XN000022-1979-09-17 — Page 4

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1979

HK PUBLIC TRANSPORT SITUATION POISED

FOR MASSIVE TRANSFORMATION

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THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SITUATION IN HONG KONG WILL UNDERGO A TREMENDOUS TRANSFORMATION WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO AN EXTENT THAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A +QUANTUM JUMP+, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, MR. DEREK JONES SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

*THE RESULTS OF OVER TEN YEARS OF PLANNING AND ENDEAVOUR WILL BEGIN TO COME TO FRUITION AND THEY WILL BE LITTLE SHORT OF REVOLUTIONARY,+ MR. JONES TOLD DELEGATES ATTENDING THE 36TH AUSTRALIAN ROAD TRANSPORT FEDERATION CONVENTION WHICH IS BEING HELD AT THE SHERATON HOTEL.

OUTLINING GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO UPGRADE AND IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, MR. JONES SAID THE MAIN INSTRUMENT WOULD BE THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY, THE FIRST STAGE OF WHICH WOULD BE OPEN ON OCTOBER 1.

+THE WHOLE OF THE FIRST LINE WILL BE OPEN BY FEBRUARY NEXT YEAR AND, WITHIN A YEAR OR TWO, WE HOPE THAT IT WILL BE MOVING UP TO A MILLION PASSENGERS A DAY,+ MR. JONES SAID.

+THE EXTENSION LINE IN WEST KOWLOON TO THE NEW TOWN OF TSUEN WAN SHOULD BE OPEN TOWARDS THE END OF 1982, BY WHICH TIME THE WHOLE SYSTEM SHOULD BE MOVING UP TO 1 800 000 PASSENGERS A DAY, HE ADDED.

IN ADDITION, MR. JONES SAID, THE PRIVATELY OWNED BUS COMPANIES HAVE AMBITIOUS PLANS TO EXPAND THEIR FLEETS AND IMPROVE THEIR SERVICES. DETAILED STUDIES ARE ALSO BEING UNDERTAKEN ON THE POSSIBILITY OF REPLACING THE EXISTING OLD FASHIONED TRAM SYSTEM WITH A NEW MODERN LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM WITH A SEGREGATED RIGHT OF WAY,

+IT WOULD LINK UP UNDERGROUND WITH THE MASS TRANS IT RAILWAY AND THUS, IN EFFECT, BECOMES AN EXTENSION OF THE M.T.R., MR. JONES SAID.

THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY IS ALSO BEING MODERNISED AND ELECTRIFIED AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF BUILDING UP THREE NEW TOWNS AND THREE OTHER TOWNSHIPS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES TO HELP SPREAD OUT THE OVERCROWDED URBAN POPULATION AND PROVIDE NEW INDUSTRIES AND AMENITIES, MR. JONES SAID.

+ALL THIS SHOULD PROVIDE HONG KONG WITH A MODERN PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK IN KEEPING WITH ITS POSITION AS A GROWING MANUFACTURING, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL CENTRE, HE ADDED.

/ON GOVERNMENT'S.....