ENG-2006 — Page 295

Chapter 13

Transport

Public transport in Hong Kong is among the best in the world. It is efficient, affordable, comfortable and safe. The choices available, coupled with the route links, have few equals.

The Government is committed

is committed to providing an efficient transportation infrastructure to meet the challenges of population growth and continuous development. The undertaking is to ensure public transport is readily available above and below ground. It places particular emphasis on railways, and promotes and encourages the use of public transport by ensuring quality service. It also manages road use to reduce congestion and promote safety, and continues to support environmental improvement measures in transport-related areas.

Railway development projects progressed smoothly in 2006. The construction of the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (the Spur Line), which will help relieve the increasing congestion at Lo Wu and cope with the growth in cross-boundary rail passenger traffic, is expected to be completed by mid-2007. The construction of the Kowloon Southern Link, which will connect the East Rail with the West Rail at the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, started in 2005 and will go into operation in 2009. The construction of the Tseung Kwan O South Station started in 2006 and will go into operation in 2009.

Several other railway projects are in the planning stage. The Sha Tin to Central Link will extend the East Rail across the harbour and the West Rail to Ma On Shan. The Government is reviewing the scheme under the Kai Tak Planning Review and Wan Chai Development Phase II, as well as the proposed rail merger between the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) systems. For the West Island Line, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has completed the preliminary design and submitted the Revised Project Proposal in August. As regards the Northern Link and the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation.

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