Two rail projects in Hong Kong are kicking off after the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) shortlisted 15 groups of consultants to bid for eight design contracts on the US$4.5bn Sha Tin-Central and US$1.2bn Kowloon southern rail lines. Both involve extensive tunnelling.
The teams are led by: Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong; Atkins China; Atkins Meinhardt JV; Babtie Asia; Benaim (China); Binnie Black & Veatch Hong Kong; Hyder Consulting; Maunsell Consultants Asia; Meinhardt (Hong Kong); Mott Atkins JV; Mott Connell; Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia); Scott Wilson; Wong & Ouyang (Hong Kong); and WSP Hong Kong.
KCRC declined to give details of the contracts. But T&TI believes the following teams are bidding for the following three design contracts.
SCL-100 from Tai Wai to Diamond Hill: Benaim; Binnie Black & Veatch with Parsons Brinckerhoff Asia; and Mott Connell with Babtie Asia.
SCL-200 from Diamond Hill to Kai Tak: Babtie Asia with Mott Connell; and Parsons Brinckerhoff Asia with Ove Arup and Maunsell.
SCL-300 from Kai Tak to Hung Hom: Mott Connell with Atkins China; Maunsell; and Ove Arup & Partners.
The other four contracts comprise: SCL-400 Hung Hom including a people mover system to Whampoa; SCL-500 an immersed harbour-crossing from Kowloon to Hong Kong; SCL-600 on Island east from Causeway Bay to Admiralty; and SCL-700 Admiralty to west Central.
A separate scheme design contract will be awarded for the Kowloon southern link from the Tsim Sha Tsui East terminus (now under construction) to Nam Cheong station, the Kowloon terminus of the West Rail line. The southern link will connect the East and West rail systems when completed in 2009.
KCRC was set to receive bids for all eight contracts in early November. KCRC senior director capital projects, James Blake, said: “the scheme design consultancies should be awarded by the end of this year or early next year at the latest. They will flesh out the preliminary feasibility studies.”
