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MTR Corporation Ltd.
SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
25445
Final | October 2011
This report takes into account the particular
instructions and requirements of our client.
It is not intended for and should not be relied
upon by any third party and no responsibility is
undertaken to any third party.
Job number 25445
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd
Level 5 Festival Walk
80 Tat Chee Avenue
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon
Hong Kong
PRC
www.arup.com
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
G:\env\project\25445\Executive Summary\SCL_ES(Eng.).doc Page i Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd October 2011
Contents
Page
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 EIA Study Brief 1
1.3 Need for the Project 2
2 Consideration of Revised Scheme Alignments 3
2.1 Overview of Alignment Corridor 3
2.2 Public Consultation 3
2.3 Convenience for the Population to be Served 4
2.4 Base Scheme Alignment in the EIA Study Brief 4
2.5 Development of the Revised Scheme Alignment 4
2.6 Comparison of Base Scheme and Revised Scheme Alignments 5
2.7 Selection of the Alignment 11
3 Project Description and Construction Methodology 12
3.1 General Alignment 12
3.2 Summary of Design 12
3.3 Implementation Programme 13
3.4 Proposed Construction Methodology 13
3.4.1 Alignment Sections 13
3.4.2 Stations and Entrances 15
3.4.3 Ventilation Building 16
3.4.4 Tunnel Portals 16
3.4.5 Off-Site Temporary Works Areas 16
4 Summary of Key Findings in EIA Study 18
4.1 General 18
4.2 Cultural Heritage Impact 18
4.3 Ecological Impact 18
4.4 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment 19
4.5 Air Quality Impact 22
4.6 Airborne Noise Impact 22
4.6.1 Construction Noise 22
4.6.2 Operational Noise 22
4.7 Groundborne Noise 22
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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4.8 Water Quality 23
4.9 Waste Management 23
4.10 Land Contamination 23
4.11 Hazard to Life 24
4.12 Environmental Monitoring and Auditing Requirements 24
5 Overall Conclusion 25
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
G:\env\project\25445\Executive Summary\SCL_ES(Eng.).doc Page iii Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd October 2011
Figures
Figure 1.1 General Alignment of SCL Figure 1.2 Locations of Off-site Works Areas Figure 2.1 Comparison of Base Scheme and Revised Scheme Alignment
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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1 Introduction
1.1 Background
The Shatin to Central Link (SCL) is one of the railway projects recommended for
implementation in Railway Development Strategy 2000. It is an integral component of the
expanded rail network, which will be required to support the economic, social and population
growth of the HKSAR in the coming years. In particular, it will support the urban renewal of
the existing Kowloon City District, planned Kai Tak Development (KTD) and further
developments in North East New Territories (including Ma On Shan) by providing direct and
efficient rail service between Shatin and the Central Business District of the Hong Kong
Island via KTD.
The SCL is also one of the ten large-scale infrastructure projects announced by the Chief
Executive in his 2007-2008 Policy Address. According to updated information, SCL is
targeted to commence construction by 2012. For the purposes of the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA), five EIA Studies have been conducted to cover different sections of the
SCL. They include:
• SCL – Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section [SCL (TAW-HUH)] (hereinafter referred to as “the
Project”, being considered in this EIA) – the extension of Ma On Shan Line from Tai
Wai Station via Hing Keng, Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai and Ho
Man Tin to Hung Hom, and link up with the existing West Rail Line, along with a
proposed stabling sidings option in Diamond Hill (DHS)1;
• SCL – Mong Kok East to Hung Hom Section [SCL (MKK-HUH)] – the realignment work
for the existing East Rail Line tracks from the tunnel portal near Oi Man Estate (Portal
1A) to the proposed North Ventilation Building (NOV) in Hung Hom;
• SCL – Hung Hom to Admiralty Section [SCL (HUH-ADM)] – the section from NOV,
Plant Rooms and Emergency Access in Hung Hom across the harbour to the
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (CBTS), Exhibition Station (EXH) and then to ADM;
• SCL Protection works at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter – the section of
approximately 160m long of the SCL tunnel protection works at the crossing over
Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) tunnels, which would be constructed under the CWB
project; and
• SCL – Stabling Sidings at Hung Hom Freight Yard [SCL (HHS)] – another stabling
sidings option for SCL (TAW-HUH) proposed at the former freight yard in Hung Hom1.
The proposed tentative alignment of SCL (TAW-HUH) is shown in Figure 1.1 and the
tentative locations of off-site works areas (e.g. office, general storage), off-site works sites
(e.g. barging facilities, magazine sites etc) are shown in Figure 1.2. More detailed
description of the proposed Project is given in Sections 2 and 3. Ove Arup & Partners Hong
Kong Ltd (Arup) was commissioned by MTR Corporation Limited (the Project Proponent) as
the EIA Consultant for the SCL (TAW-HUH). The SCL (MKK-HUH), SCL (HUH-ADM),
Protection Works at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and SCL (HHS) are separate
Designated Projects and their EIA Studies would be conducted separately.
1.2 EIA Study Brief
The Project is a single project comprising the following elements which are considered as
designated projects as per Schedule 2, Part I, Categories A2, A4, A7, A8 and K10 of the
Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), as summarised below:
1 The ultimate suitability of using either the DHS or HHS or a combination of both sites for train stabling would be
subject to the findings of detailed engineering and EIA studies.
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Executive Summary
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• A.2: A railway and its associated stations.
• A.4: A railway siding, depot, maintenance workshop, marshalling yard or goods yard.
• A.7: A road or railway tunnel more than 800 m in length between portals.
• A.8: A road or railway bridge more than 100 m in length between abutments.
• K.10: An explosive depot or explosives manufacturing plant in a stand-alone, purpose
built building.
The stabling sidings options at Diamond Hill for SCL(TAW-HUH) is covered in this EIA study.
This stabling siding option is a Designated Project under Item A.4. of Schedule 2 of EIAO.
The explosive storage magazine described in this EIA will be constructed under the Kwun
Tong Line Extension (EIA 184/2010) and would be share used between Kwun Tong Line
Extension and the Project. An explosives depot in a stand-alone, purpose built building is a
designated project (under Item K.10, Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the EIAO) (Referred to in this
report as an explosives storage magazine). The future decommissioning of the explosives
magazine is a designated project (under Item 11, Part II – Decommissioning Projects of
Schedule 2 of the EIAO). As the date of the decommissioning is uncertain at this stage, it is
not considered under this EIA Study. However, an Environmental Permit will be required
prior to commencement of decommissioning work.
An application (No. ESB-191/2008) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study
Brief under Section 5(1)(a) of the EIAO was submitted by the Project Proponent on 18 June
2008 with a project profile (No. PP-356/2008) (the Project Profile). Pursuant to Section
5(7)(a) of the EIAO, the Director of Environmental Protection issued an EIA Study Brief (ref:
EIA Study Brief No: ESB- 191/2008 dated 14 July 2008) to provide the scope and
requirements of the EIA Study for SCL (TAW-HUH).
