The Runaway Train that is the XRL Express Rail Link

Awaiting the Runaway Train…

At a cost of HK$ 63.2 billion (which was HK$ 35.4 billion only a year ago, and expected to increase before completion), the Hong Kong portion of the Express Rail Link, covering a distance of 26 km., could be the most expensive of its kind per kilometer in the world. With such a hefty price tag, one must question if the link, being built at local taxpayers’ expense, is truly for their benefit or their own good.

On October 20th the MTR Corporation proudly announced that the Chief Executive and Executive Council had approved continuation of the planning and construction phase of Hong Kong’s section of the Express Rail Link (XRL) to Guangzhou. All that’s left for the project to proceed is for the Legislative Council and Finance Committee to give their thumbs up to the funding agreement and then it’s full steam ahead. Construction is expected to begin in late 2009, being completed in 2015.

The long term benefits of the project are: joining Hong Kong with China’s national high speed rail network, positioning it to be a participant in the southern region’s overall development, and the immediate creation of over 15,000 jobs amid the recession. Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Leung was quoted as saying the express service will benefit Hong Kong and so cannot be held back. No questions asked.

This attitude, rather than providing assurance of the project’s necessity, has only further angered villagers being displaced by the construction, conservation groups, and journalists skeptical about the government’s hard-headed eagerness with which it is proceeding with the project.

For example, the fact that the XRL doesn’t go to downtown Guangzhou, but rather a district of Guangzhou called Shibi, which is 18 metro stops west of the city’s business centre, has raised a number of questions as to whether Hong Kong’s investment is really supposed to make it easier for Hong Kongers to travel to downtown Guangzhou. Apparently those travelers can rest easy with the knowlegde that the extra commute can be easily covered within an estimated one hour’s time saved with the new link (after finding their way through the 140,000 square metre terminus, of course). That said, we will be able to take advantage of the discount shopping, massages, and other entertainment to be found in Shenzhen a massive 12 minutes sooner than currently.

And where will the XRL begin? The congested heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a wonder why forcefully extending the link into denser Hong Kong is necessary or even more convenient for anyone when the Link’s purpose is to reach into the mainland.

A group called the “New XRL Expert Group” has advanced an Integrated Option plan as an alternative, beginning the XRL at Kam Sheung Road MTR station. This would make use of existing infrastructure and reduce the overall cost among a number of other purported benefits.

As of yet, there are a plethora of other critical issues that have yet to be addressed by the government. For example, details concerning how long it will take for the government to break even, what the operating costs will be, how much ticket prices will be, or the details of the terminus (which will represent half the cost of construction), all of which are still blurry.

With so much to consider, one might think that it would be prudent for the government to ask for some help. Proceeding with such blind urgency rather than making a cautious investment cannot possibly be seen as best practice for a government.

Michael Ying