WEST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT
OPENING DATE The first phase of the mixed-use arts facility is slated to open 2015, with the second in 2026. Facilities will be launched in three phases starting from 2015.
LOCATION Overlooking the waterfront on the west side of Kowloon.
THE FACILITY The design is based on a master plan by Foster + Partners and will feature 17 cultural venues including concert halls, an arena that seats 15,000, a Xiqu (Chinese opera) centre and the M+ Museum building. There will also be more than 30,000 sqm of art education facilities, which the developers hope will encourage the emergence of artistic talent within the city.
MTR EXPANSION PROJECT
OPENING DATE & LOCATION The West Island Line is expected to open this year, while the South Island Line, Express Rail Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension are scheduled for completion in 2015.
THE FACILITY Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation expansion connects areas in the city that were previously isolated. The new South Island Line, for example, will provide rail links to tourist hotspot Ocean Park and the residential and commercial areas of Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang.
The company is also expanding its existing lines including the Island Line, which will extend west beyond Sheung Wan with new stations at Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong University and Kennedy Town to form the West Island Line.
HONG KONG-ZHUHAI-MACAO BRIDGE
OPENING DATE 2016
LOCATION Lingdingyang, Pearl River estuary.
THE FACILITY The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will meet the increasing demand of passenger and freight land transportation among the three destinations, and establish a link between the east and west banks of the Pearl River.
The benefits of the project are considerable. Along with the reduced transportation costs, travelling time will dramatically improve, allowing more frequent and efficient commuting between the three cities. According to the official website, the journey between Hong Kong and Zhuhai will take approximately 45 minutes, an 80 per cent reduction on the current travelling time.
CENTRAL AND WAN CHAI RECLAMATION
COMPLETION DATE While most of the project has already been completed, work on the Wan Chai Development Phase II began at the end of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in 2017.
LOCATION Between Central and Causeway Bay waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
THE FACILITY A project more than 20 years in the making, construction on the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation began in 1993 and originally saw 20 hectares being reclaimed to provide the site for Hong Kong Station, which provides a direct rail link between the city and the airport.
The final phase of the project is in full swing to meet the target commissioning of Central-Wan Chai Bypass, which features a three-lane tunnel, in 2017. Along with the work completed during the earlier phases, the entire development will also provide land for the construction of Island Eastern Corridor Link, some of the MTR rail enhancements, and the enhancement of the harbour front.
For a more in-depth review, see the "Hong Kong forging ahead" article in the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific's January/February issue.
Clement Huang
