XN000022-1981-08-18 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1981

BY THE END OF AUGUST, THE KCR WOULD BEGIN TRIAL RUNNING AND DRIVER TRAINING WITH THE NEW ELECTRIC TRAINS OVER THE FIRST ENERGISED SECTION BETWEEN THE MAINTENANCE DEPOT AT RACECOURSE AND THE FEEDER STATION AT TAI WAL.

THE NEW TRAINS WOULD COMMAND PUBLIC APPROVAL AND OFFER IMMEASURABLY IMPROVED STANDARDS OF COMFORT, HE SAID.

+THE RAILWAY, BEING ELECTRIFIED AT 25 000 VOLTS, A STANDARD NOW GENERALLY APPLICABLE ON ALL MODERN SURFACE RAILWAYS, IS ENTIRELY SAFE, BUT DOES HAVE INHERENT DANGERS IF PEOPLE BEHAVE FOOLISHLY, + MR HOWES SAID.

+QUITE APART FROM THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN, THE RAILWAY HAS BEEN PHYSICALLY FENCED FROM END TO END.+

COMMENTING ON THE SPEED OF THE NEW SERVICE, HE SAID THAT A TRIP BETWEEN KOWLOON AND SHA TIN, CALLING AT MONG KOK AND THE NEW INTERCHANGE STATION WITH THE MTR AT KOWLOON TONG, WOULD TAKE ONLY 12 MINUTES.

+A JOURNEY FROM KOWLOON TO LO WU CALLING AT ALL STATIONS WILL TAKE SOME 40 MINUTES, AGAINST AN AVERAGE AT PRESENT OF 70 MINUTES. THE TOTAL INGREDIENTS OF THE NEW RAILWAY WILL PRESENT A DRAMATIC CHANGE BOTH WITHIN THE RAILWAY AND TO THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC,+ MR HOWES SAID.

$37 MILLION AIR-CONDITIONING CONTRACT SIGNED

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TWO CONTRACTS WORTH A TOTAL OF $37 MILLION WERE AWARDED BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) TO TWO HONG KONG COMPANIES FOR THE SUPPLY, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF ROOM AIR-CONDITIONERS AND DEHUMIDIFIERS.

UNDER THE CONTRACTS, MORE THAN 10 000 UNITS OF ROOM AIR-CONDITIONERS AND DEHUMIDIFIERS WILL BE SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED BY SHUN HING ELECTRIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING CO. AND CHINA COLD STORAGE AND ENGINEERING CO. THE COMPANIES WILL MAINTAIN THE UNITS FOR FIVE YEARS.

THE CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED THIS MORNING BY MR G.J. OSBORNE, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEER MR W.K. LAM OF SHUN HING ELECTRIC AND MR JAMES M.H. WU OF CHINA COLD STORAGE.

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