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Study on new Hong Kong rail link with Shenzhen should be finished next year, transport minister says
- Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan says a dedicated office will discuss any matters that arise
- New Western Rail Link part of Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s plan for Northern Metropolis
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An initial study on a new cross-border railway linking Hong Kong and Shenzhen’s Qianhai economic zone is expected to conclude next year, the local transport minister has revealed.
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Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said on Thursday that a dedicated office would discuss matters relating to the railway link with mainland China, which was proposed as part of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s ambitious Northern Metropolis development plan.
Chan said that every decision regarding travel across the border needed “communication and cooperation” between the two sides. “Our social situation, and the realities of travel between both places are different,” he told a radio show.
The transport minister said officials from both sides of the border had met in August, and once the study was concluded, officials would look at possible routes, stops along the way, the cost of building the system, and the division of responsibilities.
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Announcing the Northern Metropolis plan at the final policy address of her term last week, Lam said the area would be “the most vibrant area where urban development and major population growth of Hong Kong in the next 20 years will take place”.
The development is considered to be a strategic economic, infrastructure, innovation and technology hub that is key to fostering Hong Kong’s integration with Shenzhen and connections with the Greater Bay Area, an emerging economic powerhouse in southern China.
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