LCQ3: Transport planning in New Territories North
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Question:
The Government has advised that it will adopt the principles of "infrastructure-led" and "capacity creating" to take forward the MTR Northern Link (NOL) Main Line and Spur Line projects, with the target of commissioning the projects in or before 2034. However, there are views that as the relevant railway infrastructures are still under construction, the completion and intake of residents for public and private housing developments one after another in New Territories North (NTN) in recent years may impose pressure on the traffic in the district. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics for the past three years on and estimated for the coming three years the population growth brought by the newly completed public and private housing developments in NTN, as well as formulated targeted short to medium term traffic contingency plans based on such data in order to meet the cross-district travel needs of the residents in the district;
(2) as it has been reported that the commissioning of Kwu Tung Station connecting NOL is expected to be advanced to 2027, whether the Government has plans to advance the commissioning of other stations along NOL in a strategic and phased manner so as to cope with the additional transport demand in the district; and
(3) in the light of the growing population in NTN, whether the Government will discuss with MTR Corporation Limited the further adjustment of the train frequency of the MTR East Rail Line, the deployment of more trains, or the introduction of passenger flow management measures so as to cope with the future increasing patronage; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has a set of holistic transport strategies and planning principles to address the needs of the travelling public and socio-economic development through improving transportation infrastructure, enhancing public transport services and optimising road resources. In planning public transport services for individual districts, the Government takes into account a range of factors, including local development, demographic changes, transport infrastructure planning, traffic conditions and the carrying capacity and service positioning of different public transport modes. In view of the anticipated population growth in the New Territories North (NTN) (including Fanling, Sheung Shui, Kwu Tung and San Tin), the Government will make advance planning of public transport services as appropriate to meet the travelling needs of the public.
The reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Yiu Ming is as follows:
(1) Over the past three years, the newly completed housing development projects in the NTN primarily included Ching Tao Court and Choi Shek Estate in Sheung Shui, leading to a population increase of about 9 400. The Transport Department (TD) has already made several arrangements in advance under the annual route planning programmes of the franchised bus operators. The arrangements include introducing bus service between Ching Tao Court and Sheung Shui Station in September 2024 as well as launching a green minibus route between Choi Shek Estate and Shek Wu Hui in December last year.
In the next few years, the population intake of the two housing development projects in Fanling North and Kwu Tung North New Development Areas (NDAs) will commence in two phases, with the first phase from mid-2026 to 2027 accommodating an additional population of approximately 55 000 and the second phase from 2030 to 2032 accommodating about 170 000. We have formulated various measures to address the travelling needs of residents, including advance planning of short-to-medium term road works for the two NDAs based on the "infrastructure-led" and "capacity creating" principle. The works include the commissioning of the Fanling Bypass Eastern Section within this year, which will connect the Fanling North NDA directly to the Fanling Highway, thereby alleviating the traffic situation in Sheung Shui and Fanling town centres. In addition, the Government will complete several road improvement works progressively by 2031, including the construction of Po Shek Wu Road Flyover and Fanling Bypass Western Section, as well as the widening of the section of the Fanling Highway between Kwu Tung and Sheung Shui, to tie in with the intake progress of the second phase of the two NDAs concerned.
In terms of public transport services, the TD has planned to introduce a total of six new franchised bus routes in light of the first phase of intake of the two NDAs concerned. These routes will connect Kwu Tung North and Fanling North to Sheung Shui or Fanling Station as well as key community facilities within the district (such as North District Hospital). They will also include inter-district services to and from Kowloon East, Kowloon West, Tsuen Wan District and Yuen Long District. Bus routes to and from urban areas will pass through bus-bus interchanges at major tunnels to facilitate the public and residents to transfer for other districts. Relevant roads and public transport interchanges within the new development areas will also be ready by then. The TD has already briefed the North District Council on the relevant arrangements around the end of last year.
(2) and (3) On railway infrastructure development, the Government is pressing ahead with the Northern Link (NOL) Project, which is an important piece of transport infrastructure supporting the Northern Metropolis development and facilitating Hong Kong's better integration into national development. The Project comprises Kwu Tung Station on the East Rail Line (EAL), the NOL Main Line connecting the EAL and the Tuen Ma Line, as well as the NOL Spur Line connecting San Tin Station and the new Huanggang Port in Shenzhen. The construction of Kwu Tung Station on EAL has already commenced in 2023. Progress has been satisfactory thus far and the station is expected to come into operation in 2027 as scheduled, which would match the timing of major population intake of the Kwu Tung North NDA. Last year, the Government executed the Project Agreement for Part 1 of the NOL Project with the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to implement the NOL Spur Line in combination with the Main Line through an innovative mindset, substantially bringing forward the timetable of the Spur Line by two years than what was originally envisaged and achieving simultaneous commissioning with the Main Line by 2034 or earlier.
At present, we are taking forward the NOL Main Line and Spur Line on the basis of simultaneous commissioning across both lines. This mega railway project is currently in full swing. As the project progresses, we together with MTRCL would examine the feasibility of commissioning by phases. Relevant considerations include overall technical feasibility, interface with other works in the new development areas along the railway alignment, the development pace of projects along the railway alignment, and whether testing and commissioning by phases would affect the commissioning date of the remaining railway sections. We would continue to work with MTRCL towards reducing construction time, and endeavour to commission the NOL Project at an early juncture.
In summary, the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the TD will continue to monitor the population growth and passenger demand in the NTN as well as the operation of relevant public transport services to enhance services at suitable juncture to meet residents' needs. Meanwhile, we will continue to work with relevant government departments responsible for planning and development to formulate appropriate traffic and public transport service arrangements in advance.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:17
Issued at HKT 15:17
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