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LCQ5: Construction works delay of the XRL
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     Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

     The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) announced on April 15 this year that the completion of the project to construct the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL project) would be delayed to 2016, and XRL would not be commissioned until 2017. It has been reported that there would be delay in the completion of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project due to the delay of the West Kowloon Terminus works of XRL. At the meeting of the Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways of this Council (the Subcommittee) held on the 5th of this month, the Secretary for Transport and Housing and representatives of MTRCL informed Members of this Council of the latest position of the XRL project. Based on the information available and the financial analysis conducted to date, the latest projected cost of the XRL project is about $68.4 billion, which exceeds the original funding of $65 billion allocated to MTRCL by $3.4 billion. The detailed cost estimate was expected to be completed in July this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as MTRCL has indicated that the progress of the XRL project has been affected by the serious damage caused to a tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the Yuen Long tunnel section during a rainstorm, whether it knows the details of the impact;

(2) given that a paper presented by MTRCL at the aforesaid Subcommittee meeting indicates that difficult ground conditions have been encountered in the construction of the Huanggang to Mai Po Tunnels, whether it has looked into the reasons why MTRCL had failed to timely discover the said ground conditions during the trial pit investigations;

(3) as it was reported that in March last year, when tunnel boring works under the XRL project were being carried out at Tai Kok Tsui, the tunnel boring machine came across some H-shaped piles which obstructed the works, whether the Government knows the number of similar incidents that happened during the implementation of the XRL project, the details of such incidents and their impacts on the progress of the project;

(4) whether it knows how MTRCL calculated the aforesaid latest projected cost of HK$68.4 billion; and

(5) whether the existing project vote of the WKCD project can absorb the additional costs caused by the delay of the XRL project; if it cannot, of the Government's specific timetable for seeking the approval of the Finance Committee of this Council for a supplementary provision?

Reply:

President,

     My reply to the five parts of Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki's question is as follows:

(1) Regarding the flooding incident of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) of Contract 823A Tai Kong Po to Tse Uk Tsuen tunnel section in Yuen Long, the Highways Department (HyD) received a recovery plan from the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) on May 16, 2014. HyD is reviewing the contents of the report and the impact brought to the works progress of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).

(2) According to the information from the ground investigation conducted before commencement of works in 2009, it was anticipated that there might be a 200-metre marble zone at the section of the tunnel of Contract 826 Huanggang to Mai Po section tunnel works under the Mai Po fishpond. When the contractors carry out the works, it is necessary to conduct further ground investigation in front of the TBM at possible locations of cavity and make suitable arrangements and adjustments to works processes having regard to information gathered from ground investigation and actual site conditions, so as to ensure the TBM can move forward smoothly. In mid-April 2014, the southbound TBM has already excavated up to the part of the tunnel where the afore-mentioned marble zone was anticipated. Taking into account the need to detect any possible cavity, the TBM therefore has to operate at a slower speed than originally planned. Up to the end of April 2014, according to the MTRCL, the contractor has yet to detect any marble zone, ie no cavity is detected yet.

(3) In January 2013 when the works of the main tunnel of the XRL were being carried out using a TBM under Hoi Wang Road in Tai Kok Tsui, MTRCL discovered, in front of the TBM, old columns abandoned during the reclamation in West Kowloon. Those columns have no connection with the buildings in the vicinity of Hoi Wang Road. The contractors have removed the columns in mid-2013, and the TBM has immediately continued to move forward and finished the works of that section of the main tunnel of the XRL. MTRCL monitored closely during the whole course of works, including the installation of monitoring points to monitor closely the infrastructures and buildings in the vicinity of Hoi Wang Road. All data indicated that the works did not affect the infrastructures and buildings nearby.

(4) The XRL is an important transport infrastructure in Hong Kong and the Government is highly concerned with its delay. The Government will spare no efforts in following up with MTRCL to catch up with the works progress and contain the construction costs. In the light of the latest development, the Government has requested the MTRCL to strive to minimise the delay and contain any additional costs within the approved project estimate. Currently, we are requesting more information from the MTRCL to explain the causes of the serious delay and details of the delay mitigation and recovery measures.

(5) The Government needs some time to assess in detail the possible impact of the delay of the Hong Kong section of the XRL to the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) and we will continue to maintain close liaison with the WKCD Authority.

Ends/Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:30

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