Archive:Hong Kong Mass Transport Study/Chapter 7

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Chapter 6 — Recommended System

Hong Kong Mass Transport Study, Chapter 7 Stage Development and the Effects of Implementation

Chapter 8 — Route Location and Right of Way

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STAGE DEVELOPMENT AND THE EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The construction of a rapid-transit system will constitute one of the largest single projects ever undertaken in Hong Kong. It will have widespread social and economic effects that will be felt in one way or another by nearly every member of the community. New housing, office and commercial developments will be attracted to the vicinity of proposed stations, and construction of the system will provide many opportunities for redevelopment. As changes occur in population distribution, and as sections of the rapid-transit system come into use, so there will be changes in the function of existing public transport modes. The pattern of motor vehicle travel will also change, as congestion is relieved on roads that parallel the rapid-transit lines. The reduction in travel time afforded by the system will contribute to the prosperity of many businesses, industrial undertakings and individuals since people will be able to travel further afield for jobs, shopping, business and entertainment. The great reduction in travel time on cross-harbour trips will help Hong Kong Island and Kowloon to function properly as one city.
2. Due to the size of the project and growth in travel needs, it will be necessary to construct the system in stages. Design and construction for this type of work is very time-consuming, and it is estimated that the first stage cannot be ready for passengers until five-and-a-half years after the start of detailed design. Traffic volumes will, of course, continue to grow during this period, so congestion will get much worse before the rapid-transit system can offer relief. An early start is therefore highly desirable.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE STAGE PLAN

3. The development of a plan for constructing and opening the system in stages depends on many factors, such as growth of traffic needs, design and construction requirements, operating considerations and availability of capital. A major portion of the total system must be included in the first stage to meet operational requirements and to provide sufficient service to attract customers.
4. The operation of trains on the various segments of the system has a material effect on the plan. Workshops, storage and maintenance facilities are necessary from the very beginning; so the first line to be constructed must connect to a suitable site for a maintenance depot. Facilities for reversing trains must be provided at both ends of each line. If a line is to be brought into service in stages, then reversing facilities are necessary at each station used as a temporary terminal. The cost of such facilities would make it uneconomic to add to the system on a station-to-station basis.
5. It would be desirable to defer certain expensive portions of the system to later stages when there would be more operating revenue to finance them. In the development of the staging plan, however, other requirements often conflict with this goal. It is also desirable to devise the staging in approximately equal annual increments for efficient construction so that the use of technical (design) resources, plant and labour are kept as uniform as possible, and periods of intensive effort followed by periods of inactivity are avoided.
6. Bored tunnelling, when the subsoil conditions necessitate the use of compressed air, requires the use of expensive equipment that must be used continuously if cost is to be minimised. Therefore, the segments of the system that include these tunnels should if practicable be staged in sequence over the same general period.
7. The recommended system has been designed to satisfy the traffic requirements in the design year (1986). An evaluation of the probable growth of travel indicates that some portions of the system should be built in the near future and others later. Travel on Hong Kong Island will increase slowly but steadily as business activities increase in the Central District and as the economic conditions of the residents improve. Planned developments in Chai Wan and in the various reclamation sites will add to this growth. Kowloon will grow in approximately the same way but faster since more development is contemplated. Kwun Tong has reached approximately the half-way point in its development and is growing very rapidly. Traffic congestion already exists on the routes leading to this area. Development is well under way at Tsuen Wan and rapid growth is anticipated during the next ten years. The new town development at Sha Tin has not yet begun and significant traffic increases in this area are not expected for some years.
8. The analysis of base-year travel characteristics shows that the amount of cross-harbour travel is consistent with the time it takes to make the crossing. The trips made each day, however, are far below those that would be expected if only distance were considered. It can be concluded, therefore, that cross-harbour movement is being inhibited by slow overall travel speeds. It also can be concluded that a cross-harbour rapid-transit link would stimulate such travel and attract a large volume in early years.
9. The Stage Development Plan — The growth (or reduction) of population and employment in each zone within walking distance of a rapid-transit station was analysed to develop the stage plan. By working back from the design year, an estimate of travel was made for each segment of the rapid-transit system for each year. These preliminary estimates were based on the assumption that the whole system was in operation in the base year. Using as the criterion the minimum number of trips per day that would be economical to design for (250,000), the volumes were analysed to determine when each segment should be built. This, of course, resulted in the need for many disconnected segments in various years; but when other requirements were considered, a logical stage development plan emerged.
10. The analysis revealed that the first stage should include a line in the Nathan Road corridor and across the harbour to Central District. To reach a maintenance, storage and workshop site, it was necessary to include either part of the Kwun Tong or part of the Tsuen Wan Line, because the two best sites for these facilities are at Kwai Chung and Kowloon Bay. After considering the relative attractiveness of the two sites and the amount of traffic that could be expected in early years on each line, it was concluded that the major part of the Kwun Tong Line should be built first. Similar analyses were made for other parts of the system until a complete stage plan was developed.
11. The plan consists of six phases plus a preliminary phase that includes improvements to the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Plans exist to re-locate the Kowloon terminus of the Railway and to double-track portions of the line. It is recommended that this work should start immediately to accommodate the traffic increases in the corridor served by the railway, as it appears that the additional capacity thus provided, coupled with the opening of the Lion Rock Tunnel, will allow construction of the Sha Tin rapid-transit line to be deferred.

