XN000022-1987-04-01 — Page 24

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1987

+WORK HAS ALSO STARTED ON THE ROUTE 5 TUNNEL LINKING SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN, THE TUNNEL BETWEEN JUNK BAY AND THE URBAN AREA, THE UPGRADING OF THE CONNAUGHT ROAD AND THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING.

+AND MORE LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS ARE BEING PLANNED, SUCH AS THE TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL AND THE KWUN TONG BYPASS AND, FURTHER INTO FUTURE ROUTE X, TO LINK THE NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES AND THE URBAN AREA IN THE MID TO LATE 1990'S.

+THERE IS ALSO THE COMPUTERISED AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM, OPERATING AT PRESENT OVER MUCH OF KOWLOON AND PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND SHORTLY TO BE EXTENDED TO COVER THE WHOLE NORTH SHORE OF THE ISLAND, +

MR LEUNG SAID THAT WHEN RESULTS OF THE SECOND COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY (CTS-2) BECAME AVAILABLE TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO DECIDE ON TRANSPORT LINKS TO THE WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES DURING 1988.

THE STUDY WAS STARTED LAST NOVEMBER WITH AN AIM TO PRODUCE RECOMMENDATIONS ON TRANSPORT POLICIES AND A PROGRAMME FOR THE PROVISION OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH TO THE YEAR 2001.

+DURING THE COURSE OF ITS WORK, THE STUDY TEAM WILL BE ASSESSING THE VARIOUS OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR EXPANSION OF OUR FIXED RAIL NETWORK, AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO WHAT LINES SHOULD BE BUILT AND WHEN, HE SAID.

MR LEUNG SAID THE KCRC AND THE MTRC WERE ALSO CONSIDER ING THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIXED RAIL LINK TO EITHER TUEN MUN OR YUEN LONG.

WHILE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE KCRC REPORT, AND OTHER WORK DONE IN THIS FIELD BY AGENCIES SUCH AS THE GOVERNMENT AND THE MTRC, THE STUDY TEAM WOULD ALSO EXAMINE VARIOUS OPTIONS IN TERMS OF THEIR ECONOMIC AND OTHER BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, AS WELL AS THE IR FINANCIAL VIABILITY, HE ADDED.

ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT TOOK GREAT PAINS TO ENSURE THAT THEY WERE KEPT TO REASONABLE LEVELS. THIS PROCESS INVOLVED CLOSE SCRUTINY OF THE FIVE-YEAR PLANS OF FRANCHISED COMPANIES, TO ENSURE THAT THE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT PROPOSED MATCHED TRANSPORT NEEDS.

+

MR LEUNG ASSURED MEMBERS THAT FARE INCREASES WERE ONLY AGREED TO AFTER THE MOST CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. AND WERE KEPT TO THE MINIMUM NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE VIABILITY OF THE COMPANY CONCERNED WITHIN THE TERMS OF ITS SCHEME OF CONTROL WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ENSURING AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF SERVICE.

/ON FISCAL