Following several construction delays, Hong Kong’s Sha Tin-Central rail link is expected to partially open in the first quarter of next year, according to Transport Secretary Frank Chan Fan, as reported in the South China Morning Post.
The entire Sha Tin-Central link involves six interchanges and five new stations, with a total track length of 17 kilometres.
The initial operations includes three stations, namely Hin Keng, Diamond Hill Extension and Kai Tak. That means the current Ma On Shan Line—which runs from Wu Kai Sha to Tai Wai Station—will be extended to Kai Tak Station.
Phase 2, from Kai Tak to Hung Hom, is scheduled to begin before the end of 2021. The completion of the last phase, connecting Hung Hom and Admiralty, will depend on a construction assessment of the Admiralty and Exhibition Centre stations.
The rail project has been dogged with its share of challenges, such as ‘unauthorised deviations’ and improper installation by main contractor Leighton Contractors (Asia) and missing certifying documents. With the partial opening, the project costs will also balloon to more than HKD99.1 billion from HKD97.1 billion. — Construction+ Online
