XN000022-1986-07-30 — Page 21

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1986

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BODY TO MONITOR LRT SERVICES ADVOCATED

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THERE WAS A GENUINE NEED FOR A BODY TO BE SET UP TO MONITOR THE SERVICES OF THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT (LRT) FROM THE CONSUMER POINT OF VIEW, THE HON LAU WONG-FAT SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING DURING THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CORPORATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1986, MR LAU PROPOSED THAT THE TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG DISTRICT BOARDS SHOULD TAKE ON THIS MONITORING ROLE.

HE SAID AGREEMENT HAD ALREADY BEEN REACHED BY THE TWO DISTRICT BOARDS TOWARDS SETTING UP AN ORGANISATION WHICH WOULD OPERATE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE BOARDS JOINTLY WITH A VIEW TO EFFECTIVELY MONITORING LRT SERVICES AND FARES.

+1 WOULD LIKE TO BE ASSURED THAT THIS BODY, WHEN SET UP, WILL BE POSITIVELY SUPPORTED BY THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CORPORATION (KCRC) AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED, HE SAID.

AS REGARDS THE FUTURE TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENT WITHIN THE TRANSIT SERVICE AREA (TSA), MR LAU SAID HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE LRT WOULD PROVIDE A SUPERIOR LEVEL OF SERVICE TO RESIDENTS.

HOWEVER, HE SAID HE WAS CONCERNED THAT THERE WERE STILL SOME REMOTE AREAS WHICH WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE LRT.

MR LAU SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE KCRC SHOULD PROVIDE ADEQUATE FEEDER SERVICE TO THESE AREAS BUT IT SHOULD EVENTUALLY EXTEND THE LRT TO THESE VERY IMPORTANT CENTRES OF POPULATION.

TURNING TO THE OPERATION OF TRANSPORT SERVICES IN THE TSA, MR LAU SAID THE SYSTEM CARRIED WITH IT MANY ADVANTAGES.

HOWEVER, HE SAID THE KCRC SHOULD BE GIVEN A SPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME TO OPERATE THE TSA, AND THAT THE PERIOD SHOULD NOT BE TOO SHORT, BEARING IN MIND THAT THE LRT WAS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.

+I WILL, THEREFORE, MOVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE BILL, AT COMMITTEE STAGE, THAT THE KCRC BE GIVEN A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS TO OPERATE THE TSA, HE SAID.

LASTLY, MR LAU URGED THAT AN LRT LINK TO TSUEN WAN BE CONSTRUCTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

+ WITH THE RAPID GROWTH OF POPULATION IN TUEN MUN, PRESSURE IS BUILDING UP ON THE TRANSPORT SERVICES BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND THE METROPOLITAN AREA, HE SAID.

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