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1. Review on Central Reclamation III completed

2. West Rail on track for final go-ahead

3. West Rail Station Open Day Launch Ceremony

1. Review on Central Reclamation III completed
Hong Kong Government, 5 December 2003

The Government has completed the review on the Central Reclamation III (CRIII) based on the three tests laid down in the High Court Judgment on Wan Chai Development II (WDII).

The review examines the purpose and extent of the individual components of the CRIII reclamation and concludes that the CRIII works meet the three tests: (a) Compelling, Overriding and Present Need, (b) No Viable Alternative, and (c) Minimum Impairment to the Harbour, a spokesman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau (HPLB) said today (December 5).

The review's main findings are briefly summarized as follows:-

(a) Compelling, Overriding and Present Need

The CRIII is needed to provide land for essential transport infrastructure including the Central Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) and roads connecting CRI and II (the Road P2 network).

At present, the Connaught Road Central/Harcourt Road/Gloucester Road corridor is operating over its capacity and there is regular traffic congestion during the peak hours. CWB is a strategic road linking the Rumsey Street Flyover with the Island Eastern Corridor via the Island Eastern Corridor Link. In a recent re-run of the Third Comprehensive Transport Study transport model completed in 2003, the results indicate that the demand for the CWB remains firm, despite updates in land use planning assumptions and the reduced population projections of the territory. The Road P2 network is also fully justified to cope with the growing traffic within the completed CRI and II.

The Review has re-confirmed that there is a compelling, overriding and present need to build CWB and related roads in order to bring urgent relief to the traffic congestion in Central and Wan Chai. The traffic problem will deteriorate if the roads are not ready in time to meet the demand as well as the needs arising from new development in Central's waterfront area.

(b) No Viable Alternative

The Territory Development Department has explored various alternatives such as building the CWB in the form of an elevated structure, an at-grade road, or a bored or submerged tube tunnel to avoid reclamation. None of them are considered viable, owing to various technical reasons (e.g. the presence of existing developments and existing underground facilities or adverse impact on existing traffic network) as well as concerns over the adverse impacts on the environment and urban planning arising from these alternatives (e.g. air pollutants, noise and visual impact in the case of the at-grade or elevated options).

It is concluded that building CWB beyond the current Central shoreline through reclamation is considered the only viable option.

As reclamation is the only viable option, the existing piers and sea-water cooling water pumping stations along the current shoreline will need to be reprovisioned along the new harbour-front. Otherwise, the ferry services will have to be terminated and the buildings currently served by the pumping stations will have to be modified in order to be served by other cooling facilities or otherwise will have no cooling facilities. However, none of the alternatives for the sea water cooling system are considered viable at this stage because no extra space is available within the existing buildings to house new system and some of the alternative system is environmentally unfriendly.

(c) Minimum Impairment to the Harbour

The Review concludes that the existing CRIII project has already kept impairment to the Harbour to the minimum. The shoreline will move slightly northward as a result of the construction of CWB. The Star Ferry piers, Queen's Pier, various public landing steps and the groups of cooling water pumping stations serving major offices and commercial buildings in Central have to be reprovisioned along the future Central shoreline. After extensive discussion and consultation with the parties concerned, we have come up with the current configuration which is acceptable to all and which would cause the minimum impairment to the Harbour.

"The Review findings have been endorsed by Professor Y S Li, the Head of Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, and the Chair Professor of Coastal and Environmental Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University," the spokesman continued.

"Professor Li confirms that in his view, the analysis as presented in the Review Report has convincingly demonstrated that the CRIII reclamation can comply with the three tests laid down in Madam Justice Chu's Judgment.

"He also confirms that CRIII is a necessary continuation of the early and completed phases of the Central and Wan Chai reclamations, namely the CRI, CRII and Wan Chai Reclamation I, and that apart from the proposed construction of the key infrastructure in Central, namely the CWB, Airport Railway Extended Overrun Tunnel and Road P2 network, the CRIII reclamation can enhance the tidal flow and water quality in the Victoria Harbour by eliminating a zone of rather stagnant water," the spokesman said.

