Adjustments will be made according to the SAR's situation when mainland standards are adopted for the construction of the Northern Link, according to the Highways Department on Thursday.

The government has announced that the main and spur lines will be combined into one project.

Thomas Sze, an engineer with the department's railway development office, said on an RTHK radio show on Thursday the merger will achieve synergy, lower construction costs and enhance operational efficiency.

It marks the first time that mainland standards are employed on a railway project in the SAR.

"The way to do that is to adopt the design standards on the mainland," he said.

"But depending on the situation in Hong Kong, we will make appropriate adjustments on parameters such as wind speeds and [soil] subsidence.

"Hong Kong has a stricter set of criteria regarding wind speeds because the city is often impacted by typhoons, while we also have stricter geological requirements."

Sze went on to say mainland standards can be adopted in various aspects, such as in excavation work, station construction and signalling systems.

He hopes a combination of the two standards can create a new standard for use in future railway projects.

In terms of a potential impact on commuters' experience, Sze said the adoption of mainland standards will not cause any difference as MTR Corporation has its own service guidelines.

The government engineer said the department will have to fully consider whether the Northern Link will be opened in phases, as this would mean that work that has yet to be completed can only be carried out during the "golden two hours" when trains are not operating.