West Rail On Schedule To Open In Late 2003 - Kowloon Canton Railway Corp.'s West Rail in Hong Kong

International Railway Journal, March, 2000 by David Briginshaw

East Rail Expansion Plans

KOWLOON Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) plans three extensions to East Rail costing a total $HK 26.7 billion, all to be completed by 2004.

The most important scheme is a $HK 12.1 billion 11.4km branch line from Tai Wai to Ma On Shan new town whose population is expected to reach 430,000 by 2016. The mainly elevated line will have nine stations. KCRC plans to run four-car trains at 2.5-minute headways initially increasing to eight-car trains at 2-minute headways in the future. Tai Wai station will be rebuilt to cope with the increase in passengers. KCRC says the recent upgrading of East Rail means that it is now able to cope with one-third more passengers.

Cross-border traffic between Hong Kong and the rest of China is increasing rapidly. About 200,000 people cross at Lo Wu daily, with up to 300,000 during holidays. KCRC plans a $HK 10.4 billion 7.4km branch to a new border station at Lok Ma Chau. Here, passengers would cross a bridge over the Shenzhen River to Huanggang where they would be able to board the new Shenzhen metro which is also due to open in 2004.

The proposed $HK 4.1 billion 1km underground extension from Kowloon Hung Horn to Tsim Sha Tsui depends on the outcome of a rail development strategy for the whole of Hong Kong up to 2016 which is due to be completed shortly.

Asian Rail Conference Preview

A THREE-DAY annual conference highlighting rail developments and specific issues relevant to the exciting and sometimes volatile Asia Pacific region, will be held in Hong Kong from March 22 to 24. It is organised by Singapore-based Total Focus Conferences, and international Railway Journal is the official publication.

This year's Asia Pacific Rail 2000 conference will cover both sides of the rail transport coin: metros/urban systems and mainline railways. The number of mega cities (more than 10 million population) in the region is likely to increase from nine to between 17 and 20 by 2015, providing spectacular opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers ranging from turnkey contractors to consultants and sub-suppliers in transit technologies.

Hong Kong's East Rail and West Rail development projects will be analysed in detail and metro case studies from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Delhi will also be presented.

A shortage of efficient mainline transport capacity afflicts many Asian economies, but the good news is that Asian governments are investing heavily in rail infrastructure in the coming decade. Speakers from China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, will outline their plans.

IRJ's complementary coverage in this issue includes features on China, based on interviews conducted at the Ministry of Railways in Beijing, West Rail, and the Korean high-speed rail project.

Delegates are coming from all over the world and include company and railway chairmen, CEOs, managing directors, and vice-presidents. A small exhibition will run alongside the conference, which will be preceded on Monday March 21 by optional site visits to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation's airport railway, property development at Tsing Yi, and the SHW maintenance depot; and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation's West Rail project, with visits to depot, tunnel, and land reclamation sites.