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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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New major road and railway projects still pending construction plan: transport chief
The transport chief claimed on Monday that the “six new road-and-rail projects” announced in Chief Executive’s Policy Address were still waiting for the blueprint with a public consultation under the plan.
Speaking on a radio programme today, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said a public consultation on the projects would be conducted at the end of this year.
He added that the overall planning of the new road and railway projects would only be proposed after consolidating analyses, and the preliminary construction schedule is still yet decided.
When asked about the plan for the East Kowloon MTR Line, Lam said the government is exploring an alternative, which is the Elevated Trackless Rapid Transit System, to replace the original heavy rail system initially planned to save costs.
He expects more details of the East Kowloon Line will be available in the first half of next year.
Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan questioned how the government would cope with the costs of these major infrastructure projects.
Lau singled out the Northern Link project, a railway project aimed to connect the East Rail Line and the Tuen Ma Line that was raised in 2000, as an example and said it is expected to complete in 2034. He thus urged the government to provide a specific timetable of the six new road-and-rail projects.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his Policy Address last week that three major road projects and three strategic railway projects would be put forward to bring a highly interconnected and accessible road network and rail system across the city.
The three major roads include Northern Metropolis Highway, which will connect Tin Shui Wai and Kwu Tung North; Shatin Bypass, connecting Tai Po and Kowloon West, and the Tseung Kwan O-Yau Tong Tunnel, the third road tunnel at Tseung Kwan O.
Besides, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link, which will connect Hung Shui Kiu with Qianhai; Central Rail Link, the construction to connect Kam Tin with Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung; and Tseung Kwan O Line Southern Extension will contribute to the three railway projects.
He added that the overall planning of the new road and railway projects would only be proposed after consolidating analyses, and the preliminary construction schedule is still yet decided.
When asked about the plan for the East Kowloon MTR Line, Lam said the government is exploring an alternative, which is the Elevated Trackless Rapid Transit System, to replace the original heavy rail system initially planned to save costs.
He expects more details of the East Kowloon Line will be available in the first half of next year.
Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan questioned how the government would cope with the costs of these major infrastructure projects.
Lau singled out the Northern Link project, a railway project aimed to connect the East Rail Line and the Tuen Ma Line that was raised in 2000, as an example and said it is expected to complete in 2034. He thus urged the government to provide a specific timetable of the six new road-and-rail projects.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his Policy Address last week that three major road projects and three strategic railway projects would be put forward to bring a highly interconnected and accessible road network and rail system across the city.
The three major roads include Northern Metropolis Highway, which will connect Tin Shui Wai and Kwu Tung North; Shatin Bypass, connecting Tai Po and Kowloon West, and the Tseung Kwan O-Yau Tong Tunnel, the third road tunnel at Tseung Kwan O.
Besides, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link, which will connect Hung Shui Kiu with Qianhai; Central Rail Link, the construction to connect Kam Tin with Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung; and Tseung Kwan O Line Southern Extension will contribute to the three railway projects.
