Rail delay rocks culture hub plan

Delays in completing the high-speed railway to Guangzhou will hinder the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the line terminates, although how big an effect it will have remained unclear yesterday.

It is understood that the Centre for Contemporary Performance and the Medium Theatre II, which will sit atop the railway's lavish terminus, could be directly affected by complex geological conditions at the site.

The impact on other facilities of the two-year delay - which will push the HK$67 billion railway line's opening back to 2017 - is uncertain.

Disclosing the delay on Tuesday, the MTR Corporation cited the breakdown of a tunnelling machine at Yuen Long as the main problem.

But MTR projects director Chew Tai-chong also said that underground rock strata at the terminus were at a level higher than expected and would therefore take longer to excavate. Progress was also slowed by boulders and uncharted utilities.

The performance centre was expected to be completed after 2018 as part of the second batch of facilities to open at the long-delayed cultural hub. Other facilities due to be ready in the same period include the Lyric Theatre and Medium Theatre I.