3.                              PROJECT DESCRIPTION

3.1                          Introduction

3.1.1.1              The project is an extension of the existing Kwun Tong Line (KTL) from Yau Ma Tei (YMT) Station to a new Whampoa (WHA) Station with an interchange with Shatin to Central Link (SCL) at the new Ho Man Tin (HOM) Station.  The project is proposed to be implemented for completion in 2015.  The works items for the modified preferred scheme of the KTE project as described in Section 2 of this EIA Report (Figure 2.5) are further elaborated in this section as summarised in Table 3.1 and Figures 3.1-3.10a which include the anticipated construction activities and the scope of environmental aspects to be considered in this EIA study.  The works items are generally grouped by location as follows:

·               YMT Station Interface;

·               Running Tunnels from YMT Station to HOM Station;

·               HOM Station;

·               Running Tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station;

·               WHA Station;

·               Barging Point at Hung Hom Finger Pier;

·               Temporary Magazine Site at TKO Area 137; and

·               Other works areas.

3.1.1.2              Table 3.1 also shows the scope of the environmental aspects to be assessed for other Designated Project elements under the EIAO, which included underground rock caverns (Station Platform), rock crushing equipment, and an explosive storage depot.  These aspects have been assessed together with the core Designated Project elements (the railway and associated stations and railway tunnels). 

 

Table 3.1:       Summary of Works Items in KTE Project

No

Works Item

Location

Construction Activities

Stage

Scope of Environmental Aspects to be Considered in EIA

Air Quality

Air-borne Noise

Ground-borne Noise

Water Quality

Waste Management

Land Contamination

Cultural Heritage

Landscape & Visual

Hazard to Life

Ecology

1. YMT Station Interface

1A

Cable reprovisioning at YMT refuge siding tunnels

WS1 (Gascoigne Road Rest Garden) (Figures 3.2 and 3.3)

Site formation, tunnel excavation, spoil removal (mucking out), tunnel lining construction, structural works, reinstatement of the garden.

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

Y

Y

Y

-

-

2. Running Tunnels from YMT Station to HOM Station

2A

Potential slope stabilisation and upgrading works

WS2 (Gascoigne Road near Methodist College), WS4a, WS45, WS6a (Gascoigne Road near India Club), WS44 (Wylie Road) and WS47 (Wylie Path) (Figure 3.3)

Site clearance, installation of rock dowels and soil nails, grouting works and sloping works, toe and skin wall construction.

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Y

-

-

2B

KTE tunnels from YMT to Wylie Road Ancillary Building* (WAB) (mainly by D&B, with some mechanical excavation tunnelling)

 

WS3 (underneath Gascoigne Road) (Figure 3.3)

Tunnel excavation, spoil removal, D&B, tunnel lining construction, dewatering, grouting works, rock dowel installation.

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

Operation

-

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

-

2C

WAB*, ventilation building and tunnel spoil mucking out

WS7a1 (tennis court at Club de Recreio) (Figure 3.3)

Site establishment, install sheet piles, excavate soft ground, install struts, erect temporary noise enclosure, excavate rock, drill-and-blast for adit, install rock dowels, construct WAB building, remove spoil from YMT to HOM tunnelling works via WAB shaft, structural works for YMT to HOM tunnels, reinstatement works around WAB

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

2E

KTE tunnels from WAB to HOM Station (mainly by D&B, with some soft ground tunnelling)

WS10 (underneath Princess Margaret Road) (Figures 3.4 and 3.5)

Drill-and-blast for tunnel excavation, excavation for soft ground tunnel, construct tunnel lining

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

Operation

-

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

-

3. HOM Station

3A

HOM Station, with station entrance, ventilation shafts, cooling tower, mucking out

WS15a (former Valley Road Estate) (Figures 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6)

Excavation and Construction of HOM Station and Entrances,

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Rock crushing activities (a designated Project element pursuant to Item G.5 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

-

-

Y

-

-

3D

HOM D&B Station Platform

WS12 (underneath Chung Hau Street) (Figure 3.5)

Refer to Item 3A (a designated Project element pursuant to Item Q.2 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO)

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

3E

HMT civil provision, WSD freshwater main diversion, TTM

WS13 (Chung Hau Street) (Figure 3.5)

Utilities diversion

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3H

Site Office

WS2a (Ko Shan Road Custom And Excise Service Married Quarters), WA15 (Fat Kwong Street Playground) (Figure 3.4)

Site clearance, erect temporary housing structures (anticipated)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3I

Potential slope stabilisation and upgrading works

WS20, WS27 (Figures 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6)

Install rock dowels, soil nails, concreting/ hydroseeding (anticipated)

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

Y

Y

-

-

3J

KTE tunnel mucking out

WS26a (Fat Kwong Street Playground) (Figures 3.5 and 3.6)

Site establishment, install pipe pile cofferdam wall and grout curtain, excavate soft ground, install struts, excavate rock, install rock dowels, drill-and-blast for construction adit, remove spoil for construction adit, backfill the adit and shaft, remove spoil from HOM to WHA tunnelling works, structural works for HOM to WHA tunnels, reinstatement of garden

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

4. Running Tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station

4A

KTE tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station (by D&B, with some soft ground tunnelling)

WS29 (Wuhu Street) (Figures 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7)

Tunnels from HOM to WHA:

Drill-and-blast for tunnel excavation, excavate soft ground tunnel, construct tunnel lining

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

-

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

-

4B

Temporary access adit to KTE tunnel

WS28 (Walker Street) (Figures 3.5 and 3.6)

Transfer of spoil

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5. WHA Station

5A

WHA Station with mucking out, station entrance, and ventilation shaft

WS30, WS33 (Figure 3.7)

Site establishment for east and west concourse areas

 

Install pipe pile cofferdam wall, grout curtain, king posts and traffic deck, demolish Hung Hom Road crossing footbridge, excavate soft ground, install struts, drilling Jumbo, install rock supports, excavate platform tunnel, remove spoil for excavation, construct structures of station concourses and platform.