12. File:MTS Fig53

    Figure 53 — Stage Development Plan

    The six rapid-transit development stages are shown in Figure 53. These are construction stages but the plan provides for construction to be continuous. The expression "construction stage" is used to denote the work carried out in each of the six successive periods up to the date at which a new section (or sections) of the system is brought into service. For engineering reasons most of the construction stages have to include some work not operationally required until the completion of a later stage. There will be no trains operating on the Tsuen Wan and Island Lines until the second and third stages, even though portions of these lines need to be built in the first stage. Services will only extend to Lai Chi Kok on the Tsuen Wan Line in the second stage although the line must be built to Kwai Chung to connect with the maintenance depot. The completion dates for various stages were developed after a review of the design and construction requirements. They are shown in Table 63.

13. To meet these completion dates, it will be necessary to start design of the system in mid-1968 and begin construction in 1970. It is anticipated that design and construction will then proceed continuously until the end of 1984. Further study in future years may show the need to add lines to the system after 1984. These could include a line to Aberdeen, an additional cross-harbour line between Kwun Tong and North Point and a line serving Castle Peak.
14. The bored tunnels in the Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei areas will require considerable time to construct, so they must be included in the first step of the design process. It will be necessary to complete the Kowloon Bay maintenance depot and a few miles of connecting track at least six months before the system goes into operation. These facilities are needed for testing equipment and training the operating staff. Much of the operating equipment will need to be designed and ordered as much as three years before starting operation.
15. The staging of the recommended plan was arrived at after weighing such often conflicting factors as the annual flow of capital, the build-up of revenue-earning power, and the practical maximum amount of construction work that can be economically designed and built in a given period. Because no revenue can be earned until it is completed, the size of the first stage was critically influenced by these considerations. To keep it to the viable minimum, the Kwun Tong Line has been planned to end, in Stage 1, at Choi Hung and the people originating in Kwun Tong that will use the rapid-transit system have been assumed to use the bus for part of their journey during the two years that the remainder of the line is under construction. The line could be extended to Kwun Tong for an extra capital cost of about $60 million, which assumes overhead construction. But there may be a good case for constructing this portion of the line underground. Therefore, when detailed planning begins, the possibility of extending the line to Kwun Tong in Stage 1 and the relative merits of overhead and underground construction should be re-examined.
16. To serve more people and to generate more revenue, it may be considered desirable to bring other parts of the system into operation in the early years. It may also be considered desirable to construct the complete Tsuen Wan or Sha Tin Lines earlier to stimulate new-town development. Although the recommended stage development plan is considered to be a practical one, some consideration should be given to such alternatives during negotiations for financing.

TRAFFIC BY STAGES

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Figure 54 — Rapid-transit Volume by Stages

17. To assess the equipment and manpower requirements for each stage and also to make revenue forecasts, it was necessary to estimate and analyse the traffic that would use the rapid-transit system in 1974 and each year thereafter. Volumes through each station and on each segment of the system were derived from the projections for this purpose. These estimates were based on the growth (or reduction) of population and employment in each traffic zone, and were then modified to allow for the construction of the system in stages, and for transfer of traffic to buses at the temporary ends of the lines. It was assumed that the bus routes would be altered as required at each stage to connect with the rapid-transit stations. Estimates were also made of the volumes that would use the system if construction were stopped at the end of any stage. Conservative estimates of the total volumes on the system each year between 1974 and 1986 are shown in Table 64. Figure 54 shows the same volumes graphically and includes the volumes for each stage projected to 1986. The estimated traffic volumes each year at each station and each year on each segment of the system are included in the appendix.

IMPLEMENTATION AND SURFACE TRANSPORT

18. The rapid-transit lines are designed to serve the major urban corridors of travel. Surface lines will continue to serve other areas and short trips along and between the rapid-transit corridors. In addition, surface transport will serve the important role of bringing passengers to the rapid-transit stations. Traffic projections indicate that the surface lines will be carrying over 50 per cent more passengers, after the rapid-transit system is completed, than they do at present.

