XN000022-1976-01-29 — Page 7

6 -

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1976

CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH KCR

******

THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, MR. JAMES ROBSON, AND MRS. ROBSON WILL UNVEIL A BELL, LINKED WITH HALF A CENTURY OF HONG KONG HISTORY IN THE MAIN CONCOURSE OF THE NEW HUNG HOM RAILWAY TERMINUS TOMORROW (FRIDAY).

THE ONE-TON BRONZE BELL, MADE IN 1919, WAS PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED IN THE TSIM SHA TSUI RAILWAY STATION CLOCK TOWER.

AFTER THE UNVEILING, THE BELL WILL BECOME A PERMANENT FEATURE AT THE NEW STATION. THOUGH IT WILL NO LONGER CHIME EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR, IT IS HOPED THAT IT MAY SERVE AS A FOCAL POINT WHERE PASSENGERS AND THEIR FRIENDS OR RELATIVES CAN MEET.

THE GENERAL MANAGER OF KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY, MR. REG GREGORY, SAID THE BELL WOULD BE DECORATED WITH MANDARINES FOR THE CEREMONY BY THE MIRAMAR HOTEL.

KCR IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HOTEL WILL ALSO PRESENT A VARIETY SHOW AT 3 P.M. ON MONDAY (FEBRUARY 2) IN THE MAIN TERMINUS CONCOURSE.

THE SHOW, LASTING ONE AND A HALF HOURS, CONSISTS OF CHINESE CLASSICAL FOLK DANCES, SONGS, A PUPPET SHOW AND A LION DANCE BY THE ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP OF THE HOTEL.

MR. GREGORY SAID THIS WAS ONE OF A FEW EXAMPLES OF JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT AND A PRIVATE ORGANISATION AND HE HOPED THAT THIS INITIATIVE WOULD BE FOUND SATISFYING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE 16 THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW RANGE OF POCKET-SIZE TIMETABLES WHICH WILL BE ISSUED ON WEDNESDAY (FEBRUARY 4). AT THE SAME TIME, ILLUMINATED TIMETABLE DISPLAY CASES-PROVIDED BY THE BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY AT ALL RAILWAY STATIONS WILL COME INTO OPERATION.

TO GIVE THE HUNG HOM STATION A HOLIDAY ATMOSPHERE, A LARGE NEW YEAR GREETING CARD HAS BEEN PUT UP BY THE KCR AND DECORATED WITH FLOWERS BY THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

MR. GREGORY ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT FROM FEBRUARY 4, THE FIRST DAY AFTER THE HOLIDAYS, THERE WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL TRAIN TO SERVE NEW TERRITORIES RESIDENTS COMING TO THE URBAN AREAS. IT WILL LEAVE FANLING DAILY AT 6.29 A.M. AND ARRIVE AT KOWLOON AT 9.39 A.M.