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

5B

Diversion of Hung Hom Road

WS30 (Figure 3.7)

Utilities diversion (anticipated)

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

Operation

-

Y

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5C

WHA platform tunnel

WS31 (Figure 3.7)

Tunnel excavation, spoil removal, mechanical breaking, tunnel lining construction

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

Y

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5D

Escape staircase and pressurisation fan room

WS37a (Figure 3.7)

Site establishment, install sheet pile wall, toe grout, king posts and traffic deck, excavate soft ground, install struts, excavate rock, install rock dowels, remove spoil from vent shaft and over-run/refuge siding tunnel, construct structures

Construction

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

Operation

-

Y

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5E

Refuge siding tunnel and ventilation shaft

WS36a (Figure 3.7)

Excavate and install rock dowel for over-run/refuge siding tunnel, construct structures

Construction

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

-

5F

Site office

WA6 (Figure 3.9)

Site clearance, erect temporary housing structures (anticipated)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

-

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

6. Barging Point at Hung Hom Finger Pier

6A

Hung Hom Finger Pier

WA14 (Figures 3.8 and 3.9)

Site clearance and establishment, loading / unloading of spoil (anticipated)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Two rock crushing facilities (designated Projects pursuant to Item G.5 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

-

-

Y

-

-

7. Temporary Magazine Site at TKO Area 137

7A

TKO Area 137

WA12a and WA13

(Figure 3.10a)

Site clearance and establishment, erect temporary magazine structures (anticipated) (a Designated Project element pursuant to Item K.10, Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the EIAO)

Construction

Y

Y

-

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

-

Operation

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

D&B = drill-and-blast

* The WAB (Wylie Road Ancillary Building) was referred to during its location selection process (described in Section 2 of this EIA Report) as the EAP / Ventilation Building

 

3.1.1.3              The details of works sites and works areas covered in the KTE project are summarised in Table 3.2 below and their locations are shown in Figures 3.1 – 3.10a.  There are 23 works sites within which construction activities will be undertaken and 6 works areas (1 of which will be used as a barging point, 2 as the temporary magazine site, and 3 as site offices and material storage). There are 2 works areas for the temporary explosives storage magazine, as one is for the site formation area on reclaimed land and the other (contained within this site formation area) is the actual temporary magazine and its immediate surrounds).

3.1.1.4              The works sites and works areas have been reviewed to ensure that they have been kept to the required minimum size to fulfil the functional requirements stated in the current design stage. Due to the built-up nature of the project area alternative locations have generally not been available.  

Table 3.2:    Details of Works Sites and Works Areas

Ref*

Proposed Use

Current Land Use

Approx. Area (m2)

Works Sites:

YMT Station Interface

WS1

KTL Existing Cable Tunnel Diversion Works

Gascoigne Road Rest Garden with a ventilation shaft for MTR Corporation YMT Station.

2,430

Running Tunnels from YMT Station to HOM Station

WS2

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Gascoigne Road near Methodist College. 

320

WS3

KTE Tunnel Construction (Underground)

Over-run tunnels of YMT Station and the in-situ rock and earth ground underneath Gascoigne Road and Wylie Road. 

15,850

WS4a

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Gascoigne Road near India Club. 

500

WS6a

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Gascoigne Road near Club de Recreio.

420

WS44

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Wylie Road near Philipino Club.

140

WS45

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Gascoigne Road near YMCA King’s Park Centenary Centre.

440

WS47

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Paved slope at Wylie Path.

800

WS7a1

WAB and Ventilation Building Construction and Tunnel Mucking-out

Tennis court of Club de Recreio. 

4,650

WS10

KTE Tunnel Construction (Underground)

In-situ rock and earth from underneath Wylie Road near Club de Recreio to the works site at HOM D&B Station Platform connecting HOM Station. 

17,300

HOM Station

WS12

HOM D&B Station Platform Construction

In-situ rock and earth underneath King’s Park High Level Service Reservoir. 

2,510

WS13

HOM Civil Provision and WSD Freshwater Main Diversion and TTM Implementation

Chung Hau Street. 

6,030

WS15a

HOM Construction

Open space car parks and unpaved slopes covered by vegetation bounded by Yan Fung Street, Chung Hau Street, Chatham Road North and Fat Kwong Street. 

44,740

WS20

Permanent Slope Works

 

Paved slope at Yan Fung Street near Fat Kwong Street. 

550

WS26a

KTE Tunnel Mucking-out

Fat Kwong Street Playground. 

3,090

WS27

Potential Slope Stabilisation

Slopes around Fat Kwong Street Playground. 

3,010

Running Tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station

WS28

Temporary Access Adit to KTE Tunnel

Earth ground underneath Walker Street. 

760

WS29

KTE Tunnel Construction (Underground)

In-situ rock and earth ground underneath Wuhu Street adjoining the works site of WHA Station. 

13,470

WHA Station

WS30

WHA C&C Structure Construction and TTM Implementation

Tak On Street that runs through the centre of Whampoa Garden.

10,350

WS31

WHA Platform Construction and TTM Implementation

Tak On Street that runs through the centre of Whampoa Garden.

2,100

WS33

WHA C&C Structure Construction and TTM Implementation

Tak On Street, Sheung King Street, Tak Ting Street, Wan Hoi Street and Tak Fung Street that runs through the centre of Whampoa Garden. 

15,500

WS36a

KTE Refuge Siding Tunnel and Ventilation Shaft Construction

Tak On Street that runs through the centre of Whampoa Garden. 

440

WS37a

Escape Staircase and Staircase Pressurisation Fan Room

Tak On Street that runs through the centre of Whampoa Garden. 

70

Works Areas:

Site Offices

WA2a

Site Office

Undeveloped green belt at Shun Yung Street near Custom and Excise Service Married Quarters. 

1,940

WA6

Site Office

Undeveloped open space at Hung Lok Road near Yan Yung Street.

5,570

WA15

Site Office

Fat Kwong Street Playground. 

2,200

Temporary Magazine Site

WA12a

Magazine Site

Undeveloped open area at TKO Area 137. 

3,050

WA13

Formation of Magazine Site

Undeveloped open area at TKO Area 137. 

12,950

Barging Point

WA14

Barging Point

Hung Hom Finger Pier for the loading and unloading of containers and cargo via marine barges at the Finger Pier. 

