LCQ8: KTE's pedestrian links and road reinstatement works around Whampoa Station
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Question:
The MTR Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE), which includes Ho Man Tin Station and Whampoa Station, was commissioned on October 23 last year. According to the information provided by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), the average daily number of person-times travelling to and from the two new stations in the first five weeks after the commissioning of KTE was around 107 000. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that Ho Man Tin Station has been built on hillside and consists of as many as eight levels, passengers travelling from the station entrance at Chung Hau Street (i.e. Exit A3) to the platform on the lowest level have to take five lifts or walk down 562 steps, and the journey takes as long as 20 minutes, whether the authorities will request MTRCL to take measures (e.g. increasing the current fare discount of $0.5 for passengers interchanging with the green minibus feeder route No. 8M, or installing MTR Fare Savers, which offer a $2 concessionary fare, at the Oi Man Shopping Centre adjacent to Oi Man Estate and Chun Man Court) to attract residents near the station to travel on MTR;
(2) as some residents have pointed out that some of the footbridges and passageways connecting to Ho Man Tin Station (e.g. the footbridge at Chung Yee Street and Fat Kwong Street, the podium floor of Po Man House) are not covered or lack barrier-free access facilities (e.g. guiding paths for the blind), whether the authorities will retrofit covers and provide barrier-free access facilities for such pedestrian facilities and passageways to avoid passengers being tormented by the elements and facilitate persons with disabilities to travel on MTR; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as some Whampoa residents have relayed that the reinstatement works for traffic lanes and footpaths being carried out in the vicinity of Whampoa Station have caused inconvenience to residents, and odours emitted from the works sites have caused physical discomfort to the passers-by, whether the authorities will urge MTRCL to complete the works expeditiously; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The MTR Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE), being the extension of the existing railway networks owned by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), is an "ownership" project. Under the "ownership" approach, the MTRCL is responsible for the financing, design, construction and operation of the railway project, and owns the railway. To tie in with the commissioning of the KTE, the Government entrusted the MTRCL with the construction of the Government-funded associated Essential Public Infrastructure Works (EPIW) concurrently with the construction of the KTE. The EPIW included the construction and enhancement of the pedestrian and linking facilities for providing convenient access to Ho Man Tin Station so that the consequential social and economic benefits of the railways can be fully realised. The facilities can also provide an all-weather comfortable walking environment for residents who would be able to travel with ease between Ho Man Tin uphill and Hung Hom area downhill. The footbridges and pedestrian links concerned, partially completed for use in mid-December 2015, became fully open to the public when the KTE was put into operation on October 23, 2016.
My reply to the three parts of Dr the Hon Priscilla Leung's question is as follows:
(1) Ho Man Tin Station is one of the major interchange stations and train hubs. It provides interchange with the Kwun Tong Line (KTL) and the future Shatin to Central Link (SCL). After the commissioning of the SCL, passengers can make use of Ho Man Tin Station and transfer to KTL to get to Central or East Kowloon, or take the SCL to reach various destinations in the New Territories. Alternatively, passengers at Ho Man Tin Station may ride to Admiralty Station across the harbour and transfer to other railway lines to reach other destinations in north Hong Kong Island and the Southern District.
As Ho Man Tin Station is built on hillside, and to cater for the alignment of the KTL and SCL deep underground, Ho Man Tin Station has a vertical difference of over 70 metres. As such, there are three lifts and two lifts respectively at the station entrances on Chung Hau Street and Fat Kwong Street uphill connecting to the pedestrian subways to Ho Man Tin Station. There are also a number of escalators and lifts to facilitate the residents to travel between pedestrian subways, station concourse and platforms at various levels.
As regards fare concessions, the MTRCL advises that the Corporation has been offering fare discounts for different passenger groups through the implementation of various kinds of fare concession and promotion schemes. To promote the use of the KTE, the MTRCL has introduced a twelve-month “Intermodal Discounts” in collaboration with the operators of green minibus (GMB). During the promotion period, adult Octopus users interchanging between three designated GMB routes (8M, 28MS and 27M) and MTR at Ho Man Tin Station can enjoy a $0.5 fare discount. The discount is applicable to the trips interchanging from MTR to GMB or vice versa. The MTRCL will review together with GMB operators the effectiveness of the concessions from time to time and explore the possibility of further collaboration in providing other interchange discounts.
