XN000022-1984-12-19 — Page 22

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1984

+BECAUSE SO FAR ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF SCHOOLS HAVE ACTUALLY ADOPTED PUTONGHUA AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, WE HAVE PROVIDED TRAINING TO TEACHERS MAINLY THROUGH IN-SERVICE COURSES.

+SUCH COURSES ARE RUN BY THE ADULT EDUCATION SECTION, THE ADVISORY INSPECTORATE AND THE INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION. THEY HAVE MET THE NEEDS OF THE TEACHERS IN THE PILOT SCHEME SCHOOLS AND WILL CONTINUE TO CATER FOR OTHER INTERESTED TEACHERS, HE SAID.

+

REFERRING TO THE PILOT SCHEME CONDUCTED IN SCHOOLS SINCE 1981, MR LEUNG SAID STAGE I INVOLVING 42 PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAD BEEN COMPLETED THIS SUMMER, AND PUTONGHUA HAD BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PRIMARY CURRICULUM AS AN OPTIONAL SUBJECT.

STAGE 1 INVOLVING 51 SECONDARY SCHOOLS BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR AND WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1987.

HEAVY DEMAND FOR MTR

* * * *

THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY, AS WITH ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORT, WAS SUBJECT TO VERY HEAVY DEMAND DURING THE PEAK HOURS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT SAID TODAY.

THE STATIONS ALONG THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR WERE THE BUSIEST WITH PEAK DEMAND BETWEEN 8.15 AM AND 8.45 AM ON WEEKDAYS, HE SAID.

THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE, AT MAXIMUM, TRAIN SERVICES COMPOSED OF 8-CAR TRAINS RUNNING AT TWO-MINUTES FREQUENCIES. THIS LEVEL OF SERVICE PROVIDED AN HOURLY CAPACITY FOR 75 000 PASSENGERS IN ONE DIRECTION, WITHIN THESE DESIGNED CAPACITY LIMITS, TRAIN SERVICES WERE PROVIDED TO MATCH PASSENGER DEMAND, HE SAID.

MR SCOTT WAS REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON PAULINE NG AS TO WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WAS AWARE OF THE SERIOUS OVERCROWDING WHICH OCCURRED ON MTR TRAINS DURING PEAK HOURS AND WHETHER THE MTRC COULD BE ASKED TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY AND CARRYING CAPACITY OF TRAINS DURING PEAK PERIODS.

MTR TRAINS WERE CROWDED DURING THE RUSH HOURS, BUT THE NUMBERS ACTUALLY CARRIED WERE WELL WITHIN THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE TRAINS.

FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE TSUEN WAN LINE BETWEEN ARGYLE AND JORDAN STATIONS IN NOVEMBER 1984 THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED BETWEEN 8.15 AM AND 9.15 AM WAS 47 880, 28 728 OF THESE TRAVELLED IN THE +PEAK OF THE PEAK HALF AN HOUR FROM 8.15 AM TO 8.45 AM.

THE CORPORATION WAS AWARE OF THE RELUCTANCE OF SOME PASSENGERS TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRE OF CARRIAGES, WHICH WOULD EASE THE SITUATION. BY MAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS, TRAIN DRIVERS REGULARLY REQUESTED PASSENGERS TO CO-OPERATE IN THIS RESPECT, HE SAID.

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