It should be noted that the EIA Study Brief has included a total of 7 stations, including Hin
Keng Station (HIK), Diamond Hill Station (DIH), Kai Tak Station (KAT), To Kwa Wan Station
(TKW), Ma Tau Wai Station (MTW), Ho Man Tin Station (HOM) and Hung Hom Station
(HUH). During the design process after the issuance of EIA study Brief, however,
engineering and programme considerations have supported the construction and operation
of HOM to be implemented, under the Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE). Similarly, HUH
would also be implemented under SCL (MKK-HUH). Whilst HOM and HUH will be assessed
under separate EIAs, the cumulative impacts due to the construction and operation of these
2 stations have also been considered in this EIA to fulfil the requirement in the EIA Study
Brief.
1.3 Need for the Project
The entire Shatin to Central Link is to form a strategic rail corridor from Shatin to Central
which will bring about various benefits to the community, including:
• Redistribution of railway passenger flows to relieve the existing railway lines in urban
Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island;
• Providing public transport service for Kai Tak Development;
• Relieving road-based public transport in the existing developed areas, and alleviation of
the traffic congestion and environmental nuisance on existing road networks, including
the demand on the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel; and
• Stimulation of the redevelopment of To Kwa Wan and Kowloon City areas.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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2 Consideration of Revised Scheme Alignments
2.1 Overview of Alignment Corridor
The SCL is a strategic railway line that runs through multiple districts in Hong Kong. It will
strengthen the current railway networks by connecting several railway lines through a
number of interchange stations. It will save travelling time and provide the community with
faster and more convenient railway services. As discussed in Section 1, this EIA is
prepared for the SCL (TAW-HUH), while the EIAs for SCL (MKK-HUH), SCL (HUH-ADM),
Protection Works at Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and SCL (HHS) are covered by other
EIA Studies.
SCL (TAW-HUH) is an approximately 11km long extension of the MOL and connects the
WRL at Hung Hom. Most of the sections would be in the form of tunnel (i.e. underground)
except for a section at Hin Keng, and another section at Hung Hom (see Figure 2.1), at
which the alignment has to raise to connect with the existing MOL and WRL.
Other than linking the areas in Tai Wai and Hung Hom, the SCL (TAW-HUH) also aims to
support the urban renewal of the existing Kowloon City District and planned Kai Tak
Development. The alignment corridor therefore, after leaving the existing MOL Tai Wai
Station, heads towards East Kowloon via Hin Keng and Chuk Yuen. The first station after
passing Lion Rock is DIH where passengers can conveniently interchange to the existing
Kwun Tong Line (KTL). Covered under this Project would be the train stabling sidings
option occupying the former Tai Hom Village site to the south of DIH.
Passengers can also continue their journey to reach the future Kai Tak Development Area
to the south of Diamond Hill where lot of different developments including public housing,
private housing, sports venue etc have been planned. This KAT is an important and
sustainable transportation infrastructure element that the future population in Kai Tak
Development could enjoy.
In order to serve the population in Kowloon City, Ma Tau Wai, To Kwa Wan etc, the
alignment (after passing Kai Tak area) has been planned to pass through all these areas
and with stations provided. It will then reach HOM where passengers can interchange with
the proposed KTE which is an extension of the existing KTL at Yau Ma Tei Station to
Whampoa Garden.
Finally, passengers heading towards Hung Hom and Hong Kong Island can interchange at
HUH. The remaining passengers can enjoy the seamless integration with the West Rail
Line and access various areas in Tsim Sha Tsui East, West Kowloon and other areas along
West Rail Line to Tuen Mun. As discussed in Section 1.2, both HOM and HUH would be
implemented under another Designated Projects.
This EIA has considered the option of having the train stabling sidings located at Diamond
Hill (i.e. DHS option). Recent study has revealed another possible option at Former Hung
Hom Freight Yard (i.e. HHS option). The environmental assessment for HHS option
including cumulative impacts has been separately addressed in the EIA for SCL (HHS).
2.2 Public Consultation
When selecting the preferred option, major factors that were considered included not only
the engineering factors and environmental factors, but also views from the public received
during the public consultation exercise.
As one of the SCL Project Objectives, an extensive series of meetings/consultations with
public has been conducted during the preliminary design stage of the Project, with an
objective to formulate a final scheme which meets the needs of the local community and is
fully supported by the general public.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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After the Executive Council approved the further planning and preliminary design of SCL by
the MTR in March 2008, the Government and the MTR subsequently visited the District
Councils and consulted local communities on the project. Extensive public consultation,
including roving exhibitions and public forums, was conducted in collaboration with various
District Councils and the local community to further collect views from the public on the new
links.
2.3 Convenience for the Population to be Served
The passengers for SCL (TAW–HUH) would have the choices to interchange at a number of
stations to suit their needs. A summary of the key benefits of the interchange stations is
given below.
Table 2.1: Key benefits of the interchanging stations
Interchange Stations Key Benefits
TAW • Passengers from East West Corridor can interchange to the North
South Corridor to access north east New Territories and Hung Hom
DIH • Passengers on SCL (TAW-HUH) can interchange to KTL to access
East Kowloon and Central Kowloon
HOM [1]
• Passengers on SCL (TAW-HUH) can interchange to KTE to access
Whampoa and Central Kowloon
HUH [2]
• Passengers on SCL (TAW-HUH) can interchange to SCL (MKK-HUH)
and SCL (HUH-ADM) or carry on to connect to the West Rail Line
Note:
[1] As part of another Designated Project: Kwun Tong Line Extension (AEIAR-154/2010)
[2] As part of other Designated Project: SCL (MKK-HUH)
2.4 Base Scheme Alignment in the EIA Study Brief
Environmental factors have been important considerations during the alignment selection
process. The development of this base scheme alignment in the EIA Study Brief has in fact
avoided a number of critical environmental issues including the following.
• Avoidance of at-grade construction works and permanent structures within the Lion
Rock Country Park which is important for ecological conservation and landscape and
visual resources;
• Minimise above-ground works area to minimise disturbance in urban areas in which a
lot of local residents / communities are living in close proximity to the construction works
areas and the stations;
• Avoid natural streams and secondary woodland in Tai Wai; and
• Avoid alignment inside the consultation zone of the gas depot of China Gas Co. at the
junction of Ma Tau Kok Road and To Kwa Wan Road.
2.5 Development of the Revised Scheme Alignment
The Project Proponent has appointed a Preliminary Design Consultant (PDC) responsible
for the preliminary design of the SCL (TAW-HUH). One of the key objectives of preliminary
design is to develop further on the base scheme alignment and identify any alternative
options that would benefit the local communities better, including the public’s concern on the
need for HIK and shifting the alignment closer to Kowloon City District to tie in with the
change in future population centre, as a result of no reclamation in Kai Tak area where the
population will therefore be reduced.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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In addition to the PDC, the Project Proponent has also appointed an EIA Consultant to
advise on the environmental implications of different alignment and design options. Both
the PDC and the EIA Consultant have been working to strike an optimal balance between
different requirements of engineering, practicability, environmental, land constraints, etc.
2.6 Comparison of Base Scheme and Revised Scheme Alignments
The environmental implications arising from revising the base scheme alignment have been
examined, and the environmental implications for the base scheme and revised scheme
alignments have been compared and presented in Table 2.2. Figure 2.1 shows the base
scheme and revised scheme alignments.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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Table 2.2: Summary of design changes and environmental implications of revised scheme alignment
Base Scheme Alignment Proposed Changes of
Revised Scheme Alignment Environmental Benefits Environmental Disbenefits Remarks
Location Design
Alignment Sections
Tai Wai Depot At-grade • No change • N/A • N/A -
Tai Wai Depot to
HIK
Embankment • No change • N/A • N/A -
HIK to Hin Keng
Portal
Viaduct +
Embankment +
Tunnel
• No change • N/A • N/A -
Hin Keng Portal
to DIH
Tunnel
(drill-&-blast
within Lion Rock
Country Park to
Chuk Yuen,
bored tunnel from
Chuk Yuen to Po
Kong Village
Road, and Cut-&-
Cover from Po
Kong Village
Road to DIH)
• Underground alignment
between Chuk Yuen and Po
Kong Village Road slightly
adjusted.
