XN000022-1992-02-26 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1992

COST

**IN ADDITION, KORO HAS ORDERED 30 NEW VEHICLES AT A MILLION FOR DELIVERY FROM LATE 1992, THEREBY ADDING OVER 40 "ENT TO ITS EXISTING CARRYING CAPACITY.

$388

"AS A LONG-TERM SOLUTION, CONSTRUCTION OF THE LONG PING LINK BEING ACTIVELY PURSUED BY THE KCRC," HE SAID.

REGARDING COMMENTS ON LRT FARES, MR LEUNG

FARE

THIS COULD BE AVERAGE

WAS $2.1 PER TRIP. AVERAGE FARE PER PASSENGER KILOMETRE OF $0.39.

+

·

PER

SAID THE CURRENT TRANSLATED INTO AN

PER PASSENGER

"THIS COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH AN AVERAGE FARE KILOMETRE OF $0.48 $0.72 FOR AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES PROVIDED BY KMB,

AND AND $0.56 - $0.69 FOR PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES RUNNING BETWEEN TUEN MUN VITEN LONG."

TO SET FARES WAS AN MR LEUNG EMPHASISED THAT KORO'S ABTONOMY

SERVICE IMPORTANT FACTOR CONDUCIVE TO ITS ABILITY TO BORROW MONEY FOR EXPANSIONS AND IMPROVEMENT.

**ANY

UNDUE

THE AFFECT

CORPORATION'S

ADVERSELY

FINANCIAL

INTERFERENCE WITH

I'S CREDIT AUTONOMY ΤΟ SET

IS LIKELY TO FARES RATINGS, INCREASE BORROWING COSTS AND UNDERMINE ITS ABILITY TO OPERATF AND DEVELOP WITHOUT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY.

"HOWEVER, BECAUSE

AND ΤΟ AVOID HIGH UPFRONT INVESTMENT OF

ACHIEVE UNACCEPTABLY HIGH-FARE INCREASES, THE KCRC DOES NOT EXPECT TO

HE SAID.

· RETURN ON INVESTMENT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DECADE,

14

MR LEUNG POINTED OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN A MISCONCEPT ON THE KOR LINE. LRT WAS BEING SUBSIDISED BY DOMESTIC TRAFFIC ALON

THAT

BY OTHER

"THIS IS NOT CORRECT. THE LRT IS BEING SUBSIDISED KCRC BUSINESSES MAINLY BY PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS AND FREIGHT TRAFFIC."

THE REGARDING SAFETY, MR LEUNG SAID OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS,

WITH THE NUMBER OF LRT SAFETY

HAD CONTINUED TO IMPROVE, RECORDS ACCIDENTS DROPPING FROM 33 IN 1989 TO 21 LAST YEAR.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT, "OF ALL THE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ROAD-BASED

THIS RATE IS THE LOWEST ONLY 0.6 PER CENT WERE RELATED TO THE LRT. AMONG ALL ROAD-BASED PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES," HE SAID.

MR LEUNG SAID THERE HAD BEEN CALLS TO OPEN SERVICE AREA (TSA) TO OTHER TRANSPORT MODES.

Ir

UP THE TRANSIT

I WISH TO POINT OUT THAT WITHIN THE TSA, THE LRT ALREADY FACES AND TAXIS. COMPETITION FROM PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES, RESIDENTIAL COACHES.

THE URBAN THERE ARE ALSO EXTERNAL, BUS ROUTES CONNECTING THE TSA AND AREAS.

THAN A FRANCHISED BUS

"THE

NO MORE PROTECTION ENJOYS LRT SERVICE WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE.

/"NEVERTHELESS, IN

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