42,390

Note: TTM = temporary traffic management

* D&B = drill-and-blast

 

3.2                          Tunnels and Associated Works

3.2.1                    Cable Reprovisioning at YMT Station Refuge Siding Tunnels (Works Item 1A in Table 3.1)

3.2.1.1              The existing twin tunnels beyond YMT Station provide an over-run and refuge siding length beyond the southern end of the platform.  From each tunnel end wall a smaller size cable tunnel was originally built as part of the original Modified Initial System Kwun Tong Line (KTL) works to connect with the Gascoigne Road Traction Substation (GAR) which was also built under the MIS.  GAR is a small multi-level basement extending some 24m below ground, built within the Gascoigne Road Rest Garden opposite the Astor Plaza/Eaton Hotel.  GAR serves the Tsuen Wan Line (TWL) and KTL lines via separate cable tunnels – the TWL level being above the KTL level.  The track level of the KTL over-run/refuge siding tunnels is -19mPD at the interface some 24m below street level.

3.2.2                    YMT Station to HOM Station Tunnels (Works Items 2B, 2C, 2E in Table 3.1

3.2.2.1              From the interface with the existing YMT over-run/refuge siding tunnels the two single bores curve beneath Gascoigne Road, partly below the existing Gascoigne Road elevated road, the front entrance retaining wall of the heritage listed Lands Tribunal Building, the Labour Tribunal Building and the caisson retaining wall in front of Block S of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital School of General Nursing.  From the Queen Elizabeth Hospital access road they continue beneath recreational land areas of the India Club, the YMCA King’s Park Centenary Centre elevated platform and the Club de Recreio.

3.2.2.2              At Wylie Road the tunnels pass beneath the former Canterbury Court and Worcester Heights government residential blocks (now demolished), the King’s Park Sports Grounds, curving beneath Princess Margaret Road, East Rail Line, Shun Mun House of Oi Man Estate, Holy Trinity Church Secondary School and the King’s Park Fresh Water Service Reservoir.  Some 110m before HOM Station the separate tunnels converge and this results in a single rock D&B tunnel with a central separating fire wall between the two tracks.

3.2.2.3              The route length between the platform centres of YMT Station and HOM Station is some 1,750m.  As this is significantly more than the normal urban line spacing of 1,000m, a mid-point emergency access point (referred to as the WAB) for emergency services personnel use is provided (Refer to Works Item 2C in Table 3.1).  A ventilation building will also be constructed which will incorporate the WAB. (During the location selection for this facility it was referred to as the EAP / Ventilation Building). The tunnel bore external diameter is approximately 6m.   

3.2.3                    HOM Station to WHA Station Tunnels (Works Items 4A, 4B in Table 3.1)

3.2.3.1              The KTE alignment will have a tunnel track spacing of 5.5m within HOM Station and it is intended that this separation shall continue into Wuhu Street for the crossover D&B and the single bore twin track tunnel, until the end of the downtrack (i.e. the turnback siding).  The alignment from HOM Station crosses Chatham Road North and is constrained by the buildings either side of Wuhu Street, Tak Man and Tak On Streets.

3.3                          Stations

3.3.1                    Background

3.3.1.1              There would be 2 new stations, namely HOM Station and WHA Station, in the KTE project and details of the works are described below. (Some very minor modification works of the existing YMT Station will be undertaken and these are not considered to represent a significant or material change). 

3.3.2                    HOM Station (Works Items 3A, 3D, 3H, 3J in Table 3.1)

3.3.2.1              The HOM Station is a single span station box with a rail level of -25mPD using a side platform arrangement.  The rail level was set to obtain sufficient rock cover in order to minimise tunnelling risk for the crossover tunnel section beneath Chatham Road North and along Wuhu Street.  The overall envelope of the station is largely contained where practical into the cut-and-cover boxes (Figure 3.11).  The station layout will adopt the strategy of public circulation between the concourses and station platforms being fully contained within the cut-and-cover boxes.  It also adopts a “cascading” approach to vertical circulation to minimise the station footprint and to keep passenger flow decision points to a minimum.  The Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Tunnel network K4 (Chatham Road) and K5 (Valley Road) at the south of HOM Station will be filled up in order to provide a safe working environment to the workers in the close vicinity of the ARP tunnels.

3.3.3                    WHA Station (Works Items 5A, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F in Table 3.1)

3.3.3.1              The layout plan of WHA Station is shown in Figure 3.12, which will be an underground station.  The station corridor is located below Tak Man Street and Tak On Street, and is crossed by Hung Hom Road, Shung King Street, and joined by Tak Ting Street.  The corridor passes immediately adjacent to the stern of The Whampoa (Ship) which is a symbol of identity for the area and its history.  The width of the corridor between the building footprints will be approximately 22m.

3.3.3.2              The station box structure is about 340m long, divided into the east and west concourse boxes.  There are four station entrances contained in extensions to the main cut-and-cover zones at the east and west concourse boxes.  The majority of the main station box structures are founded on rock, except the west end at Hung Hom Road where the station structure is founded on highly decomposed granite (HDG).  The over-run section is an extension of the east concourse zone under Tak On Street, it also contains plant rooms and extending under Tak Ting Street next to the CLP substation, a ventilation plenum and shaft structure.  The refuge siding is an extension of the over-run section and extends beneath the junction of Tak On and Tak Fung Streets and slightly under the private EVA road between the Harbourfront Landmark and Harbourfront 2 developments.  Above ground, at Wan Hoi Street near Harbourfront Landmark is a standalone ventilation shaft.

3.4                          Other Works Elements

3.4.1                    Potential Slope Stabilisation (Works Items 2A, 3I in Table 3.1)

3.4.1.1              The works are for the stabilisation and upgrading of the existing slopes adjacent to the KTE project works sites and would involve the installation of rock dowels, soil nails, grouting, concreting/hydroseeding. The potential slope work is subject to further review during design stage but this is included in this assessment to present the worst-case scenario.

3.4.2                    Road and Utilities Diversion (Works Items 3C, 3E and 5B in Table 3.1)

3.4.2.1              Temporary road modification works would be carried our at some works sites to facilitate the construction programme, at which minor excavation and utilities diversion may be required.  The road modification works at Hung Hom Road (Works Item 5B) would be permanent which would involve a minor shift of approximately 2m to the existing alignment southward to the kerbside, and there would be no anticipated change to the traffic conditions and traffic flow.  Utilities diversion works would be carried out at some works sites to facilitate the construction programme, at which minor excavation and utilities diversion may be required.  As noted in Figure 3.5, the drill and blast tunnelling works for the YMT to HOM section will pass under the WSD fresh water service reservoir.  While no impacts to the reservoir are predicted due to the depth of the tunneling works, an independent study to the satisfaction of the Water Services Department will be undertaken prior to construction.

