XN000022-1986-11-26 — Page 25

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1986

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+AT THE LATEST COUNT THE MTR AND KCR WERE CARRYING 1.9 MILLION PASSENGERS EACH DAY ON AVERAGE, OR 21 PER CENT OF TOTAL PASSENGER BOARDINGS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

+IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THIS NUMBER OF PASSENGERS, MOST OF THEM TRAVELLING IN THE RELATIVELY CONGESTED URBAN AREA, BEING CARRIED BY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT SERIOUS DETERIORATION IN TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON OUR ROADS, HE SAID.

ONS

MR GREWAL POINTED OUT THAT HE ANTICIPATED SOME FURTHER EXTENSIONS OF THE RAIL NETWORK IN YEARS TO COME. ONCE POPULATIONS IN CERTAIN DEVELOPING AREAS PASS THE THRESHOLD THAT MAKES THE HEAVY INVESTMENT INVOLVED WORTHWHILE+,

HOWEVER, HE ADDED, BUSES REMAINED, AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE THE MOST HEAVILY PATRONISED FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG.

ON THE POLICY OF COORDINATING PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, MR GREWAL SAID IT WAS AIMED AT PREVENTING WASTEFUL COMPETITION BETWEEN MODES, A RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS LEVELS OF ROAD CONGESTION IN THE URBAN RAIL CORRIDORS AND UPWARD PRESSURE ON BUS FARES WHICH WOULD RESULT FROM UNNECESSARY FLEET EXPANSION INCOMMENSURATE WITH OVERALL DEMAND.

TURNING TO THE CALL BY MEMBERS FOR AN ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM TO LINK NEW TOWNS WITH THE OLD ESTABLISHED URBAN AREAS, MR GREWAL SAID THIS WAS FULLY RECOGNISED AND THE SECOND COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY WOULD LOOK AT HONG KONG'S OVERALL TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS INTO THE MID-1990'S AND BEYOND TO THE END OF THE CENTURY.

IN ADDITION, HE CONFIRMED THAT THE KCRC AND MTRC WERE AT PRESENT CONDUCTING SEPARATE STUDIES INTO THE FEASIBILITY AND VIABILITY OF AN EXTERNAL RAIL LINK TO THE NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES. THESE STUDIES WERE EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

HE SAID THAT THE DECISION TO PROCEED TO THE CONSTRUCTION STAGE WOULD ULTIMATELY DEPEND ON THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE LINE, AND THAT THIS WOULD IN TURN DEPEND ON SUCH CONSIDERATIONS AS CAPITAL COSTS, THE SPEED OF POPULATION BUILD-UP IN THE WESTERN AND NORTH-WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES, AND THE AVAILABILITY OF OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORT.

+EVEN IF A DECISION TO GO AHEAD IS MADE I WOULD NOT EXPECT A LINE TO THE NORTH-WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES TO BE OPERATING MUCH BEFORE THE EARLY TO MID-1990'S.

+ IN THE MEANTIME BUS SERVICES CONNECTING THE REGION INTO TSUEN WAN AND KOWLOON ARE CONTINUALLY BEING IMPROVED, + HE ADDED.

/ON THE