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The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, was pleased that the rail merger was successfully implemented today (December 2).
"The merger is an important chapter in the railway history of Hong Kong. It will benefit the community as a whole. Starting from today, 2.8 million daily rail passenger trips will enjoy fare reduction and the synergies arising from the rail merger will now be fully returned to the public. It brings about an annual saving of around $600 million to benefit the public. In the long run, the interchange arrangement will be more convenient to the travelling public. Besides, the railway corporation would have greater flexibility in planning the alignment, stations and interchange arrangement for new railway lines in the future. This would enhance co-ordination among the overall railway network and reduce duplication of railway lines and resources in future,"said Ms Cheng.
Ms Cheng extended her gratitude to all railway staff for their contribution to the merger and called for their continued devotion to serve the public.
Ends/Sunday, December 2, 2007
Issued at HKT 13:01
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