ENG-1979 — Page 34

ENTER THE MTR

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rights, to advise them on alternative accommodation, or to help them find jobs in other

areas.

Statutory compensation payments based on fair market values, as provided under the Mass Transit Railway (Land Resumption and Related Provisions) Ordinance (Chapter 276), were made to owners of land and property acquired for MTR works, to tenants in business and factory premises similarly affected, and to others entitled to claim for losses suffered as a result of MTR works. The ordinance also provided for the right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal if people were not satisfied with the progress of their claims or with the compensation offered them. Apart from statutory compensation payments, a system of ex-gratia payments was also devised to suit individual cases in such areas as disturbance to businesses, financing of new premises and renewal costs. Public housing was also offered to tenants in domestic buildings.

By the end of 1979, the government had paid out a total of $259 million in compensa- tion - $28 million for pecuniary losses resulting from the disruption caused by adjacent MTR works and $231 million for properties resumed, sites cleared and civic facilities reprovided.

But September 30, 1979, was the day when the public saw for the first time, literally, the light at the end of the tunnel. On this day, the Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, opened the first eight kilometres of the 26-kilometre, two-line system. This first section from the industrial area of Kwun Tong, in east Kowloon, to Shek Kip Mei at the northern end of Kowloon's Nathan Road marked the beginning of what is now the fully- operational line of the MIS. It runs for 15.6 kilometres and links 15 stations. Work on the 10.5-kilometre Tsuen Wan extension is well on the way towards its scheduled opening at the end of 1982.

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To inaugurate the first section of the railway, two trains carrying 1,200 guests, media representatives, and fare-paying passengers sped down the line from Shek Kip Mei to Kwun Tong and back again. Afterwards, a public 'Ride for a Million' was held and 100,000 people paid $10 each to be among the historic first travellers. The proceeds from the day, amounting to $1.2 million, were donated to Hong Kong's communal charity organisation, the Community Chest. The following day, October 1, saw the commencement of regular services and a full-scale test of the railway's facilities when 250,000 commuters surged through its automatic fare gates during the railway's initial operating hours from 6 am to 10 pm.

Ahead of Schedule

Still working ahead of schedule, and under budget, construction teams completed the entire MIS just a few months later - linking four more stations along a route extending from Shek Kip Mei to Tsim Sha Tsui in December, and under the harbour to the two Central District stations in February, 1980. This brought the total number of stations to 15 - nine serving the first section (Kwun Tong, Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon Bay, Choi Hung, Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin, Lok Fu, Kowloon Tong and Shek Kip Mei); then Argyle, Waterloo, Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui, followed by the Hong Kong Island stations of Admiralty and Chater.

Twelve of these stations are underground, three are elevated. And they are large; among the world's largest. Most are about 230 metres in length and 30 metres in depth, with the longest being the 380-metre Chater Station in Central District. Their size is all the more impressive in view of the fact that they have been constructed in one of the world's most densely-populated urban areas, and in some of the most diverse geological condi-