2016年CRI Extra Funds for High-speed Rail Approved in LegCo

 

The 26 kilometer railway linking West Kowloon to the border will plug Hong Kong into China's national high speed network.

It was initially¹ scheduled to be completed by the end of last year, but now is delayed to the third quarter of 2018.

As a result, the cost of construction has surged to almost 85 billion HK dollars, almost twice the previous estimate, making it the most expensive railway in the Special Administrative² Region.

The government has blamed the cost overruns on factors including unfavorable ground conditions and price escalation³.

Approval for the additional funds was granted after the acting⁴ chairman for the finance committee Chan Kam-lam called for a vote amid protests by some lawmakers on Friday afternoon.

"Please raise your hands if you support the item. Please raise your hands if you object to the item. I consider the motion has been passed."

Frederick Ma, chairman of rail operator MTR Corporation, welcomes the result.

"We originally planned to submit a proposal to the government on Monday to suspend construction, but this won't be necessary now. The approval ensures that the ongoing⁵ construction on the high-speed rail link will continue. "

Up to 7 thousand people in the construction industry in Hong Kong would have lost their jobs if the project had been suspended.

MTR CEO Lincoln Leung says he is delighted to hear that funding has come through.

"We will now proceed with this project with full speed and have high confidence that we can meet the target schedule and budget as the project is already more than 77 per cent completed by now."

After completion, the new rail link will take only 14 minutes to travel from Hong Kong to the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen, and the travel time from Hong Kong to Guangzhou will be cut by half to only 50 minutes.

Even though the funds have been approved, other thorny⁶ issues concerning the link are yet to be solved, including development of a plan to allow mainland officials to work in the Hong Kong territory for border inspections⁷.

It will require amendment⁸ to the Hong Kong Basic Law.

1 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

2 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

3 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

7 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。