19. File:MTS Fig55.png

    Figure 55 — Future Public Transport Volume

    Comparative Volumes of Traffic — Total public transport travel is expected to increase from 3.3 million trips per day in 1965 to 7.4 million in 1986. Until the rapid-transit system begins operation in 1974, the entire increase will be on surface transport. By then it is estimated that surface transport trips will have grown to just under 5 million per day and will then level off at about that amount as the rapid-transit system attracts most of the future increase. This trend is illustrated in Figure 55. While the rapid-transit system will be accommodating 33 per cent of public transport trips and 41 per cent of passenger-miles in the design year, this does not mean that surface transport will diminish either in importance or in volume of use.
20. The surface and rapid-transit systems should be complementary rather than competitive, each serving the type of travel it is best suited to accommodate, and producing together an effective and efficient transport system. The rapid-transit lines, with their high capacity, will serve the heavily concentrated movements which cannot be efficiently handled by surface vehicles sharing congested roads with other vehicles and foot traffic. Conversely, the surface transport system will serve the lighter and more diverse movements for which rapid transit is not adaptable.
21. Distribution by Modes — The surface transport system, while increasing its total patronage, will undergo considerable change in the distribution of traffic among the different modes and companies. The change will come about first from causes not directly associated with the rapid-transit system. Later there will be changes in travel patterns induced by the successive opening of the rapid-transit lines as well as changes due to development trends.
22. The first major change will occur in 1971 when the cross-harbour vehicular tunnel is expected to be completed. The operation of buses through the tunnel, affording direct service between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, will have an impact on the routing of bus lines and on some cross-harbour ferry services, particularly those which parallel the vehicular tunnel. Assuming that the tunnel bus services offer reasonably comparable cost and convenience, there may not be sufficient patronage on two or three nearby ferry routes, that now operate at a loss, to warrant their continued operation. Most of the cross-harbour ferry lines, however, would still offer faster and more direct routes of travel, and it is assumed that these will remain in operation.
23. The second factor which will materially affect surface transport is the continued dispersal of population and employment and the consequent re-alignment of travel patterns. This trend has been under way for many years and is the main reason why the proportion of public transport travel by bus has risen from 50 per cent in 1954 to 67 per cent in 1967.
24. The introduction of the rapid-transit system will have profound effects on the bus systems as routes are changed to serve the new stations. The versatility of bus routing will also accelerate the trend towards higher bus patronage. At the same time, travel on some tram and ferry routes may diminish to the point where it is no longer profitable to continue service.
25. Stage 1 of rapid-transit development will have a measurable effect on several cross-harbour ferry routes and the combined effect of rapid transit and the vehicular tunnel may cause their patronage to drop below a profitable, level. There will also be a need for re-routing of a few of the Kowloon bus routes.
26. Stage 2 will only extend the effects of Stage 1, but Stage 3 will affect both buses and trams on the Island. Since the rapid transit will serve the same major corridor as is now served by both buses and trams, and since the buses can easily be re-routed to complement rather than compete with rapid transit, it is likely that there would be a sizeable drop in tram patronage, if the trams were retained.
27. Stages 4 and 5 will only continue the effects of Stages 1, 2 and 3, but Stage 6 will cause a sizeable drop in patronage on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. It is estimated that traffic on the railway will reach its maximum due to developments in Sha Tin and then drop back to about its present level upon completion of the recommended rapid-transit system.
28. Rapid transit will not affect the patronage of the Peak Tram way, the ferry routes to the outer islands or the bus lines serving the New Territories beyond Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. In general, public transport travel will continue to grow at about the same rate as in past years but there will be changes in routing and in the proportion of trips on the various modes.
29. Future Operations of Surface Transport — It is of vital importance to the future of all public transport in Hong Kong that improvement and expansion of existing services continue uninterrupted in the period up to the opening of the first rapid-transit line and in the period of transition thereafter. Because of the diverse interests of the existing operators and the varying effects of the rapid transit on their activities, a reasonable and definitive programme for both interim and long-range operations must be worked out to ensure orderly development and improvement of the whole transport system. In a rapidly expanding economy such as Hong Kong's, public transport cannot be allowed to deteriorate or even mark time because of uncertainties. Close co-operation is needed in planning for future changes, at the same time ensuring that necessary improvements are made which properly relate to the future role of each form of transport.
30. In terms of bus operation, improvement of service will be justified and required by the heavier passenger loadings which are expected to develop. Queues of passengers unable to board successive loaded buses are already evident in some areas. This could easily become an intolerable problem without careful re-design of schedules and adherence to them, for close headways must be run to cope with high passenger densities. Efficient use of major terminals is another operational area in which improvement will be necessary. Related to this is the elimination of unproductive standing time of vehicles which may involve rotation of crews to provide necessary meal and rest periods.
31. The high proportion of urban travel by public transport may warrant additional traffic controls, to give preference to the movement of buses so that regularity and frequency of service may be maintained. In addition to the continued provision of adequate recessed kerbside bus stops, the provision of reserved bus lanes from which other vehicular traffic is excluded will assist in maintaining regularity of service for the bus rider. Special traffic signal timing to favour buses and the use of bus-actuated signal control devices, may also be warranted in the interest of moving the greatest number of people in the smallest number of vehicles. Provision for safe and rapid interchange of passengers between buses and rapid transit, as well as between different bus lines, is an essential component of an integrated transport system. The type and location of the required facilities should be an early topic of discussion between members of the rapid-transit organisation and the bus operators.
32. The comfort, appearance and amenities of the vehicles must be competitive with alternative transport forms. Smoother mechanical performance, freedom from noise, vibration and fumes, as well as clearer identification by use of larger route identification signs, are important elements in improved bus services. While larger buses, including double-deckers, are needed in the urban areas where traffic is heavy, smaller buses, such as the New Territories "taxis", may be appropriate for serving the far reaches of the New Territories and providing for other low volume needs.
33. The passenger trains of the Kowloon-Canton Railway will serve an important interim role as the Sha Tin new town develops. This will require double tracking of part of the line, acquisition of new equipment and improvement of signal controls and scheduling procedures, to accommodate the additional traffic. In view of the eventual introduction of the rapid-transit line, capital expenditure on the railway should be limited to a level which will subsequently be useful for approximately present passenger loads and projected goods services. To achieve the maximum capacity between Sha Tin and Kowloon it will be necessary to schedule the minimum turnaround time at the terminals. A shuttle service between Sha Tin and Kowloon will also be required to avoid uneconomic operation of all trains for the full length of the line, and purchase of excessive rolling stock.

