MTR : All Tunnel Boring Works Completed for Shatin to Central Link

PR101/17

22 November 2017

19 November 2017 marks another significant milestone for the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project when tunnel boring machine (TBM) "Athena" completed her final rail tunnel drive between the future Exhibition Station and Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island. All the four rail tunnels passing through various districts in Hong Kong have been bored through by TBMs and the overall tunnel construction works of SCL is now 93% complete.

The SCL tunnel boring works started in 2014. Six TBMs are used to excavate a total of 10.4 kilometres of tunnels under both the "Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section" and "Hung Hom to Admiralty Section". More than 51,000 tunnel segments, each weighs approximately 3.8 tonnes, have been installed to form the tunnel lining. Over 300,000 cubic metres of soil and rock, which could fill 120 Olympic-size swimming pools, has been removed.

"We have completed the tunnel boring works between Exhibition Station and Admiralty Station four months ahead of schedule, thanks to the concerted efforts of our project team and the contractors," said Mr TM Lee, General Manager - SCL and Head of E&M Construction of MTR Corporation. "Constructing underground tunnels in the hustle and bustle of the city, amid closely packed buildings and heavy traffic is never an easy task. We have successfully excavated tunnels beneath 50-year-old buildings in Ma Tau Wai area in a safe manner, without affecting the railway operation of the Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line and with minimal impact on the traffic in major trunk roads like Prince Edward Road East and Gloucester Road. Other challenges such as geological complications and underground utility obstructions have also been overcome by the project team. We could not have achieved the present progress without the cooperation and tremendous support of the local communities," added Mr Lee.

The SCL "Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section" is making good progress with electrical and mechanical works and the interior fitting out works underway. Civil works in the "Hung Hom to Admiralty Section" is also being carried out in full swing.

The 17-kilometre SCL is a strategic railway comprising the "Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section" and "Hung Hom to Admiralty Section". The former will extend the existing Ma On Shan Line from Tai Wai Station to Hung Hom Station through East Kowloon and connect with the West Rail Line, while the other section will extend the existing East Rail Line from Hung Hom Station to the future Exhibition Station and Admiralty Station via a new cross-harbour rail tunnel.

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About MTR Corporation

MTR Corporation is regarded as one of the world's leading railway operators for safety, reliability, customer service and cost efficiency. In its home base of Hong Kong, the Corporation operates ten commuter railway lines, a Light Rail network and a high-speed Airport Express link on which about 5.6 million passenger trips are made on a normal week day. Another 5.6 million passenger trips are made on the rail services it operates outside Hong Kong in the Mainland of China, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. In addition, the Corporation is involved in a range of railway construction projects as well as railway consultancy and contracting services around the world. Leveraging on its railway expertise, the Corporation is involved in the development of transit-related residential and commercial property projects, property management, shopping malls leasing and management, advertising media and telecommunication services.

For more information about MTR Corporation, please visit www.mtr.com.hk.

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Photo Captions:

1. The SCL project team celebrates the completion of the final bored rail tunnel by TBM "Athena", connecting the future Exhibition Station with Admiralty Station.

2. Four rail tunnels under the SCL project have been constructed by tunnel boring machines.

3. TBM "Mu-Gui-ying", which excavated the rail tunnel between Diamond Hill Station and Kai Tak Development Area, was the first and only TBM refurbished in Hong Kong for railway construction in the past decade.