Bln-Dollar Subway Extension Project in Hong Kong Gets Green Light

Bln-dollar subway extension project in Hong Kong gets green light

HONG KONG, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) — Hong Kong’s Executive Council onTuesday approved the start of planning and detailed design work for extending a mass transit subway on the city’s namesake major island, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said.

Planning and detailed design work on the project was “set to start”, Cheng said.

The project dubbed West Island Line would see the existing MTR Island Line extending a further 3 km from the current terminus of Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town, with two intermediate stations at Sai Ying Pun and the University of Hong Kong.

Construction work on the 8.9 billion HK dollars (1.19 billion U. S. dollars) project were expected to begin in 2009 and possiblyto be completed in 2013 or 2014.

Cheng said the line would provide a fast and convenient means of public transport to the western district, enabling passengers to commute from Kennedy Town to Sheung Wan in 8 minutes, compared with 15 to 25 minutes by using road transport during peak hours.

The project was also expected to promote more economic activityand redevelopment, thus providing impetus for rejuvenation of the western district, she added.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang recently outlined ten major infrastructure projects in his policy address, covering public transport as well as urban development.

The scheme would be gazetted later this month and the special administrative region government would negotiate with the MTR Corporation Limited on the detailed scope, cost and implementationprogram.

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