The Review Report has been submitted to the Legislative Council Panels on Planning, Lands and Works, and Environmental Affairs for members' information and reference.

"The full report has been uploaded onto the CRIII website at http://www.hplb.gov.hk/cr3/index_s.htm to keep the community better informed of the CRIII project," he added.

2. West Rail on track for final go-ahead
Keith Wallis, The Standard 5 December 2003

The opening date for the HK$46.5 billion West Rail network will be confirmed at a meeting of the managing board of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) next Friday.

Industry insiders believe the 30.5-kilometre link between Tuen Mun and Kowloon will formally open to the public the following weekend, on December 20 or 21.

Speaking to the Legislative Council last week, KCRC chairman Michael Tien indicated the railway would be open before Christmas, although he would only officially confirm that it would become operational by the end of this month. Talking to MetroNews yesterday, KCRC West Rail director Ian Thoms refused to discuss the opening date, but confirmed the final decision would be made next week.

This would follow six weeks of full operational trials that are due to end tomorrow.

The trials are expected to confirm the railway is operating at close to 100 per cent reliability.

Thoms said the tests, where trains had operated a full daily schedule since the end of October, showed the service was operating at punctuality levels of more than 99 per cent. Overall service reliability was 100 per cent.

This is higher than KCRC's normal standards, which stipulate a minimum punctuality level of 95 per cent and service delivery of 97.5 per cent.

He said that once the tests were concluded, rail officials would write to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and several government organisations, including the Railway Inspectorate, confirming West Rail was ready to begin operations.

The KCRC board would consider the results of the tests plus any government response and agree on a formal opening date.

Final certification and approval was expected from the government some days after the board meeting.

Thoms said West Rail trains had already operated 10 million rail car kilometres since the trains started running in June.

He said the KCRC would continue its programme of station open days this weekend to allow members of the public to familiarise themselves with station facilities including new escalators, ticketing machines and ticket gates.

The stations open to the public will be Mei Foo, Nam Cheong, Tin Shui Wai and Siu Hong.

The KCRC has already held open-house events at Tuen Mun station, which attracted 13,000 visitors, plus stations at Yuen Long, Long Ping, Kam Sheung Road and Tsuen Wan West. Bus services are planned to deal with any ``teething'' problems.

3. West Rail Station Open Day Launch Ceremony
KCRC Press Release, 29 November 2003

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) today (29 November 2003) held a launch ceremony for the West Rail Station Open Day at West Rail Long Ping Station.

Mr Y T Li, Director East Rail said during the ceremony that the civil works and finishes for the nine West Rail stations had all been completed. Statutory inspections of all systems and facilities had also been successfully concluded and certified. Mr Li added that the opening of the stations for the public to visit signified an important step forward by West Rail towards its commissioning.

“One of the objectives of organising the West Rail Station Open Day is to familiarise the public with the station environment and the state-of-the-art station facilities,” Mr Li said. “The event also provides a chance for station staff to handle real passengers and understand their expectations. This will help us to provide a pleasant and smooth journey for passengers after West Rail is commissioned.”

KCRC is organising a series of open days at West Rail stations during the weekends of 29 November and 7 December 2003 as part of its familiarisation programme for the public before the commissioning of West Rail.

Programmes scheduled for the West Rail Station Open Day include guided station tours, unlimited trial use of station facilities, the West Rail Theatre, exhibitions, game stalls, a quiz, children’s colouring corner and photo competition.

A limited edition West Rail Station Open Day souvenir ticket and other souvenir items will be given away to participants on a first-come first-served basis.

Following the open day held at Yuen Long and Long Ping stations today, other stations will be opened for visit tomorrow (30 November), next Saturday and Sunday (see below for the schedule). The opening hours will be from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

30 Nov (Sun) - Tsuen Wan West, Kam Sheung Road and Tuen Mun stations

6 Dec (Sat) - Tin Shui Wai and Mei Foo stations

7 Dec (Sun) - Nam Cheong and Siu Hong stations