BACKGROUND

With the gradual development and transformation of Kowloon East (KE) into the second core business district (CBD) of Hong Kong, there is progressive rise in the residential and working populations in the area. Relevant government departments have been striving hard to the provisioning of appropriate transport infrastructure facilities, as well as convenient public transport services to cope with the traffic demand in the area. Among others, the Government has incorporated its planning intent and an indicative alignment of the proposed Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (EFLS) on the Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan for enhancing the intra-district connectivity. The technical and financial viabilities, etc., of the proposed EFLS would be explored and studied in-depth by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD). Based upon the findings of the preliminary feasibility study (PFS) completed in 2014 and the first stage of the detailed feasibility study (DFS) completed in 2017, CEDD commenced the second stage of the DFS in the second half of 2017.

In the course of study on the EFLS, CEDD encountered more-than-expected complicated challenges, thus requiring more time to review and explore feasible solutions, including studying on options other than the elevated mode. Besides, the long-term financial viability and cost-effectiveness of EFLS are also one of the important considerations of DFS. At present, the Government has substantially completed the DFS on the proposed EFLS.