Smart Green Transportation | Chen Meibao: Introducing the New Regulatory Framework to the Legislative Council for Convenient Travel

The Chief Executive in Council has approved, at its meeting before yesterday, the railway scheme for the “Kai Tak Smart Green Collective Transport System.”

In a blog post, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms. Annie Chan Mei-po, said the project will be the first smart green collective transport system to enter service in Hong Kong. It serves as a demonstration of the Government’s policy and technology “dual innovation,” and marks an important milestone for Hong Kong’s public transport services.

Accelerate the rollout in Hong Kong of new transport system projects

Ms. Chan said that, to facilitate the introduction of different modes and patented technologies for new collective transport systems, she will later brief the Legislative Council’s Transport Affairs Panel on a brand-new statutory regulatory framework. This will speed up the “on-the-ground” rollout in Hong Kong of new transport system projects employing a variety of different technologies, with both software and hardware moving faster and improving efficiency, thereby promoting local development and making it more convenient for residents to get around.

Ms. Chan added that, given that the alignment scheme for the Kai Tak Development Area is relatively straightforward, unlike other projects that must first complete the gazettal procedure before tendering, the gazettal and tendering procedures for the Kai Tak railway scheme will be conducted in parallel. This will speed up the schedule by about six months for this smart green collective transport system that already reflects the Government’s policy and technology “dual innovation.”

Retain the feasibility of extensions to the Kwun Tong, Yau Tong and hospital area

Ms. Chan said that during the public consultation, many residents hoped to improve pedestrian connections between the Kai Tak system stations and the Children’s Hospital, as well as the future new accident and emergency hospital. Alternatively, they wanted the system extended to the areas around Kwun Tong, Yau Tong, and the aforementioned hospitals. In the tender documents, the authorities have required the project franchise company to add covered structures along the existing pedestrian walkway on Kai Tak Bridge Road. They also required that, when designing the system, the feasibility of extending it in the future to the areas around Kwun Tong, Yau Tong, and the hospitals be preserved.

She added that if the contractor can specifically explain feasible options for future extension, it may earn additional marks in relevant technical aspects. The project contract commenced tendering in October last year. The authorities aim to award the contract within this year, with the expectation that the system will enter service in 2031.