What now for Hong Kong’s over-budget Sha Tin-Central Link? And why the MTR’s numbers did not tell the full story

The much-delayed 17km line from the New Territories to Admiralty is nearing completion, but still needs more public money from Legco

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The project will cost a total of at least HK$97.1 billion. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 9:00am, 7 Dec 2017Updated: 11:56am, 7 Dec 2017

After decades of planning, consultation, revisions and construction delays (and some building), there is finally light at the end of the expensively dug tunnel for Hong Kong’s Sha Tin-Central Link, as building work comes to completion.

Like a lot of other major infrastructure developments in Hong Kong, the project did not hit its projected completion date or hit its budget. In fact, it is now the most expensive rail project in the city’s history.

The MTR Corporation – which is building the line, paid for by the government – announced on Tuesday a budget overrun of HK$16.5 billion, bringing the total bill to HK$97.1 billion. That made it even more expensive than the Hong Kong section of the controversial high-speed rail project linking the city with Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which is set to cost HK$84.4 billion.

At HK$5.71 billion per kilometre, this makes the 17km link one of the costliest in the world for its size.

By comparison, Britain’s planned north-south high-speed line was expected to cost £403 million a mile, or HK$2.5 billion per km.

What happens now to the Sha Tin-Central Link?

What now for Hong Kong’s over-budget Sha Tin-Central Link? And why the MTR’s numbers did not tell the full story

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The much-delayed 17km line from the New Territories to Admiralty is nearing completion, but still needs more public money from Legco

The much-delayed 17km line from the New Territories to Admiralty is nearing completion, but still needs more public money from Legco