XN000022-1975-11-25 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1975

NEW HUNG HOM-CENTRAL FERRY SERVICE STARTS ON SUNDAY

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THE STAR FERRY COMPANY HAS BEEN GRANTED A TEMPORARY LICENCE TO RUN A SCHEDULED PASSENGER FERRY SERVICE BETWEEN HUNG HOM AND EDINBURGH PLACE ON HONG KONG ISLAND, THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY.

THE SERVICE WILL START ON NOVEMBER 30 (SUNDAY) TO PROVIDE A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN CENTRAL AND HUNG HOM, WHERE TRAINS WILL OPERATE FROM THE NEW RAILWAY STATION ON THE SAME DAY, A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE NEW ROUTE, HE SAID, WILL ADD TO THE EXISTING TWO FERRY SERVICES FROM HUNG HOM TO NORTH POINT AND WAN CHAI AS PART OF AN EXTENSIVE SEA AND LAND PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK SERVING HUNG HOM.

WITH THE RAILWAY STATION MOVING TO HUNG HOM, THE SPOKESMAN SAID. IT WAS CONSIDERED NECESSARY TO HAVE A CENTRAL-HUNG HOM FERRY SERVICE IN ORDER TO ENABLE RAILWAY PASSENGERS TO CROSS DIRECT TO CENTRAL FROM HUNG HOM AS IS THE CASE NOW FROM TSIM SHA TSUI.

THE NEW SERVICE WILL OPERATE 12 HOURS A DAY ON A BASIC 15-MINUTE FREQUENCY WITH SAILINGS AS CLOSELY RELATED AS POSSIBLE TO TRAIN TIMETABLES,

THE FIRST SAILING WILL START AT 7.03 A.M. FROM CENTRAL AND 7.23 A.M. FROM HUNG HOM, WITH THE LAST FERRY LEAVING CENTRAL AT 7.03 P.M. AND LEAVING HÙNG HOM AT 7.23 P.M.

THE JOURNEY TIME WILL BE ABOUT 13 MINUTES. THREE VESSELS WILL BE USED, EACH CAPABLE OF CARRYING 560 PASSENGERS. THE FARE WILL BE A FLAT 50 CENTS.

ON HONG KONG ISLAND, THE SERVICE IS TO USE THE EAST ARM OF THE +STAR+ FERRY PIERS, WHILE AT HUNG HOM, IT WILL TERMINATE AT THE WAN CHAI ROUTE PIER OF THE HONG KONG AND YAUMATI FERRY COMPANY.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE TEMPORARY LICENCE WOULD BE ISSUED FOR AN INITIAL PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AFTER WHICH A REVIEW WOULD BE MADE OF THE SERVICE.

HE SAID THE NEW ROUTE WILL STRENGTHEN THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT FACILITIES AT HUNG HOM WHERE NEW ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE MADE TO BUS SERVICES FROM NOVEMBER 30 TO MAKE THEM MORE READILY AVAILABLE FOR RAILWAY PASSENGERS.

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