REMAINING SECTION WOULD START LATER THIS YEAR.
+THE WHOLE ROAD IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 1984. THE TRUNK ROAD IS COMPLEMENTED BY A SERIES OF SECONDARY DISTRIBUTOR ROADS IN THE AREA.
TOUCHING ON ELECTRIC TRAIN SERVICES, HE SAID WORK ON THE DOUBLE-TRACKING AND ELECTRIFICATION OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WAS CONTINUING.
HE EXPECTED THAT ELECTRIFIED TRAIN SERVICES WOULD BE EXTENDED TO TAI PO IN SPRING 1983 AND TO FANLING/SHEK WU HUI A FEW MONTHS LATER.
→TRAIN FREQUENCIES WILL BE FOUR PER HOUR OFF PEAK AND EIGHT PER HOUR DURING BUSY PERIODS. THE TRAINS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE SOME 20 000 PEOPLE PER HOUR AND CAPACITY CAN BE INCREASED TO DOUBLE THIS.
+THE RAILWAY WILL OPERATE FOR 16 HOURS A DAY, THAT IS, 320 000 PEOPLE CAN MAKE USE OF THE SERVICES EACH DAY.+
MR MACPHERSON SAID THAT NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PLANS MADE PROVISION FOR ROADS, BUS TERMINI AND DEPOTS TO ALLOW FOR THE EFFICIENT OPERATION OF PUBLIC BUS SERVICES.
THE PROPOSALS REGARDING BUS ROUTES IN THE AREAS WERE CONTAINED IN THE ROUTE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME WHICH THE DISTRICT BOARDS WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE 59 DOUBLE-DECK AND 34 SINGLE-DECK BUSES OPERATING IN THE EXISTING 11 ROUTES SERVING THESE AREAS. THE LATTER WERE BEING REPLACED BY DOUBLE-DECKERS AND THE FREQUENCIES WERE BEING INCREASED.
FIFTY-SIX ADDITIONAL DOUBLE-DECKERS WOULD BE ALLOCATED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THIS YEAR, A FURTHER 15 IN 1983 AND 13 IN 1984.
A PROGRAMME TO PROVIDE SHELTERS AT BUS STOPS, BOTH EXISTING AND PLANNED, HAD BEEN AGREED ON, HE SAID.
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