TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES

C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/301 to C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/304	Proposed Project Elements
C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/305	Proposed NOL Alignment and Construction Methods
C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/306 to C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/318	Proposed Works Area and Works Site

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations shall have the meaning hereby assigned to them except when the context of this Report otherwise requires:

Abbreviations	Full Title
2019 TPEDM	2019 – Based Territorial Population and Employment Data Matrix
AAB	Antiquities Advisory Board
AAFS	Accredited Fish Farm Scheme
AAP	Archaeological Action Plan
AB	Ancillary Building
AECOM	AECOM Asia Company Limited
AERMOD	AMS and U.S. EPA Regulatory Model
AFCD	Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
AFFS	Accredited Fish Farm Scheme
AGR	Agriculture
AHM	Artificial Hard Material
ALARP	As Low As Reasonably Practicable
AN	Ammonium Nitrate
ANFO	Ammonium Nitrate-Fuel Oil
ANL	Acceptable Noise Level
ANR	Ardeid Night Roost
APCO	Air Pollution Control Ordinance
APP-72	Practice Note for Authorized Persons and Registered Structural Engineers – Control of Blasting
AQOs	Air Quality Objectives
ASR	Area Sensitivity Rating
ASRs	Air Sensitive Receivers
AT WTW	Au Tau Water Treatment Works
AUT	Au Tau
BCF	Building Coupling Factor
BMPs	Best Management Practices
BNL	Basic Noise Level
BOD₅	5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand
BOH	Back of House
BPM 3/2 (16)	A Guidance Note on the Technical, Management and Monitoring Requirements for Specified Process - Cement Works (Concrete Batching Plant)
BSAP	Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
BVR	Building Vibration Response
C&C	Cut-and-Cover
C&D	Construction and Demolition
C&DMMP	Construction & Demolition Material Management Plan
CAP	Contamination Assessment Plan
CAR	Contamination Assessment Report
CBA	Cost-Benefit-Analysis
CBD	Convention on Biological Diversity
CBP	Concrete Batching Plant
CDA	Comprehensive Development Area
CEDD	Civil Engineering and Development Department
CELIMS	Centralised Explosives Licensing and Management
CIPHE	Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering
CNMP	Construction Noise Management Plan
CNP	Construction Noise Permit
CO	Carbon Monoxide
COC	Contaminant of Concern
CRN	Calculation of Railway Noise 1995
CTL	Consequence-to-life
CTN	Conversion to Noise
CWPR	Chemical Waste Producers Registration
CWTC	Chemical Waste Treatment Centre
CZ	Consultation Zone
D&B	Drill-&-Blast
DA	Designated Area
DASO	Dumping at Sea Ordinance
DA-TM	Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work in Designated Areas
DBH	Diameter at Breast Height
DEP	Director of Environmental Protection
DEVB	Development Bureau
DfMA	Design for Manufacture and Assembly
DGs	Dangerous Goods
DO	Dissolved Oxygen
DP	Designated Project
DSD	Drainage Services Department
DSS-TM	Technical Memorandum on Standards for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and Sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal
EAL	East Rail Line
EAPs	Emergency Access Points
EcoDMS	Drainage Services Department’s Eco-channels Database Management System
EIA	Environmental Impact Assessment
EIAO	Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
EIAO-TM	Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process
EIDAS	Explosives and extracted Database Advisory Service
EIS	Ecologically Important Streams
ELS	Excavation and Lateral Support
EM&A	Environmental Monitoring and Audit
EMP	Environmental Management Plan
EMSD	Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
EMU	Electric Multiple Unit
EP	Environmental Permit
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
EPB	Earth Pressure Balance
EPD	Environmental Protection Department
EPDM	Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer
ERR	Environmental Review Report
ESTC	Explosive Storage and Transport Committee
ETWB TC	Environment, Transport and Works Bureau Technical Circular
