After 11 years and HK$90 million in studies, Hong Kong scraps proposed Kai Tak elevated rail link
- Development chief Michael Wong tells lawmakers the project simply proved financially unworkable
- Some lawmakers have expressed dismay over the scrapping of the plan, with one calling the wasted investment an ‘international joke’
A decade-old government proposal for a HK$12 billion (US$1.55 billion) elevated rail link cutting across the heart of Kowloon and the massive Kai Tak Development has been ditched due to cost concerns, according to a senior Hong Kong official.
Some lawmakers expressed disappointment at the scrapping of the plan – which had been under consideration since 2009 and had already cost more than HK$90 million in studies – questioning whether the government could alleviate rising traffic congestion in Kowloon East without the rail link.
Speaking at a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, development chief Michael Wong Wai-lun confirmed the government would not go ahead with the proposed elevated monorail linkage system for Kowloon East after completing a detailed feasibility study, saying the idea was unworkable.
“[The government’s] detailed feasibility study reveals that, technically, provisioning of a single elevated system in the area will be severely constrained by the adjacent congested developments, very costly and not financially viable, and thus not a sustainable and pursuable option,” Wong said.
The proposal had called for an elevated 9km monorail running from Kowloon Bay MTR station to the Kai Tak Development – on the site of Hong Kong’s former international airport – and continuing above the Kwun Tong typhoon shelter to Kwun Tong MTR station.