ENG-1981 — Page 240

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

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Hiram's Highway and the phased improvements to South Lantau Road were progressing rapidly.

Major works commenced during the year in the New Territories included circular road improvements Wo Hop Shek interchange and the Yuen Long to Au Tau dual carriageway; the New Territories trunk road - Island House to North Tai Po; and six footbridges across the KCR track between Hong Lok Yuen and Wo Hop Shek as part of the KCR electrification programme.

Plans were being drawn up for expansion - to east Kowloon and Hong Kong Island - of the computerised area traffic control system already operating in west Kowloon, to facilitate traffic movements on the existing road networks. Measures were also taken to identify the causes of traffic accidents in order to improve road safety generally for both pedestrians and motorists. A firm of transportation consultants was engaged to introduce public transport priority measures along major traffic routes.

Good progress was maintained on the installation of traffic light signals at road intersection and pedestrian crossings and a total of 451 sets was in operation by the end of the year. A total of 2 435 new lighting points was added to the lighting system.

Kowloon-Canton Railway

A major event during the year was the 25 000 volts A.C. energising of the railway's overhead equipment between the northern portal of Beacon Hill Tunnel and Racecourse Station on July 10, 1981. And in late August, trial runs for the new electric train service were conducted along the six-kilometre route. A programme to retrain KCR drivers on handling the new three-car Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) train sets started in September.

Of equal importance was the government's announcement on September 16 that it had decided in principle to change the status of the railway from a government department to a public corporation. The decision was taken in view of the major development of KCR into a much expanded and more sophisticated railway. For, following the completion of the current $3,500 million modernisation and electrification programme at the end of 1982, KCR will provide fast and frequent services. Its passenger capacity is expected to increase tenfold and freight capacity by three times.

A transitional Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Board will be set up to undertake the necessary planning and preparatory work relating to the legislative, financial_and management structure of the new corporation which will come into being before the introduction of the full electrified service of the railway by the end of 1982.

Meanwhile, the total physical rebuild of the railway progressed satisfactorily in 1981. The new 2.3 kilometres double-tracked Beacon Hill Tunnel, built at a cost of $120 million to replace the existing single track bore, was opened to traffic in April.

During the same month the first three-car EMU set arrived and by late October eight more were delivered. Forty-five such sets all air-conditioned - will eventually come into operation.

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Under the modernisation programme, three additional stations will be constructed and all stations (with the exception of the Kowloon terminus which is to be remodelled) will be rebuilt to cope with the anticipated large volume of passengers to be carried - an estimated 250 000 a day by the mid-1980s rising to 500 000 a day by 1990. To further facilitate passenger flow, automatic ticket vendors and automatic ticket barriers will be installed at all stations.

Construction of the new Kowloon Tong Station, which will have a three-level inter- change with the Mass Transit Railway, is progressing well and is due to completed by early

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