• No significant change in
tunnel length.
• NIL • NIL • Most of the section would be within
Lion Rock Country Park and there
would be no at-grade temporary
construction works within the
country park area. Together with
the fact that the construction
method would remain the same, it is
anticipated that there are no
additional environmental impacts as
compared to the base scheme
alignment.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
DIH to KAT Tunnel
(bored tunnel +
cut-&-cover)
• No change • N/A • N/A -
KAT to TKW Tunnel
(bored tunnel)
• Alignment will be shifted to
the north.
• TKW relocated.
• Change of tunnel
construction from bored
tunnel to cut-&-cover and
mined tunnel.
• NIL • The revised scheme alignment
would however have interface with
the Former Kowloon City Pier. All
necessary engineering measures
would be implemented to protect
the pier during construction. (See
Section 4)
• The alignment would be closer to
the existing receivers along Ma Tau
Chung Road but further away from
the receivers along To Kwa Wan
Road. Both alignments have similar
density of NSRs, ASRs and VSRs
along both sides. Hence, the
associated environmental impacts
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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Base Scheme Alignment Proposed Changes of
Revised Scheme Alignment Environmental Benefits Environmental Disbenefits Remarks
Location Design
• Tunnels between KAT and
TKW will be constructed in
railway reserves inside
future residential
development sites in the Kai
Tak Development.
Provisions have been made
for future development
foundations and basement
to be constructed in close
proximity to these tunnels.
Cut and cover form of
tunnels will provide more
flexibility for future
basement construction
under this special
arrangement".
• No significant change in
tunnel length.
on noise, air quality and visual
would be similar.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
TKW to MTW Tunnel
(bored tunnel)
• Alignment will run along Ma
Tau Chung Road / Ma Tau
Wai Road instead of To Kwa
Wan Road.
• Construction method
remains the same.
• No significant change in
tunnel length.
• Alignment would avoid the PHI
consultation zone of the gas depot
of China Gas Co. The separation
distance between the alignment
and the PHI consultation zone is
about 160m.
• The revised scheme alignment
would however be closer to some
built heritage (e.g. the Trinity
Church building and the Sung Wong
Toi Rock. The assessment has
concluded that the impacts on these
heritage items would be
insignificant. (See Section 4).
• The alignment would be closer to
the existing receivers along Ma Tau
Chung Road/ Ma Tau Wai Road but
further away from the receivers
along To Kwa Wan Road. Both
alignments have similar density of
NSRs, ASRs and VSRs along both
sides. Hence, the associated
environmental impacts on noise, air
quality and visual would be similar.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
MTW to HOM Tunnel
(drill-&-blast +
cut-&-cover/
• Alignment will run along Ma
Tau Wai Road.
• MTW relocated.
• NIL • NIL • The alignment would be closer to
the existing receivers along Ma Tau
Wai Road but away from the
receivers along To Kwa Wan Road.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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Base Scheme Alignment Proposed Changes of
Revised Scheme Alignment Environmental Benefits Environmental Disbenefits Remarks
Location Design
bored tunnel)
• Tunnel construction method
changes to drill-&-blast +
bored tunnel.
• No significant change in
tunnel length.
Both alignments have similar
density of NSRs, ASRs and VSRs
along both sides. Hence, the
associated environmental impacts
on noise, air quality and visual
would be similar.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
HOM to HUH Tunnel (cut-&-
cover/ bored
tunnel) + at-
grade section
• Tunnel construction method
changes to cut-&- cover
method.
• NIL • Slightly higher noise and air quality
impacts with cut-&-cover method.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
HUH to WRL
Tunnel
Tunnel + at-
grade section
• No change • N/A • N/A -
Stations
HIK Elevated station • No change • N/A • N/A -
DIH Underground
station
• No change • N/A • N/A -
Diamond Hill
Stabling Sidings
(DHS)
Semi-
underground
• No change • N/A • N/A -
KAT Underground
station
• No change • N/A • N/A -
TKW Underground
station
• Station relocated • NIL • The station will be located in the
vicinity of an area where
assemblage of Song Dynasty
pottery was discovered. Mitigation
measures would be required to
minimise the impacts (See Section
4)
• The station would be closer to the
existing receivers along Ma Tau
Chung Road but further away from
the receivers along To Kwa Wan
Road. Both would have similar
density of NSRs, ASRs and VSRs
in the vicinity. Hence, the
associated environmental impacts
on noise, air quality and visual
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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Base Scheme Alignment Proposed Changes of
Revised Scheme Alignment Environmental Benefits Environmental Disbenefits Remarks
Location Design
would be very similar.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
MTW Underground
station
• Station relocated • NIL • NIL • The station would be closer to the
existing receivers along at Ma Tau
Wai Road but further away from the
receivers along To Kwa Wan Road.
Both would have similar density of
NSRs, ASRs and VSRs in the
vicinity. Hence, the associated
environmental impacts on noise, air
quality and visual would be very
similar.
• Amount of spoil to be excavated
would be similar.
HOM* Underground
station
• No change • N/A • N/A -
HUH* Semi-
underground
station
• No change • N/A • N/A -
Ventilation Buildings/ Shafts
HIK Above-grade
structure
• No change • N/A • N/A -
Ma Chai Hang Above-grade
structure
• Shifted from near Chuk
Yuen North estate to Ma
Chai Hang Recreation
Ground
• Roof level of ventilation building
would be kept as low as possible
and close to surrounding road
levels to reduce visual impact.
• NIL • Similar environmental setting (e.g.
nature and number of sensitive
receivers) and hence significant
change in environmental
implications not anticipated.
TKW Above-grade
structure
• Station relocated.
• Physical size remains
similar.
• NIL • NIL • Similar environmental setting (e.g.
nature and number of sensitive
receivers) and hence significant
change in environmental
implications not anticipated.
MTR Corporation Ltd. SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section
Executive Summary
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Base Scheme Alignment Proposed Changes of
Revised Scheme Alignment Environmental Benefits Environmental Disbenefits Remarks
Location Design
MTW Above-grade
structure
• Station relocated.
• Physical size remains
similar.
• NIL • NIL • Similar environmental setting (e.g.
nature and number of sensitive
receivers) and hence significant
change in environmental
implications not anticipated.
Emergency Access (EA)/ Emergency Escape Access(EEA)/ Emergency Egress Point (EEP)
Ma Chai Hang Above-grade
structure
• Safety requirement
• The building is required to
give firemen access to
tunnel and to give safe
egress to passengers from
the tunnel in the event of an
emergency.
• Integrated with Ma Chai Hang
Ventilation Building, and visual
impacts would be reduced
• NIL -
Wong Tai Sin • Safety requirement
• The building is required to
give firemen access to
tunnel and to give safe
egress to passengers from
the tunnel in the event of an
emergency.
