The proposal for the South Island Line (East) responded to longstanding calls from the Southern District residents for improved and alternative transport services, which most districts in Hong Kong already enjoyed.

The current transport problems in the Southern District are constraining its development and urban renewal. Employment in the former industrial and godown areas of Wong Chuk Hang has declined, despite the fact that this district is relatively close to the Central Business District. Improved transport would make this district ideal for office and hotel developments, and this in turn will generate new employment opportunities in the long run.

Most developed cities have learned that it is not possible to solve transport problems by building more roads. Congestion along the north shore of Hong Kong Island is the root cause of the congestion at the Aberdeen Tunnel for the Southern District. Building a rail link will allow commuters to bypass this congestion and allow an overall reduction in road based vehicles.

The forecast patronage assumes that full competition from other public transport will continue. Railway provides a reliable and faster transport services with much reduced and more predictable journey times, unaffected by weather and traffic conditions. In addition, the South Island Line (East) will provide convenient interchange with existing MTR network.

The Corporation has an obligation to its shareholders to ensure that all proposed projects are assessed using prudent commercial assumptions to meet the required rate of return.

Railways like the South Island Line (East) are large scale infrastructure projects requiring substantial investment. Financial support from the Government is required to bridge the funding gap.

The Government has a role to play in providing transport infrastructure for Hong Kong to meet transport needs and support economic growth. The Government has a choice of road or rail. For many reasons, rail is better and will be cheaper for the Government than new roads.

Commuters will benefit from the safe, reliable and speedy service of the railway and the less congested road network.

The community at large will also benefit from the external and social benefits that the project will generate, including:

• Urban rejuvenation within Southern District;

• Enhancement of the living quality in Southern District;

• Promotion of tourism developments;

• Creation of at least 20,000 new jobs as a result of increased business activities and an addition of 2,500 job opportunities during construction and 2,100 operational positions thereafter.

Commuters will benefit from the safe, reliable and speedy service of the railway and the less congested road network.

Given that it will take several years to complete the project, it will have no immediate impact on the existing operators.

Franchised bus operators will be affected as some of their passengers will switch to South Island Line (East). However, it is expected that the franchised buses will remain viable and will compete effectively with South Island Line (East) to deliver a good choice of transport services to the public.

With the increase in economic activity, the overall transport demand will increase significantly compared with today. Tourism and commercial development stimulated by the South Island Line (East) will bring new business prospects to the taxi and minibus trade.

There will be adequate time to carry out any required planning for better co-ordination of transport services in Southern District before the railway opens.

Reduced traffic congestion on roads will benefit all road users, particularly public transport operators.

The South Island Line (East) will be a medium capacity railway.

Most length of the South Island Line (East) will be located underground except for the section between Nam Fun and Ap Lei Chau. A railway bridge will be constructed between Ap Lei Chau and Wong Chuk Hang alongside the existing Ap Lei Chau Bridge.

The stations at Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park will be elevated while Admiralty, Lei Tung and South Horizon Stations will be located underground.

A medium capacity railway would allow a service frequency compatible with other MTR lines whereas for the same demand, a conventional heavy rail system will inevitably be operated at a lesser frequency.

A medium capacity railway system is proposed for the South Island Line (East) to:

• better match the forecast patronage demand with a more cost effective medium capacity system

• accommodate steep gradients and tight horizontal curves along the corridor

• give more flexibility to the alignment design and station placement

• introduce shorter train, shorter platforms and hence lower operation costs

Medium capacity railway system is a smaller version of other MTR line trains. Its trains are shorter with 3-car trains. The capacity of South Island Line (East) train will be about 20,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) compared to 85,000 pphpd of heavy rail system.

But its speed is the same as the existing MTR line trains.

The Corporation fully considered both the tunnel and viaduct option of the South Island Line (East) and identified several shortcomings with the former.

One is that running a tunnel in Wong Chuk Hang would involve the excavation of an additional one million cubic metres of hard rock, resulting in a three-year delay to the project.

