Boost access to Hong Kong’s Happy Valley with underground train line, says district council chairman
Suggestion to link up area with Hong Kong Island MTR system comes as government launches study on using below-ground spaces
A driverless, underground train line connecting Happy Valley to the Hong Kong Island MTR system would help improve the area’s connectivity, the chairman of Wan Chai District Council suggested, as the government launched a pilot study on utilising the city’s below-ground spaces.
The three-month public engagement on the study will be focused on the built-up areas of Tsim Sha Tsui West, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Admiralty-Wan Chai.
Wan Chai District Council chairman Ng Kam-chun said in a council meeting with study consultants and government officials on Tuesday that the study could provide an opportunity to solve Happy Valley’s connectivity problem. The area currently has only Wong Nai Chung Road as its main access link, with few public transport choices.
Ng suggested that the government consider a driverless train line – similar to the international airport’s internal train system – which would link up the area with the Causeway Bay MTR station.
“Some experienced insiders told me that the cost of such a line would not be too expensive – at about HK$1 billion,” Ng said.