• NIL • Above-grade structure.
• Slight construction dust, noise and
visual impacts
-
Tam Kung Road • Safety requirement
• The building is required to
give firemen access to
tunnel and to give safe
egress to passengers from
the tunnel in the event of an
emergency.
• NIL • Above-grade structure.
• Slight construction dust, noise and
visual impacts
-
Note: * According to the latest arrangement, the HOM and HUH will be separately implemented by other Designated Projects under KTE and SCL (MKK-HUH) respectively. However, the cumulative impacts due to these 2 stations would be addressed in this EIA as well to fulfil the requirement in the EIA Study Brief.
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Executive Summary
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2.7 Selection of the Alignment
Two alignment options have been considered. The main difference is the portion from KAT
to MTW. The base scheme alignment runs along To Kwa Wan Road after KAT before
joining HOM. In order to serve the population better, the revised scheme alignment has
been designed to run along Ma Tau Chung Road/ Ma Tau Wai Road. The TKW is also
relocated to the western side of Kai Tak Development area adjacent to Olympic Garden,
whereas MTW is relocated to Ma Tau Wai Road adjacent to Ma Tau Wai Road/ To Kwa
Wan Road Garden. Both TKW and MTW will be moved closer to existing and future
population centres and will serve a larger population.
Both the base scheme and revised scheme alignments are similar in total length,
construction methods, amount of spoil generated. Also, the number of stations and
ventilation buildings will be identical in the two schemes. The number of environmental
sensitive receivers from noise, air quality, visual, ecology etc would be similar. The revised
scheme alignment would be closer to heritage items including the Former Kowloon City Pier,
the landing steps of the 1924 seawall and the area where assemblage of Song Dynasty
pottery were discovered. However, proper engineering solutions have been proposed.
The revised scheme alignment would also avoid the consultation zone of the gas depot of
China Gas Co at the junction of Ma Tau Kok Road and To Kwa Wan Road (see Figure 2.1).
Therefore, no hazard-to-life for the construction workers would be expected.
Hence, the revised scheme alignment would generally be better in terms of environmental
performance with implementation of appropriate mitigation measures. In addition, it would
offer more benefits to the general public using the proposed railway. The revised scheme
alignment is therefore selected and adopted as the basis for this EIA study.
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3 Project Description and Construction Methodology
3.1 General Alignment
The SCL (TAW-HUH) is an approximately 11km long extension of the Ma On Shan Line
(MOL) from Tai Wai through new stations, including Hin Keng Station (HIK), Diamond Hill
Station (DIH), Kai Tak Station (KAT), To Kwa Wan Station (TKW), Ma Tau Wai Station
(MTW), Ho Man Tin Station (HOM) and connects the West Rail Line at Hung Hom Station
(HUH). Most of the sections would be underground except for a section at Hin Keng, and
another section at Hung Hom, where the alignments need to be raised and linked with the
Ma On Shan Line and the West Rail Line respectively to form a strategic east-west rail
corridor (see Section 2.3). The underground sections of the alignment would be constructed
by various construction methods including drill-and-blast, cut-&-cover, bored tunnelling, and
mined method. Open cut/ cut-&-cover method will be employed for the tunnel portals at Hin
Keng and Hung Hom North Fan area, and most of the stations and ventilation building
structures, etc.
DIH will become an interchange station with the existing KTL. The SCL (TAW-HUH) will
interchange with the KTE and the SCL (MKK-HUH) at HOM and HUH respectively. The
HOM and HUH are part of other Designated Projects to be separately implemented.
A new train stabling sidings is required to provide stabling facilities and to allow effective
train launching to meet the service requirements of SCL(TAW-HUH). Covered under this
Project would be the train stabling sidings option located at Diamond Hill CDA site (i.e.
former Tai Hom Village).
The SCL (TAW-HUH) will also form an important part of the proposed Kai Tak Development,
providing mass transit service not only to the proposed new commercial and residential
developments in the area, but also the Multi-Purpose Stadium Complex and other leisure
facilities planned at Kai Tak.
The proposed tentative alignment is shown in Figure 1.1 and the tentative locations of off-
site works areas (e.g. office, general storage, barging facilities, magazine sites etc.) are
shown in Figure 1.2.
3.2 Summary of Design
A summary of the general design of SCL (TAW-HUH) is given below:
Table 3333.1: Summary of design of SCL Tai Wai to Hung Hom section
Type Location Design
Alignment sections Tai Wai Depot At-grade
Tai Wai Depot to HIK Embankment
HIK to HIK Portal Viaduct + Embankment + Tunnel
HIK Portal Embankment
HIK Portal to DIH Tunnel
DIH to KAT Tunnel
KAT to TKW Tunnel
TKW to MTW Tunnel
MTW to HOM Tunnel
HOM to HUH Portal Tunnel
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Type Location Design
HUH Portal From Tunnel to At-grade
HUH Portal to WRL Tunnel At-grade section
Stations HIK Elevated station
DIH Underground station
Diamond Hill Stabling Sidings (DHS) Semi-underground
KAT Underground station
TKW Underground station
MTW Underground station
HOM [1] Underground station (by other Designated
Project)
HUH [1] Semi-underground station (by other
Designated Project)
Ventilation Building Ma Chai Hang At-grade structure
Emergency
Access/Emergency
Escape Access
(EA/EEA)
Wong Tai Sin At-grade structure
Ma Chai Hang Integrated with Ma Chai Hang Ventilation
Building (MCV)
Emergency Egress
Point (EEP)
Tam Kung Road At-grade structure
Notes: [1] The HOM would be implemented under the KTE. The HUH would be implemented under the SCL (MKK-HUH).
Their cumulative impacts have been addressed in different sections of this EIA to fulfil the requirements of the EIA study Brief.
3.3 Implementation Programme
According to the latest programme, the construction works for SCL (TAW-HUH) would
commence in 2012. All major civil contracts would be completed by 2016. The remaining
works including station fit-out, track layout etc would be completed by 2018.
3.4 Proposed Construction Methodology
3.4.1 Alignment Sections
The proposed Project would be constructed mostly in tunnel except for a viaduct and an
embankment section in Tai Wai and an at-grade section in Hung Hom. A tentative concept
for the preliminary construction methodology is given below for initial information and would
be subject to changes during the on-going design process. A summary of tentative
construction methods is shown in Table 3.2 below.
Table 3.2: Tentative construction methods for different alignment sections
Section Form Tentative Construction Method
Tai Wai to HIK and Hin Keng Portal
At grade + Embankment +
Viaduct + Cut-&-cover
Typical viaduct construction:
• The substructure could be in a form of column pier with pier
head.
• The box girder viaduct would be constructed by cast in-situ
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Section Form Tentative Construction Method
method supported on traditional falsework.
Embankment/ At grade
• The semi-to fully underground portion of tunnel box facing
Hin Keng Estate before entering Hin Keng Portal would be
constructed by typical cut-&-cover method.
Portal
• Hin Keng Portal will be constructed by mined tunnel method
to avoid ecological impact on Tei Lung Hau stream
Hin Keng Portal to Ma Chai Hang
Tunnel Drill-&-blast tunnelling:
• A small section of mined ground tunneling would be
constructed at Hin Keng Portal. The construction would
avoid the Tei Lung Hau freshwater stream and the
neighbouring secondary woodland.
