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Fan Chen

The Hong Kong government will adopt a smart and green mass transit system instead of heavy rail for the South Island line extension – a major development for a project that has been under consideration for the past decade.
The extension of the South Island line between Wong Chuk Hang station and HKU station will form a loop in the central and western parts of Hong Kong Island, according to the Transport and Logistics Bureau’s proposal on Monday.
The bureau said the 7.5km (4.7-mile) extension would serve 130,000 residents in Aberdeen, Wah Fu, Cyberport and Pok Fu Lam and the travel time between Wong Chuk Hang and the University of Hong Kong would be 20 minutes.
It said the smart and green mass transit system would be of a medium carrying capacity, running primarily on dedicated elevated viaducts, which would be separated from and not affected by existing road traffic.


“Due to the hilly terrains, a section of the alignment from Queen Mary Hospital to the University of Hong Kong is preliminarily proposed to adopt tunnel form,” it said.
The authorities aim to start detailed planning and design in 2025 for the alignment and costs of the project before commencing construction work in 2027. The timetable is also aligned with the redevelopment of the public Wah Fu Estate.
Cheung Wai-nam, a Southern District Council member, raised concerns about the system’s carrying capacity.
“Whether it be building single or double rail, looping the shuttle, or having the system finish one-way straight, these all need to be considered. But they all depend on the carrying capacity,” he said.
“The roads in Southern district have a heavy traffic flow, and there are often traffic jams during work and off-peak hours.
“If the carrying capacity is not enough, can the frequency make up for that?”

Meanwhile, the MTR Corporation said on Monday it had simplified the design of a viaduct of the HK$15.8 billion (US$2 billion) Tuen Mun South rail extension project, a more difficult and costly alternative to minimise disturbance to residents’ livelihoods.
The project will extend the Tuen Ma line southwards by around 2.4km from Tuen Mun station via a viaduct.
The viaduct is 1.7km long, 75 per cent of which will be on Tuen Mun River, including a 250-metre-long cross-river railway bridge.
Two new stations will be constructed, including an intermediate station and a new terminal station at Tuen Mun South near the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal.
“We can serve more than 100,000 local residents,” said Walter Lam Wai-tak, head of construction management for New Territories South. “And we can save about 50 per cent of travel time from Tuen Mun South to Tuen Mun station.”
To avoid occupying too much space at the river, the MTR would use a lifted transfer beam to support the viaduct instead of pile caps that were traditionally built in water, said Jimmy Poon Kin-leung, chief construction manager.


In addition, the two piers of the viaduct, capable of supporting 11,000 tonnes, will be designed in a V-shape to minimise the number of piers used.
“The V-shape design is more difficult to build than the vertical type,” Poon said. “But it won’t affect the entire construction time.”
Lam said: “Building a viaduct over a river is definitely more difficult than building one on land, and costs more.”
He added that the cost had been calculated in the budget.
The capital cost estimate of the railway extension project was HK$15.8 billion in July 2023 prices, according to the Legislative Council.
The entire project includes three major phases: building temporary construction platforms, constructing the viaduct and laying the rails. The railway is expected to operate in 2030, the MTR Corp said.
Phase 1 commenced early this year, in which platforms will be built along the river to allow the entry of large equipment.
The team would build platforms as far away from the water outlets as possible to reduce the impact on the river, Poon said.
The viaduct is expected to be completed in 2028. That means the MTR Corp’s “golden two hours” working window will not take place until then.


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News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Government opts to abandon heavy rail system for project that will form a loop connecting Wong Chuk Hang station and HKU station


Government opts to abandon heavy rail system for project that will form a loop connecting Wong Chuk Hang station and HKU station.


MTR Corporation

Urban planning