Pedestrians are a major beneficiary of the MTR Corp's plan for the multibillion-dollar West Kowloon terminus of the Hong Kong-Guangzhou high-speed railway, which it unveiled yesterday and which will go to public tender before the end of the year.
The plan calls for roads that separate the terminus from the West Kowloon Cultural District, such as Austin Road, to be put underground, allowing pedestrians to walk to the cultural district without impediment.
Yet inbound travellers wanting to catch a train to Central will have to walk for about 10 minutes in the open to Kowloon station, although the walk to Austin station for connections elsewhere will take only about two minutes.
A large piazza planted with vegetation will front the western exit and part of it will be designated for public performances.
The MTR's general manager for the high-speed link, Paul Lo Po-hing, said the station would be a landmark.
'It will be a place for people to spend their leisure time, to relax, and to enjoy the green features and open areas with their friends and family,' he said.