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Light rail extension faces barrier of urban sprawl
The East Kowloon light rail system is unlikely to extend to Tsz Wan Shan or Kai Tak due to the technical difficulties of building the system through housing estates and across major roads, Legislative Council members were told yesterday.
In a written reply to inquiries by the chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Starry Lee Wai-king, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said the proposed light rail line aims to cope with the growing traffic demand by connecting Po Tat with an interchange station near Choi Hung MTR station via Sau Mau Ping, Shun On, Shun Lee and Choi Wan.
The proposed elevated rapid transit system would also serve housing developments near Anderson Road, Lam said.
The line, first proposed in the railway development strategy 2014, will operate as an "elevated trackless rapid transit system" running on a dedicated overhead bridge separated from road traffic.
The light rail system would also be able to climb steeper slopes than MTR trains, which run on a heavy rail system.
On Lee's inquiry as to whether the Eastern rail line would be combined with the Kai Tak monorail, a major infrastructure project development area slated to be completed next year, Lam said it would be challenging to build the route over major roads as well as through housing estates and public facilities.
"If the rapid transit system is to be extended from Choi Hung to Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen it will pass by many residential buildings and community facilities," he said, adding it would be "technically very difficult" to build the rail system over roads such as Kwun Tong Road and the Kwun Tong bypass.
Lam added that traffic conditions in Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen at present are "generally normal" as residents can get to nearby MTR stations, including Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill and Lok Fu, via buses or green minibuses.
He also asked how the Eastern Kowloon link could "enhance overall network robustness by offering an alternative railway route for trips between the Tseung Kwan O area and Kowloon," as proposed in the railway development strategy if the line was not connected to Diamond Hill and Tseung Kwan O.
Lam added that Tuen Ma and East Rail lines "provided the public with new commuting options and faster and more convenient railway service" while having a "significant diversion effect on other railway lines," citing a reduction of about 10 percent of patronage on the Kwun Tong line.
The proposed elevated rapid transit system would also serve housing developments near Anderson Road, Lam said.
The line, first proposed in the railway development strategy 2014, will operate as an "elevated trackless rapid transit system" running on a dedicated overhead bridge separated from road traffic.
The light rail system would also be able to climb steeper slopes than MTR trains, which run on a heavy rail system.
On Lee's inquiry as to whether the Eastern rail line would be combined with the Kai Tak monorail, a major infrastructure project development area slated to be completed next year, Lam said it would be challenging to build the route over major roads as well as through housing estates and public facilities.
"If the rapid transit system is to be extended from Choi Hung to Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen it will pass by many residential buildings and community facilities," he said, adding it would be "technically very difficult" to build the rail system over roads such as Kwun Tong Road and the Kwun Tong bypass.
Lam added that traffic conditions in Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen at present are "generally normal" as residents can get to nearby MTR stations, including Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill and Lok Fu, via buses or green minibuses.
He also asked how the Eastern Kowloon link could "enhance overall network robustness by offering an alternative railway route for trips between the Tseung Kwan O area and Kowloon," as proposed in the railway development strategy if the line was not connected to Diamond Hill and Tseung Kwan O.
Lam added that Tuen Ma and East Rail lines "provided the public with new commuting options and faster and more convenient railway service" while having a "significant diversion effect on other railway lines," citing a reduction of about 10 percent of patronage on the Kwun Tong line.