• The long tunnel between Hin Keng Portal and Ma Chai
Hang (underneath the Lion Rock Country Park) will mainly
be constructed by drill-and-blast method.
• A ventilation building constructed by cut & cover method,
will be located at the Ma Chai Hang Recreation Ground.
(NB There is no at-grade construction activities within the Lion Rock Country Park. All the construction works within the Lion Rock Country Park would be underground.)
Ma Chai Hang to DIH
Tunnel Bored tunnelling:
• A TBM launching chamber is planned at Ma Chai Hang
Recreation Ground. The retrieval chamber is located at
the north end of DIH.
DIH to KAT Tunnel Combination of cut-&-cover and bored tunnelling:
• The mainline tunnels between DIH and Kai Tak north
would be constructed by bored tunnelling. The TBM
launching shaft would be located at Kai Tak north and the
TBM retrieval chamber would be located at DIH.
• The stabling entry tracks from stabling sidings to Kai Tak
Development area would be constructed by cut-&-cover
method and bored tunnel. TBM retrieval shaft would be
located at south of Choi Hung Road.
DHS Semi-underground
• The DHS and the associated tunnels from the stabling
siding to the entry tracks near south of Choi Hung Road
will be constructed by cut-&-cover method.
KAT to TKW Tunnel Cut-&-Cover tunnelling:
• The tunnels would pass under the Former Kowloon City
Pier and 1924 Seawalls.
• For the tunnel section between Former Kowloon City Pier
and KAT, trench excavation within braced cofferdam has
been proposed to preserve buried seawall steps of the
1924 seawall north of the tunnel alignment that would
otherwise be disturbed by open cut excavation. The 1924
seawall will be exposed in the trench excavation nearer
Kai Tak Station. For the tunnel section directly under the
Former Kowloon City Pier buffer zone (for a section of
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Section Form Tentative Construction Method
about 40m), mined tunneling with a vertical separation of
1.8m – 2.2m between the bottom of the piers and the top
of the tunnel structure would be included.
TKW to MTW Tunnel Bored tunnelling:
• The tunnels between the south end of TKW and the north
end of MTW are located within the dense urban
environment along Ma Tau Chung Road/Ma Tau Wai
Road.
• TBM launching shaft is planned at the southern end of
TKW and the retrieval shaft at the Shansi Street Carpark.
A rock crusher will also be operating within the tunnel
section.
• There would not be any at-grade construction activities
within this section except for the ground treatment works
as necessary.
MTW to HOM Tunnel Combination of cut-&-cover/ bored tunnelling and drill-&-blast tunnelling:
• A circular construction works shaft is proposed at the
existing open space car park at Shansi Street for the
retrieval of TBM machine from MTW and provide access
to tunnel works towards HOM.
• Bored tunnelling method will be employed for the section
between MTW and Shansi Street Carpark.
• The 500m section of tunnels between works shaft at
Shansi Street Carpark and HOM would be constructed as
twin single-track tunnels, using the drill-&-blast method.
HOM to HUH Tunnel + at-grade Cut-&-cover tunnelling:
• The tunnel section crossing Chatham Road North and
near to Winslow Street would be constructed using cut-&-
cover method. Passing through the HUH portal adjacent
to Sai Sing Funeral Parlour, it will become at-grade
section with concrete open trough.
HUH to WRL Tunnel
At-grade Open Cut
• The section between HUH section and the WRL stub
tunnel would be constructed using open cut method.
3.4.2 Stations and Entrances
Except for HIK and HUH, all the other stations would be underground. Their tentative
construction methodologies and associated entrances are summarized below.
Table 3.3: Tentative Construction Methods for Stations and Entrances
Stations and Entrances Tentative Construction Methodologies
HIK Elevated Station:
• The station foundation would employ bored piling and the superstructure will be constructed by in-situ concreting.
Other stations including:
• DIH
• DHS
Underground Stations:
• For stations other than KAT, the station foundation would employ either bored piles or D-walls and the underground structure will be constructed by in-situ concreting.
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Stations and Entrances Tentative Construction Methodologies
• KAT
• TKW
• MTW
• KAT will be constructed by open-cut method.
Note: The construction for HOM and HUH will be implemented under other Designated Projects
As all proposed stations will situate in soft ground (except HOM which would be
implemented by another designated project), cut-&-cover method will be deployed for all
stations excepted for KAT and TKW, which would be constructed by open-cut and cut-&-
cover method separately.
3.4.3 Ventilation Building
There is only one separate ventilation building in Ma Chai Hang for SCL (TAW-HUH). The
ventilation shaft in Tai Wai has been integrated with the HIK to minimise landscape and
visual impacts. Other stations would have ventilation shafts as necessary.
The ventilation building is above-grade and would be constructed by typical building
construction methodologies. Key stages of the construction for ventilation buildings include
the following:
• Foundation construction (either by bored piling or diaphragm wall);
• Superstructures (typically by in-situ concreting); and
• Architectural landscaping and builder’s works.
3.4.4 Tunnel Portals
There are 2 portals for the proposed Project, one at Hin Keng and one at Hung Hom at the
STT car park at Winslow Street. The Winslow Street Garden will be employed as works site
for the construction of Hung Hom portal, which will be re-provisioned in the same location in
the operational phase. Their construction methodologies are summarized below:
Table 3.4: Tentative construction method for portals
Portals Tentative Construction Methodologies
Hin Keng • Mined tunnel/ cut-& cover
Hung Hom • cut & cover
3.4.5 Off-Site Temporary Works Areas
In addition to the temporary works sites in the vicinity of the tunnel and station structures,
there are some off-site temporary works areas to facilitate the construction process and they
are summarized below:
Table 3.5: Tentative uses for off-site temporary works areas
Off-Site Works Areas Proposed Uses
Kai Tak Runway • Barging activities (sediment removal is required)
• Approximately 39,500 m2
Freight Pier at Hung Hom [1] • Barging activities (sediment removal not required)
• Approximately 43,000 m2
TKO Area 137 • Magazine site
• Approximately 11,100 m2
Ma On Shan (Heng On and Tai Shui Hang) • Contractor site office
• Workshop
• Storage of materials and equipment
• Approximately 7,430 m2
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Off-Site Works Areas Proposed Uses
Shek Mun (in Shatin) • Contractor site office
• Workshop
• Storage of construction materials and equipments
• Approximately 31,100m2
Pak Tin • Temporary storage area
• Approimately 2,100m2
Note:
[1] Shared use with KTE and SCL (MKK-HUH).
It should be noted that, other than the works area for the sediment removal works for the
barging facility at Kai Tak Runway, all the off-site works areas have been previously
employed as temporary car parks or works areas under other infrastructure projects. It is
not necessary to increase the footprints of these off-site temporary works areas for the SCL
(TAW-HUH).
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4 Summary of Key Findings in EIA Study
4.1 General
The EIA Study has been conducted in accordance to the EIA Study Brief No. ESB – 198/2008 and the
TM-EIAO. Cumulative impacts with other concurrent projects have been taken into account in
the assessment. This Executive Summary highlights the key identified impacts, potential
sensitive receivers and proposed mitigation measures. The main findings of the EIA Study
are summarised below.
4.2 Cultural Heritage Impact
Built heritage survey and archaeological survey have been conducted within the study area
of the SCL (TAW-HUH). Some archaeological sites, 16 currently graded historical buildings,
1 proposed graded historical buildings, and a number of other buildings with historical merit
but without grading have been identified within the Study Area.
