MTR on track with Tuen Ma line extension

MTR Corp has signed a contract with two contractors for the Tuen Mun southern extension project that will involve a construction cost of about HK$6.22 billion, it announced yesterday.

The project to extend the Tuen Ma line by 2.4 kilometers southward from Tuen Mun station is expected to commence this month and be completed in 2030.

The contractors, China Road and Bridge Corp and Build King Construction, have formed an unincorporated joint venture and will have a 75 percent and a 25 percent stake in the project respectively.

The project will also involve construction of a viaduct, a cross-river railway bridge and two new stations at Area 16 and Tuen Mun south, as well as relocate Tuen Mun swimming pool and various community facilities.

The announcement came as Legislative Council members criticized the slow progress in extending the South Island line between Shek Tong Tsui and Wong Chuk Hang before the redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate.

But government officials said the population in the area would not be increased significantly in the initial stage of redevelopment.

Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics Amy Wong Pui-man said yesterday existing households will be relocated and the estate's redevelopment will commence from 2027-28 onward.

She believes there will not be any significant increase in population in the area by then.

Wong also said the government would not take lightly the complexity of building a smart traffic and transport system in a densely populated area and that a prerequisite is that it would not affect existing traffic flows.

She said the government will not adopt heavy rail systems for the section due to its limited climbing capacity in hilly topography of the area.

"The cost-effectiveness is unsatisfactory if we use heavy railways with limited climbing capacity in the area, where some sections or stations will have to be built deep underground."

In addition, a lighter and smaller-in-size smart and green transit system may be able to enter a narrower space, she said.

She added a smart green mass transport system with capacity for 10,000 passengers per hour in one direction is being studied, and will take into account traffic demand in the area.