• File:MTS p77 busstop.png
• File:MTS p77 doubledeckbus.png

IMPLEMENTATION AND URBAN RENEWAL

34. During the period since 1954 the Government housing programme has had a great influence in shaping the development of the urban area. Now, attention is being directed to urban renewal and modern transportation facilities. Both are intimately related and will have far-reaching effects on the future development pattern.
35. The vitality of the urban area depends on adequate and efficient transportation. The creation of a modern transport system capable of accommodating rapidly increasing travel demand must be a primary feature of any development plan. If the opportunity is taken to co-ordinate land development and transportation, private investment in land and buildings can be greatly encouraged. A continuing renewal programme, linked with the creation of a modern transport system, can produce significant monetary savings in both. It is also likely to result in better community facilities than would be attainable if each improvement were pursued independently.
36. Routes for the recommended rapid-transit system have been carefully chosen to serve the maximum number of people by penetrating the most congested areas. In many cases, they must traverse areas of dilapidated, overcrowded structures that are obsolete and ready for redevelopment.
37. When resuming land to build the transit system, sufficient funds should be made available to obtain combinations of land parcels which are suitable for renewal projects. The specific benefits of this are easily identified. The surface street pattern can be redesigned to separate local from through traffic and pedestrians from vehicles. Street capacity and safety can be improved and complex intersections eliminated. Off-street parking facilities can be provided to reduce or eliminate kerb parking, thereby improving traffic capacity. Surface public transport routings and operating speeds can be improved. From such re-planning for urban renewal a new and more efficient land use pattern will emerge, and the resultant new residential and commercial developments will increase the usefulness and patronage of the related transport system.
38. The Western District of Hong Kong Island stands out as an example of a place where rapid transit and large scale redevelopment can be joined into a single project. The Working Party on Slum Clearance has already suggested an urban renewal scheme for this area. By combining the land acquisition funds necessary for rapid transit with those required for urban renewal, it should be possible to redevelop this area into one of the most attractive in the Colony.
39. To construct the rapid-transit line it will be necessary to demolish the buildings on approximately 440 properties between Western Street and Jubilee Street. Nearly all of these buildings would be removed under the urban renewal scheme, but the construction of the rapid-transit line requires their demolition all at one time, thereby providing the opportunity to consolidate plots of land and alter the street pattern. The existing road system in this area is inadequate for modern traffic needs. The streets are narrow, their alignment is generally poor, and there are many diagonal streets with angular junctions.
40. The demolition necessary for construction of the rapid-transit line affords the opportunity to build a new street between Morrison Street and Eastern Street. This, combined with the widen ing of Bonham Strand and the construction of a short section of Des Voeux Road, could provide an adequate pair of one-way streets for through traffic. The remaining portion of Queen's Road between Morrison Street and Eastern Street, could then become a local road. As part of the overall urban renewal project, the many substandard local streets north of Queen's Road should be replaced with a smaller number of adequate cross streets in accordance with the goals of good land-use planning. Figure 56 shows a suggested road network for this area and a scheme for the location of buildings in conjunction with the Western Market Station.

