Railway Development in Hong Kong - Essay Example

Railway development in Hong Kong 2005 Outline: A) The railway system of Hong Kong B) Reasons for the sustainable development of railway transport mode. C) Projects in work and offered to develop railway system of Hon Kong D) Sustainability of railway business Description: In this paper we review the railway system of Hong Kong and key reasons for its successful development. The transport infrastructure of Hong Kong is well-developed and can compete with other world class structures. The railway system of Hong Kong is represented by the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system (which includes five urban lines and the Airport Express) and the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) (i.e. the East Rail, the West Rail and the Light Rail). The length of the current rail network has increased to over 200 km. (Transport infrastructure 2005) MTR is one of the most popular railways in the world.with the daily passenger load of 88,500 per route mile. The MTR carries 2.38 million passengers on an average weekday on a system of just 26.9 miles. MTR is a connected sequence of three lines which complete a loop through the commercial and visitor sections of Hong Kong. Along its route one can get to hotels, mini-city of shops as well to the business and financial center equally easily. (Brunhouse 1998) Hong Kong is a unique urban area with exceedingly high densities and strong commercial core. It cannot rely on automobiles to the same extent as other cities. Thus Hong Kong is the most favorable environment in the world for urban rail. The key to keeping Hong Kong moving will be to provide mobility alternatives that can make extensive automobile use unnecessary. (Cox 2000) Railways play a central role in the new transport strategy as they serve as efficient and environmentally friendly mass carriers. The location of employment centres within walking distance of rail stations ensures the usage of railways making the reliance on road-based transport minimal. The Government’s policy is to accord priority to railways so that they will form the backbone of a balanced transport system for Hong Kong. (The Transport Strategy 2005) The other reasons put forward to the Provisional Legislative Council to request funding for the development of railway infrastructure are the population increase by 8.2 million in 2016, the need to access new areas, the need to redefine cross-boundary passenger and freight rail services. All the reasons can be summed up into one: the rapid changes in the Hong Kong environment in the last three years with the fundamental change being the reverting of Hong Kong to China in 1997. (Hung 1998 p.6) These changes urged the Government to formulate the first Railway Development Strategy in 1994. Based on the first Railway Development Strategy formulated in 1994, and in light of the rapid growth in cross-boundary traffic and the construction of the Hong Kong Disneyland at Lantau, about HK$100 billion (money-of-the-day prices) are being invested in six railway projects: the MTR Tseung Kwan O Line, the KCR West Rail, the KCR Extension from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui and the Ma On Shan to Tai Wai Rail Link. (see table 1) (Railway development 2005) In 1998 the Government commissioned Railway Development Strategy 2000 (RDS-2) to research how to expand the rail network and based on the findings the Government formulated the Railway Development Strategy underlining the Government’s policy on railway development and indicating the rail schemes. The strategy envisages five passenger and one freight rail lines: Kowloon Southern Link (KSL); Shatin to Central Link (SCL); North Hong Kong Island Line (NIL); Northern Link (NOL); Regional Express Line (REL); and Port Rail Line (PRL). (see table 1) (Legislative Council Panel 2004) The Railway Development Strategy 2000 was introduced by Government in May of 2000. The total investment needed to complete above mentioned five passenger rail projects is some $100 billion. Upon their completion, Hong Kongs rail network will expand by some 40 per cent to over 250 kilometres. (The future of Hong Kong 2004) 1 As the result of project completion many important parts will be linked. The Kowloon Southern Link is designed to link West Rail with East Rail via the Kowloon peninsula. It will unite the urban areas in Kowloon with Northwest New Territories. The areas in between Northwest New Territories and Southeast Kowloon will be linked with the SCL line. Tai Hom, Southeast Kowloon and Homantin and Beacon Hill will benefit from this line. 1 The SCL will open up a new railway corridor for passengers traveling between Northeast New Territories to the urban areas via Southeast Kowloon. It serves to relieve the congestion in the Beacon Hill section of the East Rail and will provide rail services to new developments at Tai Hom, Southeast Kowloon and Homantin. The time frame for the construction of this line is around 7 years. 2 North Hong Kong Island Line (NIL) extends the existing Tung Chung Line along the north shore of Hong Kong Island relieving the section between Tin Hau and Causeway Bay on Island Line and the Nathan Road section of the Tsuen Wan Line. 3 Northern Link (NOL) is planned to provide rail service for the New Territories. This project requires an in-depth research to find out technical, environmental and financial aspects of the project. 4 Regional Express Line (REL) is designed to form the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (ERL). It will allow reducing traveling time from Guangzhou to Hon Kong. The project was evaluated and its strategic value ws confirmed. One railway line was designed for freight. It’s Port Rail Line (PRL) which extends from Lo Wu to port rail terminal at Kwai Chung. 