Huge amounts of excavated materials would cause further disruption to the community.

The viaduct option is confirmed to be more feasible and environmentally friendly after thorough deliberation.

Two new platforms will be constructed below the eastern end of the existing Admiralty Station, beneath Harcourt Garden, for the South Island Line (East). Passengers will be able to interchange with other MTR lines conveniently at Admiralty. Protection works for the planned Shatin to Central Link Admiralty station will be carried out at the same time to minimize future disruption to Harcourt Garden.

The reprovisioning of Harcourt Garden consists of a landscape deck connecting directly to the nearby footbridge system, allowing the public to enjoy the greenery and leisure facilities more conveniently.

Ocean Park Station will be above ground with three entrances. The main entrance will connect directly to the entrance plaza of Ocean Park via a dedicated footbridge. Two additional entrances will serve nearby residents.

A Park and Ride facility will be provided to allow car users to interchange conveniently with the railway.

Wong Chuk Hang Station will be located above the Staunton Creek Nullah. Heung Yip Road will be widened to accommodate a public transport interchange directly beneath the station to allow passengers to connect with the railway system from feeder services easily.

To connect with existing and future commercial and hotel developments in Wong Chuk Hang, a new footbridge will be constructed and an improved pedestrian walkway to the Shum Wan area will be provided.

A new footbridge connecting Kwun Hoi Path and a footpath along the southern bank of the Staunton Creek Nullah will also be provided, allowing direct access from the Aberdeen Promenade to the station at Wong Chuk Hang.

A new depot located at the ex-Wong Chuk Hang Estate site will support South Island Line (East) train maintenance; the track inside the depot will be sunken below the adjacent ground and fully enclosed to eliminate noise from the depot operation.

Lei Tung station will be an underground station located at Lei Tung Estate with two entrances. One entrance will be provided near the existing bus terminus of Lei Tung Estate and will form a convenient connection to other public transport. Lifts will be provided at this entrance to facilitate access for passengers to the station concourse level. A public pedestrian link between Lei Tung Estate and an entrance at Main Street, Ap Lei Chau will also be provided via the unpaid area of the station.

It will be an underground station at Yi Nam Road with three entrances located close to the residential buildings of South Horizons.

To provide a convenient access to the South Horizons Station, a footbridge over the Ap Lei Chau Bridge road is proposed to connect the Ap Lei Chau Estate with South Horizons to improve connectivity. The proposed bridge will be at least 14 meters apart with the closest residential block of South Horizons (i.e. Block 31). The height of the deck of the bridge will be lower than the height of first floor at Block 31 at South Horizons.

Apart from the concourse and platforms, ventilation and plant facilities are integral elements of the railway system which are generally located at each end of the station to support the operation. The main function of ventilation facilities is to provide the necessary air exchange for the underground MTR stations and tunnels. Whereas, plant facilities include telecommunications, control rooms, transformer rooms, all essential elements of an underground station. In view of space restriction at Yi Nam Road and the design layout of the South Horizons Station, the proposed ventilation and plant building is located at Lee Nam Road.

In response to concerns of local residents about the location of the ventilation and plant building, MTR Corporation has investigated alternative options, including the location near Ap Lei Chau Industrial Area. However, a number of factors including technical constraints such as the distance from the station, alignment, topographical constraints, and impacts on the community such as the temporary traffic arrangement during construction etc, have been taken into account in considering the location. In principle, the ventilation facilities should be as close to the station as possible. We are now proposing to relocate the tunnel ventilation facilities to the ventilation building at Lee Wing Street by using the construction adit for construction of the Lei Tung Station and Tunnels as a ventilation tunnel. However, part of the ventilation and plant facilities need to be constructed at the hillside near South Horizons for the operation of the Station.

