The Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has authorised the construction of a second railway project which is estimated to cost C$12.4 billion.

Work on the new railway, linking Kowloon West urban districts and the North West New Territories, will begin in a few months.

Mr. Donald Tong, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of the SAR Government in Canada, said the infrastructure project will be the largest after the new airport development. This project will create business opportunities for both local and overseas firms.

He said the new railway, which will complement the current line running from urban Kowloon to the Hong Kong-China border at Lowu, is part of the SAR's massive infrastructure program in the next five years costing around C$47 billion.

To be known as West Rail, the project will create about 13,000 jobs in the next few years, with 14 main civil construction contracts being awarded by mid-1999. It will be a 30.5 kilometres long, electrified, double-track railway.

Phase I will serve 340,000 passengers a day when it opens in 2003, rising to more than 500,000 passengers a day by 2011.

Mr. Tong pointed out that the West Rail would provide easy access for urban residents to the rapidly growing North West New Territories. With the use of high-capacity train cars, the journey would take just 30 minutes.

West Rail will enhance the development potential of the vast rural area of North West New Territories, which is one of the strategic growth area in terms of housing in the next 20 years.

For further information please contact Frank Chuan, Chief Information Officer, at telephone no. (416) 924-5544.