EVA	Emergency Vehicle Access
F	Frequency
FAO	Fully Automatic Operation
FDL	Force Density Level
FNAR	Fixed Noise Audit Report
FNMP	Fixed Noise Sources Management Plan
FSD	Fire Services Department
FSP / PM2.5	Fine Suspended Particulates
FST	Floating Slab Trackform
FTA	U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration
G/IC / GIC	Government, Institution or Community
GB	Green Belt
GBN	Ground-borne Noise
GBNSR	Ground-borne Noise Sensitive Receiver
GCHIA	Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
GEO	Geotechnical Engineering Office
GEO 15	GEO Report No. 15 Assessment of Stability of Slopes Subjected to Blasting Vibration
GESF	Guidelines for Estimating Sewage Flows for Sewage Infrastructure Planning Version 1.0
GI	Ground Investigation
GIS	Geographical Information System
GLTM	Greening, Landscape and Tree Management
GLTMS	Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section
GN 2	Guidance Note No. GN 2 Approval of an Explosives Delivery Vehicle
GN 3	Guidance Note No. GN 3 Application and Handling of a Removal Permit
GPS	Global Positioning System
GW-TM	Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work other than Percussive Piling
HCMP	Habitat Creation and Management Plan
HEART	Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique
HKBWS	Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
HKMEC	Hong Kong Model Engineering Club
HKPSG	Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines
HKRG	Hong Kong Risk Guidelines
HKSAR	Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
HMX	High Melting Explosive
HP Guidance	Guidance Note on Quantitative Risk Assessment Study for High Pressure Town Gas Installation in Hong Kong
HRA	Human Reliability Assessment
HSR	High Speed Rail
HyD	Highways Department
I	Industrial
IBA	Important Bird Area
ICAF	Implied Cost of Averting a Fatality
IEC	Independent Environmental Checker
IF	Influencing Factors
IND-TM	Technical Memorandum for the Assessment of Noise from Places other than Domestic Premises, Public Places or Construction Sites
IR	Individual Risk
IST	Isolated Slab Trackform
KFBG	Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
KLA	Ka Lung Road Ancillary Building
KRA	Kam Tin Road Roundabout Ancillary Building
KSL	Kowloon Southern Link
KSR	Kam Sheung Road
KSRPH	Kam Sheung Road/Pat Heung
KSW	Kau Shat Wan
KTA	Kwu Tung Road Ancillary Building
KTMDC	Kam Tin Main Drainage Channel
KTN	Kam Tin North
KTN NDA	Kwu Tung North New Development Area
KTS	Kam Tin South
KTU	Kwu Tung
KTUCT	Kwu Tung/Chau Tau
LandsD	Lands Department
LAO	Land Administration Office
LAO PN	Land Administration Office Practice Notes
LCA	Landscape Characters Area
LCEL	Lower Chemical Exceedance Level
LCSD	Leisure and Cultural Services Department
LHA	Long Ha Tsuen Ancillary Building
LMC	Lok Ma Chau
LMCL	Lok Ma Chau Loop
LMCSL	Lok Ma Chau Spur Line
LR	Landscape Resource
LSR	Line Source Response
LSW	Logistics, Storage and Workshop land
LTCP	Lam Tsuen Country Park
LVHSH Priority Site	Long Valley and Ho Sheung Heung Priority Site for Enhanced Conservation
LWB	Lee Wing Street Plant Building
MFC	Marine Fill Committee
MHSA	US Mine Safety and Health Administration
MIC	Maximum Instantaneous Charge
MiC	Modular Integrated Construction
MoA	Means of Access
MTRC / MTRCL	MTR Corporation Limited
MU	Manufacturing Unit
NAP	Noise Assessment Point
NCA	Noise Control Authority
NCO	Noise Control Ordinance
NDA	New Development Area
NENT NDA	North East New Territories New Development Area
NH₃-H	Ammonia Nitrogen
NO₂	Nitrogen Dioxide
NO₂-N	Nitrite Nitrogen
NO₃-N	Nitrate Nitrogen
NOL	Northern Link
NRMMs	Non-road mobile machinery
NSR	Noise Sensitive Receiver
NSW	Nam Sang Wai
NTD	Ngau Tam Mei Depot
NTM	Ngau Tam Mei
NTM LUR	Ngau Tam Mei Land Use Review
NTMDC	Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel
NTMPW	Ngau Tam Mei/Pok Wai
OS	Open Storage
OTE	Overhead Track Exhaust
OU	Other Specified Uses
OVTs	Old and Valuable Trees
OZP	Outline Zoning Plan
P	Peaking Factor
PAA	Pak Shek Au Ancillary Building
PAHs	Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons
PATH	Pollutants in the Atmosphere and their Transport over Hong Kong