3.4.3                    Barging Point at Hung Hom Finger Pier (Works Item 6A in Table 3.1)

3.4.3.1              The barging point at Hung Hom Finger Pier would be equipped with loading facilities such as loading ramps to facilitate the loading/unloading of C&D materials by dump trucks.  There will be no marine works undertaken, such as dredging, no pontoon moorings, and no seawall modification works.  As such, adverse ecological impacts are not anticipated.

3.4.4                    Temporary Magazine Site at TKO Area 137 (Works Item 7A in Table 3.1)

3.4.4.1              The temporary magazine site would be located on the reclaimed land in TKO Area 137 in order to keep at a maximum distance from the public and other properties (See Figure 3.10a). Explosive store rooms would be provided, with protective blast walls and the area surrounded by chain link fence, with temporary road access (See photo of typical magazine site Figure 3.10b).  Explosives for use in the KTE works sites will be delivered by land-based routes.  No piling and marine works are involved, so adverse ecological impacts are not anticipated.

3.4.5                    Works Sites and Works Areas

3.4.5.1              Table 3.2 above summarises the brief details of the works nature and activities that would occur at the respective works sites and works areas.  Construction related activities would occur at all works sites listed in Table 3.2 and at 3 works areas, namely WA12a and WA13 (the temporary magazine site at TKO Area 137), and WA14 (barging point at Hung Hom Finger Pier).  It should be noted that only the erection of site offices and storage of materials would occur at the 3 remaining works areas, i.e. WA2a, WA6, and WA15, but no construction activities.

3.5                          Above-Ground Structures

3.5.1.1              A schedule of the above-ground structures for the KTE project is shown in Table 3.3. All of the dimensions and footprint areas given in the table are approximate values and would be subject to possible change as the detailed design develops. Figures showing plans and elevations for the structures are referenced in the table. The landscape and visual treatment and greening proposals for these above-ground structures are discussed in Section 5 (Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment) of this report.

Table 3.3:    Summary of Above Ground Structures

Structures

Location

Dimension (m)*

Footprint (m2)*

Structure Elevation Reference

CDR Vent Building / WAB at Wylie Road

Tennis Courts at Club de Recreio near Wylie Road

 

H: 15 (Highest Point)

L: 21

W: 19

335

Figures 3.25a-3.25b (Ground Floor & Roof Plans)

Figure 3.26 Elevations

HOM Station (Majority of Station Box)

Region bounded by Chung Hau Street, Fat Kwong Street, Yan Fung Street & Chatham Road North

H: 6 (Entrance A Yan Fung Street) road level at +26.6mPD (South side of station facing Chatham Road North), ground level at +9.75mPD

L: 240

W: 23 – 56

6,820

Figures 3.27a-3.27f (Plant, Entrance and Roof level plans)

Figures 3.28a-3.28b Elevations

HOM Station Entrance A

 

At Yan Fung Street

H: 12 (from proposed EVA level at +26.6mPD)

NA

Figure 3.29a

 

 

HOM Station Entrance B

At Chung Hau Street

H: 12 (wrt Chung Hau Street)

H: 49 (wrt Chatham Road North – road level at +6.5mPD)

110 (Lift shaft only excluding entrance ramp)

Figure 3.29c

 

HOM Station Entrance C (Connected to Chatham Road Footbridge)

At Chatham Road North

H: 17 (wrt Chatham Road North – road level at +6.5mPD)

NA

Figure 3.29b

 

Series of louvers along SW & SE elevation of HOM Station

HOM Station on slopes adjacent to Chatham Road North

NA

NA

Figures 3.30a-3.30c

HOM Station Vent Shafts (2 No)

Along Yan Fung Street.

Adjacent to Entrance A

H:12 (from proposed EVA level at +26.6mPD)

15 Per shaft

Figure 3.29a

HOM Station Fresh Air Intakes

HOM Station adjacent to Yan Fung Street and Chatham Road North

NA

NA

Figures 3.30a-3.30c

HOM Station Cooling Towers

Along Yan Fung Street

H: 32 (from Yan Fung Street level at +20mPD)

900

Figure 3.30c

Integrated WHA Station Entrance A1 with Ventilation Shafts

(Air Intakes / Exchanges and Exhausts at East Concourse Area)

Location 1:

At Hung Hom Road

H: 10 (Vent Shaft)

H: 5 (Entrance A1)

L: 39

W: 11

421

Figure 3.31

Stand-alone WHA Station Entrance A2

Location 2:

At Hung Hom Road

H: 5

L: 17

W: 6

106

Figure 3.32

Stand-alone WHA Station Entrance B1

Location 3:

At Shung King Street

H: 5

L: 17

W: 6

106

Figure 3.33

WHA Vent Shafts / Air Intakes at East Concourse Area

Location 4:

Fresh air intake shaft at Tak On Street and combined with Entrance B2

H: 5

L: 17

W: 8

130

Figure 3.34

 

Location 5:

Ventilation shaft at Shung King Street and integrated with the Designated Emergency Entrance (DEE). Located next to the PTI at Whampoa Plaza. 

H: 9

L: 9

W: 5

82

Figure 3.35

 

Location 6:

Ventilation shaft at Tak Ting Street adjacent to CLP substation.

H: 8

L: 11

W: 2

27

Figure 3.36

 

Location 7:

Ventilation shafts at Wan Hoi Street near forecourt of Harbourfront Landmark.

H: 6 / 7

L: 2

W: 2

12

Figure 3.37

Temporary Explosive Storage  Magazine

TKO Area 137

 

H: 3

L: 5

W: 3

(Per Hut)

15 (Per Hut)

Plan of Work Areas Figure 3.10a

Typical Magazine Site Photo Figure 3.10b

Elevations Figure 3.10c 

Notes:        wrt = with respect to

                    NA = Not applicable, as they are integrated into larger structures

                    * = these denote approximate values only and the numbers have been rounded

 

3.6                          Construction Methodologies

3.6.1                    YMT Station Interface

3.6.1.1              In order to construct the KTE running tunnels adjoining YMT Station, it is necessary to divert the existing traction power cables as well as other cables and services without disruption to the operating railway (Figure 3.13).