Major facilities of the Lee Nam Road ventilation and plant building include telecommunication facilities, switch rooms, control rooms, electronic and mechanical rooms and fire services facilities. The design of the building has adopted appropriate design to fully comply with the requirement under relevant Environmental Ordinances including the Noise Control Ordinance. The MTR Corporation has also considered measures to mitigate the noise impact, including silencers, acoustic louvers and regular plant maintenance to minimize the impact.

The size of the ventilation and plant building is around 14-18 meters high and over 40 meters wide. The majority of the building is built within Yuk Kwai Shan. The design and colour of the building has been enhanced with vertical greening to blend with existing surroundings. The majority of ventilation louver openings will be oriented away from facing the residents as far as possible with a separation of more than 40m from the nearest residential building, with appropriate acoustic measures, the potential impact to the neighbourhood has been minimized.

The South Island Line (East) is similar to other existing electrified railways in Hong Kong, no exhaust gas from diesel or petrol engine will be emitted via ventilation facilities. The air quality inside MTR system is in full compliance with the requirement stipulated in the relevant Practice Note issued by Environment Protection Department (EPD). The only source of carbon dioxide is from the breathing of the passengers and staff working in the station. In accordance with MTR Design Manual, the ventilation system is designed for an air exchange rate of 5 litre/person/second and all carbon dioxide exhaled by passengers/staff is sufficiently diluted by the fresh air intake before discharging through the normal air exchange.

The main source of noise during construction of South Horizons Station and associated ventilation and plant building is the use of Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME). In order to reduce the noise levels, works will be implemented in phases and the number of PME in use will be minimized as much as possible at any one time. To further mitigate the noise during construction, the following measures will be applied:

• Using quieter PME, fitted with noise insulating fabric where relevant;

• Positioning PME so that noise is directed away from sensitive areas;

• Using silencers or mufflers on construction equipment;

• Using temporary noise barriers/acoustic shields with PME wherever possible;

• Using temporary decking over the excavation area to reduce the noise from underground works at certain construction phases;

• Using movable Noise Enclosures with PME, wherever possible.

With the application of appropriate mitigation measures, the levels of noise during construction of the railway will be minimised. The project has already planned the use of well maintained PMEs and conducting regular site audits to ensure that noise control measures are properly implemented to minimise the noise impact.

MTR Corporation will maintain liaison with residents / concerned parties through Community Liaison Group meeting during construction stage.

One of the major challenges is a shortage of space for the construction of the South Island Line (East). Construction will generate as much as 1,500,000 cubic metres of excavated materials. There is no public barging point nor reclamation in Southern District to receive these excavated materials. The only public barging point on Hong Kong Island is located at Chai Wan, which is already operating at its full capacity and cannot cater for the construction needs of the South Island Line.

If we do not set up barging points in Southern District, the excavated materials will have to be transported by trucks to the public barging point or landfill sites on the other side of the harbour. This would cause significant extra traffic in Southern District, Aberdeen Tunnel and major roads in the Southern District, and add to the traffic congestion on the north shore of Hong Kong Island and the cross-harbour tunnels.

Efficient handling of excavated materials is vital to the construction programme of the South Island Line (East).

None of the suitable sites identified is able to handle all the excavated materials, due to space limitation and the capacity of connecting roads and junctions. Therefore, two barging points at – Lee Nam Road, Ap Lei Chau and Telegraph Bay – are proposed, to share the delivery volume and minimize the traffic impact on the local community.

In comparison with Kellett Bay facilities, Telegraph Bay is relatively distant from the nearby community and is well served by public roads that are still under-capacity.

The Telegraph Bay location was not pursued earlier because the site was occupied by the Drainage Services Department's Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel project. Our proposal is to co-use the current works area with Drainage Services Department.

All alternative locations on either side of the Aberdeen Channel, the ex-Ocean Park barging point and seafront locations at Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau have been considered. Owing to the impact on road and marine traffic, site availability and incompatibility of facilities, those locations are considered infeasible.

The public barging point at Chai Wan is operating at its full capacity and cannot cater for the construction needs of the works of the South Island Line (East).