The MTR Fare Saver is a promotion scheme launched by the MTRCL. According to the MTRCL, with the aim of attracting new customers, the scheme seeks to encourage passengers to walk to nearby MTR stations to take MTR. At present, there are 33 MTR Fare Savers under the scheme. Passengers who register their Adult Octopus Card at the MTR Fare Savers can enjoy a discount of $2 on their next MTR ride at designated stations (Note). When considering the setting up of MTR Fare Savers, the MTRCL will take into account such factors as passenger volume of individual MTR stations and the railway network, pedestrian flow in the vicinity of stations, ancillary transport infrastructure, etc. The MTRCL will also consider whether basic installation requirements, such as whether there are adequate space and power supply, can be met at proposed venues for the MTR Fare Savers. Regarding the proposal for addition of MTR Fare Savers near Ho Man Tin Station, the MTRCL will examine its feasibility based on all the aforesaid factors.
(2) The EPIW for KTE, the construction of which was entrusted to the MTRCL, included new footbridges, walkways and lift towers connecting MTR Ho Man Tin Station with Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate, all of which are covered. To cater for the needs of the visually impaired, the MTRCL installed tactile warning strips at the exits of walkways and lifts, and at the top and bottom of staircases in accordance with the technical guidelines of the Transport Department (TD). Furthermore, at the request of the TD, to facilitate visually impaired persons to travel between Ho Man Tin Station and the Service Centre of the Hong Kong Blind Union at Kar Man House of Oi Man Estate, a tactile guide path was installed on the footpath en route where necessary. As far as the above EPIW are concerned, since the kerbs, balustrades and side walls on both sides of the footbridges at Chung Yee Street and Fat Kwong Street can serve as cues for guiding the visually impaired according to the technical guidelines of the TD, it is not necessary to provide tactile guide paths on the footbridges.
The current-term Government promotes the Universal Accessibility Programme and strives to improve road facilities and install suitable barrier-free facilities. After the opening of the KTE in October last year (2016), the TD and the Highways Department (HyD) conducted a site visit together with the Hong Kong Blind Union in November. The Union was briefed of the design standard for the tactile guide paths and their views were sought on the existing facilities. In the light of the views of the Union, the TD and the HyD reviewed the design of barrier-free facilities of the pedestrian link system. To further enhance ease of travel for the visually impaired, the TD and the HyD will install additional tactile guide paths and tactile warning strips at appropriate locations in both Exit A3 of Ho Man Tin Station and the exit of the new lift tower beside Kar Man House of Oi Man Estate. The works concerned are expected to be completed by the middle of this year.
As regards the podium areas adjacent to Po Man House of Oi Man Estate, the Housing Department (HD) will carry out detailed design and implementation works for extending the tactile guide paths to the new lift tower beside Kar Man House of Oi Man Estate. The works concerned are expected to be completed by the middle of this year. The HD will also conduct a feasibility study for the proposed covered walkway.
(3) Since early last year, the MTRCL has been carrying out the laying works of the underground utilities, backfilling and road reinstatement works around Whampoa Station. In last October, the MTRCL identified blockage and defects in the public sewer at the junction of Hung Hom Road and Tak On Street within the site boundary. The contractor engaged by the MTRCL has carried out replacement works for the defective sewer. During the repairing works, the contractor adopted appropriate measures at the site to minimise the impact of the defective sewer and the repairing works on the nearby environment. Such measures included erecting barriers, setting up additional ventilation facilities, and diverting sewage flowing through the defective sewer. In last November, the MTRCL identified blockage and suspected defects in a section of the existing public sewer at Hung Hom Road near Whampoa Garden Site 11 on the periphery of the works site. The MTRCL is currently discussing follow-up actions and repairing matters with relevant government department.
The HyD will keep the issues concerned in view, and has requested the MTRCL to expedite the sewer repairing works for improving the site environmental hygiene. The HyD expects progressive completion of most of the installation works of underground utilities connection works, backfilling and road reinstatement works around Whampoa Station within the first quarter of this year. However, the road reinstatement works for the road sections affected by the afore-mentioned drainage repairing works are expected to be completed later in the second quarter of this year.
Note: The MTR Fare Saver for Ho Man Tin Station and Whampoa Station is located at Ka Wai Chuen Shopping Arcade.
Ends/Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:15
Issued at HKT 15:15
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