ENG-1995 — Page 307

THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME

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route, it will relieve congestion at the two existing cross-harbour tunnels. Con- struction work started in September 1993 and is progressing well, with eight tunnel units sunk into position in Victoria Harbour. The project was 73 per cent complete at the end of 1995 and well on schedule for completion by mid-1997.

The West Kowloon Expressway will run 4,2 kilometres from the northern portal of the Western Harbour Crossing to Lai Chi Kok, forming an important part of Route 3, with a dual three-lane carriageway. It will serve developments on the West Kowloon reclamation and help relieve pressure on existing local and distri- butor roads. Physical work on the expressway started in August 1993 and aimed at completion by the end of 1996. At the year's end, 70 per cent of the project was complete.

The Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi sections of Route 3 will link the northern end of the West Kowloon Expressway to the approaches of the Lantau Fixed Crossing. Its three major civil contracts cover the construction of the Cheung Ching Tunnel, Kwai Chung Viaduct and Rambler Channel Bridge. Work on these three contracts com- menced in 1993, for scheduled completion in early 1997. Significant milestones were reached during the year with the completion of excavation and concrete arch lining for the Cheung Ching Tunnel and completion of erection of bridge segments across the Rambler Channel. Overall, 78 per cent of the project is complete.

The two-deck Lantau Fixed Crossing, carrying a railway as well as roads, consists of the Tsing Ma suspension bridge linking Tsing Yi to Ma Wan; a viaduct over Ma - Wan; and the cable-stayed Kap Shui Mun Bridge linking Ma Wan to Lantau. The Tsing Ma Bridge is already a major Hong Kong landmark. Its main span of about 1.4 kilometres will make it the world's longest suspension bridge carrying both road and rail traffic. Work on the Lantau Fixed Crossing began in May 1992 and is due for completion in mid-1997. Spinning of the main suspension cables of the Tsing Ma Bridge was completed in April and suspended span erection started in August. Approach span construction is well advanced. Construction of the main span of the Kap Shui Mun Bridge began in May. Overall, 79 per cent of the Lantau Fixed Crossing project is complete.

The North Lantau Expressway will be a 12.5-kilometre, dual three-lane highway along the northern coast of Lantau, linking the Lantau Fixed Crossing to Tung Chung new town and the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. Work started in 1992 and is scheduled for completion in early 1997. During the year, work for the first road bridge linking the new airport island with Tung Chung was completed. The project was 89 per cent complete at the year's end.

Airport Railway

The 34-kilometre Airport Railway will provide two separate rail services, operating mainly on the same tracks but with separate platforms. There will be a fast passenger link to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, called the Airport Express, and a domestic service called the Lantau Line. Both will have maximum operating speeds of 135 kilometres per hour, compared with 80 kilometres per hour on existing Mass Transit Railway (MTR) lines.

The Airport Express is designed as an all-seated, business class-type, express service providing a 23-minute link between the Hong Kong Island terminus and the new airport, stopping only at Kowloon and Tsing Yi. It is envisaged that six-car trains