Analogue

Issue 20, Jun 2021

Contributing to Hong Kong’s Railway Development
為香港鐵路發展作出貢獻

Railways system has been the backbone of Hong Kong’s public transport and account for around 40 per cent of domestic public transport. With Tuen Ma Line (TML) full line to commence passenger service on Sunday, 27 June 2021, ATAL is proud to include within its projects portfolio the award of a five-year comprehensive building services systems maintenance contract, for the Tuen Ma Line extension of the MTR Corporation (MTR)’s Shatin Central Link. This is a further boost to ATAL’s impressive track record in participating in some of Hong Kong’s most complex and exciting railway infrastructure projects; including the Whampao Station and Ho Man Tin MTR Station Interchange project along the Kwun Tong Line Extension, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link projects and West Island Line – all of which had been completed to unrivalled engineering quality alongside safety excellence.

Whether delivering a standalone project or bringing strength as part of working with interfacing parties, ATAL’s professional infrastructure engineering team has earned a reputation for consistently demonstrating its flexibility, creativity and ability to deliver quality of service that underpins the longevity of our client relationship with MTR.

The Tuen Ma Line and some other railway development projects highlight ATAL’s achievements and role in providing multi-disciplinary, and often complex, solutions for an array of Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) engineering services.

Tuen Ma Line (TML)
The TML will be the longest railway line in Hong Kong, linking the east and west of the New Territories and east Kowloon, and the start of passenger service on 27 June 2021 will mark another milestone in Hong Kong’s railway network development. With a route length of 56km and serving 27 stations, the TML consists of six interchange stations connecting to the East Rail Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tung Chung Line and Tsuen Wan Line, allowing passengers to travel around the city more conveniently.

ATAL’s crucial role, to be executed through a five-year comprehensive maintenance contract for the building services system along the Tuen Ma Line, will require a ground-breaking commitment to manpower and planning precision to manage the significant interfaces, such as maintaining the availability of tunnel ventilation, electrical and fire systems, to ensure no disruption to MTR’s daily operations.

Whampao Station and Ho Man Tin MTR Station Interchange along Kwun Tong Line Extension
The eight-level Ho Man Tin Station was built on a hillside, serving as the interchange station for the Kwun Tong Line (“KTL”) and TML. Covering an area of 58,000 square metres on seven levels, it has also become an interchange station for the Tune Ma Line, as part of the Sha Tin to Central Link project.

Our infrastructure team was engaged in the design, provision and installation of electrical and building service control systems for this major Kwun Tong Line underground rapid transit station. ATAL’s significant contributions over the project lifecycle were well recognised by the client, MTR, as it was instrumental in enabling the successful opening of the new Kwun Tong Line extension.

Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL)
The Hong Kong section of the XRL is a 26km-long underground rail corridor connecting Hong Kong with the national high-speed rail network.

ATAL, awarded with two projects as part of the XRL contracts, was engaged to design and install all E&M systems across more than ten buildings at the XRL Pat Heung Depot including the Administrative Building, Running Maintenance Shed and XRL Central Control Centre; and design and install all E&M systems for the ten ventilation buildings, together with the tunnel emergency rescue and evacuation exits in the Hong Kong section.

Over the contract period of seven years, ATAL’s customer-centric design and best-in-class delivery, along with exemplary cost control and demonstration of risk assessment expertise, received notable recognitions and appreciations from across a multitude of industry practitioners.

West Island Line (WIL)
WIL is a 3km-long railway extension of the existing MTR Island Line, from Sheung Wan Station to Kennedy Town with two intermediate stations at Sai Ying Pun and the University of Hong Kong.

ATAL provided E&M services for the trackside auxiliaries system and environmental control system for this most complex and challenging underground railway project, due to the depth and urban location of the stations. We drew on the wealth of excellent technical expertise of our dedicated staff to commission both essential systems; ensuring safety, performance, quality and interoperability objectives are met as cost-efficiently as possible. When the WIL officially began passenger service in late 2014, the new stations had incorporated innovative environmental management features, which marked another important milestone for this community railway, built to meet the needs of people living and working in the communities it serves.

The demand for specialised E&M engineering services in Hong Kong has reached a critical point in view of numerous major infrastructure works that are concurrently underway. Such projects include expanding and upgrading of airport facilities, works pertaining to the Lantau Tomorrow Vision initiative, and highway and rail extension projects across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

Ir Victor Law, Executive Director of ATAL Engineering Group, said: “ATAL is well positioned to capture the opportunities ahead. We have been a key player in many major infrastructure projects and we are particularly proud of our contributions to Hong Kong’s railway development. This is a testament to our strong capabilities to deliver safe and stress-free construction solutions to our clients, supported by our professional team of engineers who understand our client’s expectations on work scope, reliability, safety and quality; and as a result, we have received an abundance of positive feedback along the way.”

ATAL will maintain the electrical, fire services and air-conditioning assets along MTR’s Tuen Ma Line

Engineering excellence by ATAL was instrumental in the successful opening of the new Kwun Tong Line extension

A professional and stable team has dedicated effort to complete the XRL project in seven years

ATAL’s key role in the island line extension project ensured the growing Western District is provided with a safe and reliable railway system