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In response to media enquiries on the progress of the works on the South Island Line (East) (SIL(E)) and the Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE), the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) said today (June 12):
Both the SIL(E) and the KTE are implemented under the "ownership" approach. The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) will be responsible for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of these railway projects and will own the railways. According to the project agreements signed by the Government and the MTRCL in May 2011, the target commissioning dates for the SIL(E) and the KTE are December 2015 and August 2015 respectively.
Under the "ownership" approach, the MTRCL submits monthly progress reports of the works and reports any issues that may seriously affect the progress of works to the Highways Department (HyD). According to the clauses in the project agreements, the MTRCL shall use its best endeavours to complete the railway projects in accordance with the baseline programme. The MTRCL shall also aim for early completion of the projects for revenue generation.
Since the start of construction of the SIL(E), HyD has been co-ordinating and monitoring the works progress. When HyD noticed delays in the expansion works of Admiralty Station and the Nam Fung Tunnel, it repeatedly expressed its concern at the monthly progress meetings and issued letters to the MTRCL requesting details of its delay recovery measures. In May 2014, the MTRCL reiterated in its reply on the SIL(E) that it had been working on improving the work procedures at construction sites and that it aimed at completing the project at the end of 2015. Nevertheless, on June 5, 2014, the MTRCL informed the THB and HyD that the works of Admiralty Station were quite complicated, suffering a delay of about six months. In addition, when conducting the underpinning works below the existing Island Line, safety was the top priority and this limited the ability to recover the delay. The SIL(E) cannot be commissioned by the end of 2015 as originally scheduled. The MTRCL will further update on the progress of the project and the target commissioning timing at the end of this year when it is more certain on the progress of the works.
For the KTE, HyD has been co-ordinating and monitoring the works progress since the commencement of the rail's construction. When HyD noticed delays in the construction, HyD expressed at the monthly progress meetings and site inspections concerns on the works progress of Ho Man Tin Station and Whampoa Station. The department also wrote to the MTRCL asking for details of the delay recovery measures. The MTRCL replied in writing in mid-May 2014 that it was reviewing the construction programme with completion date and would provide the HyD with the relevant information of the work progress in due course. The target completion date continued to be 2015. Nevertheless, on June 5, 2014, the MTRCL informed the THB and HyD that in view of the difficulties encountered at Whampoa Station, it was suffering a delay of about six months. The KTE cannot be commissioned by 2015 as originally scheduled. The MTRCL will further update on the progress of the project and the target commissioning timing at the end of the year when it is more certain on the progress of the works.
We are aware that both the SIL(E) and the KTE are underground infrastructure projects of considerable scale. Various difficulties and challenges have been encountered at the construction stage of these projects. For individual works contracts, there are unavoidable deviations from the original plan.
We will closely monitor the progress of works and HyD will continue to pay regular site inspections and hold progress meetings to get hold of the actual implementation situation as well as to discuss and enable the MTRCL to resolve early the problems encountered during construction. We will also actively follow up on the latest situation of the SIL(E) and the KTE such that the projects can be completed at the earliest.
Ends/Thursday, June 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:01
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