The archaeological survey at former Tai Hom Village has revealed the Tang/ Song Dynasty
remains to be sparse and redeposited and hence of lesser archaeological significance.
Assemblage of Tang/Song archaeological finds within urban setting is however considered
rare in Hong Kong. A survey-cum-excavation is therefore recommended to be conducted at
the former Tai Hom Village to recover any archaeological remains.
A similar survey-cum excavation would also be conducted for the excavation area, where
the open cut construction of TKW and the associated tunnel overlap with the Sacred Hill
(North) archaeological Site. Separate archaeological survey conducted in 2010 for the
Sacred Hill (North) Study Area has revealed archaeological potential of this site.
The alignment has been designed to totally avoid Lung Tsun Stone Bridge within Kai Tak
area. For the Former Kowloon City Pier adjoining the south of Lung Tsun Stone Bridge, a
vertical separation can be maintained to avoid impacts. A horizontal buffer zone would be
maintained for the Lung Tsun Stone Bridge and Former Kowloon City Pier.
The built heritage within 300m of the alignment has also been studied. Three historical
structures (i.e. former RAF hangar, Stone House (No. 4 Tai Koon Yuen) and Old Pillbox)
are located within the former Tai Hom Village, which would be used for the DIH Stabling
Sidings. The physical conditions of the Former Royal Air Force Hanger and the Stone
House No. 4 are not satisfactory for total preservation. The condition of Pillbox is better and
may be feasible for total preservation. A conservation plan would be separately submitted
to agree on the most appropriate approach to preserve these 3 historical buildings.
Depending on the recommendations in the conservation plan, part of the hangar together
with a model would be displayed and the old pill box would be reinstated within the CDA
Site.
Other recorded built heritage items have been surveyed and the impacts to the majority
during SCL (TAW-HUH) construction and operation will be minimal.
4.3 Ecological Impact
The ecological baseline has been updated by reviewing available information and the
results of ecological surveys of at least 5 months covering both dry and wet seasons. The
ecological survey covers 500m of the proposed alignment for sections above ground and for
the temporary works areas.
According to the ecological baseline, terrestrial habitats within the Study Areas are largely
developed areas with high disturbance and low ecological value. Works at the Hin Keng
portal have been modified and designed to avoid any direct or indirect impacts to the high
ecological value Tei Lung Hau stream. Whilst the alignment will run through the Lion Rock
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Country Park, the alignment would run within the rock layer. Furthermore, there would not
be any permanent land intake or temporary works areas within the country park boundary.
Direct and indirect ecological impacts arising from the Project during construction have been
identified and evaluated. Most impacts are considered to be of low significance. In areas
where species of conservation interest have been recorded, i.e. Rhesus Macaque (Macaca
mulatta) in plantation close to refuse collection point at Hin Keng, Little Ringed Plover
(Charadrius dubius) at wasteground in KAT site, Kai Tak Runway Barging Facility and TKO
Area 137, Cattle Egret (Bubulcus idis) at Kai Tak Runway Baring Facility and the Aquilaria
sinensis at secondary woodland to the southwest of Tei Lung Hau, potential impacts have
been identified and mitigation measures have been recommended. Detailed vegetation
survey in the Hin Keng Portal area would be conducted to identify any individuals of
Aquilaria sinensis which are protected species. Where necessary, these Aquilaria sinensis
would be considered for transplantation and a transplantation plan will be prepared.
Precautionary checks for roosting Fruit Bat in all Chinese Fan Palms in DIH and DHS;
and/or nesting bird species of conservation interest in DIH, DHS and works area in Kai Tak
Barging Point, prior to any tree-felling and/or vegetation removal have been recommended.
Due to navigation requirement, dredging would be required for the barging facility in Kai Tak
Runway. Marine habitats within the Study Area of the dredging works area for this facility
are generally of low of ecological value due to their highly artificial and disturbed nature.
Species diversity and abundance in these habitats were low and no rare or restricted
species was recorded. Indirect impact on existing coral colonies and other macrofauna of
the benthic environment during the dredging activities are considered to be minor.
Indirect impacts arising from the Project would be temporary and considered as negligible in
nature. Overall, no significant and unacceptable ecological impacts to terrestrial, freshwater
or marine resources were anticipated.
4.4 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
All the landscape resources and landscape character areas in the vicinity of the Project and
all the visually sensitive receivers within the visual envelopes during the construction and
operational phases have been identified.
The key sources of impact during construction stage are from activities associated with the
construction of the aboveground structures within the works area of the Project. The key
sources of impact during operational phase are confined to the aboveground structures
including HIK with viaduct and tunnel box, noise barriers at Hin Keng, MCV, EA/EEA at
Wong Tai Sin, DHS, Tam Kung Road EEP, Hung Hom portal, station entrances and
ventilation shafts. Potential impacts have been considered during the development of the
project design to avoid direct impact on important landscape resources, such as Old and
Valuable Trees, natural stream and wooded hillside. The physical extent of the works area
has also been minimized as far as possible to minimize impacts on the identified landscape
resources and visual sensitive receivers.
About 3,030 trees will be affected by the Project, of which about 900 trees are located on
slopes and 386 trees will require transplantation. Tree removal application and
compensatory tree planting proposal will be prepared and submitted to seek approval from
relevant authorities in accordance with ETWBTC 3/2006 requirements, prior to construction
of the Project.
Other landscape and visual mitigation measures have been identified for both the
construction and operation phases to mitigate unavoidable adverse impacts. Roof greening
on HIK, tunnel box from HIK towards Hin Keng Portal, MCV, EA/EEA at Wong Tai Sin has
been recommended to minimize the visual impact and enhance the visual quality to the
VSRs.
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After implementation of these mitigation measures, there would still be some adverse
landscape impacts during the construction phase, mainly due to the impacts on existing
trees along the project alignment and impacts on public open space for the construction of
SCL (TAW – HUH) stations and ventilation building. During the operational phase, after the
mitigation measures (e.g. tree transplanting, compensatory tree planting, aesthetic
landscape and architectural treatment, vertical greening and roof greening) have been
implemented and tree planting has matured over 10 years, it is considered that the residual
landscape impact would be slight to insubstantial, with the exception of impacts on Hin Tin
Playground, Ma Chai Hang Playground and Diamond Hill CDA Site.
Hin Tin Playground and Ma Chai Hang Playground which are considered to be of moderate
adverse impact significance due to the permanent loss of about 3,100m2 and 2,065m
2 of
public open space of landscape amenity area for the construction of HIK and MCV
respectively. The loss of open space at Hin Tin Playground would fully be compensated by
the provision of the open space at Shek Mun (approx 3,100m2). Since Wong Tai Sin is a
developed community, it is not feasible to reprovision the same area for the loss of about
2,065m2 in Ma Chai Hang Playground within the nearby vicinity. However, having
considered the requirements of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines in the
context of the overall planning of open space provision in the area, the loss of 2065m2 of
open space within Ma Chai Hang will have relatively insignificant impact.
