XN000022-1973-04-18 — Page 3

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Wednesday, April 18, 1973

In the meantime, detailed planning on double-tracking the section

between the new Hung Hom terminus and Sha Tin is well in hand.

The progressive transfer of The Chinese University and the gradual

development of the Sha Tin new town have been taken into account.

"Furthermore," Mr. Lam pointed out, "once the second race course in

Sha Tin is functioning, the number of people travelling by rail is bound to

increase tremendously.

"When the double-track project between Hung Hom and Sha Tin is

completed by mid-1976, it will give an added daily capacity of 16,000 passengers

in each direction and thus relieve greatly the present congestion in passenger

trains."

Passengers

At present, the trains carry some 25,000 passengers daily on weekdays

and up to 63,000 on Sundays and public holidays.

Statistics show that the number of passengers carried by K.C.R. had

almost doubled in the past ten years

over 11 million in 1971-72.

from seven million in 1962-63 to

Mr. Lam also disclosed that tenders for 40 new passenger carriages

have been awarded to a Japanese firm.

These carriages will be delivered early next year.

"Twenty-eight such carriages will replace part of the old rolling

stock while the other 12 will be used to lengthen the existing trains or to

form an additional train set," Mr. Lam explained.

In addition