Pb	Lead
PCBs	Polychlorinated Biphenyls
P_CIF	Catchment Inflow Factor
PCRs	Petroleum Carbon Ranges
PCW	Prescribed Construction Work
PETN	Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate
PFC	Public Fill Committee
PFRF	Public Fill Reception Facility
PHD	Pat Heung Depot
PlanD	Planning Department
PLL	Potential Loss of Life
PME	Powered Mechanical Equipment
PNAP ADV-21	Practice Note for Authorized Persons and Registered Structural Engineers on Management Framework for Disposal of Dredged/ Excavated Sediment
PO4	Orthophosphate Phosphorus
PODP	Preliminary Outline Development Plan
PP	Project Profile
PP-TM	Technical Memorandum on Noise from Percussive Piling
PPV	Peak Particle Velocity
PPVc	Peak Particle Velocity Criteria
ProPECC PN 1/94	Professional Persons Environmental Consultative Committee Practice Note 1/94 Construction Site Drainage
ProPECC PN 5/93	Professional Persons Environmental Consultative Committee Practice Note 5/93 Drainage Plans
PSR	Point Source Response
PWA	Pok Wai Ancillary Building
QC/QA	Quality control and Quality Assurance
QPME	Quality Powered Mechanical Equipment
QRA	Quantitative Risk Assessment
R	Residential
RAP	Remediation Action Plan
RDX	Research Department Explosive
RE	Recreational
RODP	Recommended Outline Development Plan
RR	Remediation Report
RSP / PM₁₀	Respirable Suspended Particulates
S1DG	Schedule 1 Dangerous Goods
SAI	Site of Archaeological Interest
SAT	San Tin
SATSWW	San Tin/Shek Wu Wai
SCL	Shatin to Central Link
SCL(HUH-ADM)	Shatin to Central Link - Hung Hom to Admiralty Section
SHKPL	Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
SI	Site Investigation
SIL(E)	South Island Line (East)
SMA	Shui Mei Road Ancillary Building
SNA	San Tin Ancillary Building
SO₂	Sulphur Dioxide
SP	Specified Process
SPAUT	Sha Po/Au Tau
SPME	Specified Powered Mechanical Equipment
SPS	Sewage Pumping Station
SQR	Sediment Quality Report
SS	Suspended Solids
SSTP	Sediment Sampling and Testing Plan
STC STW	Sha Tin Cavern Sewage Treatment Works
STEMDC	San Tin Eastern Main Drainage Channel
STLMC DN	San Tin Lok Ma Chau Development Node
STW	Sewage Treatment Works
SVOCs	Semi Volatile Organic Compounds
SWH EPP	Shek Wu Hui Effluent Polishing Plant
SWH STW	Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works
SWL	Sound Power Level
T	Travelling
TBM	Tunnel Boring Machine
TCF	Tunnel Coupling Factor
TCLP	Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure
TCO	Territorial Control Office
tdu	Thermal Dose Unit
TGN 28	Technical Guidance Note No. 28 New Control Framework for Soil Slopes Subjected to Blasting Vibration
TIL	Trackform Alternatives or Insertion Loss
TIN	Total Inorganic Nitrogen
TKN	Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen
TLCP	Tai Lam Country Park
TM	Time Variation Mode
TME	Tuen Mun South Extension
TML	Tuen Ma Line
TMs	Technical Memoranda
TN	Total Nitrogen
TOC	Turnout and Crossover Factor
TOD	Transit-oriented Development
TP	Total Phosphorus
TPB	Town Planning Board
TPI	Trees of particular interest
TPRP	Tree Preservation and Removal Proposal
TSH	Tai Shu Ha
TSP	Total Suspended Particulate
TTM	Temporary Traffic Management
TTMS	Temporary Traffic Management Scheme
TU	Transporting Unit
UCEL	Upper Chemical Exceedance Level
UCS	Unconfined Compressive Strength
UIA	Un-ionized Ammonia
UK HSE	UK Health and Safety Executive
ULSD	Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel
UTS	Universal Treatment Standards
VB	Ventilation Building
VEP	Variation of Environmental Permit
VOCs	Volatile Organic Compounds
VP	Viewpoint / Vantage Point
VSR	Visually Sensitive Receiver
W	Place of Public Worship
WBA	Wetland Buffer Area
WCA	Wetland Conservation Area
WCZs	Water Control Zones
WIL	West Island Line
WMP	Waste Management Plan
WPCO	Water Pollution Control Ordinance
WQI	Water Quality Index
WQO	Water Quality Objective
WR	West Rail
WRCW	West Rail Compensatory Wetland
WRL	West Rail Line
WSR	Water Sensitive Receiver
WTF	Wastewater Treatment Facilities
XRL	Express Rail Link
YL EPP	Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant
YL STW	Yuen Long Sewage Treatment Plant
YLBFEW	Yuen Long Bypass Floodway Engineered Wetland

