XN000022-1992-04-23 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1992

GOVT STATEMENT ON ALTERNATIVE AIRPORT RAILWAY PROPOSAL

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IN RESPONSE TO PRESS ENQUIRIES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY (THURSDAY) THE IDEA TO BUILD A SHORTENED RAILWAY LINE CENTRAL TO TSING YI IN PLACE OF A FULL AIRPORT RAILWAY IS UNDESIRABLE.

SAID

FROM

MOST

THE

YI.

"FIRST, MOST OF THE AIRPORT RAILWAY REVENUE GENERATED BY AIRPORT EXPRESS LINE WILL BE LOST IF THE LINE TERMINATED AT TSING FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT IN 2001, THE AIRPORT EXPRESS LINE WILL GENERATE ABOUT $600 MILLION AS AGAINST $400 MILLION RETURN FROM THE LANTAU LINE.

"SECONDLY, IT WOULD NOT SAVE MUCH BY TERMINATING THE LINE AT TSING YI BECAUSE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE COST WOULD GO TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CROSS-HARBOUR RAILWAY TUNNEL, TUNNELING WORKS REQUIRED FOR THE WEST KOWLOON SECTION, STATIONS AT TSING YI, LAI KING, TAI KOK TSUI, WEST KOWLOON AND CENTRAL, PLUS THE BRIDGE ACROSS THE RAMBLER CHANNEL.

"THIRDLY, IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO RESITE THE LAND-INTENSIVE RAILWAY DEPOT FROM TAI HO WAN IN NORTH LANTAU TO A LARGE AND VALUABLE SITE IN WEST KOWLOON, THUS REDUCING SUBSTANTIALLY THE GOVERNMENT'S REVENUE FROM LAND PREMIUM BY STERILISING A PRIME DEVELOPMENT SITE. WOULD ALSO CAUSE A GREAT DEAL OF NUISANCE AND INCONVENIENCE ΤΟ PUBLIC TO BUILD A RAILWAY DEPOT IN THE URBAN AREA.

IT THE

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO EMPHASISED THAT THE AIRPORT RAILWAY IS DESIGNED NOT ONLY TO SERVE THE NEW AIRPORT, BUT ALSO ΤΟ FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT AT NORTH LANTAU AND TO RELIEVE CONGESTION OF THE EXISTING TSUEN WAN LINE WHICH IS NOW OPERATING CLOSE TO ITS ACCEPTABLE LIMIT BEYOND WHICH SAFETY WILL BE COMPROMISED.

AIRPORT RAILWAY CAN BE THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE BUSES WOULD CAUSE

WITH REGARD TO ANOTHER IDEA THAT THE REPLACED BY PUTTING MORE BUSES ON THE ROAD, IDEA IS HIGHLY UNDESIRABLE BECAUSE THE ADDITIONAL MORE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND AIR POLLUTION.

"IT IS WRONG TO ASSUME THAT BUS IS A TOTAL RAILWAY BECAUSE WITHOUT THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, MANY

BY TRAVEL TO THE NEW AIRPORT

TAXIS AND PRIVATE FURTHER AGGRAVATE ROAD CONGESTION.

SUBSTITUTE OF THE MORE PEOPLE WOULD CARS. THIS WOULD

IDEA,

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"MOREOVER, TO OPERATE A LARGE NUMBER OF BUS ROUTES INVOLVING MANY BUS STATIONS IN THE URBAN AREA WOULD NOT BE A PRACTICABLE THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

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