CE calls for fast-tracking co-location

Passing legislation will let XRL start operations on schedule this year

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Monday urged legislators to pass the co-location arrangement bill for the Express Rail Link terminus soon in order to satisfy public demands.

Passing of the bill will let the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong XRL launch in the third quarter of this year as scheduled.

Lam made the remarks at the awards ceremony for the top 10 best governance news stories for last year, where the co-location arrangement was elected as among the leading issues in the annual campaign organized by one of the city’s largest media groups.

Leading the list of the most significant news on governance for last year were Lam’s presentation of her maiden Policy Address in October and President Xi Jinping’s inspection visit to Hong Kong in July. Co-location was ranked third.

Delivering a keynote speech at the awards ceremony, Lam said many of the events ranked in the top 10 last year were still a “work in progress”. A continuous effort was needed to push them forward, she noted.

The CE said she was glad the “three-step process” in implementing the co-location arrangement has reached the last stage — local legislation. Lam urged the Legislative Council to listen to the people and pass the bill.

Having taken three highspeed rail trips on the mainland, Lam said she appreciated the important role these trains played. They had brought convenience to people and stimulated the economies of cities along the railway lines.

Lam predicted the operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Hong Kong section of the XRL will feature in the top 10 governance news for this year.

Also among top news items for last year was the government’s extra HK$3.6 billion educational funding for local schools, the pilot “Starter Homes” homeowner scheme and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen memorandum to develop the joint science park at the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

Jiang Zaizhong, director of the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group — lead organizer of the campaign, said at the ceremony that in the first year of Lam’s administration, the government made a good start by introducing new policies that were widely appreciated in society.

Co-hosted by 24 media groups in the city including the Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group and China Daily AsiaPacific, the annual citywide voting campaign celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. It involves 65 supporting organizations and more than 100 participating schools.