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for. 1.
An hour to Guangzhou 2.
Statement by new chairman of the Provisional CICB 3.
Appointment of Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination
Board
1. An hour to Guangzhou
A Magnetic monorail train able to whisk passengers from Hong Kong to Guangzhou
in less than an hour is under serious consideration by the Hong Kong and Guangdong
governments. This was revealed yesterday by Chief Secretary for Administration
Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who said the multi-billion-dollar, high-speed link would
become the centre of a major new rail network throughout the Pearl Delta.Mr Tsang
was speaking in Guangzhou where he has been talking with provincial officials
on cross-border co-operation. The magnetic line, on which trains suspended on
a single rail by electromagnetic force travel at up to 430 kph, would more than
halve the present two-hour travel time for the 180-kilometre journey between the
two cities. No estimate of the total cost has been produced, but a Transport Bureau
spokesman said the Hung Hom-Shenzhen section alone was estimated at $17 billion.
KCRC sources admit the project would be very expensive but said they were confident
of its viability. It would be China's second such railway, after a $9-billion,
33-kilometre trial line in Shanghai that is expected to be in operation in early
2003. The Shanghai project, part of an eventual link to Beijing, is the first
commercial application in the world of the Transrapid rail system, developed in
Germany but never put into service there. An engineering expert warned the government
should consider alternatives, such as Japanese or French-style bullet trains,
because the Germans had scrapped plans for a Berlin-Hamburg link after spending
eight years developing the technology. Speaking after a breakfast meeting in Guangzhou
with Shenzhen Mayor Yu Youjun, Mr Tsang said Hong Kong and mainland representatives
had agreed in principle on the need to improve the railway network. The government
was conducting feasibility studies, and the magnetic train was one of the options
for an express link. Better rail links, Mr Tsang said, would encourage economic
activity and tourism, and help the economy on both sides of the border. ``What
we need to do now is to do some feasibility studies, making sure it will generate
sufficient returns.'' The Transport Bureau estimated last year that a magnetic
monorail from Hong Kong to Shenzhen would cut the journey from 40 minutes to 15.
A Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) spokeswoman said the company welcomed
the plan and had been looking into various studies made in Japan and Germany on
the magnetic monorail. Earlier this year, the German railway consortium Transrapid
reached an agreement to build a high-speed levitation rail link in Shanghai. The
Transrapid system is based on the Maglev system, which uses powerful magnets to
hold a train a few millimetres from the track propelling it with little noise
and vibration. Professor Tony Eastham of the Electrical and Electronic and Engineering
Department of the University of Science and Technology urged the government to
look at other options. [Source:
HK-iMail, 29 September 2001] 2.
Statement by new chairman of the Provisional CICB
Following is the statement by the Chairman of the Provisional Construction Industry
Co-ordination Board, the Honourable Henry Ying-yen Tang, in response to his new
appointment: "I am deeply honoured and feel excited to be appointed the Chairman
of the Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination Board. Honoured in the
sense that I can work with all stakeholders to promote the vision of an integrated
construction industry. Excited in the sense that I see in front of me are challenges
that require the bond of solid strength and input from all sectors involved. The
industry has given a wide support to the recommendations made by the Construction
Industry Review Committee. I cannot stress more the importance of this support
and I look forward to the industry giving even a stronger backing to the Provisional
Board. Working shoulder to shoulder with board members, the Government and the
industry as a whole, I am committed to initiate all necessary reforms to achieve
continuous improvement of the industry towards excellence." End/Friday, September
28, 2001. [Source:
Hong Kong Government, 28 September 2001] 3.
Appointment of Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination Board
The Government announced today (September 28) the setting up of the Provisional
Construction Industry Co-ordination Board (Provisional CICB) and the appointment
of Mr Henry Ying-yen Tang, member of the Executive Council, as its chairman. Twenty-three
members, comprising major industry stakeholders, construction clients, professionals,
academics, consultants, contractors and workers, as well as independent persons
and ex-officio Government representatives, were also appointed to the Board. The
chairman and members were all appointed for a term of two years. The Provisional
CICB will advise the Government on the establishment of the statutory industry
co-ordinating body which is one of the major recommendations made by the Construction
Industry Review Committee (CIRC) in its report submitted to the Chief Executive
in January this year. As a precursor of the statutory body, the Provisional CICB
will serve as the focal point for co-ordinating the industry's efforts in taking
forward the vast change programme recommended in the CICR report. It will be a
forum for the stakeholders to deliberate and generate consensus on strategic matters
affecting the construction industry, and to communicate the industry's needs and
aspirations to the Government. The Provisional CICB will also serve as the main
channel for the Government to seek the industry's feedback on policy issues impacting
on local construction. Details of the terms of reference and membership of the
Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination Board are as follows:
Terms of Reference: * To deliberate and generate consensus among different sectors
of the construction industry on strategic issues affecting the industry, such
as construction technology, research and standardisation, and human resources
development; * To consider and take forward those recommendations of the Construction
Industry Review Committee which require coordination or input by the industry
co-ordinating body, including setting priority and timeframe; * To maintain close
contact and exchange views with Government on all construction-related matters;
* To enhance self-regulatory functions for the construction industry through the
formulation of codes of conduct; * To promote sharing of knowledge in industry
good practices, innovative construction technologies and sound management techniques;
* To devise performance indicators for the construction industry to measure its
improvement; * To advise Government on the formation and future development of
the industry co-ordinating body; and * To report regularly to the Financial Secretary
on the work progress of the Provisional CICB. Membership list: The Honourable
Henry Tang Ying-yen (Chairman), Mr Russell John Black, Mr James Blake, Mr Francis
Bong Shu-ying, Mr Chan Kam-ling, Mr Edward Cheng Wai-sun, Ms Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah,
Mr James Chiu, Mr Choi Chun-wa, Mr Keith Kerr, Mr Kwok Kwok-chuen, Mr Thomas Kwok
Ping-kwong, Mr Lam Wo-hei, Prof. Lee Chack-fan, Mr Stephen Liu Ling-Hong, Mr Wan
Koon-sun, Mr Robin Whalley, Mr Louis Wong Hak-wood, Mr Billy Wong Wing-hoo, Secretary
for Works, Secretary for Education and Manpower, Deputy Secretary for Housing,
Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Director of Buildings.
[Source:
Hong Kong Government, 28 September 2001] |  |
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