TNAG-0425-FCO40-471-Construction-of-an-underground-railway-system-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 35

02 200 IMMEDIATE

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TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 1392 OF 3 DECEMBER. 1973

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YOUR TELEGRAM NO 1234.

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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS.

See Also 2i

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SUGGESTED ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION IS AS FOLLOWS:-

QUOTE THE OBVIOUS INCREASE OF TRAFFIC ON THE ROADS, AND THE BELIEF THAT THIS WOULD CONTINUE AND EVEN ACCELERATE, LED THE HORN KONG GOVERNMENT IN THE MID-1960'S TO COMMISSION THREE MAJOR STUDIES COVERING ALL ASPECTS OF TRANSPORT WITHIN THE COLONY. THESE VLRE:

(A) THE HONG KONG PASSENGER TRANSPORT SURVEY, PREPARED IN 1964-66 AND PUBLISHED IN 1967:

(B) THE HONG KONG MASS TRANSPORT STUDY, PREPARED IN 1966-67 AND PUBLISHED IN 1968: AND

(C) THE LONG TERM ROAD STUDY, PREPARED IN 1967-68 AND PUBLISHED IN 1968.

A MAJOR TASK FOR THE CONSULTANTS IN ALL THESE STUDIES WAS TO PREDICT THE DEMAND FOR TRANSPORT OF ALL KINDS IN HONG KONG UP TO THE MID-AND LATE 1980'S.

IT WAS OUT OF THESE STUDIES THAT PROPOSALS FOR AN UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEM EMERGED, AND THESE PROPOSALS WERE FURTHER EXAMINED AND REFINED IN FURTHER STUDIES WHICH WERE COMPLETED IN AUGUST 1970. THE FINAL PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD WERE FOR A SYSTEM WITH 46 STATIONS AND A TOTAL ROUTE LENGTH OF 32.7 MILES, TO BE DEVELOPED IN NINE DISTINCT STAGES.

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