1 Introduction

1.1 Background

1.1.1 The Northern Link (NOL) (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”) is one of the seven railway schemes recommended to be taken under the Railway Development Strategy 2014 (“RDS-2014”). The Project will be a heavy underground railway line with a route length of about 10.7km between Kam Sheung Road (KSR) Station on the Tuen Ma Line (TML) and Kwu Tung (KTU) Station on the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (LMCSL) of East Rail Line (EAL).

1.1.2 The Project connects the EAL and the TML, forming a railway loop in the Northern New Territories. Passengers will be able to interchange at KSR Station on TML and KTU Station on EAL. The Project will also serve the transportation needs of the potential New Development Areas (NDAs) in the Northern New Territories and enhance cross-boundary movement.

1.1.3 The NOL runs underground in tunnel between KSR(NOL) and KTU(NOL) Stations with three proposed intermediate stations at Au Tau (AUT), Ngau Tam Mei (NTM) and San Tin (SAT) to support the unleashing of the development potential along its alignment. An at-grade depot is proposed at NTM area, and also there would be other aboveground structures including station entrances and ancillary buildings, i.e. ventilation shafts/buildings, Emergency Access Points (EAPs) and Emergency Egress Points (EEPs), as well as enabling works to the south of KSR(NOL) Station, for potential southern extension, to the north of SAT Station for potential bifurcation to Lok Ma Chau Loop and Huanggang Port, and to the east of KTU(NOL) Station for potential eastern extension to Ping Che areas.

1.1.4 A Project Profile (No. PP-629/2021) for the Project was submitted to Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for application of an EIA Study Brief, which was subsequently issued on 9 August 2021 (No. ESB-346/2021).

1.1.5 The NOL alignment, stations and the associated works areas/works sites including a temporary explosive magazine site at Tai Shu Ha (Yuen Long) were developed by preliminary design consultant. The preferred alignment of the Project is shown in Figure No. C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/305, while the proposed works areas/works sites are shown in Figure Nos. C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/306 to C1603/C/NOL/ACM/M50/318.

1.1.6 This Report presents the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study conducted for the Project in accordance with the requirements of the EIA Study Brief and the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).

1.2 The Project

Project Elements

1.2.1 The key elements of the Project as assessed in this EIA Report include:

i. Construction and operation of 10.7km underground railway line between KSR(NOL) Station and KTU(NOL) Station;

ii. Construction and operation of five new stations, namely KSR(NOL) Station, AUT Station, NTM Station, SAT Station and KTU(NOL) Station;

iii. Construction and operation of associated railway facilities, including ancillary buildings such as ventilation shafts/buildings, EAPs and EEPs;

iv. Construction and operation of a depot at Ngau Tam Mei area; and

v. Enabling works to the south of KSR Station for potential southern extension, to the north of SAT Station for potential bifurcation to Lok Ma Chau Loop and Huanggang Port and to the east of KTU(NOL) Station for potential extension to Ping Che areas.

