Hong Kong is seeking to incorporate national railway standards into local benchmarks in a bid to greatly cut costs and raise efficiency, paving the way for standardised rules and their wider application in future government projects.
The move will also help facilitate the export of mainland Chinese building technology, such as modular integrated construction (MiC), to other countries, according to a railway engineering veteran.
The Highways Department on Friday announced the move to update the Hong Kong Railway Standards with those of the mainland. The standards are a set of regulations and technical requirements for railway safety, design, construction, operation and maintenance in Hong Kong.
The announcement was made after the authorities held a signing ceremony for a collaboration charter with local, mainland and overseas experts, various government departments and rail operator the MTR Corporation to update the standards.
“The formulation and updating of the Hong Kong Railway Standards would actively draw reference to world-class railway specifications including those of the nation, and extensively absorb the best practices of the mainland and overseas,” Director of Highways Tony Yau Kwok-ting said.
The new Hong Kong regulations would incorporate national design standards, building materials, equipment and specifications for utilising the mainland’s construction methods, technologies and resources in railway construction, he added.
