ENG-1972 — Page 194

136

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

The greatest number of passengers carried in a single day during the year was 102,222 on April 5, 1972, the Ching Ming Festival day, when Hong Kong residents paid their respects to their ancestors in the cemeteries at Wo Hop Shek and Sandy Ridge in the New Territories.

International tenders have been invited for the supply of 40 new carriages, 28 of which are for the replacement of existing rolling stock. Arrangements were also being made towards the end of the year to purchase an additional locomotive.

A new railway terminus is under construction at Hung Hom to replace the existing terminal station at Tsim Sha Tsui. Site formation works have been completed, and tracklaying, drainage and construction of platforms are now in hand. Foundations are also being laid for a podium which will cover the passenger platforms and a part of the railway goods yard. The passenger concourse, booking hall, waiting rooms, restaurants and railway offices will be situated on the podium and a multi-storey car park will be built above them. The podium will also carry a bus station and an indoor stadium. Plans for double-tracking part of the railway line and for the re- modelling of several stations are going ahead. Other improvements of the railway facilities are also under active consideration.

Roads

With few exceptions, all roads accessible to the public are maintained by the government. The total mileage of roads so maintained now stands at 626.67, of which 205.35 miles are on Hong Kong Island, 186.45 in Kowloon and 234.87 in the New Territories.

-

As a result of the rapid social and economic progress in the past decade, the pressure of traffic on the road system has increased tremendously as reflected in the 186,377 vehicles now registered in Hong Kong. This represents a density of 297 vehicles for every mile of road, which places Hong Kong second highest in the world after Monaco. To meet this situation and to deal with future demands, a vast programme of road construction and improvement has been found necessary. A total of $91.6 million was spent on construction of major highway projects and $31.8 million on improvements and maintenance during the year.

The $320 million four-lane cross-harbour tunnel opened to traffic in August. It represents a new era in road communications in Hong Kong, with journey times between Hong Kong Island and the mainland substantially reduced, thus fostering a more complete social and economic integration of Hong Kong. This project, a joint private and government venture, has demonstrated once more the co-operation which exists between private enterprise and the government for the benefit of the community.

The exceptional rainstorms in June caused numerous landslides and road col- lapses. A total of 537 incidents were reported but, with few exceptions, the majority of affected roads were repaired and re-opened to traffic within two weeks. On Hong Kong Island, the new Waterfront Road project was completed and, with its many grade-separated junctions, provides free-flowing conditions for traffic between North Point, the cross-harbour tunnel and Central District.