3 new Hong Kong mass transit systems will take at least 10 years to complete, transport chief says

Planned mass transit systems in East Kowloon, Kai Tak and Hung Shui Kiu will take at least 10 years to complete as authorities may need longer than expected to overcome technical difficulties, Hong Kong’s transport minister has said.

Unveiling a blueprint on Hong Kong’s future transport infrastructure development on Tuesday, Lam Sai-hung said the government had decided to implement smart and green mass transit schemes in the three areas after considering systems such as the “SkyShuttle”, “Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit” and “Bus Rapid Transit”.

For the Kowloon East and Kai Tak transit systems, the authorities will invite suppliers or operators to submit expressions of interest next year so as to finalise the details for alignments, technical specifications and operational arrangements.

Lam, the secretary for transport and logistics, admitted the three projects might take longer than expected to finish due to some technical difficulties, pointing to the 2034 to 2038 time frame for completion outlined by the blueprint.

“For Kowloon East, the difficulty lies in the fact that the alignment will run along congested residential areas and at a hilly terrain so we need to plan and design the alignment that makes it viable,” he said.

“It will cause the least disturbance to the traffic as well as residents nearby so we need some time to do the analysis … so adding all these components together it may take 10 years or so for completing the project.”

The transport minister vowed to speed up project implementation so residents nearby could enjoy the transit system as early as possible.