1.2.2 A temporary explosive magazine site for overnight storage of explosives that will be used for construction of underground tunnel/adit/railway facilities is proposed at Tai Shu Ha in Yuen Long. This magazine site was formerly used for the construction of the High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section) (HSR) (formerly named as “the Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL)”) and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (BCP) project. This site will be decommissioned upon completion of construction works of the Project.

Designated Projects under EIA Ordinance

1.2.3 The Project will comprise the following Designated Projects (DPs) under Part I and Part II, Schedule 2 of the EIA Ordinance (EIAO):

· Item A.2 of Part I – A railway and its associated stations;

· Item A.4 of Part I – A railway siding, depot, maintenance workshop;

· Item A.7 of Part I – A railway tunnel more than 800m in length between portals;

· Item K.10 of Part I – A depot for the storage of explosives (as defined by Section 2 of the Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295));

· Item Q.1 of Part I – The Project includes underground works partly in a country park and a conservation area, and aboveground works in a conservation area; and

· Item 11 of Part II – Decommissioning of a depot for the storage of explosives (as defined by section 2 of the Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295)).

1.3 Objectives of the EIA Study

1.3.1 The purpose of this EIA study is to provide information on the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project and associated works that will take place concurrently. The information obtained in the EIA Study will contribute to decisions by Director of Environmental Protection on:

i. the overall acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely to arise as a result of the Project and its staged implementation;

ii. the conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable; and

iii. the acceptability of residual impacts after the proposed mitigation measures are implemented.

1.3.2 The objectives of the EIA study are as follows:

i. to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements and environmental benefits for carrying out the Project;

ii. to identify and describe the elements of the community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including both the natural and man-made environment and the associated environmental constraints;

iii. to identify and quantify emission sources and determine the significance of potential impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

iv. to identify and quantify potential waste management requirements and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

v. to identify and quantify contaminated land within any Project area (i.e. works sites and areas) for development works and to propose measures to avoid disposal in the first instance;

vi. to identify and quantify any potential losses or damage to flora, fauna and natural habitats and fisheries activities/resources and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

vii. to identify any potential landscape and visual impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

viii. to identify any potential adverse impacts on sites of cultural heritage and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

ix. to identify and quantify any potential hazard to life and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts if required;

x. to propose the provision of infrastructure or mitigation measures to minimise potential pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during the construction and operation of the Project;

xi. to investigate the feasibility, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;

xii. to identify, predict and evaluate the residual (i.e. after practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and the cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

xiii. to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these residual environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;

xiv. to investigate the extent of the secondary environmental impacts that may arise from the proposed mitigation measures and to identify constraints associated with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA study, as well as the provision of any necessary modification;

xv. to design and specify the environmental monitoring and audit requirements; and

xvi. to identify any additional studies necessary to implement the mitigation measures or monitoring and proposals recommended in the EIA report.

1.4 Structure of the EIA Report

1.4.1 After this introductory section, this EIA Report is organised as follows:

· Section 2 presents the description of the Project and the consideration of alternatives;

· Section 3 identifies and assesses the potential dust impacts arising from the construction of the Project;

· Section 4 identifies and assesses the potential airborne noise impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 5 identifies and assesses the potential ground-borne noise impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 6 identifies and assesses the potential water quality impacts caused by the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 7 identifies and assesses the potential impacts on the downstream public sewerage, sewage treatment and disposal facilities arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 8 identifies and quantifies the potential waste management issues and impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 9 addresses potential land contamination due to past and present land uses;

· Section 10 identifies and assesses the potential terrestrial and aquatic ecological impact arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 11 identifies and assesses the potential fisheries impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 12 identifies and assesses the potential landscape and visual impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 13 identifies and assesses the potential cultural heritage impacts due to the construction and operation of the Project;

· Section 14 identifies and assesses the potential hazard to life associated with transport, use and overnight on site storage of explosives for the construction of the Project;

· Section 15 highlights the Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) requirements;

· Section 16 summarises the key environmental outcomes arising from the EIA study; and

· Section 17 summarises the assessment findings and concludes the overall environmental acceptability of the Project.