The KCRC has been asked to proceed with in-depth planning for an express rail link between Hong Kong and Guangzhou using its West Rail line rather than a dedicated new line.
The move was hailed last night as a step to consolidate Hong Kong's position at the centre of the Pearl River Delta - although a critic said its main aim was to salvage the underused West Rail line.
The Executive Council, in a decision unveiled yesterday, said the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation should combine planning for the Hong Kong section of the express rail link with work on its Northern Link.
The Northern Link will run between West Rail's Kam Sheung Road station and the Lok Ma Chau station on the eastward spur line now being built from the KCRC's East Rail line to the border. Trains will use a new terminus next to the West Kowloon station on the KCR's Southern Link - which will join West Rail's Nam Cheong terminus and Tsim Sha Tsui. The new terminus will allow interchange with the MTR's Tung Chung line and Airport Express services. Express trains will link Hong Kong with Shibi in Guangzhou and Longhua in Shenzhen.
Using West Rail tracks will reduce construction, allowing completion by 2013, and yield a higher rate of return than a dedicated line.
However, journeys between West Kowloon and Guangzhou will take an hour, instead of 48 minutes by a dedicated direct line, while the journey time from West Kowloon to the border will be nearly doubled.