Kai Tak Smart and Green Mass Transit System (Chinese: 啟德智慧綠色集體運輸系統), also known as the Kai Tak Monorail (啟德單軌鐵路; Káidāk Dāan'gwái Titlouh), is a government-proposed monorail system to be located in the Kai Tak Development area of Hong Kong[1] with 5 stations.
| Environmentally Friendly Linkage System | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 Railway reserve at Ching Long Shopping Centre | |||
| Overview | |||
| Other name(s) | Kai Tak Monorail | ||
| Native name | 環保連接系統 | ||
| Status | Under planning | ||
| Locale | New Kowloon | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 5 | ||
| Website | www | ||
| Service | |||
| Depot(s) | Site of the current Kowloon Bay Vehicle Examination Centre | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 9 km (5.6 mi) | ||
| Character | Elevated and grade-separated | ||
| |||
| Environmentally Friendly Linkage System | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 環保連接系統 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 环保连接系统 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Kai Tak Monorail | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 啟德單軌鐵路 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 启德单轨铁路 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The system was first proposed in 2012 and was expected to be completed in 2023,[2][3] at a cost of HK$12 billion,[4] and to take up 15 percent of public transport in the Kowloon East Development. It was scrapped officially in 2020, but revived in 2023.
History
Throughout the 1990s, a number of master plans were drawn up to prepare for the eventual reuse of the Kai Tak airport land. The South East Kowloon Development Statement (1993) and the Feasibility Study for South East Kowloon Development (1998) both proposed that the site be served by two conventional Mass Transit Railway lines running underground.[5][6] A 2001 study removed the line serving the former runway area, replacing it with a proposed "trolley bus or light rail system".[7] In light of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and overwhelming public opinion against further reclamation of Victoria Harbour, the plan for Kai Tak was further cut back. But this basic premise of a light rail system in the area would eventually turn into the plan for a monorail.
In 2007, the Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plans with railway connection system was approved by the Executive Council.
The project, officially called the Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (Chinese: 環保連接系統; Cantonese Yale: Wàahnbóu Lìhnjip Haihtúng) and abbreviated to EFLS, was headed by the Development Bureau with public consultation carried out by the Civil Engineering and Development Department.
The Civil Engineering and Development Department appointed consultants to review the flexibility of the EFLS.
Under the 2011-2012 Policy Address,[citation needed] Kowloon East would become the city's second central business district.
However, in the 2020 policy address, chief executive Carrie Lam approvingly cited a feasibility study suggesting that the EFLS should instead comprise a multi-modal system of buses, minibuses, travellators, and cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, rather than a railway system, which implied that the monorail plan had been shelved.[8] Footbridges with travellators were proposed subsequently as an alternative.[9]
On 12 March 2024, a similar environmentally friendly transit system was proposed, but it would only serve Kai Tak and not connect to Kwun Tong as per the original plan.[10]
Technology debate
Hong Kong Tramways Limited proposed building a modern tramway, instead of a monorail, on the grounds of lower construction cost, more affordable fares, lower operating cost, improved flexibility for future extensions, less visual impact, no noise pollution, and socio-economic benefits. Norman Y. S. Heung, project manager from the Civil Engineering and Development Department, responded that it would not be acceptable for a tramway to share ground space with cars.[11] Emmanuel Vivant, general manager of Hong Kong Tramways, responded that "in a city that rightly prides itself on putting priority on public transport, and where only 10 per cent of trips are done by private car, it should not be impossible to allocate space to tram lanes that can each carry eight times as many people as a road lane" and that "promoting usage of emission-free modern tramways rather than polluting private cars, would be a perfectly sensible policy decision. Where necessary, the modern tramway can simply share space with other road users".[12]
The need for heavy construction of any kind was challenged by the Hong Kong Cycling Alliance, on the basis that the 13-kilometre cycling network already planned for the area provided viable and more flexible connectivity, at much lower environmental impact.[13]
The South China Morning Post claimed that a "green bus network" would cost less than HK$400 million, and could still make a profit.[14][who?]
Finances
The cost of construction at 2010 prices was HK$12 billion, with patronage expected to hit 200,000 by 2031, according to the government.[4] In 2012 officials estimated that building a monorail would have yielded a return of one per cent, versus four per cent for a conventional railway.[14] The Post reported that the system would break even only if the government bore the capital and asset replacement costs.[14]
Stations
Latest proposal
| Station Name | Interchange | Opening date | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | |||
| Environmentally Friendly Linkage System | ||||
| Kai Tak station | 啟德站 | Tuen Ma line (MTR) | Unannounced | Kowloon City District |
| Kai Tak Sports Park | 啟德體育園 | |||
| Metro Park | 都會公園 | |||
| Residential Belt at Former Runway Area | 前跑道區住宅帶 | |||
| Kai Tak Cruise Terminal | 啟德郵輪碼頭 | |||
Abandoned proposal
The MTR walk‐in catchment coverage has usually a 500-metre radius or less than 8-minute walking time. After considering estimated passenger and fire safety issues, the Civil Engineering and Development Department took the MTR walk-in catchment coverage as an indicator for the selection of the EFLS station site.
| Station Name | Interchange | Opening date | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | |||
| Environmentally Friendly Linkage System | ||||
| Kowloon Bay station | 九龍灣總站 | Kwun Tong line (MTR) | Expected 2023 | Kwun Tong District |
| Hoi Bun Road | 海濱道 | |||
| Kowloon Bay Business Area | 九龍灣商貿區 | |||
| Kai Cheung Road | 啟祥道 | |||
| Richland Gardens | 麗晶花園 | |||
| Station Square | 車站廣場 | Tuen Ma line (MTR) | Kowloon City District | |
| Stadium | 體育場館 | |||
| Metro Park | 都會公園 | |||
| Runway Precinct | 跑道休閒區 | |||
| Cruise Terminal | 郵輪碼頭 | |||
| Kwun Tong Ferry Pier | 觀塘碼頭 | Ferry to North Point | Kwun Tong District | |
| Kwun Tong station | 觀塘總站 | Kwun Tong line (MTR) | ||
Rolling stock
As of 2015, the government planned to use two-car monorail trains with capacities of about 250 passengers. The stations would have been designed to allow for future expansion to three-car trains.[4]
References
- ^ 政府擬建高架鐵路連接九龍東不同地點 Archived 2016-04-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 林鄭月娥指啟德鐵路如經新蒲崗土瓜灣將降低回報率
- ^ 林鄭月娥指啟德高架鐵路工程不應只著眼於回本
- ^ a b c "Study Overview". Environmentally Friendly Linkage System. Civil Engineering and Development Department. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "South East Kowloon Development Statement Executive Summary" (PDF). Planning Department. September 1993.
- ^ "Feasibility Study for South East Kowloon Development" (PDF). Planning Department. November 1998.
- ^ "Comprehensive Feasibility Study for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development" (PDF). Territory Development Department. October 2001.
- ^ "Developing Green Transport". 2020 Policy Address. Government of Hong Kong. 25 November 2020.
- ^ Govt unveils plan to ease Kwun Tong traffic jams
- ^ https://gbcode.rthk.hk/TuniS/news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1744258-20240312.htm
- ^ Heung, Norman Y. S. (7 May 2013). "Tram system not feasible". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Vivant, Emmanuel (16 May 2013). "Tramways a pollution-free option". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Transport Bureau misses another chance, Hong Kong Cycling Alliance
- ^ a b c Cheung, Chi-fai (11 April 2012). "Kai Tak monorail won't stretch into nearby districts". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
External links
