The Expert Adviser Team on the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) Project has submitted Interim Report No. 1 to the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB). It was uploaded to the THB website today (October 24) (www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/studies/index.htm).
Comprising three senior retired government officers, the Expert Adviser Team carried out site visits, reviewed relevant documents and met with MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and the relevant government departments to look into matters concerning the management and construction of the SCL Project. Interim Report No. 1 includes observations and views of the Expert Adviser Team regarding the steel bar connection works in the East West Line platform slab and diaphragm walls at the Hung Hom Station Extension site, as well as the settlement-related issues at the Exhibition Centre Station and To Kwa Wan Station sites.
The THB agreed with the 16 preliminary recommendations made by the Expert Adviser Team. Nine of the preliminary recommendations are related to the Hung Hom Station Extension works, four are on settlement issues, and the remaining three are about project management in general.
On the recommendations with respect to the Hung Hom Station Extension, subsequent to discussions with the Government and the Expert Adviser Team, the MTRCL has agreed to formulate a holistic strategy for assessing the acceptability of the built structures. The strategy should encompass a combination of diagnoses, including verifying objective evidence, physical inspections through opening up the structures and conducting non-destructive tests, instead of relying solely on the load test as previously proposed. Furthermore, apart from the East West Line platform slab, the North South Line platform slab and the diaphragm walls should also be assessed.
The MTRCL submitted a proposal for verification of part of the East West Line platform slab to the Highways Department on October 15, 2018. As the proposal obviously failed to meet the requirements of the holistic assessment strategy described above, the Government has requested the MTRCL to submit a strategy conforming to the recommendations of the Expert Adviser Team by the end of this month, so as to investigate and address matters relating to the Hung Hom Station Extension works expeditiously.
Regarding the settlement-related issues, the Expert Adviser Team's recommendations were incorporated into the monitoring and announcement mechanism for the impact of SCL works on nearby structures and public facilities promulgated on September 28, 2018. The Expert Adviser Team will audit selected cases of the SCL Project to assess the effectiveness of the monitoring and control system.
The Expert Adviser Team will continue to review the project management system of the MTRCL, and recommend additional management and monitoring measures to be undertaken by the MTRCL and the relevant government departments as appropriate in taking forward the SCL Project. The Expert Adviser Team will also provide expert advice on matters (including settlement issues) relating to the works of the SCL Project.
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