The 7.4km Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is Hong Kong's second railway link with the Mainland, branching from East Rail's Sheung Shui Station to Lok Ma Chau Station, where a two-level pedestrian footbridge connects to the Huanggang Metro Station in Shenzhen.

Double-digit growth

Mr Chan told news.gov.hk there was a double-digit growth in number of cross-boundary travellers using Lo Wu in the late '90s. At present, 60% of passengers using a land boundary crossing still opt for Lo Wu.

"The figure shows travellers taking cross-boundary land transport prefer mass-transit rail service, which is efficient and environmental-friendly. It is also free from traffic jams.

"For the new rail, the station at Lok Ma Chau will have four storeys. Its immigration hall will be fitted with 136 counters, 70 for departures and 66 for arrivals. The hall can handle 150,000 travellers a day," he said.

Land has been reserved for expanding the immigration hall. If expanded, the number of immigration counters will be doubled eanbling it to handle 300,000 passengers a day.

93% works completed

The spur line project has four major elements - the tunnels, the viaduct, Lok Ma Chau Station and the two-level passenger bridge. Construction started in January 2003, and 93% of the works have been completed.

Mr Chan noted the tunnels are the longest ones in Hong Kong to be bored by a tunnel-boring machine - the Mulan, weighing 1,400 tonnes. The 3.2km twin tunnels run from Sheung Shui to Chau Tau through Kwu Tung. 

They used a technique known as ground freezing to build the passages under the ecologically sensitive Long Valley. This environmentally friendly means of constructing passages eliminates the need for above-ground construction work. Using a system of pipes, ground water that surrounds the passages is frozen to form an ice ring that prevents water from seeping inside during manual excavation work.

To maintain the water level inside Long Valley, special dams were put in two rivers nearby during construction. As the Lok Ma Chau Station area was formed by filling up fish ponds, 30 hectares of nearby fish ponds were enhanced, to increase the feeding opportunities for water birds that frequent the area.

Ecological value enhanced

The fish ponds' water level and quality are closely monitored, and marshlands were planted with reeds to diversify the birds' habitat.

The high availability of food and diversity of plant life have attracted many wildlife species, especially birds, to the wetlands. Over 1,000 birds from 44 different wetland-dependent species visited the area during the last winter season. A total of 249 black-faced spoonbills - a globally threatened species - were spotted in November last year.

Overseeing the spur line project for years, Mr Chan said the project is full of twists and turns, but the public consultation is the most challenging.

"We met many people during the consultation period, including green groups, district representatives and people who objected to the project. They were very concerned with the project and put forth many suggestions and comments. We had to listen to their views carefully and explain to them why their ideas were accepted or rejected. While much effort is required to handle public views satisfactorily, the process is interesting."

Close liaison

Turning to the double-deck passenger bridge, Mr Chan said the upper level is for arrivals and the lower level is for departures.

Stretching across the Shenzhen River, the two-level passenger bridge is 240 metres long and 16.5 metres wide. It is fully enclosed and fitted with air-conditioning and travelators for passenger comfort and convenience.

Engineers used a cable-stayed design, to meet the navigational requirements of the Shenzhen River. Since it is a joint project with the Shenzhen Municipal Government, it requires close liaison and co-operation between the two places.

The Shenzhen side is responsible for the bridge's construction while KCRC takes care of the electrical and mechanical works on Hong Kong's side, Mr Chan said. The bridge will also be decorated with festive lighting.

The $10 billion Lok Ma Chau Spur Line will open next year. With an average train speed of 73km an hour and the maximum at 120km, the journey time from Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau will be six minutes while it will take 47 minutes for travelling from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lok Ma Chau.

Public transport connections

According to the KCRC, six trains will run from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lok Ma Chau every hour. A public transport terminus on the east side of the Lok Ma Chau Station is about 6,200 square metres. It contains two bays for franchised buses and/or public light buses, one for taxis and one taxi-staging area which can hold about 50 taxis.

As the new rail will offer an alternative to cross-boundary passengers, the Transport Department expects it will attract some coach passengers and Lo Wu rail passengers, but the numbers will depend on factors such as service and fare levels.