The MTR Corporation said on Tuesday that it expects the main structure for the future Tung Chung West Station to be completed in the first half of 2027, while tunnel boring works will be done in the coming quarter.

Head of Project Delivery for Lantau Lee Ka-leung said this is in line with the schedule of completing the project in 2029.

He said that since the underground station is very close to residential areas, the railway operator has adopted an unconventional top-down construction method to minimise nuisance and speed up the process.

“On the time needed, compared to the bottom-up construction method, the advantage is that after we complete the concourse on the middle floor, we can work on the inner structure of the upper concourse and the excavation work for the lower floors at the same time,” he said.

As for the cost, Lee said it was slightly higher than the conventional method, as the top-down one has higher requirements for ventilation, management and logistics.

But he stressed that the additional cost required was already calculated in the budget.

The railway operator has also adopted a 1,000-tonne tunnel boring machine to perform U-turns in place for the first time as it constructs two tunnels connecting Tung Chung and Tung Chung West stations.

Lee said this minimises the impact on road traffic caused by transporting machines, and avoids loud noises and strong shaking caused by adopting the usual drill and blast method.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden