West Rail Phase 1 Public Transport Interchanges

(ACE Paper 05/2000)
For information

Introduction

This paper briefs Members of the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) on the design of the Public Transport Interchanges (PTIs) for the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) West Rail. A presentation which include visuals of the typical design of the PTIs for West Rail Phase 1 will also be given.

General

2.West Rail provides mass transportation by rail from Tuen Mun to West Kowloon through nine stations. Except at West Rail Mei Foo Station, all other stations will be linked to a public transport interchange (PTI) to enable passengers to connect conveniently with various feeder services including buses, mini-buses and taxis. In addition, PTIs provide parking spaces for private cars and bicycles, together with drop-off points. Since Mei Foo Station will mainly be used as a KCR/MTR interchange, a PTI for other transport modes is not planned for the Station.

3.In order to function safely and efficiently, PTIs tend to occupy large areas of flat land which are, necessarily, immediately adjacent to each station. PTIs comprise roads for access and egress, run-ins and parking bays for the various types of vehicles, and pavements for waiting passengers. Queuing lines are normally provided with canopies for weather protection (unless a podium-style development is located above). Disabled and emergency vehicular accesses are also provided.

Design and Approval

4.The PTIs were designed by the West Rail's design consultants. The consultants' team include traffic and transportation planners, civil engineers, town planners, architects, landscape designers, and environmental engineers. The design of the PTIs were undertaken in close conjunction with the design of the stations.

5.The transportation planners were responsible for predicting the number of passengers that were expected to use the railway at specified times. The predicted figures comprised passengers arriving at the stations, as well as those departing from the stations. Passengers will arrive at or depart from a particular station in varying numbers from/to various locations and by various modes of transport. The layouts of the PTIs were devised after taking into account the predicted figures of passenger patronage and the locations of station entrances.

6.To facilitate discussion with relevant Government bodies on the design of the PTIs, a body called the Station and Transportation Integration Committee (STIC) has been set up. This Committee is chaired by the Government Engineer of the Railway Development Office of the Highways Department and includes representatives of the Territory Development Department, Transport Department, Planning Department, Lands Department, Building Department, Fire Services Department, Hong Kong Police Force and, of course, the KCRC. Plans for the PTIs were prepared and reviewed during informal STIC meetings, commented on by STIC members and finally submitted for STIC's endorsement. At present, all PTIs for the West Rail have been approved by STIC. Revisions to the endorsed PTI layouts could be only made with STIC's endorsement.

Management of PTIs

7.All PTIs constructed under the West Rail Project are essential public infrastructure works funded by the Government and entrusted to KCRC for construction. They will be built in accordance with the Government Specifications and Standards. Upon completion, they will be handed over to Transport Department for management and to the respective Government maintenance authority for maintenance.

Property Development and PTIs

8.The PTIs are presented in the visuals as they will appear at the opening of West Rail at the end of 2003. They are planned to be integrated into future property developments. All PTIs except the one at Siu Hong (SIH) will be covered by podiums and enclosed to some extent by the walls of the development above. These developments will be subject to the Building Department's approval.

Environmental Aspects of PTIs

9.The PTIs are not designated projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and environmental impact assessment studies are therefore not required. However, the PTIs associated with the West Rail stations will still be designed in accordance with other relevant requirements, such as the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines and the Environmental Protection Department's environmental guidelines. For those PTIs which will be covered by podium structures for the property developments, adequate ventilation will be provided. They will not result in adverse noise or air quality impacts to the surroundings environment.

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
February 2000