XN000022-1980-04-23 — Page 6

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 1980

MR STEAD, ACCOMPANIED BY MR WONG MANG-KI, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT CIVIL ENGINEER AND OTHER PWD ENGINEERS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT THEN PROCEEDED TO THE ROCK FACE WHERE HE WAS MET BY MR M. AOK! VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE MAIN CONTRACTOR, AOKI CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LIMITED, WHO EMERGED FROM THE NORTH PILOT TUNNEL.

THEY SHOOK HANDS AND EXCHANGED BOTTLES OF SAKE TO MARK THE SUCCESSFUL JOINING OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE TUNNEL.

WORK ON THE NEW RAILWAY TUNNEL, WHICH FORMS PART OF THE ELECTRIFICATION AND MODERNISATION SCHEME OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY, STARTED IN EARLY 1978, USING CONVENTIONAL DRILL AND BLAST TECHNIQUES.

TO DATE. SOME 150 TONNES OF EXPLOSIVES HAVE BEEN USED TO REMOVE OVER 330 000 TONNES OF ROCK FROM THE BOWELS OF BEACON HILL.

THE EXCAVATED ROCK IS CRUSHED ON SITE AND USED FOR THE PERMANENT LINING OF THE TUNNEL.

THE LINING WILL TAKE ANOTHER SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE WHILE THE RAILWAY TRACK IN THE TUNNEL IS EXPECTED TO BE LAID BY THE SPRING OF NEXT YEAR.

ON COMPLETION EARLY NEXT YEAR, THE DOUBLE TRACK TUNNEL WILL BE ABOUT SEVEN METRES HIGH AND JUST OVER 10 METRES WIDE.

IT WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING SINGLE TRACK TUNNEL, WHICH HAS BEEN IN USE SINCE 1910.

MEANWHILE, WORK ON THE SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN APPROACHES TO THE TUNNEL IS UNDERWAY.

AT THE SOUTHERN END, TEMPORARY TRACKS HAVE BEEN LAID TO FACILITATE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE KCR AND MTR INTERCHANGE STATION AT KOWLOON TONG, THE CONTRACT FOR WHICH WILL BE LET NEXT WEEK.

ON THE NORTHERN SIDE, WORK IS PROGRESSING SMOOTHLY ON THE LAYING OF SOME 1 500 METRES OF RAILWAY TRACK AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW 20-METRE RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER NULLAH ROAD NEAR THE NORTH PORTAL OF THE TUNNEL.

THE WORK, FORMING THE FINAL PHASE OF THE KCR DOUBLE TRACKING BETWEEN HUNG HOM AND SHA TIN, IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR.

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