XN000022-1985-11-06 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1985

ADDITIONAL STEPS TAKEN TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT STATION

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THE NEED TO TAKE CARE WHEN BOARDING OR ALIGHTING AT ALL STATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN CROWDED CONDITIONS, FORMED PART OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CORPORATION'S GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PUBLICITY AIMED AT SCHOOL CHILDREN AND PARENTS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON S.L. CHEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR MACPHERSON SAID IT HAD BEEN THE CORPORATION'S PRACTICE SINCE THE UNIVERSITY STATION OPENED IN 1983 TO MAKE FREQUENT ANNOUNCEMENTS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE. BOTH ON THE TRAINS AS THEY APPROACHED THE STATION AND ON THE PLATFORMS TO MAKE SURE THAT PASSENGERS WERE MINDFUL OF THE GAP AND TO TAKE CARE WHEN BOARDING OR ALIGHTING FROM TRAINS.

+BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS OF THE SITE, UNIVERSITY STATION IS BUILT ON A CURVE IN THE RAILWAY LINE AND THERE IS A WIDER GAP BETWEEN THE PLATFORMS AND THE TRAINS THAN AT STATIONS WHERE THE TRACKS AND PLATFORMS ARE STRAIGHT, + HE SAID.

→THE WIDTH OF THE GAP ALONG THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE PLATFORMS IS HOWEVER WITHIN INTERNATIONAL SAFETY LIMITS AND THE STATION HAS BEEN PASSED AS SAFE FOR PUBLIC USE BY THE RAILWAY INSPECTOR,+ HE ADDED.

MR MACPHERSON SAID THAT, AS A SUPPLEMENTARY MEASURE, THE CORPORATION WAS ARRANGING TO PLACE WARNING NOTICES AT STRATEGIC LOCATIONS AT THE STATION AND SPECIAL POSTERS ON TRAINS.

+IT WILL ALSO ARRANGE FOR AN ADDITIONAL SUPERVISOR TO BE ON THE PLATFORMS AT ALL TIMES, HE SAID.

+A FURTHER POSSIBILITY BEING EXAMINED IS TO HAVE SPECIAL LIGHTING UNDER THE PLATFORMS TO MAKE SURE THE GAP IS CLEARLY VISIBLE AFTER DARK, HE ADDED.

MR MACPHERSON ASSURED THE COUNCIL THAT THE KCR CORPORATION WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THERE WERE NO FURHTER ACCIDENTS.

NO PLANS YET FOR FINAL APPEALS COURT

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THERE ARE NO PLANS YET FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COURT OF FINAL APPEAL IN HONG KONG, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON MICHAEL THOMAS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

+ IT IS BOUND TO TAKE SOME TIME TO EXAMINE THE IMPLICATIONS AND TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS OPTIONS WHICH ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, MR THOMAS SAID WHEN REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG.

MR THOMAS