3.6.1.2              This is proposed to be a temporary works site for modification of the existing KTL cable tunnels and construction of a portion of running tunnels connecting to the existing YMT refuge siding tunnels.  Access will be via the existing KTL Gascoigne Road Traction Substation’s hatchway for mucking-out, ventilation and delivering the construction materials for the modification and construction works.  The Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s (LCSD’s) existing furniture within the area will be removed and reinstated after completion of the KTE project.  Removal of the existing trees will be minimised.  Site ingress and egress is required during the construction stage.

3.6.1.3              The proposed construction access at GAR is two-fold.  Personnel access is intended to be via the existing staircase inside, from street level down to track level.  Materials will be delivered via the existing hatchway which currently has a slab over it below ground level but allows for hoisting of materials down to track level.  Temporary safety hoarding will need to be installed around the hatchway and in some areas of the staircase corridors to separate the operating substation from the construction access areas.  Some local breaking out of the existing cable tunnel linings with mechanical excavation is envisaged for the diversion works.

3.6.2                    Running Tunnels from YMT Station to HOM Station

Overview of Tunnel Excavation

Drill-and-Blast Excavation

3.6.2.1              This method is quite suited to the variations in shape and geometry of the tunnels, D&B and underground excavation envisaged for this project and therefore drill-and-blast is the preferred excavation technique for the whole alignment.  Blasting is controlled by the sensitive receivers along the alignment of which there are many, due to the urban environment under which it passes.

Soft Ground Tunnels

3.6.2.2              Excavation for soft ground tunnels is envisaged to be by mechanical excavation method.  Soft ground tunnelling is assumed to be excavated longitudinally in stages. Temporary lining in the form of steel ribs and fibre reinforced shotcrete will be fixed against the excavated soil or treated soil surface for stabilisation.  Grouting should also be carried out ahead of the excavation face to minimize overall inflow of groundwater to facilitate the excavation work.  Advance drillholes can be adopted to release excessive porewater pressure in soil to avoid sudden collapse of the cut soil face during excavation although this is not preferred if excessive groundwater flows are experienced.  A waterproofing membrane and permanent in-situ concrete lining will be constructed against the shortcrete surface with a smoothing concrete layer where required.

3.6.2.3              The proposed tunnels will be excavated through predominantly hard rock and in some areas through mixed ground with some sections where there is low rock cover zone (Figures 3.14 and 3.15).  The extent of the soft ground zones may add up to about 170m of the total tunnel length (which is approximately 2,100m of pure tunnelling route excluding stations).  It is envisaged that drill-and-blast as well as some sections of soft ground tunnelling will be adopted.  In some parts of the alignment constraints from sensitive receivers will result in the adoption of mechanical excavation for the tunnels.  Spoil disposal and construction material delivery to the works is intended to be through the permanent and temporary access shafts along the alignment.  The location of the access shafts are proposed at the tennis courts at Club de Recreio (WAB) and Fat Kwong Street Playground with underground adit to access the Wuhu Street tunnels (temporary access shaft), which are envisaged to be built by means of conventional cut-and-cover method.

Mid-Point WAB

3.6.2.4              The upper soft ground at the shaft location suggests that the localised fill and weathered in-situ rock will not present significant difficulties for the excavation support designs (Figure 3.14). 

3.6.2.5              The rockmass within the lower shaft excavation is likely to be highly fractured in places yet should be able to accommodate the excavation with adequate rock support.

3.6.2.6              Sheet pile walling is envisaged to form the cofferdam for the WAB access shaft for tunnel construction. 

3.6.2.7              To facilitate the mucking-out activity, an overhead gantry crane is envisaged to be erected over the access shaft opening for vertical delivery of spoil to unload into trucks at ground level.  Upon the completion of the major logistic activities through the access shaft, the permanent structure of the WAB will be constructed bottom-up.

Temporary Access Shaft at Fat Kwong Street Playground

3.6.2.8              The construction method for this access shaft will be similar to the shaft at Club de Recreio (Figure 3.15).  The cofferdam wall is envisaged to be a pipe pile wall with grout curtain behind.  This access shaft and delivery adit are temporary provisions for construction of the HOM Station to WHA Station tunnels.  The shaft and adit will need to be backfilled once temporary access is no longer required for tunnel construction activities.  As detailed in Section 2.5, through design evolution, some changes to the scheme may be proposed.  In terms of the temporary access shaft, it is possible that a location at Wuhu Street Temporary Playground may be used.  However, it is noted that the Contractor will use either Fat Kwong Street Playground or Wuhu Street Temporary Playground as a works site but not both.  Notwithstanding, the shaft depth, spoil removal quantity and plant inventory would be exactly the same for both locations.

3.6.3                    HOM Station

3.6.3.1              HOM Station contains two station boxes skewed at approximately 85° to each other (Figure 3.16).  Open excavation is proposed for the majority of the site areas.  Where open excavation cannot be carried out due to the constraints of existing Yan Fung Street and Chung Hau Street, three pile walls are proposed, one at the north side of the HOM Station (North Wall), one at the south end (South Wall) and one at the west end (West Wall).

3.6.3.2              Open excavation with temporary cut slopes in soil and rock is proposed wherever possible to reach the final formation level at approximately -12.4mPD and -27mPD.  The open excavation is bounded by the existing Chung Hau Street to the northwest, Fat Kwong Street to the northeast, Yan Fung Street to the southeast and southwest and Chatham Road North to the south.  The ground profile varies from +41mPD at Chung Hau Street down to +6mPD at Chatham Road North.  There is a deep valley covered by more than 30m thick of fill deposit located to the northeast of the station box.  This fill is generally described to be “loose” even down to the base of the fill deposit and a maximum 30° temporary cut slope in fill is proposed.  A layer of 50-75mm thick shotcrete with weepholes will be applied to protect these temporary cut soil slopes.  The existing slopes around the edge of the site are intended to be excavated to a shallower angle prior to starting to excavate the rock.

3.6.3.3              The rock profile varies from the highest of approximately +30mPD at Chung Hau Street to about +10mPD at Yan Fung Street to the east.  An initial rock mass assessment suggests that an optimized rock cut angle can be taken with reduced stabilization works required.

