TNAG-1152-FCO40-1432-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-Commonwealth-1982 — Page 107

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Railway), Tai Wai and Fo Tan. The first stage of electrified service between Kowloon Station and Fo Tan including Racecourse Station, is expected to be commissioned by the spring of 1982 with full electrification of the line up to Lo Wu by the end of the same year.

Hong Kong's Transport facilities are being dramatically improved by the addition of an underground railway. Under construction since 1975, the first section of the Mass Transit Railway (with 15 stations and a length of 15.6 km) opened on 1st October 1979. This whole Modified Initial System, running from Kwun Tong on Kowloon across the harbour to Central was fully operational in early 1980, at the budgeted cost of HK$5,800 million (£580 million). The extended system, making a total length of 26 kilometres with 25 stations, including the branch to Tsuen Wan, will be operational by the end of 1982. The system has been designed to handle 60,000 people an hour past any given point. By the mid-1980s, the daily number of passenger journeys is expected to be approximately 1.8 million.

Hong Kong's road system covers some 1,160 km of which about 348 km are on Hong Kong Island, 346 km in Kowloon and 467 km in the New Territories.

There are two twin-tube road tunnels operating in Hong Kong. The Cross Harbour Tunnel provides four traffic lanes in two immersed tubes between the north shore of Hong Kong Island and Hung Hom in Kowloon. The Lion Rock Tunnel links Kowloon with Sha Tin New Town and other areas of the north-eastern New Territories. Two other twin-tube road tunnels are being built. The Airport Tunnel, which passes under the runway of Hong Kong International Airport, will form part of a through route connecting the Cross Harbour Tunnel with the airport and the industrial area of Kwun Tong. The Aberdeen Tunnel will link Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island with Happy Valley on the north side.

Work was completed on the HK$60 million Aplichau Bridge which links Aplichau island with Aberdeen in the southern part of Hong Kong. The HK$280 million Aberdeen Tunnel, the first road tunnel ever to be driven through Hong Kong island, is nearing completion.

In the New Territories, the second Lion Rock Tunnel was opened in early 1978 to cope with the growing increase of traffic between Kowloon and the rapidly expanding new town at Sha Tin. Work is in progress on the second stage of Tuen Mun Road, linking the new towns of Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun.

There is a thriving free press in Hong Kong with 98 newspapers and 388 periodicals catering to a high readership market. Of the newspapers, three English language and 45 Chinese language newspapers are published daily.

Hong Kong has excellent telecommunications. Telephone services are provided by the Hong Kong Telephone Company operating under a franchise granted by the government. There are about 1.6 million telephones connected to the network and the service can normally be provided on demand anywhere in the territory. There is a flat rate rental which allows unlimited free calls within Hong Kong. Hong Kong's international telephone service is provided in conjunction with Cable and Wireless Ltd. Apart from operator-connected calls to virtually anywhere in the world, international direct dialling calls can be made to more than 50 countries. Other international telecommunication services available include public telegram, international and local telex, international leased telegraph and telephone circuits for private communication networks, international television and voicecast, photo-telegram, facsimile, public switched data, international data access and Bureaufax. International facilities are provided by satellite, cable and tropospheric, microwave and high frequency radio systems.

Radio Television Hong Kong is the Government-owned broadcasting service. There are five radio channels, two in Chinese, two in English and one (Radio 5) which is used partly to relay the BBC World Service in English and partly to simultaneously broadcast the Chinese-language AM service, thus providing the AM listeners to this service with an FM alternative. The Chinese programmes are transmitted on 783 KHz(AM) and 94 MHz(FM). The English service is on 567 KHz(AM) and 91 MHz(FM). Radio 5 is broadcast on 96 MHz(FM). Both principal FM services are broadcast in stereo; the Radio 5 FM service is broadcast in mono. The Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Co Ltd transmits commercial radio programmes on medium wave (10 KW) in English and Chinese.

Radio Television Hong Kong produces public affairs and education television programmes but does not have its own transmission facilities. Public affairs output totals 71⁄2 hours a week of social-message- based drama, documentary, youth and women's programmes and studio discussions. It is broadcast on the four channels operated by Rediffusion Television Ltd (Chinese and English) and Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Ltd (Chinese and English).

Radio Television Hong Kong also produces educational television programmes for primary and secondary schools which are transmitted five days a week from 8am to 6pm by the three commercial companies.

Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Ltd transmits commercial television programmes on the VHF 625 PAL colour system, channels 21 and 25, in English and Chinese. Rediffusion Television Ltd operates two wireless commercial television services (English and Chinese) on VHF 625 PAL colour system on channels 23 and 27. There are now an estimated 3.7 million viewers having available to them a total of 400 hours of television programming a week.

Since 1945, the government has reclaimed more than 1,450 hectares of land from the sea, principally in the areas adjoining the harbour on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Widespread reclamation in the New Territories has resulted in prime sites for industrial development and new town housing pro-