Mega drill

Stacy Shi

Kai Tak Sports Park is set to hold its largest pressure test so far - and the first one involving all three event venues - with around 63,000 participants entering and exiting simultaneously.

The comprehensive drill tomorrow aims to evaluate admission procedures, emergency evacuation plans, supporting facilities and transport service capacity of the park.

A total of 50,000 civil servants - nearly 30 percent of the whole civil service - will participate.

"I believe the public servants can organize their work and participate in the test on the premise that public services will not be affected," deputy commissioner of police Joe Chow Yat-ming said.

Family members of government workers as well as community organization personnel will also take part.

The massive test will unfold in three stages, beginning with admission at 6pm, followed by simulated emergency scenarios and concluding with departure arrangements.

"The main purpose of the drill is to assess the capacity of the sports park and the nearby facilities, including public transport and the Central Square, when hosting events with maximum attendance," Chow said.

About 50,000 participants will enter the Kai Tak Stadium at 6pm for a 90-minute music performance by disciplined forces scheduled to start at 8pm, during which different incident scenarios will play out. It is understood that the Correctional Services Department will be responsible for the entertainment, but other disciplined departments will also perform.

Concurrently, around 13,000 people will enter the Youth Sports Ground and Kai Tak Arena to assess normal dispersal and emergency evacuation procedures.

All participants are expected to leave the venues between 9.15pm and 9.30pm.

Public transportation options, including the MTR, buses and taxis, will be arranged for participants to travel to and depart from the sports park.

Attendees have been advised against using private vehicles due to limited parking availability.

To facilitate the smooth dispersal of participants across various districts, the Transport Department will establish 10 designated bus routes for tomorrow night's activity.

Two operators will deploy a total of 55 buses, along with supplementary signage and manpower to assist attendees.

In addition, Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi MTR stations will operate with increased frequencies akin to morning peak hours as well as extra vacant trains. One-way control measures will also be implemented at specific exits to streamline the flow of people.

In related news, presale tickets for Hong Kong singer and actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung's concerts at the stadium in April were almost snapped up within 15 minutes yesterday afternoon.

Ending a 25-year hiatus, the music and film icon will be holding two concerts on April 25 and 26, unleashing a flood of ticket buyers online.

Taiwanese rock band MayDay will hold three concerts at the stadium in early May. Mandopop star Jay Chou Chieh-lun, also from Taiwan, has three shows from June 27 to 29.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com