Hong Kong’s new town of Hung Shui Kiu to get green transport such as electric bus, tram or driverless mini-rail
- Three modes of transport shortlisted for ‘next generation’ development
- A two-month public consultation on the issue has been launched
A driverless mini-rail, an electric bus and a tram have been shortlisted as modes of green transport within the “next generation” new town of Hung Shui Kiu in rural Hong Kong.
The options, picked from a total of seven modes previously studied, were put forward on Wednesday by the Civil Engineering and Development Department for a two-month public consultation.
The environmentally friendly transit system will form part of the green transport planning of the future Hung Shui Kiu – Ha Tsuen new development area, which the government aims to develop into a regional economic and civil hub for the northwestern New Territories.
There will also be pedestrian walkways and cycle tracks to link up residential areas, commercial nodes, key community facilities and railway stations, according to the plans.
Among the shortlisted three modes of green transport, the most expensive option will be the automated people-mover system – a driverless mini-rail commonly seen in airports to ferry passengers between terminals, with the cost estimated at HK$40 billion (US$5.1 billion) to HK$45 billion. The initial idea is to have it run on an elevated rail-track with full segregation from pedestrians and road vehicles.
An electric bus system is the least expensive, at an estimated cost of about HK$20 billion to HK$25 billion, according to the department. The cost of building a modern tram system is estimated to be between HK$25 billion and HK$30 billion.
Hung Wing-tat, a fellow of the Hong Kong Society of Transportation Studies, said he preferred the mini-rail proposal. “It uses elevated track and so it will not compete with other cars for road surface space,” said Hung, who however urged the government to release more estimates on future fares.
“If it is free and the government will fully subsidise the fares, then, it is the perfect system,” he said. “But people would have questions if future fares have to be very high to cover the construction cost.”
Yuen Long district councillor Mak Ip-shing, who is also vice-chairman of the council’s traffic and transport committee, shared similar views and opted for the mini-rail.
“The easiest way is to use green buses. But they will have to share the road surface with other cars, and that means they may be affected in case of traffic jams,” Mak said.
According to the government’s plans, Hung Shui Kiu would be developed as a balanced and socially integrated community with an emphasis on environmentally friendly designs. The entire project will take until the late 2030s to complete.
The development covers more than 700 hectares of land and will be a major source of housing supply for Hong Kong, according to authorities. It will accommodate a total population of 218,000, including a new population of 176,000, and will provide about 150,000 employment opportunities.
