Introduction

4.1 In terms of patronage, railways are forecast to handle about 40% to 50% of the total public transport passenger boardings by 2016, increasing from 33% in 1997. They will also confer considerable environmental benefits. Thus rail should and will form the backbone of the passenger transport system and the development of rail stations should synchronise with land-use development. The West Rail (Phase I), MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension, Ma On Shan Railway, Tsim Sha Tsui Extension and Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line have been designated as priority rail projects. On completion of these projects all new towns will be linked to the rail system, providing fast and comfortable travel between these towns and to the core urban area. Unlike Tuen Mun New Town in the seventies, the future Tseung Kwan O, Ma On Shan and other strategic growth areas will be served by railways in good time. At the same time as CTS-3, the Second Railway Development Study (RDS-2) has been investigating the need for new railways, with CTS-3 providing the broad corridor demands and RDS-2 going into more detail. The results described below have been passed to RDS-2 for their consideration in drawing up detailed plans for the future railway system.

4.2 CTS-3 has investigated the ways that rail travel can relieve the road system, and in particular how railways may be used to service major concentrations of population and employment.

4.3 In order to make the best use of the rail system, it will be necessary to augment the concept of trunk and feeder services. The function of public transport interchanges in promoting such a concept is discussed in the following chapter.

Additional Needs

4.4 The cases for additional railways can be divided into three categories:

  • New passenger lines to serve other urban centres presently not linked to the rail system. East Kowloon and Aberdeen-Wong Chuk Hung-Ap Lei Chau are examples of population concentrations.
  • Additional passenger lines to relieve congestion on the existing system. Without additional rail lines congestion was forecast on some sections of the Tung Chung Line, the Tsuen Wan Line, across the harbour and across the boundary with Shenzhen. Potential route alternatives are being investigated for each of these problem areas, and further analysis will be conducted by RDS-2. In particular, the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is now a committed railway project scheduled for completion by the end of 2004.
  • Freight related lines. Distances and inter-modal transfer costs within Hong Kong are such that a purely internal freight line would not be justified, and the only real possibility is a freight line for long distance cross boundary travel. The benefits of this type of line in terms of the evaluation criteria outlined in Chapter 3 have been examined in CTS-3, but they have not been found to be substantial compared to the high cost of construction. The Strategic Environmental Assessment does, however, suggest that some marginal environmental benefits can be realised. The feasibility of building a port rail line and its environmental benefit in the context of Hong Kong will be further examined by RDS-2.

Need for new railways

Need for new railways

4.5 CTS-3 has assessed the railway demands in the public transport system and identified at least four major mass transportation corridors that could be served by rail. They include:

  • A new railway corridor on the north shore of Hong Kong Island;
  • A 4th Rail Harbour Crossing which should form the core part of a strategic urban corridor;
  • A second New Territories - Urban Rail Link; and
  • A possible new railway corridor to connect the urban area with the northern part of the territory and the boundary.

4.6 Taking on board the railway corridor travel demand identified by CTS-3, RDS-2 has come up with some initial ideas of potential railway corridors as shown in Figure 4.1 and possible railway network development in Figure 4.2 for further examination in the continuing work of RDS-2.

Potential Railway Corridors

Possible Railway Network Development

 

 

 

 

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