Transport secretary steps up calls for extra cash for high-speed rail link
Anthony Cheung Bing-leung claims costs to any delay will be big
The transport secretary on Wednesday renewed calls for legislators to approve extra funding for the high-speed rail link to Guangdong, saying failure to do so could lead to the project’s suspension.
Anthony Cheung Bing-leung told an RTHK talk show the government would consider suspending work on the Hong Kong portion of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong rail link in late February if no fresh capital was in sight.
The government has sought the Legislative Council public works subcommittee’s approval of HK$19.6 billion in extra cash. It expects the HK$65 billion it earlier allocated to the MTR Corporation for the project to run dry by July.
“The MTR Corp is expected to ask the government shortly if there will be fresh funds. If no, it will have to notify contractors so they will not keep using money,” he said. “Our estimate is that we have to consider this matter around end of February.”
READ MORE : Government insists ‘one country, two systems’ not threatened as Legco holds out over extra high-speed rail funding
He said works could be suspended for six months at most, with each month costing HK$230 million to maintain the sites.
Suspension for more than six months will lead to termination of the project, incurring HK$3 billion to settle contractors’ claims, Cheung said, adding that resumption after termination would cost an extra HK$30 billion.
One major sticking point has been the involvement of immigration checkpoints serving both Hong Kong and the mainland at the link’s West Kowloon terminus. The prospect of mainland officials working in Hong Kong has aroused concern that ‘one country, two systems’ would be undermined.
Cheung said the proposal to set up a single-border checkpoint in Hong Kong involved complicated legal issues, and that Hong Kong officials were discussing the matter with relevant mainland departments. But he added that it would be meaningless to discuss immigration clearance if Legco did not approve the extra cash.
The subcommittee will discuss the funds again on Saturday. If it approves the proposal, it would still require approval from the Finance Committee.