3.6.3.4              There is an enclosed area of approximately 70m x 50m at the barging point at Hung Hom Finger Pier for the two crushing facilities to be used in this location.  Detail of the enclosure will be designed by the Contractor, but it is proposed to be approximately 10m high with a steel or aluminum portal frame covered outside with cladding similar to typical metal noise enclosures.  Two crushing facilities with a footprint of around 20m2 each would be located within the enclosed area.  Excavated rock materials would be transported by dump trucks to the enclosed area for processing, upon which the crushed rock materials will be reloaded to the standby collection trucks inside the enclosure and delivered directly to the adjacent loading points onto barges.  As a backup measure, a similar but smaller scale enclosed area with one rock crushing facility is proposed at HOM Station works site, which would not be established if the future review of detailed design concluded that it is not necessary.  However, the potential impacts due to the crushing activities at both locations will be assessed as a worst-case.  The locations of the enclosed crushing area are shown in Figures 3.4 and 3.8, and a typical layout of the crushing equipment is given in Figure 3.38.

3.6.3.5              The station box will be constructed bottom-up using conventional in-situ concrete construction (Figure 3.16).  A waterproofing membrane can be applied to the box exterior and protected prior to backfilling.  Uplift due to groundwater will need to be resisted either using mini-piles or pre-bored H-piles.  The construction of tunnel headings can proceed from the ends of the station after the excavation has been formed down to -12.4mPD.  The construction sequence of the north, west and south walls will be as follows:

North Wall

3.6.3.6              Prior to the construction of the pile wall, the existing ground levels will be reduced to form a flat working platform for installation of the wall (Figure 3.16).  Temporary horizontal struts are envisaged to be installed by stages during the course of excavation to facilitate the excavation.

West Wall

3.6.3.7              The temporary retaining wall can be constructed at the existing station platform level to the southeast of Chung Hau Street (Figure 3.16).  Retrievable earth anchors are envisaged to be installed by stages during course of excavation to facilitate the excavation down the rockhead level. 

South Wall

3.6.3.8              The temporary pile wall can be constructed when the excavation inside the site is excavated (Figure 3.16).  Retrievable soil anchors are envisaged to be installed by stages during excavation to facilitate the excavation down the required level. 

Blasting

3.6.3.9              It is intended to excavate the rock in the station box by drill-and-blast methods as well as by mechanical excavation techniques.  The majority of the rock to be excavated lies along the former ridgeline where the two station boxes converge. 

3.6.3.10          It is envisaged that the excavation will be formed by several headings and benches within the box.  Blast protection measures will be incorporated into the excavation and will meet the requirements of Mines Division of Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD).  It is envisaged that the blasts will be protected by good blast design, surface protection as well as cages and screens supplemented with blast mats to minimise air over-pressure and dust/noise from the blast.  The final protection scheme will need to be further investigated at detailed design stage.  The low charge weight will probably lead to the contractor adopting deck blasting to improve the efficiency and size of the blasts.  There should be gains in programme if this method of blasting is adopted.  It is common practice to do this where the charge weights are low and programme is critical.

3.6.4                    Running Tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station

3.6.4.1              It is noted that the alignment will encounter several potential faults and zones of local soft ground with reference to the uptrack Chainage at about 1+960, 2+065 and 2+510 (Figure 3.15).  Localised low rock cover at the connection into the WHA Station cut-and-cover box.  The uptrack tunnel where it starts to rise along Tak Man Street will have limited rock cover and therefore soft ground support and ground improvement in the form of grouting may be more likely along this section of tunnel.  There are no foundations which are known to affect the tunnel as it runs below the streets.  Rockhead is known to dip away to the southwest and the rock cover on the down slope side should be checked in more detail during the detailed design stage.  Building plans suggest that in general, the foundations along the HOM Station to WHA Station alignment comprise of deep piled foundations as well as local shallow foundations.

3.6.5                    WHA Station

3.6.5.1              WHA Station is severely constrained by existing infrastructure and buildings, limiting the choice of construction and requiring significant amounts of temporary traffic decking, temporary utility support and associated TTM at the East and West Concourses (Figures 3.17 and 3.18).  Conventional cut-and-cover method is proposed for the east concourse, west concourse and the ventilation shaft near to the east end of the refuge siding tunnel with bulk excavation and structural works carried out under a temporary traffic deck.  The concourse and vent shaft structures are envisaged to be constructed bottom-up.  The portion of the platform tunnel between both concourses and the over-run/refuge siding tunnel beyond the east end of the platform is envisaged to be by mining method and be excavated by mechanical rock breaking with temporary mucking out points to be located at the proposed station entrances, emergency and construction access and ventilation shafts for the spoil disposal and construction deliveries.

West Concourse

3.6.5.2              The depth of soft material and rock excavation for the west concourse is about 17m and 6m respectively.  To facilitate the deep excavation, a temporary pipe pile soil retaining cofferdam wall with water cut-off grout curtain behind the wall is proposed for this concourse (Figure 3.18).  As the site is situated in the heavily trafficked Tak Man Street and Hung Hom Road, it is envisaged to install temporary traffic decking over the excavation area for maintaining the traffic and facilitating the excavation and construction works.  The excavation works are envisaged to be carried out under pre-installed traffic decks supported.  In parallel with the excavation process, horizontal strutting, dewatering and supporting of existing utilities will also need to be carried out concurrently.  Spoil will be delivered to the barging point.

East Concourse

3.6.5.3              The majority of rock excavation is anticipated to be found in the east concourse area due to high rockhead level (Figure 3.17).  In other areas of the east concourse, some 11m depth of previous backfilling materials is anticipated to be found in the former No. 1 dry dock area in Tak On Street outside Whampoa Plaza.

3.6.5.4              It is envisaged to install a pipe pile cofferdam and grout curtain behind the wall for the concourse in the old dock area and install sheet piles in the remaining area (mainly on east side of Whampoa Plaza) where rockhead is higher.  Tension piles in the form of mini-piles are envisaged to be installed to resist floatation.

3.6.5.5              The excavation works are envisaged to be carried out under a temporary traffic deck installed during TTM stages.  Excavation in the No.1 dry dock area is envisaged to be carried out concurrently with dewatering and strutting inside the cofferdam.

3.6.5.6              Because of the structural footprint of the east concourse, part of the existing counterfort retaining wall parallel to Tak On Street and Shung King Street needs to be removed and modified to suit.  During excavation under the traffic deck in this area, horizontal struts will need to be installed to prop against the retaining wall face and the cofferdam wall at predetermined levels to maintain its stability.

3.6.5.7              In order to control inflow of groundwater from underside of the base slab of the retaining wall, a grout block should be installed along the base slab outer edge before the start of excavation.  When the excavation level reaches to the top level of the retaining wall base slab, a second stage of grout injection to the soffit of the slab will be carried out prior to further excavation down below the base slab.  This injection grout layer will serve to control ground water inflow and improvement of the bearing capacity of the material under the base slab.

