The economic growth of Hong Kong and mainland China will be put to an even much faster pace--literally--as the government of Hong Kong approved a multi-billion dollar plan to create a high-speed train network.
Work on the rail system will start at the end of the year, after the approval of the 26-kilometer, underground section of the Hong Kong- Shenzhen-Guangzhou Express Rail Link. The project is expected to cost in a grand total of HK$53.7 B (~US$7B) and will finish in 2016. Other fees not directly related to the train network, such as landscaping and preparation of roads leading to the train, are not included.
This early on, 5500 job vacancies have already been posted to get started with the project. This does not end at construction jobs, though. At completion, it is expected that 10,000 more jobs will be opened for the maintenance and operations of the high-speed train network. When the rail network is completed by 2016, it is expected to serve around 99,000 people daily. Current plans also indicate 90 trains that will go daily to Shenzen and 24 to Guangzhou.
The 140-km train network will link Hong Kong in West Kowloon and Shibi in Guangzhou, with train stops at Futian, Longhua, and Lumen, and is expected to cut down travel time by about half. For example, today the typical travel time from Hong Kong and Guanzhou is around one hour and forty minutes. When the train is completed, it will only take forty eight minutes to commute.
Aside from this, The Standard also says that through the network, travel time from West Kowloon to Xiamen will just take four hours, to Shanghai in eight, and to Beijing in ten. For expats and travelers, this means a lot of saved time better spent somewhere else other than actual travel.
With this kind of speed bump, expect Hong Kong to be an even more vibrant commercial and economic center, further speeding up the growth of the Chinese economy.
For more information, please refer to this article from The Standard.
