To chart a new economic course for Hong Kong, build a new north-south rail line
- If the city is to transform into an innovation hub, high value-added manufacturing and new industries will need better transport connectivity
- A new rail line that runs the length of the eastern New Territories and links to Hong Kong Island would be a bold statement of intent
Second, the plans fail to maximise the potential of the Eastern Knowledge and Technology Corridor from the government’s Hong Kong 2030+ blueprint for the city’s development.
This risks holding back the creation, in the east side of the New Territories and Kowloon, of a cluster comprising universities and hi-tech and knowledge-based industries such as data centres and science parks.
To create a more balanced transport network for the city, the government should consider a north-south rail link that stretches from Liantang Port on the border to Hong Kong Island.
This vertical rail line would pass through Sheung Shui, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Science Park, Fo Tan and the major interchange of Tai Wai – all on the east side of the New Territories. From there, it would connect to San Po Kong near the Kowloon East business district, the residential hub of Lohas and Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, before finishing across the harbour at Siu Sai Wan.
A north-south rail artery that shrinks the distance between Hong Kong Island and the increasingly nominal border with Shenzhen would unlock previously unimagined potential. It would revitalise old industrial estates and make possible wide-ranging developments that combine housing and employment opportunities.
Result-oriented John Lee must beware of procrastination traps
This should help reduce long commutes and ease traffic congestion across the city. Moreover, the rail line and property projects along it should be developed in tandem, to speed up the provision of new homes.
Notwithstanding its expertise and role in creating and running Hong Kong’s rail transport system, the MTR Corp should not be the default builder of a north-south line. The new system could be built by, for instance, a team of state enterprises and mainland railway companies. This approach would not only ensure speedier delivery, but would also steer clear of vested interests, and avoid the bureaucracy in the MTR Corp model.
Leveraging the latest technology, the new rail project could include a double-deck tunnel, with a twin-track passenger railway on the lower level and roads for transporting goods on the upper level. This would optimise tunnel use and allow for staggered maintenance, thus minimising service disruption.
John Lee has pledged to boost Hong Kong’s competitiveness by developing the city into an international innovation and technology hub. High value-added manufacturing and new tech industries will need transport connectivity.
A new rail line that runs the length of the eastern New Territories into East Kowloon and links with the eastern tip of Hong Kong Island would be a bold statement of intent that the new administration is powering Hong Kong’s economy in a new direction.
Looking beyond the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, it is imperative for the city to lay the right foundations, in terms of infrastructure, if it is to reinvent itself as an economic powerhouse.
Francis Neoton Cheung is the convenor of Doctoral Exchange, a public policy research collective, and a former member of the Land and Building Advisory Committee