Beacon Hill Tunnel (Hong Kong)

History

First tunnel

A team of surveyors was commissioned to plan the route for the KCR British Section in 1905. Two routes were proposed:

1. Construction of a tunnel 1.5 mile (2.4 km) long through Beacon Hill, then following the west coast of Tolo Harbour
2. Routing through western New Territories and Castle Peak Bay

Although option two was less of an engineering challenge, the overall route was longer, and passed through less economically active areas; therefore option one was selected. Works on the 35.4 km railway to the border started early 1906. Construction of the tunnel, referred to as Tunnel No.2 in the plan (since it was the second tunnel out from the Kowloon terminus), was the greatest engineering project in Asia of its time.

Construction of the tunnel presented great engineering challenges during construction of the line, and local workers were very reluctant to work underground due to feng shui-related objections. In the end, Italian workers were employed.{{cite book |author-link= |archive-date=24 September 2020 |access-date=19 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924134519/https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/75.php |url-status=dead

The tunnel was closed upon completion of the new one, and is now partially occupied by several town gas pipelines, operated by The Hong Kong and China Gas Company. The potential for damage to the pipes was a factor in determining the intensity of blasting during construction of the Sha Tin to Central Link, thereby protecting the old tunnel as a whole.

Second tunnel

As part of the modernisation of the KCR, under reformist Governor Murray MacLehose, a double-tracked, electrified tunnel was built 30 to 40 m west of the original one. Work started in 1978. The main contractor was Aoki Corporation and the tunnel was built at a cost of about HK$78 million. It was broken through on 23 April 1980. The tunnel was completed by 1981, enabling the KCRC to introduce a metro-standard service to serve the rapidly growing new towns north of the mountain range.

Dimensions

First tunnel

• single track
• 2.2 km long
• horseshoe-shaped, 5.2 m wide by 5.8 m high above rail level.
• up to 427 metres below ground
• tunnel lining upgraded in 1982 and 2008

Second tunnel

• double track
• 2.3 km long
• horseshoe-shaped, 11 metres wide by 9 metres high

References

Bibliography

References

1. (2010). "One Hundred Years of Railway Operations in Hong Kong". Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation & MTR Corporation Limited.
2. (10 September 1975). "KCR an important link between HK and China". South China Morning Post.
3. (2019-02-01). "Catalogue of Hong Kong Tunnels (Up to 2019)". Geotechnical Engineering Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department.
4. [https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_2002011/EIA/pdf/Appendices/Section%2013/EWL_Appendix13B_clean.pdf SCL - NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section], Appendix 13B, Use of Explosives, p36. Oct 2011
5. [http://www.irse.org/knowledge/publicdocuments/1.07%20Lung%20-%20Century%20of%20Railway%20Development%20Hong%20Kong.pdf A Century of Railway Development – The Hong Kong Story] {{Webarchive. link. (11 April 2019 , Charles C P Lung, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers)
6. (24 April 1980). "Sake flows as tunnels unite". South China Morning Post.