3.6.5.8              Excavation in the area east of Whampoa Plaza is anticipated to encounter massive rock breaking due to high rockhead level.  The cofferdam wall is envisaged as short lengths of sheet pile wall and no substantial water cut-off grouting works is anticipated.  As for the western concourse, spoil will be delivered to the barging point.

Platform Tunnel between East and West Concourses

3.6.5.9              The portion of the platform tunnel between the two concourses is envisaged to be mined by mechanical rock breaking method.  During the excavation, benches are envisaged to allow multiple work fronts of excavation to expedite the works programme.  To control groundwater inflow into the excavation area, probe drilling should be carried out to evaluate the ground condition in advance to pre-determine if advance grouting is required. 

Over-run/Refuge Siding Tunnel to East of Station Platform

3.6.5.10          The over-run/refuge siding tunnel beyond the east end of the station platform is envisaged to be mined by mechanical rock breaking method.  However, some additional temporary supports, such as steel canopy tubes at the crown may be required for some sections of the tunnel encountered with low rock cover.  The excavation technique is envisaged to be similar to that for the platform tunnel.  Spoil can be removed from the mucking-out point of the ventilation shaft at the junction of Tak On Street and Tak Fung Street for disposal.

Ventilation Shaft at East End of Over-run/Refuge Siding Tunnel

3.6.5.11          The ventilation shaft associated with the tunnel ventilation plant room is envisaged to be excavated by cut-and-cover method.  A sheet pile wall is proposed as the temporary cofferdam wall.  In view of the structural footprint situated underneath the existing Tak On Street and Tak Fung Street, temporary traffic decks will be installed to maintain the normal traffic flow and facilitate the construction works under the deck.  Spoil will be mucked-out from the access opening provided at Tak Fung Street and transported to the barging point for disposal.  A 1,500mm diameter storm drain clashes with the sheet pile cofferdam wall requiring a slot to be formed in the sheet pile wall.  Grout block and steel lagging (steel plate and beam) will be installed to control groundwater and soil running into the cofferdam during excavation.  The drain pipe will need to be temporarily supported in-situ and monitored during excavation.

Dewatering

3.6.5.12          The groundwater level inside the excavation areas will be lowered progressively using deep dewatering wells to slightly below the excavated level to facilitate reasonably dry working conditions.  Temporary grouting will need to be carried out outside the cofferdam to form a water cut-off to minimise the groundwater drawdown outside the cofferdam.  With the provision of temporary grouting implemented, it is envisaged that groundwater drawdown will be negligible. 

3.6.6                    Barging Point

3.6.6.1              The establishment of a barging point at Hung Hom Finger Pier would involve solely land-based works and there would be no construction of marine structures, dredging works, or other marine works involved.  No modification to the existing vertical seawalls would be required. Temporary structures would be erected to enclose the loading/unloading of C&D materials by dump trucks.  Paved access would, also, be provided.

3.6.7                    Temporary Magazine Site

3.6.7.1              The establishment and use of a temporary magazine site at TKO Area 137 would solely be land-based and there would be no construction of marine structures, dredging works, etc., involved, and no ecological impacts would be anticipated.  Temporary structures would be erected as the explosive stores.  Paved access would also be provided.

3.7                          Construction Programme

3.7.1.1              The proposed construction dates are tentatively scheduled as shown in Table 3.4.  The construction works would commence in early 2011 and the overall project completion is anticipated to be in 2015. It is understood that local residents would like the KTE to be implemented quickly. In addition there are programme constraints which have ensured that the proposed programme is as short as is reasonably practical. All of the options are broadly similar in that they have the same start dates, the same (or very similar) construction methods and therefore similar programmes. Where any option is significantly quicker then it has been adopted as the preferred option, for example the rail alignment option selection (discussed in Section 2), which adopted the option with the shortest construction programme. The sequence(s) of the works have been defined by the need to meet the constraints of the overall programme. A preliminary construction programme is presented in Appendix 3.1.  The assessments in this EIA report have been based on this construction programme.

Table 3.4:    Tentative Civil Construction Works Schedule of Key Elements

Works Items

Tentative Commencement Date

Tentative

Completion

Date

1.      Running Tunnels from YMT Station to HOM Station

Early 2011

Early 2014

2.      HOM Station

Early 2011

Early 2015

3.      Running Tunnels from HOM Station to WHA Station

Early 2011

Mid 2014

4.      WHA Station

Early 2011

Early 2015

 

3.8                          Concurrent Projects

3.8.1                    Background

3.8.1.1              There are several major concurrent designated projects in the vicinity of the Project’s works footprint areas as shown in Figure 3.19 and summarised in Table 3.5 and details are included in Appendix 3.2.  At this stage, consideration of concurrent projects for cumulative environmental impacts will only take into account those with the available implementation programmes.  Cumulative impacts from the planned and existing major concurrent projects, if any, have been assessed in the individual sections of this EIA study.  It should be noted that, in this EIA report, all details in relation to the SCL project are tentatively only and the assessment related to the SCL project was based upon the best available information as at the submission of this EIA report. SCL is under a separate EIA study and subject to the study requirements of a separate EIA study brief under the statutory processes of the EIAO.

Table 3.5:    Tentative Construction Programme of Concurrent Projects

Works Items

Tentative Year of Construction Works Commencement

Tentative Year of

Construction Works Completion

1.      Central Kowloon Route

Under Review

2.      Widening of Gascoigne Road Flyover

2016

2019

3.      SCL – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section

2011

2017

4.      SCL – Mongkok East to Hung Hom Section

2011

2020

5.      Planned dormitory of Hong Kong Polytechnic University*

2009

2012

6.      Essential public infrastructure works (EPIW) for KTE

2011

2015

7.      Tsuen Wan Line (Existing)

-

-

* The Hong Kong Polytechnic University confirmed that there are no details of construction works available within the required timescale for this KTE EIA study.

 

3.8.2                    Central Kowloon Route (Proponent – Highways Department (HyD))

3.8.2.1              The proposed Central Kowloon Route (CKR) comprises a dual 3-lane trunk road across central Kowloon linking West Kowloon in the west to the proposed Kai Tak Development in the east.  It will connect with the West Kowloon Expressway at Yau Ma Tei Interchange and the proposed Trunk Road T2 at Kai Tak Development, which will in turn connect with the proposed Tseung Kwan O – Lam Tin Tunnel.  These trunk roads will form part of a new strategic highway link, namely Route 6, connecting West Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O.