Moreover, if excavated materials are transported a long distance by trucks to facilities outside Southern District via Pokfulam Road or Aberdeen Tunnel and even the Cross Harbour Tunnel, it will create a very heavy traffic burden on the major roads in Southern District.

a) Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter

• It is close to the South Island Line (East) work sites. However, the typhoon shelter was regarded as an inappropriate location for barging functions after considering the impact of vessels mooring there on existing boats and the fairway, the lack of an appropriate off-load area beside the typhoon shelter, and the Marine Department's concerns about the impact on the fishing business.

b) Ex-Ocean Park Barging Point (already demolished)

• The Ocean Park barging point was originally built for the expansion of the Ocean Park and was demolished after the completion of that project. It was operated on a sloping seawall with a conveyor belt directly connecting the mucking-out point from the hilltop to the barging point. The facility has no dumping ramp to allow trucks to off-load excavated materials onto the barge, which is essential for the South Island Line (East). Traffic problems at local access roads and junctions from Wong Chuk Hang to the Ocean Park area also render this location not feasible.

c) Lee Nam Road Barging Point

• A coastal location at Lee Nam Road near the industrial area in Ap Lei Chau has been identified as a barging point for South Island Line (East). However, owing to the limited space and capacity of the road network in Ap Lei Chau, its handling capacity is insufficient to accommodate all the excavated materials of the South Island Line (East).

Yes, the proposed barging points have been covered in the assessment.

Appropriate mitigation measures such as using covered trucks, wheel-washing bay and water spraying on haul roads will be applied to maintain proper operation of the temporary barging facility in compliance with the statutory requirements of air and noise pollution.

Two blasts per day are required with one in the morning and another in the evening to meet project schedule.

According to Mines Division, transporting by sea will allow only one delivery of explosives daily, which cannot meet South Island Line (East) schedule. Therefore it is necessary to set up a temporary magazine for overnight storage of the explosives for the blast in the morning.

All licensed vehicles used for transportation of explosives should be approved by the Commissioner of Mines. Specific safety measures including separate storage compartments for detonators and cartridged explosives, fire fighting equipment, etc. should be provided for these vehicles.

Drivers of these vehicles should have adequate fire fighting and explosives handling training and they need to adopt safe driving procedures in transportation of explosives. Individual contractors will need to obtain a removal permit from the Commissioner of Mines for the explosive delivery.

The MTR Corporation will enforce stringent risk management and safety measures according to the Dangerous Goods Ordinance, to ensure the safety of the storage and delivery of explosives.

In view of the long history of the use of explosives in construction works in Hong Kong, and no accident involved in delivery vehicles carrying explosives, the storage, conveyance and handling of explosives is proven to be safe.

The proposed site at Chung Hom Shan is about 250m from Chung Hom Kok Road and more than 300m from the nearest residential area. There is a slope of about 60 m high separating the proposed site and the residential area.

The design of the proposed temporary magazine should comply with the stringent requirements by Mines Division of CEDD.

The MTR Corporation will provide two separate rooms, each with individual entrance/exit, for storage of explosives and detonators so as to maintain high level of safety.

Inside and around the store, fire fighting and security installations will be provided.

Moreover, security guards will be deployed 24-hours.

The current design of the South Island Line (East) provides for construction of the future South Island Line (West), even though the latter is not a committed project.

Wong Chuk Hang station is designed to be expandable to include an additional platform for interchange between South Island Line (East) and the South Island Line (West).

Under the original design, the South Island Line (West) would meet the South Island Line (East) between the latter’s two tracks, which would have enabled cross-platform interchange between the two lines. Upon further study, the viaduct sections adjacent to the Tung Wah Group Hospitals Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex have been combined, lowered and located further away to minimize the noise and visual impact on the Complex. However, this means passengers will not be able to have cross-platform interchange with the South Island Line (West) in the future.

There will be several possible alignment options for the future South Island Line (West) between Wong Chuk Hang and Aberdeen. These are subject to further design to be carried out after a policy decision on the South Island Line (West).