The Transport Department announced the "Hong Kong Railway Standards" and established a railway approval group to accelerate the advancement of new railway projects

The Transport Department announced the "Hong Kong Railway Standards" and officially established a railway approval group to expedite the progress of new railway projects. The Director of the Transport Department, Qiu Guoding, stated that the "Hong Kong Railway Standards" not only retains the railway standards used in Hong Kong but also introduces suitable railway standards from different places in the country and around the world, including European Standard EN, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, while making adjustments according to local environmental conditions in Hong Kong, all under the premise of ensuring railway safety, quality, and performance.

Under the new standards, the industry can flexibly apply appropriate standards based on the needs and characteristics of different railway projects, considering factors such as cost-effectiveness, technical requirements, supply chain conditions, site environment, labor, and machinery resources. The standards also encourage the use of innovative construction machinery, technologies, materials, as well as advanced equipment and construction specifications.

In addition, the Transport Department has allocated internal resources to establish the railway approval group, which includes professionals such as building surveyors, structural engineers, and civil engineers, responsible for handling the approval of building plans for new railway projects. An electronic central approval platform has also been set up to facilitate the submission of documents and the approval of building plans, enhancing administrative efficiency.

The railway approval group will be responsible for approving several new projects, including the Northern Link, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway (from Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai), and a new smart green collective transport system project. The goal of the railway approval group is to reduce the time for handling the first submission of plans from 60 days to 30 days and the time for handling revised plans from 30 days to 21 days, with a key performance indicator (KPI) set to complete no less than 90% of plan approval decisions within the aforementioned timeframes.

At the same time, the railway approval group has also established a monitoring and intervention mechanism. If significant issues cannot be resolved within 15 days, they will be escalated to the level of assistant director for handling, allowing senior personnel to intervene and negotiate feasible solutions early on