ENG-2003 — Page 299

TRANSPORT

would be protected administratively. Also, the WIL would be planned in conjunction with the SIL.

* The Northern Link that will link the West Rail to the Lok Ma Chau boundary crossing. It will also link up the East Rail and the West Rail to enable passengers to travel more widely in the northern parts of the New Territories. Its implementation will depend on the growth of cross-boundary traffic from the western part of the HKSAR and developments in the north-western New Territories. The situation is being closely monitored.

* The Regional Express Line (REL) that will provide a new express connection. between the boundary and the urban area. It will form part of the Guangzhou- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which is intended to shorten the journey time between Hong Kong and Guangzhou to within 60 minutes. A joint expert group comprising representatives from the Mainland and Hong Kong authorities has been formed to study the feasibility of this rail link.

*The Port Rail Line (PRL) that will be a freight rail connection from Lo Wu to a new terminal at Kwai Chung. The PRL will allow freight from the deep hinterland of the Mainland (i.e. beyond the Pearl River Delta) to access the container port at Kwai Chung. Its implementation depends on cross-boundary freight build-up. The KCRC is studying the viability of the project.

Road Projects Under Construction

Major road projects being implemented include:

Deep Bay Link (DBL) and Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (HK-SWC): construction of the DBL and the HK-SWC commenced in June and August, respectively, for completion in end-2005. The HK-SWC will become Hong Kong's fourth vehicular boundary crossing while the DBL will link it with the local transport network.

* New Boundary Bridge between Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang: to relieve the traffic burden on the existing boundary bridge between Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang, a new dual two-lane bridge is being built, and due to be completed by end-2004.

* Widening of Yuen Long Highway between Lam Tei and the Shap Pat Heung Interchange: this section of Yuen Long Highway is being widened to a dual three-lane carriageway to cope with the anticipated growth in traffic. Works commenced in August for completion by end-2005.

* Route 8 (previously known as Route 9 (Cheung Sha Wan to Sha Tin)): construction commenced in October 2002 for completion in mid-2007. This dual three-lane carriageway will serve as an additional link between Sha Tin and Kowloon and relieve traffic on existing links including the Lion Rock Tunnel and the Tate's Cairn Tunnel.

* Route 8 (previously known as Route 9 (Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan)): construction commenced in April 2002 for completion in 2008. This dual three-lane carriageway will provide an alternative route to the Route 3 Tsing Yi and Kwai Chung sections and access to the Container Terminals 8 and 9.

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