Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
Hong Kong forging ahead
The former British colony and current Chinese Special Administrative Region is set to be transformed in the coming decade with a host of infrastructure projects, says Clement Huang
1. KAI TAK CRUISE TERMINAL
OPENING DATE Berth 1 opened on June 1 2013, while Berth 2 will open in July this year. LOCATION Victoria Harbour, at the old airport runway. THE FACILITY Following the closure of Kai Tak Airport back in 1998, the Hong Kong government expressed the need for additional berths to keep up with increased market demand faced by the incumbent Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.
According to the Hong Kong government, worldwide cruise passenger numbers are expected to grow to 31.5 million by 2020. Hong Kong welcomed nearly 1.2 million cruise passengers in 2012, which represents a significant growth compared to 660,000 in 2010.
One of the benefits the new cruise terminal has over Ocean Terminal is its ability to accommodate superlarge ships as large as 220,000 tonnes. The maximum displacement allowed at Ocean Terminal is just 50,000 tonnes.
Kai Tak Cruise Terminal was designed by British architects Foster + Partners, which was also responsible for the development of Hong Kong International Airport. It has the capacity to disembark 8,400 passengers and 1,200 crew and features a forward-thinking design that anticipates the probable demands of next-generation cruise liners.
In addition, the terminal can be used as a venue for performances, events and exhibitions; Audi and Mercedes have already held events there. Retail and dining outlets on the second floor and rooftop, meanwhile, help keep the terminal busy year round.
2. WEST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT
OPENING DATE The first phase of the mixed-use arts facility is slated to open 2015, with the second in 2026. Facilities will be launched in three phases starting from 2015.
LOCATION Overlooking the waterfront at Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon.
THE FACILITY The project was proposed back in 1998 by then chief executive Tung Chee Hwa and will provide a variety of arts and cultural facilities, 23 hectares of open space and a harbour front promenade. Main theatre and tea house the Xiqu Centre and arts space M+ Museum are among the first facilities to be developed.
The design is based on a master plan by Foster + Partners and will feature 17 cultural venues including concert halls and an arena that seats 15,000 in addition to the Xiqu Centre and M+ Museum. There is also more than 30,00 sqm of art education facilities, which the developers hope will encourage the emergence of artistic talent within the city.
While much of the project is still under construction, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has already begun organising a number of cultural activities and events on site, including the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre festival and the Mobile M+ exhibitions series, which debuted this year with a display of large-scale inflatable sculptures including a giant suckling pig and super-sized cockroach.
3. MTR EXPANSION PROJECT
OPENING DATE & LOCATION The West Island Line is expected to open this year, while the South Island Line, Express Rail Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension are scheduled for completion in 2015.
THE FACILITY Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation expansion connects areas in the city that were previously isolated. The new South Island Line, for example, will provide rail links to tourist hotspot Ocean Park and the residential/commercial areas of Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang.
In addition to the new MTR routes, the company is also expanding its existing lines including the Island Line, which will extend west beyond Sheung Wan with new stations at Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong University and Kennedy Town to form the West Island Line. This area of the city has experienced a boom in recent years as hip shops, restaurants and bars have moved in. To serve this upand-coming area of the community, operations are expected to begin at the end of 2014.
Other developments in the works include the Sha Tin to Central link extension; the Northern Link which bridges the West Rail Line and East Rail Line; and the Hong Kong section of the Express Rail Link, a high-speed rail service that connects Kowloon with Shenzhen’s Futian Station in 12 minutes.
4. HONG KONGZHUHAI-MACAO BRIDGE
OPENING DATE 2016 LOCATION Lingdingyang, Pearl River estuary.
THE FACILITY The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) will meet the increasing demand of passenger and freight
land transportation among the three destinations, and establish a link between the east and west banks of the Pearl River.