2 In addition to the recommending of a number of new railway projects, the Railway Development Strategy 2000 has set out the overall conceptual blueprint for the Territory’s rail network expansion plan. The percentage of total public transport journeys on rail is expected to grow from about one-third at present to about 40%. (The Transport Strategy 2005) 3 The development of the railway infrastructure will ensure public convenience in the access to the railway system and much faster and reliable travel throughout Hong Kong, reducing the reliance on road-based transport. More than 70 percent of the residents and 80 percent of the employment will then be within walking distance from the railway stations. (HK Unveils 2000) 4 To accomplish the availability of public transport in close proximity to every job and residence is almost impossible as the population continues to spread into the new towns. But Hong Kong is different. The exceedingly high population densities and strong commercial core make Hong Kong indisputably the most favorable environment in the world for urban rail. This makes it possible not only to effectively serve all of the development in the HKSAR, but also to do so without requiring public subsidies. (Cox 2000) 1 Implementation of all the projects recommended in RDS-2000 will result in the boost of the rail share in the public transport system from about one-third to over 40% which will reduce the reliance on road-based transport. As the result the programmed railway development will also help reduce vehicle emissions of some 600 tonnes of NOX and respirable suspended particulates per year. Emission of CO2 will also be reduced by 160,000 tonnes per year. (Railway development 2005) 2 The principle of sustainable development assumes the objective of safe environment provision. When in 1996 TDSR (Territorial Development Strategy Review) was conducted, a SEA (Strategic Environment Assessment) was also conducted as part of the Review. The SEA included environmentally acceptable strategies to maximize environmental benefits and avoid adverse environmental impacts. The SEA compares road vs. rail developments and quantifies environmental benefits of railway developments. The SEA demonstrates that more environmental advantages would be achieved by developing railways than roads. (Project Descriptions) 3 In spite of the fact that railways require a high capital investment, railway will be accepted as backbone of transport infrastructure because it is a more ecologically friendly than road and because Hong Kong has a unique geographical setting. 4 New railway projects won’t avoid competition from other modes of transport. To achieve the balance these projects have to be self-sustainable supported without any subsidies. If to refer to the history of public transport subsidization, we’ll see that subsidies lead to higher costs and consequently to more subsidies. One of the greatest strengths of Hong Kongs public transport system is that its customers are the passengers. When subsidies are involved, the customer becomes government, and passengers take a "back seat." (Hung 1998, p.7) 5 Nevertheless, both KCR and MTR are corporations with considerable independence from the Hong Kong government. Both organisations are free to set their own fares. "Our corporate status insulates us from political interference. We have statutory rights, which means we can lodge a claim for compensation if the government forces us to do things which affect our profitability. (Briginshaw 2002) 6 Hong Kong is urban area with high densities and strong commercial core and cannot rely on automobiles as other cities. That’s why it sets to develop railway transport infrastructure. Hong Kong has already developed some projects which are currently under construction and proposed some more projects which are carefully evaluated. Hong Kong two railway systems MTR and KCR are very careful in planning and implementation of the projects. 7 The key to the sustainable development of the business is in the fact that railway transport mode is the best for the Hong Kong. It unites Hong Kong into one big city and ensures convince for passengers. Besides this transport was recognized by SEA as the most environmentally friendly one. 8 Bibliography 1. Briginshaw, D. 2002 No let up in Hong Kongs railway expansion - Rapid Transit: Hong Kong. International Railway Journal, May. 2. Brunhouse, J. 1998 Hong Kongs MTR - Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway - All Aboard! – Column. International Travel New. Sept. 3. Cox, W. 2000 Hong Kongs Rail Expansion: Dont be Derailed by Western Policies. Apple Daily. Hong Kong. 29 July 4. The future of Hong Kong. Oct., 2004 /www.info.gov.hk/info/hkbrief/eng/future.htm retr. 12 Nov. 2005 5. HK Unveils New Blueprint for Railway Development. May 16, 2000. english.people.com.cn/english/ 200005/16/eng20000516_40949.html retr. 13 Dec. 2005 6. Hung, W.T. 1998 The Second Railway Development Study for Hong Kong. Policy Bulletin, Hong Kong Policy Research Institute, No.5, May, pp 5-7. 7. Legislative Council Panel on Transport Subcommittee on matters relating to railways Railway Development Strategy 2000 (29 June 2004) LC Paper No. CB(1)2242/03-04(03) 8. Project Descriptions of Key SEA Examples. Appendix. /www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/eia_planning/sea/territorial_dept.html retr. 13 Dec. 2005 9. Railway development − MAY 2005 10. Transport infrastructure development in HK and opportunity for international participation and investment (May 2005) http://www.info.gov.hk/info/hkin/infrastructure.pdf. retr. 12 Dec. 2005 11. The Transport Strategy: “Hong Kong Moving Ahead” − MAY 2005. Annex Table 1 HONG KONG RAIL EXPANSION Project Railway Length Stations (km) Under Construction Tseung Kwan O Line MTR 13 5 West Rail KCR 30.5 9 Ma On Shan Line KCR 11.4 9 Tsim Sha Tsui extension KCR 1 1 Planned Lines Pennys Bay Link (Disney Link) MTR 3.2 1 Lok Ma Chau spur line KCR 7.4 1 Proposed Lines Kowloon Southern Link KCR 3.7 2 (Nam Cheong- Tsim Sha Tsui) Sha Tin-Central Link Undecided 17.1 10 (Tai Wai-Central West) North Island Line MTR 3.5 2 (Central-Fortress Hill) West Island Line MTR 4 3 (Sheung Wan- Kennedy Town) Northern Link KCR 10 4 Regional Express Line Undecided Two options Port Rail Link KCR 9.7 0 Project Cost Opening Date ($HK billion) Under Construction Tseung Kwan O Line 30.5 August 2002 West Rail 46.4 + Dec 2003 Ma On Shan Line ++ 2004 Tsim Sha Tsui extension ++ 2004 Planned Lines Pennys Bay Link (Disney Link) 1.7 2005 Lok Ma Chau spur line ++ mid-2007 Proposed Lines Kowloon Southern Link 8 * 2008 (Nam Cheong- Tsim Sha Tsui) Sha Tin-Central Link 32 * 2008 (Tai Wai-Central West) North Island Line 9-10 * 2008 (Central-Fortress Hill) West Island Line 10 * 2009-10 (Sheung Wan- Kennedy Town) Northern Link 9 * 2011-16 Regional Express Line 13-17 * Undecided Port Rail Link 7 * Undecided + Original estimate for West Rail was $HK 64 billion ++ The combined cost of these three projects is $HK 26.7 billion * Estimated cost at 1998 prices (Source: Briginshaw, 2002) Read More