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$15 b rail proposal gets local backing

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A $15-billion light railway proposed by tycoon Mr Li Ka-shing to link Ma On Shan and Cheung Sha Wan should be carefully considered by the Government to help avoid serious future traffic problems in Sha Tin, district board members said yesterday.

Plans for the 16.5-kilometre Cheung Ma Railway show the route is divided into four distance zones with charges between $3.20 and $6.90.

Mr Li's flagship company, Cheung Kong (Holdings), plans to operate the line for 30 years before handing it over to the Government.

Ma On Shan District Board member Mr Tsui Tung-hon said: ''With population increasing rapidly recently and in the coming two years, residents are worried that the road system with Lion Rock Tunnel and Tate's Cairn Tunnel will not be able to handle the flow and there will be serious traffic congestion.

''We hope the Government will seriously consider the proposal, since a large number of residents living here have to go to Kowloon to work.'' He said the fare was acceptable when compared with the $4 charged for buses running from Ma On Shan to Cheung Sha Wan.

Travelling time for a full trip is estimated to be within 30 minutes. The buses take more than an hour.

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