ENG-2010 — Page 298

244 Transport

Railway Development and Railway Development Strategy 2000

Railways are safe, efficient, reliable, comfortable and environmentally friendly mass carriers. They play a key role in Hong Kong's transport systems strategy and the Government gives high priority to railway development. The Railway Development Strategy 2000, which provides a blueprint for the next phase of railway development, includes a number of new railway schemes to meet Hong Kong's increasing transport needs in a sustainable manner over the next two decades.

Hong Kong's railway development has progressed rapidly during the past few years. Over $180 billion has been invested in ten railway projects. They are:

⚫ the Tseung Kwan O Line (commissioned in August 2002);

• the West Rail Line (commissioned in December 2003);

• the East Rail Line Tsim Sha Tsui Extension (commissioned in October 2004);

• the Ma On Shan Line (commissioned in December 2004);

⚫ the Disneyland Resort Line (commissioned in August 2005);

• the extension of the East Rail Line to Lok Ma Chau (commissioned in August 2007);

• the LOHAS Park Station of Tseung Kwan O Line (commissioned in July 2009);

⚫ the Kowloon Southern Link (commissioned in August 2009);

the West Island Line (commenced construction in 2009); and

• the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) (commenced construction in 2010).

Construction of the West Island Line continued to progress, while the Hong Kong section of the XRL commenced construction in January 2010.

In addition, the Shatin-to-Central Link, the Kwun Tong Line Extension, and the South Island Line (East) are in the design stage, while the Northern Link and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line, the South Island Line (West) and North Hong Kong Island Line are under review.

Since the completion of the Railway Development Strategy in 2000, there have been major changes in how the planning of Hong Kong is to proceed. There were also sharp increases in the cross-boundary passenger and vehicular traffic because of