Cross-harbour section of Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project to fully open on May 15
- Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan has confirmed the May 15 launch of the long-awaited project
- Commuters can reach Kowloon Tong from Admiralty in 13 minutes via the new line, with fares remaining the same
The remaining Hung Hom-Admiralty section of the long-overdue Sha Tin to Central link, Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project yet, will fully open on May 15, marking the end of a scheme plagued by repeated delays and cost overruns.
Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan on Tuesday said relevant tests and trial runs on the cross-harbour section of the HK$90.7 billion (US$11.7 billion) link had been completed and it would be ready for launch in mid-May, ahead of the revised target date in June or July. The project is the city’s fourth cross-harbour rail corridor.
Chan pledged to draw a lesson from past blunders related to the project, saying improvements were under way.
“We have enhanced our scrutiny and supervision of the project and related procedures,” he said. “We will learn a lesson from the past and let past experience guide us for the future.”
He also shed some light on the fate of cross-border intercity through-train services between Hung Hom and Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai following recent rumours of their termination, saying a review was under way.
Jacob Kam Chak-pui, CEO of railway operator the MTR Corporation, said commuters would be able to travel from the northeastern New Territories to the heart of Hong Kong Island without changing trains, which would “energise the century-old rail service [the East Rail line]” and “keep Hong Kong moving”.