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The cross-harbor part of the long-overdue, scandal-plagued Sha Tin to Central hyperlink will open on Might 15, transport authorities introduced on Tuesday.
The total opening of Hong Kong’s most costly rail undertaking ever will see journey occasions between Hung Hom and Admiralty MTR stations minimize from 19 to seven minutes.
“With the cross-harbor part in operation, residents can go backward and forward between northeastern New Territories and Hong Kong Island with out altering trains,” mentioned Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan.
The prolonged East Rail line will include 16 stations, together with the brand new Exhibition Centre station – situated close to the industrial district in Wan Chai North – and new platforms on the expanded Hung Hom and Admiralty stations.
The extension connects commuters to the primary part of the hyperlink, the Tuen Ma line, which totally opened in June final yr.
Together with the opening of the extension, trains with 12 carriages will probably be totally phased out – on account of area constraints on the tracks on Hong Kong Island – and changed with new trains with 9 carriages.
This has raised considerations amongst commuters concerning longer ready occasions for the trains at East Rail line stations, which are sometimes packed throughout peak hours.
Responding to reporters’ questions on such worries, MTR Company CEO Jacob Kam mentioned: “We are going to rigorously monitor passengers’ journey modes and habits, and alter the practice frequency accordingly to swimsuit their wants.”
The cross-harbor part of the East Rail line was initially scheduled to be accomplished by 2020.
However the Sha Tin to Central hyperlink undertaking – which now has a price ticket of greater than HK$90 billion (US$11.5 billion) – has been hit by a collection of scandals, delays and price overruns.
Media reviews revealed in 2018 that contractors had shortened steel bars supporting the extension of Hung Hom station, prompting opinions that discovered proof of substandard work.
Signalling glitches discovered final yr additionally forced MTR to push back the opening date of the cross-harbor section of the rail link.
In the meantime, Citybus and New World First Bus introduced that bus 301 – which runs solely throughout the morning peak hours on weekdays from Cross Harbour Tunnel Toll Plaza in Hung Hom to locations like Wan Chai and Central – will cease service on the day of the opening of the East Rail line extension.
The bus operator added that there are a number of buses, together with 104, which have overlapping routes with 301.
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