. 8
The first phase of public housing development in the new town will be ready for occupation in the second half of 1997 to provide homes for 15,000 people. Community services and facilities will be available to meet the daily needs of residents. Seven bus routes will come into operation in mid-1997, linking Tung Chung with the New Territories, Kowloon and the new airport, when the first batch of residents move in.
Moreover, when completed in 1998, the Lantau Line of the Airport Railway will provide speedy access to Kowloon and Central.
Workers
Mr Lam said that more than 32,000 workers were employed on the projects, of which 26,800 were local workers and the rest imported workers.
He said that with work on the new airport and the airport railway moving ahead rapidly there will be a need for even more workers. While every effort will continue to be made to recruit local workers to fill these posts, there will be a need to import workers if there are not sufficient locals to fill the vacancies.
Mr Lam stressed that in carrying out the ACP, the Government paid close attention to safety on the ACP works sites.
"So far, our efforts in promoting safety have proven to be sound, with the accident rate on ACP sites comparably better than the construction industry as a whole," he said.
ACP Exhibition Centre
As part of its continuing effort to keep the public informed about the 10 projects, NAPCO set up an exhibition centre on the Airport Core Programme in January last year. Located on Castle Peak Road in Ting Kau, the centre is an ideal location from which to view the Lantau Link, Hong Kong's newest landmark.
The centre has become a popular tourist spot for both local and overseas visitors, attracting more than 480,000 people since its opening in January last year.
NAPCO also organises guided tours of the centre for primary and secondary schools and local organisations. So far 34,339 people from 240 schools and 220 community organisations have visited the centre.
End