XN000022-1978-07-22 — Page 2

SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1978

KCR MODERNISES RAIL TRACK *****

THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY IS MODERNISING ITS TRACK FOR QUIETER AND MORE COMFORTABLE RIDE AND IN PREPARATION FOR THE RAIL AY'S ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMME.

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THE KCR'S PERMANENT WAY ENGINEER, MR. MICHAEL ELVY, SAID THE TRACK SECTION ALONG THE MAIN LINE BETWEEN MONG KOK STATION AND THE SITE OF THE FUTURE KOWLOON TONG STATION -- AN INTERCHANGE WITH THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY HAS ALREADY BEEN MODERNISED AND WILL BE BROUGHT INTO USE ON TUESDAY (JULY 25).

THE TRACK IMPROVEMENT WORK WAS CARRIED OUT AFTER DOUBLE TRACKING WAS COMPLETED ALONG THIS SECTION ENABLING TRAINS TO BE DIVERTED WHILE WORK WAS IN PROGRESS.

+ IMPROVEMENT WORK ON THE REMAINING TRACK, BEING CARRIED OUT SECTION BY SECTION, IS WELL UNDERWAY AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE WHOLE LENGTH WILL BE MODERNISED BY THE END OF 1980, MR. EL VY SAID.

+BY THAT TIME. THE DOUBLE TRACKING OF THE ENTIRE RAILWAY IS ALSO EXPECTED TO HAVE BEEN COMPLETED,+ HE ADDED.

+ THE RESULT OF THE IMPROVEMENT WORK WILL MEAN A REDUCED MAINTENANCE OF THE TRACK, HIGHER SPEEDS FOR, TRAINS FROM 45 M.P.H. TO 75 M.P.H. AND A QUIETER AND MORE COMFORTABLE RIDE FOR PASSENGERS,+ MR. ELVY SAID.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE IMPROVEMENT WORK INVOLVES THE USE OF HEAVIER RAIL SECTION TO COPE WITH THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN TRAFFIC, THE REPLACEMENT OF TIMBER SLEEPERS BY HEAVIER AND MORE DURABLE CONCRETE SLEEPERS, THE USE OF IMPROVED CLIPS TO FASTEN RAIL MORE FIRMLY ON SLEEPERS AND THE WELDING OF RAIL JOINTS TO PROVIDE A STRONGER TRACK.

IN ADDITION, HE SAID, THE ALIGNMENTS OF TRACK AT CURVES ARE BEING IMPROVED AND THE CANT HAS BEEN INCREASED TO ALLOW FOR GREATER TRAIN SPEEDS.

MR. ELVY SAID THE COST OF THE TRACK IMPROVEMENT WORK IS ESTIMATED AT $1 MILLION FOR EACH KILOMETRE AND IT IS JUSTIFIABLE BECAUSE THIS IS A LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENT OF THE WHOLE RAILWAY.

HE SAID IMPROVEMENT WORK ON THE WHOLE TRACK WAS PLANNED BEFORE THE ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMME WAS PROPOSED.

+NOW WITH THE ELECTRIFICATION OF TRAIN SERVICE PLANNED FOR COMPLETION BY MID-1981, THE WORK HAS TO BE CARRIED OUT FASTER BECAUSE THE IMPROVED TRACK IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCH TRAIN SERVICE, HE SAID.

HOWEVER, MR. ELVY WARNED THAT WITH QUIETER AND MORE FREQUENT TRAINS AND HIGHER TRAIN SPEEDS THE PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE MORE CARE WHEN CROSSING THE RAIL, AND NOT TO USE THE TRACK AS A PUBLIC THOROUGHFARE.

/HE POINTED