TNAG-0523-FCO40-618-Visits-of-members-of-Urban-Council-from-Hong-Kong--to-UK-1975 — Page 83

Appendix J

The Hong Kong Mass Transit Underground Railway

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In February 1966 the Hong Kong Government commis- sioned a Mass Transport Study Report to anticipate the needs of Hong Kong's population in the mid-1980s. The results were published in 1967 and became the basis for a further study carried out by the consulting engineers Freeman Fox and Partners of Britain

The final solution was presented in August 1970 It proposed an underground railway system with 48 stations on routes covering both sides of the harbour and con- nected by a second cross-harbour tunnel

By early 1970 the government had set up a small Public Works Department unit to control the project A "steer- ing group" was also formed to resolve major outstanding problems such as finance, the letting of contracts, and the operation of the system.

In 1972 the PWD unit was expanded and the consulting engineers re-appointed to start the final design of Stages I and 2 of the proposed system. Comprehensive land sur- veys and soil investigation were carried out, and essential preconstruction work began in July 1972 to enable actual construction to begin in early 1974

In February 1973 the government gave the official go-ahead, at the same time allocating HK$500 million (£38.4 million: US$100 million) to finance the first stage

of the multi-million dollar project. It was also announced that a public corporation, to be owned initially by the government, would be set up by law to operate and maintain Hong Kong's underground railway

The nine-stage system will have three main lines. 48 stations, and cover a distance of 32.7 miles The KONG KOW LINE will join Hong Kong Island's Central District by a cross-harbour tunnel to Nathan Road, the Kowloon peninsula's main thoroughfare. North of Kowloon, it will divide into two branch lines, one west to Tsuen Wan and the other east, to just beyond Kwun Tong

The EAST KOWLOON LINE will connect Western Market on the Island to the Kowloon peninsula and then travel east to Kai Tak International Airport The ISLAND LINE will link densely populated Kennedy Town, west of Central, to Chai Wan public housing estate on the north- eastern tip of Hong Kong Island

This full system, due for completion in 1986, will be developed in nine distinct stages so that, if necessary, construction can be stopped at the completion of any stage after the second. It will then be operationally viable and, for its length, provide a service to the greatest num- ber of people.

Work will begin in early 1974 on the "initial system" which is divided into four stages totalling 12.6 miles with 20 stations. It will comprise part of the Kwun Tong Branch of the Kong Kow Line from Kwun Tong to Mong Kok in Kowloon, and part of the Tsuen Wan Branch to Mong Kok. From there, the initial stage will carry the Kong Kow Line southwards along Nathan Road, across the harbour to terminate at Western Market just west of Central District. The first two stages are expected to be in opera- tion in 1978 with a further two ready by 1980.

The route location follows desirable corridors which will require little large-scale demolition of property Most of the entire system will be underground with the excep tion of above five miles which will be built overhead

The general method of construction will be tunnelling rather than the usual "cut and cover" for, although it is more costly, social and traffic considerations favour the bored tunnelling method. But the stations themselves will be constructed by the "cut and cover" method be- cause of their shallow depth They are designed around the central island platform concept and will segregate passenger movements. In urban areas, stations will be spaced at about every half mile while the maximum spacing will be 11⁄2 miles with an average spacing of mile

Trains will be electrically powered (1,500 volts direct current by a third rail) with completely automatic signal- ling and control systems. Coaches and stations will be air-conditioned and designed to handle large volumes of passengers

Trains will be 600 feet long, using steel wheels running on steel rails. Coaches will have a width of 10 ft. 6 in. with 10 wide doors for speedy access or exit. Each eight-coach train will have a maximum passenger capacity of 3,300 (400 seated and 2,900 standing). The capacity of each line will be 45,000 passengers an hour in one direction, giving a daily two-way capacity of 625,000 for each line

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