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Michelle Chak

A new rail link to urban areas would not lead to overcrowding at Tai Wai station, legislators were told yesterday.

 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation officials dispelled fears over the new line for Ma On Shan residents.

 Commuters getting off trains from Ma On Shan would need only to walk across the platform at Tai Wai to the southbound East Rail, said KCRC senior director for capital projects James Blake.

 The transfer at Tai Wai would be convenient, he said.

 Members of the Legco transport panel feared Tai Wai station could become congested with commuters who had to change there.

 They said the new link should go directly to Kowloon.

 Democratic Party member Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said a survey he conducted showed strong demand for a direct link for Ma On Shan residents to the city.

 The survey indicated 60 per cent of Ma On Shan and Sha Tin residents would not use the new rail line.

 Lau Kong-wah of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong doubted the new line would be profitable if commuters had to change at Tai Wai.

 But Secretary for Transport Nicholas Ng Wing-fui said it would not be cost-effective to build a separate direct railway from Ma On Shan to the city as the population in the area would be insufficient to support this.

 KCRC officials said improvements would be made at Tai Wai.

 East Rail director Lee Kang-kuen said three more trains would start from Fo Tan every hour during rush hours, making six in total.



Overcrowding fears baseless, say rail chiefs