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THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1992
HK TO GET 'COST-EFFECTIVE' AIRPORT RAILWAY IN 1997
HONG KONG MUST HAVE THE AIRPORT RAILWAY IN 1997 TO RELIEVE CONGESTION IN THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR AND TO PROVIDE A FAST AND EFFICIENT RAIL LINK TO THE NEW AIRPORT, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, WHICH WILL BE BUILT BY THE MTRC IF A PROPOSED FINANCIAL PACKAGE IS APPROVED BY THE GOVERNMENT, WILL RUN BENEATH THE HARBOUR FROM CENTRAL TO KOWLOON AND WILL CROSS TO NORTH LANTAU VIA THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING.
THE AIRPORT RAILWAY WILL HAVE TWO SERVICES, THE AIRPORT EXPRESS LINE (AEL) AND THE LANTAU LINE (LAL).
THE AEL WILL BE A HIGH-SPEED AIRPORT RAIL LINK, WITH STATIONS AT CENTRAL, WEST KOWLOON, TSING YI, AND CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT.
THE LAL WILL BE A DOMESTIC SERVICE WITH A HIGHER PASSENGER CAPACITY, WITH STATIONS AT CENTRAL, WEST KOWLOON, TAI KOK TSUI, LAI KING, TSING YI, AND TUNG CHUNG.
THE TWO SERVICES WILL RUN ON MAINLY COMMON TRACKS BETWEEN CENTRAL AND TAI HO WAN ON NORTH LANTAU, DIVERGING THEREAFTER TO CHEK LAP KOK AND TUNG CHUNG,
MR LEUNG POINTED OUT THAT BOTH SERVICES WERE NEEDED IN 1997.
THE
LAL WAS DESIGNED TO RELIEVE CONGESTION IN THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR TSIM SHA TSUI TO MONG KOK STATIONS OF THE EXISTING MTR TSUEN WAN LINE, WHICH IS NOW OPERATING CLOSE TO THE ACCEPTABLE LIMIT OF 75,000 DURING MORNING PEAK HOUR, BEYOND WHICH SAFETY COULD BE COMPROMISED.
"THE GOVERNMENT AND THE MTRC ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO CONTAIN CONGESTION IN THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR," MR LEUNG SAID.
FASTER
ON THE
"BUT THE ONLY LONG-TERM SOLUTION IS TO BUILD A NEW AND MTR LINE WHICH CROSSES THE HARBOUR AND RELIEVES THE PRESSURE EXISTING SYSTEM. THE LAL WILL INTERCHANGE WITH THE TSUEN WAN LINE AT LAI KING, AND ITS EIGHT-MINUTË JOURNEY TO CENTRAL, COMPARED WITH 23 MINUTES ON THE TSUEN WAN LINE, IS EXPECTED TO TAKE 147,000 PASSENGERS A DAY OFF THE TSUEN WAN LINE IN 1997," HE SAID.
MR LEUNG SAID THE AEL WOULD ALSO BE NERDED BY 1997, IN TIME FOR
THE OPENING OF THE NEW AIRPORT.
IT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A FAST AND EFFICIENT RAIL LINK TO THE NEW AIRPORT, AND ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUNDS IS PREFERABLE TO RELYING ENTIRELY ON ALTERNATIVE ROAD-BASED TRANSPORT MEANS.
MR LEUNG DISMISSED SUGGESTIONS THAT EXPENDITURE COULD BE REDUCED ON THE HK$22.16 BILLION RAILWAY BY EITHER PARTIALLY OR WHOLLY DEFERRING IT.
/"VARIOUS IDEAS