Part III : How to Conduct SEA?
Second Railway Development Strategy (RDS2)

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/eia_planning/sea/ebook1_9.html

RDS1, completed in 1993, defines the current phase of rail developments in Hong Kong and RDS-2, aims to identify railway development options and improvements to meet the transportation needs up to 2016 while improving the efficiency of railway networks.

The SEA helps formulate environmentally acceptable strategies and ensure that environmental considerations were fully integrated into the overall study, thereby maximizing environmental benefits and avoiding adverse environmental impacts of all the options selected. The SEA compares road vs. rail developments and considers the whole transport networks comprehensively. Alignments going through environmental sensitive areas were avoided. The SEA also quantifies environmental benefits of railway developments which is not captured in the cost and benefit analysis, to facilitate informed decisions. The SEA demonstrates that more environmental advantages would be achieved by developing railways than roads, and highlights that discrepancies existed in the appraisal processes of these two transport modes would make implementations of rail projects become harder so it emphasizes all environmental benefits associated with railway developments should be taken into account and recommends that more emphasis should be placed on environmental aspects during project evaluations.

The findings of RDS2 form a basis for the Government to prepare a railway development strategy in the context of the overall transport plans and policies promulgated in late 1999 following completion of CTS3.

 
SEA of RDS2 – Key Points

Second Railway Development Strategy page cover
  • Focus on environmental benefits as well as impacts – a balanced approach needed.

  • Look at the hidden environmental implications.

  • Highlight major implications not reflected in financial analysis.

  • Focus on interface with mainstream economic and transport analysis.

 

SEA of RDS2 – Key Outcomes

  • Recommended Railway Project $80 – 100 billion.

  • Railway Development Strategy 2000. “Other support for marginally viable projects will be considered on the basis of the need for the individual projects.”