The Diamond Hill CDA Site will be subject to adverse impact of moderate significance with
the permanent loss of about half of the vegetated area within this landscape resource (LR)
and disturbance of a large number of trees. For the railway facilities within the Diamond Hill
CDA Site, the open areas around the above ground structures of the railway associated
facilities will be planted with amenity planting and approximately 90 trees to mitigate the loss
of landscape resources. In addition, green roofs are proposed on the DIH entrance/ plant
structures near Lung Cheung Road to minimize the potential adverse landscape and visual
impacts.
Except for the area that would be allocated to railway associated facilities, the remaining
part of the CDA site is being actively planned for future usage. The Diamond Hill CDA Site
development is anticipated to be implemented following commissioning of the railway. It is
anticipated that the future developer would implement typical landscaping measures
including tree planting to beautify the deck in an appropriate manner to alleviate the
potential adverse landscape and visual impacts. The future owners/ allocatees would
maintain the green open areas, although the landscape plan could be further refined during
the planning of the future development. It is considered that the impact during the
operational phase in the long term after land allocation to be moderate and acceptable with
mitigation.
In the unlikely event the CDA site is not allocated within 12 months following the
commissioning of the railway facilities, it is proposed that interim greening measures, such
as hydroseeding or planting over a thin soil base or importation of temporary pots and
removable planters are implemented on the roof of DHS as landscape and visual mitigation
measures. The maintenance of the interim greening measures will be undertaken by MTR
Corporation for the first 12-month establishment period. In the case that the site is still not
allocated after the establishment period, MTR Corporation would liaise with relevant
government departments to agree on the subsequent maintenance agent of the interim
greening measures. MTR Corporation would be responsible for the maintenance of the
interim greening measures before any agreement is made. It is considered that the impact
during the transition period, after completion of DHS and before land allocation, to be
moderate and acceptable with such mitigation measures.
In terms of visual impacts and in consideration of duration of impacts which is considered to
be temporary in nature during construction phase, and mitigation measures will be
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implemented to protect the VSRs, the overall visual impacts are acceptable, with moderate
and insubstantial visual impacts. However, some VSRs are subject to short-term substantial
residual impacts, which is unavoidable due to their close proximity where there are direct
views to the work sites. They are Hin Keng Estate (South) (HIK/VSR 1.10), Lung Poon
Court (DIH&KAT/VSR 1.1), Galaxia (DIH&KAT /VSR 1.3), Rhythm Garden-North
(DIH&KAT/VSR 1.2), Future residential development along Prince Edward Road East
(DIH&KAT/VSR 1.7), Residential development at Housing Site 1A&1B (DIH&KAT/VSR
1.16), Rhythm Garden-South (DIH&KAT/VSR 1.17), Tsui Chuk Garden (MCH/VSR 1.2),
Wang King House/ Wang Yuen House (MCH/VSR 1.3), Fu Yuen House/ Kwai Yuen House/
Wing Yuen House (MCH/VSR 1.4) and Chung Hong House/ Chung On House (MCH/VSR
1.5), and they will be affected by the site formation works and removal of trees along the
project alignment. In the operational phase, after the mitigation measures have been
implemented and effect of tree planting has been fully realized over 10 years, it is
considered that the residual visual impacts would be slight to insubstantial with the
exception for some VSRs at close proximity and/or have view from higher height level on
the site such as:
� Residents in Hin Keng Estate (South) (HIK/VSR1.10), due to its close proximity to the
proposed viaduct tunnel box and the at-grade box section at Hing Keng, will be subject
to adverse visual impact. With the incorporation of the proposed mitigation measure of
landscape treatment including roof greening together with green treatment of climber
plants along walls of the built structures, the bulk of the viaduct and the at-grade box
section would be soften visually. Therefore, the residual visual impact is predicted to
be moderate in Day 1 and Year 10.
� Residents in Lung Poon Court (DIH&KAT/VSR 1.1), Rhythm Garden-North
(DIH&KAT/VSR 1.2), Galaxia (DIH&KAT/VSR 1.3) and workers at Hong Kong Sheng
Kung Hui Nursing Home (DIH&KAT/VSR 2.3) at close proximity with a high vantage
point to the large topside of the proposed DHS will be subject to adverse visual impact.
With the incorporation of the proposed mitigation measures including interim greening
measures such as hydroseeding or planting over a thin soil base or importation of
temporary pots and removable planters for visual greenery on the topside of DHS,
aesthetic landscape and architectural treatment to the station entrances, plant rooms,
ventilation shaft and planting along boundary of these built structures, the bulk of the
building would be softened visually. The Diamond Hill CDA site is planned for
development, which is anticipated to have been allocated upon commissioning of the
railway. In the event the site is not allocated within 1 year upon commissioning, it is
proposed that interim greening measures as mentioned above would be implemented
on the roof of DHS to mitigate the landscape and visual mitigation impacts. This
mitigation will provide visual relief to the surrounding VSRs at high level, and will
improve views on the otherwise unmitigated bare concrete roof of the DHS. It is
anticipated that the future developer would implement typical landscaping measures to
beautify the deck in an appropriate manner when the land is allocated. Although the
land allocation process is still yet to be completed, planting will be provided within
some of the areas around the railway facilities as interim mitigation measures. The
planting area will be maintained by the Project Proponent prior to handing over to the
relevant government departments. The future owners/ allocatees would maintain the
greenery in these areas although the landscape plan could be further refined during
the planning of the future development. With the implementation of the above
mitigation measure and upon the completion of the landscaping measures
implemented by the future developer, the level of visual impacts to the above VSRs is
considered to be moderate in Day 1 and Year 10.
Overall, it is considered that the landscape and visual impacts in the construction and
operation phases are acceptable with mitigation measures.
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4.5 Air Quality Impact
Potential dust impact would be generated from the soil excavation activities, backfilling, site
erosion, storage of spoil on site, transportation of soil, as well as blasting activities during
the construction of SCL (TAW – HUH).
Quantitative fugitive dust assessments have been conducted, taking into account the
cumulative impact caused by nearby concurrent project. Effective dust control following the
requirements given in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and in
accordance with the EM&A programme during construction are recommended. Assessment
results suggested that watering at Shatin and Kowloon once per 1.5 hour and once per hour
respectively would be required to control the fugitive dust impact to acceptable levels.
4.6 Airborne Noise Impact
4.6.1 Construction Noise
Potential construction noise impacts would be caused by various construction activities
including excavation, backfilling and construction of superstructure etc.
Construction noise assessment has concluded that the unmitigated construction noise
impacts would be high at some NSRs. Suitable noise mitigation measures have therefore
been identified which could reduce the noise impacts at most of the NSRs. The use of bored
tunnelling in Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill and Ma Tau Wai has largely reduced the potential
airborne construction noise impacts on the receivers along the bored tunnel areas. Careful
selection of construction equipment and working methods including the use of electrically
driven and quiet plant are adopted, where practicable. Other measures including good site
practice, the use of site hoarding, installation of movable barriers and sequential operation
of construction plant have been recommended. The predicted noise levels at most of the
NSRs would comply with the corresponding noise criteria, except for a few NSRs near the
works areas including HIK, DIH, TKW, MTW and Chatham Road North. All practicable
mitigation measures are exhausted and the impacts are minimised.
The Project Proponent will facilitate communications with concerned parties on the residual
impacts exceeding the construction noise criterion during construction and review to
consider other initiatives, such as Indirect Technical Remedies (ITR), if required. (N.B.: the
use of ITR as a mitigation measure is neither a requirement under Annex 13 of the EIAO-
TM nor the EIA Study Brief.)
