TNAG-1621-FCO40-2235-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 78

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33.

Second, China's efforts to establish more direct

air links with foreign countries, particularly those in Europe, may reduce, albeit marginally, Hong Kong's role as

a gateway into China in the future. However, this may be advantageous bearing in mind the fact that Kai Tak Airport is expected to be operating at full capacity by the end of this century.

34.

Third, in support of the double-tracking of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway (expected completion by mid 1988), the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway is also being

double-tracked (expected completion by early 1987) and electrified (expected completion by 1988). These developments will increase substantially the throughput

capacity of the rail link to the north of Hong Kong, and

thus will exert considerable pressure on the Hong Kong section of the Kowloon-Guangzhou Railway.

To cope with

the expected large increase in rail cargo from the north, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is putting

proposals to the Government for developing the Hung Hom

Bay reclamation as a modern rail freight terminal, with a

connection by barge to the Kwai Chung container port.

35.

In respect of passenger traffic, double-tracking

of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway will reduce the travelling time of the through-train between Hong Kong and Guangzhou by about one hour, to around two and a half

hours. This might be reduced further to two hours after

electrification, although electric through-trains may not

be feasible because of the difference in height of the

pantographs on Chinese and KCR trains. Concurrently, the frequency of the through-train service could be increased

to more than four per day. With an improved through-train service, the attractiveness of travelling by air between

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