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1. MTR Nam Cheong Station Completion

2. There's no escaping Lantau jail dispute

3. MTR agrees to talk with KCRC on connections

1. MTR Nam Cheong Station Completion
KCRC Press Release, 2 June 2003

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the MTR Corporation held a joint completion ceremony for KCR/MTR Nam Cheong Station today (Monday).

Located to the west of Nam Cheong Estate and east of the West Kowloon Expressway, Nam Cheong Station is the southern terminus of West Rail, which will come into operation in autumn 2003. It also serves as the newest station in the MTR network, located between Lai King and Olympic Stations on the Tung Chung Line.

Speaking at today's ceremony, KCRC Chairman Mr Michael Tien said, "Nam Cheong Station is the first fully integrated KCR/MTR station in Hong Kong with a shared underground concourse where West Rail and MTR facilities are combined. Passengers commuting between the Northwest New Territories and Hong Kong Island can interchange between West Rail and the MTR Tung Chung Line simply by passing through the transfer gates located at the centre of the paid concourse."

The two Corporations have worked closely together throughout the planning, design, construction, testing and commissioning stages of the station. After the opening of the station and the launch of West Rail, the station’s management will be shared between the two Corporations.

MTR Corporation Project Director Mr Russell Black said," The cooperation will continue in the on-going operation and maintenance, with the station being manned jointly by KCR and MTR staff down to joint management of the station control room, and periodic alternation in station management leadership — probably a world's "first" for railway station management."

Mr Tien said, "In the following months, we will make our best endeavours to prepare for the opening of West Rail, including completion of the remaining accessory works within the station, testing of all railway and fire service systems, as well as all pre-operations statutory examinations jointly conducted with relevant government departments."

Mr Black said, "We look forward to the successful opening of West Rail later in the year which will further expand Hong Kong’s railway network, providing a further step in implementation of Government’s strategy of railway becoming the backbone of Hong Kong’s transport infrastructure and improving our city’s air quality."

Construction of Nam Cheong Station commenced in January 2000. The contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty-Zen Pacific Joint Venture at a sum of HK2,238 million.

2. There's no escaping Lantau jail dispute
Paris Lord, The Standard 2 June 2003

Does Hong Kong really need to build an enormously expensive ``super prison''?

Despite protests, the Security Bureau insists a bigger prison is needed, claiming that overcrowding in existing prisons is ``most serious''.

It also says our prison population will be 15,000 in 2024 and we need to build the HK$12 billion 7,220-inmate facility on reclaimed land between Hei Ling Chau and Sunshine Island.

The bureau oversees the Correctional Services Department, which is responsible for the SAR's 24 prisons, and claims the average population in 2002 was 12,412, representing an occupancy rate of 111 per cent.

The bureau said among the main reasons for the new prison were that 19 jails were at least 20 years old, the cost savings involved in consolidating operations and the need to provide an additional 2,600 spaces for projected prisoner growth.

``Overcrowding is most serious in maximum security prisons, remand facilities and female prisons, which operate at an average occupancy rate of 131 per cent, 144 per cent and 170 per cent respectively,'' the bureau said.

It believes the penal population may grow at an average annual rate of 0.87 per cent.

A spokesman said it had made its projections ``in accordance with an established methodology''.

Accordingly, a projection for a particular year is calculated by taking the prisoner population of the proceeding year plus projected admissions in the year less projected discharges.

Projected admissions and discharges are based on projected numbers of arrests and prosecutions by the police and Immigration Department.

It also included projected detention rates ``taking into account relevant factors such as the crime rate, crime detection rate, sentencing pattern and general population growth'', the bureau said.

There were 11,976 prisoners as at May 23, the bureau said. At the end of 2002, there were 12,744; 12,017 in 2000 and 11,914 in 1998.

The top five crimes at the end of 2002 were drug trafficking (16.7 per cent), breaching conditions of stay (10.5 per cent), theft (9.6 per cent) robbery using force or causing fear (7.5 per cent) and drug possession (6.2 per cent).

In 2002, 2000 and 1998, the top three groups behind bars were SAR residents, mainlanders and Vietnamese.

Locals comprised 60.9 per cent or 6,934 prisoners at the end of 2002, mainlanders 30.9 per cent or 3,518 and Vietnamese 3.6 per cent or 413.

The bureau said the average length of sentence was 32.2 months.

On May 2 illegals from the mainland made up 14.8 per cent of the total prisoner population.

The Living Islands Movement (LIM), whose members live on Lantau's east and oppose the new jail, ask why such prisoners cannot be returned to China after their arrest in Hong Kong.

The bureau said they were, provided they were not involved in other criminal offences.

``They will usually be detained for a short time, usually one to two days before repatriation takes place,'' a bureau spokesman said.

Residents of Lantau and surrounding islands oppose the project, claiming it will disrupt natural tidal flows, destroy the eco-tourism potential of Hei Ling Chau, collapse property prices and be visible from most parts of western Hong Kong.

Discussions between mainland authorities and the bureau about a mutual repatriation programme for prisoners began three years ago and are continuing.

In a letter in April to the Legislative Council's Finance Committee, which last month approved HK$7 million of a HK$42 million two-part feasibility study, LIM member Neil McLaughlin asked why members of the general public, local residents, fishing communities and green groups were not consulted before the funding request was made to the committee.

The bureau said it had briefed the Islands District Council on August 12 last year and the Peng Chau-Discovery Bay Areas Committee two days later ``in an open, transparent manner''.

It added: ``It is our plan to proceed to wider public consultation during the feasibility study, when we have some engineering options and study findings to work on.''

Thirty submissions opposing the proposed development have been received to date.

The bureau said the Peng Chau Rural Committee had referred it to signatures from 986 residents and 22 island organisations supporting the project.

3. MTR agrees to talk with KCRC on connections
DENISE TSANG, SCMP 2 June 2003

The MTR Corporation has agreed to talks on planning interchanges with the KCRC's Sha Tin to Central rail project, breaking a deadlock on much-needed co-operation.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun said that connections with the MTR network would be crucial to the viability of the 18km rail corridor between Tai Wai, Hunghom, Admiralty and west of Central.

The rail project - costing about HK$33 billion - was awarded to the KCRC in June last year following a bitter battle with the MTRC.

The MTRC has warned that the Sha Tin-Central rail link would threaten its market share of the cross-harbour services and poach its passengers.

Mr Tien said a connection between the MTR and KCR networks made sense, increasing convenience for passengers.

He said the KCRC appreciated the MTRC's co-operation which was critical to project's success. Earlier this year, the MTRC declined the KCRC's invitation to discuss planning of interchanges at Diamond Hill and Admiralty MTR stations, citing inappropriate timing, Mr Tien said.

However, the MTRC recently came back to the discussion table, he said. An MTRC spokeswoman confirmed talks over the interchanges were under way.

Mr Tien said the MTRC's willingness to co-operate was a big step forward for the Sha Tin-Central line, scheduled to start construction next year. It is due to be completed in 2008.

He said the talks would not cover proposed fares.

"The most important thing is get the rail networks connected first, and the fare discounts can be sorted out later on," Mr Tien said. "We don't want to scare off the MTRC."

Fares are a sensitive issue to the MTRC. Analysts said the semi-privatised company sought to strike a balance of interest between its 2 million daily passengers and 420,000 minority shareholders.