4.6.2 Operational Noise
Operational noise impacts associated with railways and fixed noise sources have also been
investigated. The SCL (TAW – HUH) would be underground except for the viaduct,
embankment and the at-grade sections at Hin Keng, and at-grade sections at Tai Wai and
Hung Hom. Airborne noise associated with the operation of railway would be minimized by
the underground design. Some mitigation measures in the form of noise cover and barriers
have been recommended for the section between Tai Wai Depot and HIK.
Fixed noise sources during the operational phase include ventilation/ plant buildings,
ventilation shafts and E&M plant in the station. Operational noise impacts can be effectively
mitigated by implementing noise control treatment (e.g. acoustic silencers and louvers) at
source during the design stage to control the noise levels to be within the stipulated noise
criterion.
4.7 Groundborne Noise
Potential construction groundborne construction noise impacts may arise from tunnel boring
activities. Groundborne noise assessment has been conducted for the development along
the bored tunnel areas in Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill and Ma Tau Wai. Predicted results
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suggested that construction groundborne noise levels will be within the statutory
requirements and mitigation measures are not required.
Operational groundborne noise impacts have been assessed at representative sensitive
receivers along the alignment. The predicted groundborne noise would be within the
statutory requirements and mitigation measures are not required.
4.8 Water Quality
Potential water pollution sources have been identified as construction runoff, sewage from
site workforce, drainage diversion and groundwater contamination. Mitigation measures
including covering excavated materials and providing sedimentation tanks on-site etc are
recommended to mitigate any potential water quality impacts.
To minimise the potential impact due to suspended solids, deployment of silt curtains
around the closed grab dredgers is recommended for the dredging works at Kai Tak
Runway barging facility to minimize water quality impact in the Victoria Harbour.
According to the quantitative assessment for dredging activities, the cumulative water
quality impact due to concurrent dredging activities from the Cruise Terminal construction
would be well within the acceptable level.
The operational water quality impact for track run-off and tunnel seepage would have no
adverse water quality impact provided that mitigation measures are incorporated in the
design.
4.9 Waste Management
The quantity and timing for the generation of waste during the construction phase have
been estimated.
Measures, including the opportunity for on-site sorting, reusing excavated fill materials etc,
have been maximised in the construction methodology to minimise the surplus materials to
be disposed off-site via barging facilities. The annual disposal quantities for C&D materials
and their disposal methods have also been assessed. Surplus rock and spoil materials
could be accepted by other projects. Testing results for chemical and biological tests
indicate that about 29,200m3 of marine based sediment would require Type III Special
Treatment/ Disposal.
For Type 3 special disposal treatment, sealing of contaminant with geosynthetic
containment before dropping into designated mud pit which has also been proposed for
Type 3 disposal in the EIA Study under Wan Chai Development Phase II and Central-Wan
Chai Bypass (WDII) (EIA 141/2007) would be a possible arrangement.
General refuse, industrial waste and chemical waste generated during the operational
phase have been assessed. Recommendations such as regular collection of general and
industrial wastes by reputable waste collector, proper labelling and storage of chemical
wastes have been made to ensure proper treatment and disposal of these wastes.
4.10 Land Contamination
Historical information on site geological information, ground condition, and aerial photos has
been reviewed. Contamination Assessment Plan (CAP), Contamination Assessment Report
(CAR) and Remediation Action Plan (RAP) have been prepared to set out the requirements
for a contamination evaluation of the SCL (TAW – HUH) alignment and works areas and
endorsed by EPD in December 2010. With the subsequent change in the status of the land
application for the location and size of works sites and works areas, a supplementary CAP
and a supplementary CAR has been prepared. A total of 29 sampling locations have been
established for soil and groundwater analysis.
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Testing results indicated that one soil sample at former Tai Hom Village required
remediation. A total volume of 39m3 is recommended to be disposed of at the landfill.
Testing results of groundwater sample indicate that none of the groundwater samples
exceed the Risk-Based Remediation Goals for groundwater for industrial purpose.
Due to the site access problem, re-sampling at NT South Animal Centre would only be
conducted after the site is resumed and handed over to the Project Proponent. Following
the completion of SI at this site and laboratory testing works of samples collected, a second
supplementary CAR and RAP (if contamination is confirmed) shall be prepared and
submitted to EPD for agreement.
Remediation Report(s) shall also be prepared and submitted to EPD for endorsement prior
to the commencement of any construction works within identified contaminated area.
4.11 Hazard to Life
In view of foreseen ground condition and the impracticability in using other techniques, drill
and blasting for rock excavation is required for some sections along the alignment. To
enable a timely delivery of explosives to site and in order to meet the proposed construction
work programme, a temporary Explosives Storage Magazine (Magazine) is required. A
Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) for the storage, transport and use of explosives has
been carried out as per the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-191/2008 (EIA Study Brief). A robust
site selection process has been undertaken for the proposed temporary magazine and
Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Area 137 has been identified as the only practicable site. The
criterion of the EIAO-TM for Individual Risk has been met. The assessment results show
that the societal risk lies within the As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) region
when compared to the criteria stipulated in Annex 4 of the EIAO-TM. An ALARP
assessment has been carried out by identifying all practicable mitigation measures and
assessing the cost effectiveness of each measure in terms of the risk reduction achieved
and the cost of implementing the measures. As part of the ALARP assessment, every
potential temporary magazine site candidate has been reviewed and the TKO Area 137 has
been confirmed as the only practicable site.
A Hazard Assessment of the risks associated with the storage and handling of chlorine at
Shatin Water Treatment Works has been conducted for the Construction and Operational
Phases of the SCL Project. The assessment results show that the societal risk lies within
the ALARP region of the Hong Kong Risk Guideline (HKRG). An ALARP assessment has
been carried out by identifying all practicable mitigation measures and assessing the cost
effectiveness of each measure in terms of the risk reduction achieved and the cost of
implementing the measures. As the result of the assessment, a number of
recommendations have been made.
4.12 Environmental Monitoring and Auditing Requirements
An EM&A programme will be implemented throughout the entire construction period to
regularly monitor the environmental impacts on the neighbouring sensitive receivers. Any
action required during the construction phase is also recommended for implementation.
The EM&A programme would include site inspection / audit and monitoring for construction
dust, construction airborne noise, operation groundborne noise, water quality during
dredging and updating changes as necessary. Details of the recommended mitigation
measures, monitoring procedures and locations are presented in a standalone EM&A
Manual.
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5 Overall Conclusion
An EIA Report has been prepared to fulfil the requirements as specified in the EIA Study
Brief No ESB-191/2008 and the TM-EIAO. All the latest design information has been
incorporated into the EIA process. The aspects that have been considered in this EIA
Report include:
• Alignment evaluation;
• Description of construction and operational activities;
• Impact on cultural heritage;
• Ecological impact;
• Landscape and visual impact;
• Air Quality impact;
• Airborne noise impact;
• Groundborne noise impact;
• Water quality impact;
• Waste management implications;
• Land contamination impact;
• Impact on hazard to life; and
• EM&A requirements
Overall, the EIA Report has predicted that the Project would be environmentally acceptable
and individual impacts are minimized with the implementation of the proposed mitigation
measures for construction and operational phases. An environmental monitoring and audit
programme has been recommended to check the effectiveness of recommended mitigation
measures.
Figures