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facilitate decentralisation from overcrowded Hong Kong, open up a wider area for high class residential development, enable work people to get more easily or quickly to their jobs, or whether it would supersede the ferries and give access to open spaces, etc. The problem of engineering and of cost are also not yet solved.
59. From a general planning point of view the more intimate connection formed by a bridge or a tunnel must be considered of great advantage in a situation of this sort and with urban areas of the order of one million inhabitants separated by a stretch of water less than a mile wide.
60. The case of Liverpool and Birkenhead naturally comes to mind, although there is a greater volume of shipping and more through traffic there; but it will be remembered that Liverpool after having for many years a railway tunnel (subsequently electrified), more recently added a road tunnel and has continued with the ferries and docking facilities.
61. The engineering problems require to be further investigated and the cost brought into relation to the economic position of the Colony : but sooner or later the Tunnel must be constructed.
There
62. The following are some of the planning considerations. must be facilities for pedestrians as well as motor cars (these are not provided in the Liverpool Tunnel). There should also be electric trains, either on a narrow gauge, like the London Tubes, giving direct access to the general station at Kowloon in its new location; or, if the main line were electrified, it might be possible to run trains direct from the New Territories into Hong Kong, with great advantage for (a) farm and fishing produce, (b) for recreation from the crowded urban centres.
63. The exits will require most careful planning, with escalators as well as a sloping ramp for cars: this will form the real gateway to Hong Kong. On the Kowloon side it will be desirable to plan a triple entrance (a) for passengers at Tsim Sha Tsui (b) for the Kowloon Docks (e) for the underground connection to the new railway station at Yau Ma Ti.
64. The Tunnel will be something much more than an underground traffic link. It will be a symbol of the unity of interests of the Colony: it is impossible to predict all the effects which it may have, but provided strong planning control both in use of land and in direction of traffic is exercised, it is difficult to see in what way it can be other than beneficial.
8. RAILWAY.
65. The railway proposals are drastic but can be carried out with a minimum of destruction of property: more detailed investigation of levels will of course be required, especially in connection with the goods rail to the Kowloon wharves.
66. The main suggestions are as follows: the elimination of the line from Kau Lung Tong, south of the railway tunnel, to the main station at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula. The use to which the abandoned line can
be put has already been mentioned.
67. The line will fork just south of the railway tunnel, the western arm being carried across Nathan Road, on the angle of Nullah Road, and along the reclaimed front of the Yau Ma Ti Typhoon harbour as far as Public Square Street. Here the new main station will be located at something less than ten feet above street level. A station here would be as convenient as at
(1) Which can also take a main line railway.
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the tip of Kowloon, provided it were connected by rail through the Tunnel with the centre of Hong Kong. It would also require ultimately a direct connection with Jordan Road and Nathan Road. It would add very much to simplified operation if the main line itself were electrified (with Diesel electric motors) from the New Territories or beyond. It should be possible for a goods line to be carried, parallel to the station approach line, to ground level for the harbour; this would keep the goods lines to the west of the main part of Kowloon.
68. The eastern line of the fork would cross the vacant space in the "Garden City" at Suffolk Road over Waterloo Road, cross north of the existing Kai Tak aerodrome (the possible future satellite) and swing south- east along the proposed reclaimed west front of Kowloon Bay, thus linking up the whole of this important industrial and dock frontage and the oil tank area. Here too there would be space for a marshalling yard over a mile long, which could serve the whole of industrial Kowloon."
69. It is needless to say that these large-scale proposals would require not only minute study in themselves, from the angle of railway operations, but also in relation to urban development. But there is now a chance of these combined operations being successfully planned from the start: and there is no doubt that they are all feasible.
9. REMOVAL OF THE SERVICES. (1)
70. The most discussed proposal in the Colony is the removal of the Naval and Military quarters from the centre of Hong Kong: the removal from Kowloon, though less urgent, would follow on a new location being found for those located in Hong Kong. It was somewhat surprising to find that there was less difference of opinion between the Civil and Service views, than might have been expected. Naturally the Services were only prepared to move to quarters which would prove equally or more serviceable. It was agreed that these could be found and the only outstanding question was that of finance: a balance sheet could not be prepared at this stage. There is no doubt that the value of the central Service land is very high, but not all of it could realise its full market value (2) as a considerable amount would be required for public purposes. The cost of reinstatement of the Services on a new site would presumably be met, in part at least, from Imperial sources.
71. The removal of the Services from the block of land on either side of Queen's Road in the centre of Hong Kong is absolutely essential to the continued prosperity of the Colony. The central administration and business area would be almost doubled in size; and although some faint hopes were expressed that a tunnel might create a business extension in Kowloon, all planning experience is against such a possibility.
72. By a fortunate chance the Naval and Military Services in consider- ing the possibility of an alternative location, had both hit upon the same neighbourhood: this would greatly help in the provision of necessary access, housing and ancillary works. There was, however, this important difference:
the Naval removal would have to be a single operation, whereas the Military one could be done in stages. Both services welcomed the ampler space which a new site could provide.
73. The position selected is in the neighbourhood of Tai Tam Bay. Very tentative plans have been prepared, but sufficient to show that the area is suitable from the essential points of view.
(1) See also para. 29.
(2) The Oakley valuation would of course require revising today.
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