Green lights for new
rail link and extension

The Executive Council has approved the Shatin-to-Central Link (SCL) and the Kwun Tong Line Extension.

The 10.56-mile SCL will have nine stations: Tai Wai, Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, Homantin, Hung Hom, Exhibition and Admiralty. It will serve a residential population of 300,000 and working population of 280,000, connecting the Northeast New Territories and Hong Kong Island via Southeast Kowloon.

The SCL will link several existing railway lines, creating distinctive east-west and north-south railway corridors.  From east to west, it will connect the Ma On Shan Line, the Kowloon Southern Link and the West Rail Line, allowing commuters to travel in a direct line from Ma On Shan to Tuen Mun.

The north-south corridor will be formed by extending the existing East Rail Line across the harbor, which will allow passengers to travel from Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau to the heart of Hong Kong Island without having to switch trains.

The SCL will also provide interchanges with other railway lines. Six of the nine SCL stations — Tai Wai, Diamond Hill, Homantin, Hung Hom, Exhibition and Admiralty — will provide passengers with either an inter-platform or inter-level interchange for other lines. Two stations — Tai Wai and Admiralty — will be the two key interchange stations. The former is where the Ma On Shan Line, East Rail Line and SCL will converge, and the latter will allow SCL passengers to change trains for the Tsuen Wan Line, the Island Line and the future South Island Line.

The SCL will redistribute passenger flow and relieve pressure on existing railway lines in urban Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. It will also help reduce the reliance on road-based public transport, and thus, alleviate traffic congestion and its resulting environmental impact on existing road networks.

It is estimated the SCL will carry approximately 1 million passengers per day in 2021 and generate an annual economic benefit of US$512.82 million in terms of travel-time saving.

The project will provide essential support for the proposed new commercial and residential developments, as well as leisure facilities, planned at Kai Tak, including the Multi-purpose Stadium Complex and the Metro Park. Old districts such as To Kwa Wan and Kowloon City are expected to see a surge of redevelopment opportunities with the improved public transport infrastructure.

The new railway will create 11,000 jobs during construction and another 9,600 during operation.

The train depot for the SCL will be built at Diamond Hill, for which an environmental impact assessment will be conducted and suitable mitigation measures adopted to minimize its impact on the surroundings.

In light of future railway service demands, and in consideration of the interfaces between the SCL and various development plans and infrastructure projects along its alignment, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) intends to have the SCL completed in phases, with the Tai Wai-to-Hung Hom section in operation by 2015 and the cross-harbor section by 2019.

After careful consideration of both operational and financial implications, the HKSARG has decided to adopt a concession approach to fund the estimated construction cost of US$4.79 billion. Upon completion, MTR will be granted a service concession for the SCL’s operation, for which it will pay annually.

Apart from the SCL, the HKSARG will also implement the Kwun Tong Line Extension to provide a railway service for the Whampoa area. This will involve an extension of the existing Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei Station to Whampoa with an intermediate station at Homantin, scheduled for completion by 2015. The extension will serve the 140,000 people living in Whampoa and Homantin with an estimated daily patronage of 180,000 in 2016.

With this extension, passengers from Whampoa will be able to reach Mong Kok in five minutes, compared with 25 minutes by road-based transport during rush hour. Furthermore, Homantin Station will be an integrated interchange station, which will allow passengers to change from there to other stations.

The Kwun Tong Line Extension will be implemented as an MTR project under an ownership approach. The HKSARG will discuss with the MTR how the funding gap of US$282.05 million should be bridged.

The government will further consult the public on both projects to formulate a first-rate and efficient railway plan that will best serve Hong Kong.

Both projects are expected to begin construction in 2010.