As the world’s ninth largest trading economy with a GDP valued at HK$1,889.8 billion (US$243.75 billion) in 2012, Hong Kong continues to experience healthy growth – but its future development will depend largely on the mainland, especially the neighbouring Pearl River Delta zone. Consisting of nine cities, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Dongguan, four districts and counties of Huizhou and four districts and counties of Zhaoqing, the region accounted for 9.2 per cent of the national GDP in 2011, and 9.5 per cent of the country’s gross industrial output and 26.7 per cent of China’s total export.
Across the delta, another Chinese Special Administrative Region, Macau, is also seeing economic expansion, thanks largely to its tourism and gaming industry. In the first quarter of this year, it saw a 10.5 per cent growth in GDP, which amounted to MOP192.8 billion (US$24.9 billion).
The benefits of the project are considerable. Along with the reduced transportation costs, travelling time will dramatically improve, allowing more frequent and efficient commuting between the three cities. According to the official
website, the journey between Hong Kong and Zhuhai will take approximately 45 minutes, an 80 per cent reduction on the current travelling time.
In addition, the construction of the bridge means the Western Pearl River Delta – which includes Jiangmen and Zhongshan in addition to Zhuhai – falls under a three-hour commuting radius of Hong Kong, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of the region as a source for economic investment. All this fits into a reported plan to turn the Pearl River Delta into a 41,439 sq km of urban area – 26 times larger geographically than Greater London.
5. CENTRAL AND WAN CHAI RECLAMATION
COMPLETION DATE While most of the project has already been completed, work on the Wan Chai Development Phase II began at the end of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in 2017.
LOCATION Central waterfront to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island
THE FACILITY A project more than 20 years in the making, construction on the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation began in 1993 and originally saw 20 hectares being reclaimed to provide the site for Hong Kong Station, which provides a direct rail link between the city and the airport.
The final phase of the project is in full swing to meet the target commissioning of Central-Wan Chai Bypass, which features a three-lane tunnel, in 2017. Along with the works completed during the earlier phases, the entire development will also provide land for the construction of Island Eastern Corridor Link, some of the MTR rail enhancements, and the enhancement of the harbour front.
The Central-Wan Chai Bypass will help alleviate the traffic congestion situation faced between the two locations. Once completed, the new road will act as a substitute of Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road and Gloucester Road on Route 4. Despite the benefits that Hong Kong residents will gain from the development, several environmental groups have expressed concerns about the potential deterioration of Victoria Harbour.
The Hong Kong government has argued that the reclamation project will have long-term benefits to the environment, and that the establishment of the Central-Wan
Chai Bypass will divert part of the existing traffic underground, thereby helping to improve air quality. Furthermore, it also offers an opportunity to provide noise barriers at the Island Eastern Corridor Link, which will reduce the level of noise pollution in the surrounding area.
6. HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THIRD RUNWAY
OPENING DATE The project is undergoing a three-phase process – planning, approval and implementation. According to Tommy Leung, general manager, projects, airport authority Hong Kong, the two years planning phase is less than a year to completion, which will be followed by another year of approval, and eight years of implementation. The threerunway system is expected to be commissioned in 2023.
LOCATION Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Chek Lap Kok.
THE FACILITY Due to its highly strategic location, Hong Kong has become an important aviation hub in Asia.
According to a report by IATA Consulting, HKIA is projected to receive 102.3 million passengers and 8.9 million tonnes of cargo by 2030 while handling 607,000 flight movements. The practical capacity of the current two-runway system is 420,000 flight movements, meaning that it will be very difficult to service the growing traffic.
Perhaps more worrying is the fact that recent statistics showed that HKIA handled some 56.5 million passengers, 4.03 million tonnes of cargo in 2012 and 352,000 flight movements. This indicates that the traffic volume is increasing more rapidly than previously anticipated, and necessitates the construction of a new runway.
Cathay Pacific has welcomed the expansion, with chief executive John Slosar stating back in 2011: “To maintain the competitive edge required to sustain Hong Kong’s long-term future as an international centre for transport, trade, finance, and logistics, a third runway at HKIA is going to be needed.”