File:MTS Fig56.png

Figure 56 — Suggested Road and Development Scheme at Western Market Station

IMPLEMENTATION AND NEW DEVELOPMENT

• File:MTS p78 undergroundstation.png
• File:MTS p78 overheadstation.png

41. All that has been said about co-ordinating rapid-transit construction and urban renewal projects, also applies to vacant areas where development is contemplated. In these areas there is the additional advantage that land-use planning need not be restricted by existing buildings or road patterns, so that all facilities can be designed to their greatest mutual benefit.
42. The rapid-transit stations can form a nucleus for clusters of new development in these areas, thus providing the maximum convenience and rapid-transit patronage. Generally, it would be desirable to develop the areas so that the most intensive land-uses and the largest buildings have direct access to the stations.
43. Where new development is planned on a large scale, covering an extensive area such as Chai Wan, or a new town, the rapid transit can be located on an overhead structure. With imaginative design the structure can suit its surroundings and the stations can be made an integral part of the community. Figure 57 shows one possible way that a community centre can be designed around an overhead rapid-transit station.

44. File:MTS p79 mezzanine.png

    A number of individual sites in developed areas are vacant or soon will be, due to the demolition of obsolete buildings. Where these sites are contiguous to proposed stations, serious consideration should be given to designing the ground floors and basements of the new buildings to give direct connection to the stations. In some cases the mezzanine and ticket hall facilities could be re-located from their suggested positions under the streets and made integral parts of new buildings. Passageways under the streets to reach the platforms would still be required with this arrangement, but these would not need to be as deep as the mezzanines so cost savings would be possible. This matter should be given close attention during detailed design of the system.

File:MTS Fig57.png

Figure 57 — Community Centre at Overhead Transit Station

PARKING AT STATIONS

45. Many car owners, who live near rapid-transit stations, will find it cheaper and more convenient to leave their cars at home and travel into the central areas by rapid transit. This will reduce the need for road improvements and central area parking structures. In addition, many car owners who live beyond the rapid-transit lines can be induced to leave their cars outside the central areas provided they can park conveniently at certain stations. Such parking must be readily accessible to main roadways and have direct pedestrian connection with the stations. The charge for parking in these outer areas should be cheaper than central area parking to reflect lower land values. A good case could be made for free parking to relieve road congestion and the need for expensive traffic improvements.
46. It is recommended that parking facilities be considered in conjunction with the following stations:
    Kennedy
    Choi Hung
    Kwun Tong
    Tsuen Wan
    Wo Liu Hang
47. Parking at Kennedy Station would be used by the residents of the Mount Davis and Pok Fu Lam areas. With new road facilities it may even be attractive to a few residents of Aberdeen. The Choi Hung Station parking would be attractive to people living in the Port Shelter and Clear Water Bay areas. Some people from Junk Bay would use the parking at Kwun Tong, as would a few Kwun Tong residents. Car owners living east of Tsuen Wan, including those from Castle Peak, would find parking at Tsuen Wan Station convenient. The parking at Wo Liu Hang Station (Sha Tin) would be used by some people living in Tai Po, Fanling and Sheung Shui. In addition to parking at these stations, there should be adequate space for car drivers to set down and pick up passengers. This will also help to relieve traffic congestion on roads leading to central areas.
48. These parking facilities have not been allowed for in the rapid-transit cost and revenue estimates. Even if several thousand people chose to "park-and-ride" each day, they would have little effect on a rapid-transit system carrying over two million passengers per day. However, this practice could have an important effect on certain roads and central area parking facilities. Estimates of the number of parking spaces required at each of these locations will be included in the Long Term Road Study Report.
49. Underground Parking — It is necessary in the underground cut-and-cover portions of the system, to excavate large volumes of earth to provide for the platforms at stations. Normally, except for the mezzanine area, this extra volume would be backfilled after construction. Consideration might be given to extending the mezzanine construction at certain locations to provide space for underground parking. This may provide an opportunity to obtain needed parking in congested areas without the need to use valuable land for this purpose and possibly at a lower cost.