Lawmaker suggests East Kowloon mass transit system alignment to cover Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen

The alignment of the East Kowloon mass transit system should be extended to Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen to meet the transportation needs of residents in the mid-levels of Wong Tai Sin, according to a lawmaker's suggestion on Wednesday.

Kitson Yang Wing-kit said in the Legislative Council meeting that the commissioning time of the smart and green mass transit system in East Kowloon has disappointed the residents, as they have to wait another ten years until it can be launched in 2034.

He also asked the government whether it would study a separate alignment covering Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen in the East Kowloon project to respond to the residents' transport aspirations.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said the authorities will consult the involved District Councils on the procedures and preparatory works on planning, investigation and design of the East Kowloon mass transit system project in the first quarter of 2024. 

Lam added that the government also planned to invite concerned suppliers and operators to submit expressions of interest in the fourth quarter to finalize the requirements and design of the systems and their associated infrastructure. 

The tender is expected to be completed in 2026, and construction will start in 2027.

The transport chief said authorities have to sort out the spatial constraints of the proposed alignment of the project as it will be subject to the existing or planned development as well as the existing roads and underground utilities. 

Regarding the suggestion to extend the alignment to cover Tsz Wan Shan and Chuk Yuen, Lam said the public transport services and the major roads in both of the areas have sufficient capacity to meet the demand.

He added that the space for constructing the elevated structures on narrow roads in the Tsz Wan Shan area is very limited.

However, he stated the government would discuss the feasibility of expanding the system and review the feasibility and the overall cost-effectiveness with the concerned suppliers and operators once they have received the expressions of interest.