High Speed Rail missing targets

[JAherbert]

instead of admitting the huge losses , waits for officials to give stupid ideas to fix the "problem"

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compone...7-20190923.htm

[aquaman]

i think we can turn the tracks to be a new shopping mall. mainlanders can shop all the way to hong kong.

[UK/HKboy]

This happens with all projects right? Not just this one and not just in HK.

It is because whoever campaigns for the project is gonna use the best numbers to support why it should happen. Same with any construction project e.g. World Cups, High Speed Trains, Airports, etc.

Its only afterwards that taxpayers and governments are left counting the costs.

[er2]

This happens with all projects right? Not just this one and not just in HK.

It is because whoever campaigns for the project is gonna use the best numbers to support why it should happen. Same with any construction project e.g. World Cups, High Speed Trains, Airports, etc.

Its only afterwards that taxpayers and governments are left counting the costs.

Cost overruns - yes. What’s unique to HK is that unnecessary spending of available funds is propped up with white elephant arguments. Building a bridge that is barely used or a high speed rail that has halt the projected ridership is not something that happens elsewhere. This government has too much money to go around.

[Coolboy]

The HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is even a bigger white elephant in my opinion. Hardly anyone is allowed to use it. Now had the bridge been open to all HK drivers, say at least to Macau (which drives on the same side of the road as HK), that would have been a little more justifable. But no, the onerous regulations make it almost impossible for any current car owner to drive their own car on the bridge. Right now the only one benefiting are the franchised bus companies and the tiny minority who can afford to fulfill the requirements to drive their cars to Macau or Zhuhai. So you essentially have a taxpayer subsidized bus service. Talk about a waste of public money.

Macau was worried they can't cope with the volume of HK traffic if the bridge was open to HK drivers? Then why build the bridge in the first place? And why make it three lanes? Simply making it single lane would be enough to meet the traffic volume. But no, this becomes a vanity project for the HK government. Instead of finding land to build housing, the government wasted untold billions on a bridge that hardly anyone can drive on.

[freeier]

alot of things were called white elephant when first planned and built.. e.g. MTR..
or even these two projects below >>


"The project, originally known as the “Hillside Escalator Link”, was controversial and, in its early days, was considered a “white elephant”, having failed to achieve its main objective of easing traffic congestion between Central and Mid-Levels. However, providing an effortless free method of transportation between these districts for residents, commuters and tourists alike, patronage has grown to about 78,000 people daily, three times the original estimate, and the system has served to open up and dramatically revitalise the areas through which it passes. For visitors, a journey on the escalators offers an excellent opportunity to explore the busy, bustling streets of Central, Hong Kong's oldest market district and famous antiques and art district, museums, historic buildings and the contrasting, more relaxed environment of Mid-Levels."


"The initial budget for the 22-mile British section was roughly HK$5 million to HK$6 million, but the cost ballooned after a series of engineering difficulties, a shortage of reliable labour, and delays due to typhoons. When completed, the project cost the colonial government around HK$12 million, more than double the original estimate.
The constant delays and ever-increasing cost of the railway project aroused deep suspicion about Hong Kong’s capacity to pay for it and led to vehement attacks from the public about the management of the project. Besides being ridiculed as a “white elephant” by the public, the project faced criticism from high-ups."

[East_coast]

alot of things were called white elephant when first planned and built.. e.g. MTR..
or even these two projects below >>


"The project, originally known as the “Hillside Escalator Link”, was controversial and, in its early days, was considered a “white elephant”, having failed to achieve its main objective of easing traffic congestion between Central and Mid-Levels. However, providing an effortless free method of transportation between these districts for residents, commuters and tourists alike, patronage has grown to about 78,000 people daily, three times the original estimate, and the system has served to open up and dramatically revitalise the areas through which it passes. For visitors, a journey on the escalators offers an excellent opportunity to explore the busy, bustling streets of Central, Hong Kong's oldest market district and famous antiques and art district, museums, historic buildings and the contrasting, more relaxed environment of Mid-Levels."


"The initial budget for the 22-mile British section was roughly HK$5 million to HK$6 million, but the cost ballooned after a series of engineering difficulties, a shortage of reliable labour, and delays due to typhoons. When completed, the project cost the colonial government around , more than double the original estimate.
The constant delays and ever-increasing cost of the railway project aroused deep suspicion about Hong Kong’s capacity to pay for it and led to vehement attacks from the public about the management of the project. Besides being ridiculed as a “white elephant” by the public, the project faced criticism from high-ups."

Scale is very important. HK$12 million

[Paxbritannia]

Maybe they can convert the carriages into duty-free shops and just have the 1 carriage for the lonesome Chinese passengers who want to go shopping.

[mrgoodkat]

The HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is even a bigger white elephant in my opinion. Hardly anyone is allowed to use it. Now had the bridge been open to all HK drivers, say at least to Macau (which drives on the same side of the road as HK), that would have been a little more justifable. But no, the onerous regulations make it almost impossible for any current car owner to drive their own car on the bridge. Right now the only one benefiting are the franchised bus companies and the tiny minority who can afford to fulfill the requirements to drive their cars to Macau or Zhuhai. So you essentially have a taxpayer subsidized bus service. Talk about a waste of public money.

Macau was worried they can't cope with the volume of HK traffic if the bridge was open to HK drivers? Then why build the bridge in the first place? And why make it three lanes? Simply making it single lane would be enough to meet the traffic volume. But no, this becomes a vanity project for the HK government. Instead of finding land to build housing, the government wasted untold billions on a bridge that hardly anyone can drive on.

To be fair Macau is really small and already really congested. Would have made more sense to extend the Airport line to Macau and Zhuhai and maybe allow Macau vehicles onto the bridge up to the airport, in effect giving the bridge to Macau.

[freeier]

Scale is very important. HK$12 million

in 1905.. against initial budget of 5~6m. you can go work out how much a 3rm apartment in hk island cost then.. against the current HKD 20mio