3.8.2.2              During the construction phase, there would be one area that the KTE will interface with for the construction of the CKR (Figure 3.20) which is at the interface with the construction of YMT Station – works sites at Gascoigne Road Rest Garden.

3.8.2.3              According to the Highways Department (refer to Appendix 3.3), the construction programme and commissioning time of CKR are under review, and the types of construction works and the respective construction plant inventories within the construction period are not available yet. 

3.8.3                    Widening of Gascoigne Road Flyover (Proponent – Highways Department)

3.8.3.1              The existing Gascoigne Road Flyover is about 1.2 km long.  It operates mainly as a two-way road with one traffic lane in each direction.  Traffic is very congested during peak hours.  It is therefore proposed to widen the Gascoigne Road Flyover to a dual 2-lane carriageway to increase its capacity.  At present, heavy weaving movements are observed between the eastbound traffic from Gascoigne Road Flyover and ground level Gascoigne Road at Gascoigne Road Flyover/Gascoigne Road/Chatham Road South.  The Project will also improve the traffic arrangements at this location to minimise the weaving movements.

3.8.3.2              This project has been covered during the MTR Corporation/CKR liaison meetings and the HyD have put forward their early proposals with alternative schemes for supporting the Gascoigne Road Flyover widened deck.  As shown in Table 3.4, there would be no programming conflict and hence no cumulative impacts.

3.8.4                    SCL – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section (Proponent – MTR Corporation)

3.8.4.1              The Project is an approximately 11km extension of the Ma On Shan Line (MOL) from Tai Wai through new stations at Diamond Hill (DIH), Kai Tak (KTA), To Kwa Wan (TKW), Ma Tau Wai (MTW), Ho Man Tin (HOM) and connects the West Rail Line (WRL) at Hung Hom (HUH).  DIH, HOM and HUH will become integrated interchange stations with the existing Kwun Tong Line, the proposed KTE and the future Cross Harbour Section of the SCL, respectively.  The SCL is under a separate EIA Study and subject to the study requirements of separate EIA Study brief and under the statutory process and of the EIAO.

3.8.4.2              During the construction phase, there would be 2 areas that KTE will interface with the SCL – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section (Figures 3.21-3.22) as described below:

·               Interface with the construction of HOM Station – works sites for the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel to the south of Chatham Road North adjoining the south of HOM Station; and

·               Interface with the operation of Hung Hom Finger Pier barging point – works sites for the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel adjoining the south of Hung Hom Station.

3.8.4.3              During the operational phase, there would be one area that KTE will interface with the SCL – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section which will be with the railway operation of HOM Station – railway operation at the KTE and SCL platforms.

3.8.5                    SCL – Mongkok East to Hung Hom Section (Proponent – MTR Corporation)

3.8.5.1              The Cross Harbour Section will be implemented in two phases.  The first phase will include the realignment work for the existing East Rail Line (EAL) tracks from south of Mong Kok East (MKK) to the new Hung Hom Station.  The second phase will include the section across the harbour from Hung Hom to Admiralty.  The vertical alignment of the cross-harbour section will require that the EAL will be underground at Hung Hom, which will modify the existing EAL tracks forming an underground section between MKK and Hung Hom.  The Project is an approximately 0.8 km extension branched out from the existing East Rail tracks south of MKK Station to the new HUH Station.  Construction of the new HUH Station east of the current station with new underground platforms for the East Rail Line, as well as modifications to the existing station, is covered under this project.  The SCL is under a separate EIA Study and subject to the study requirements of separate EIA Study brief and under the statutory process and of the EIAO.

3.8.5.2              During the construction phase, there would be 2 areas that KTE will interface with for the SCL – Mongkok East to Hung Hom Section (Figure 3.23) as described below:

·               Interface with the construction of the WAB – works sites for the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel to the north of HUH Station; and

·               Interface with the construction of HOM Station – works sites for the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel to the north of HUH Station.

3.8.6                    Planned Dormitory of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Proponent – Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

3.8.6.1              The Polytechnic University (PolyU) intend to construct a student hostel on land lot No. KIL11203 fronting Yan Fung Street at the junction with Fat Kwong Street.  A DSD drainage reserve is present within the PolyU site on the Yan Fung Street boundary and this is also classified as a no-build zone for the PolyU project (Figure 3.19). 

3.8.7                    Essential Public Infrastructure Works (EPIW) for HOM Station

3.8.7.1              During the construction phase, HOM Station will interface with the construction of the EPIW (Figure 3.24) as described below. These consist of 4 items and have been assessed as concurrent projects (for potential cumulative impacts) in this EIA report. They are not considered as part of the ‘core’ railway facilities / infrastructure:

Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate Connections

3.8.7.2              Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate are situated to the west and north side respectively of the proposed HOM Station.  In order to provide and enhance better pedestrian connectivity from the station to these estates and during the public consultation process undertaken by MTR Corporation, the connectivity to the new station would be improved.  These EPIW, Oi Man Estate and Ho Man Tin Estate Connections, are a network of subways/covered walkways/covered footbridges are proposed to provide a direct, safe and barrier free pedestrian connection.  The construction of these connections and their associated slope stabilisation works would interface with that for HOM Station.

Public Transport Facilities

3.8.7.3              The public transport facilities including 3 lay-bys and 1 general pick-up/drop off facilities along Chung Hau Street at the northwest of HOM Station.  The construction of these facilities would interface with that for HOM Station.

Chatham Road North Covered Footbridge

3.8.7.4              This consists of a covered footbridge stretching from HOM Station over Yan Fung Street, Chatham Road North and above the existing footbridge.  It is anticipated the existing footbridge will be retained in position while the new bridge is constructed to maintain the pedestrian flow.  The level of the new covered footbridge is set to suit the existing running traffic and the designated connections to HOM Station for pedestrians.  The construction of this footbridge would interface with that for HOM Station.

3.8.8                    MTR Corporation Tsuen Wan Line

3.8.8.1              The future operation of the KTE project will interface with the existing Tsuen Wan Line near the south of YMT Station (Figure 3.19).  Potential cumulative ground-borne noise issues may arise and these have been addressed (see Section 8 of this EIA Report).