External Costs of Railway
There are a lot of advantages of the railway, but there are several disadvantages that affect the public as well. Below are the external costs of the MTR railway.
The construction of the MTR lines would definitely lead to traffic congestion. This is because construction work will take up a lot of space, which are near roads. For example, when Austin Station in Elements was being constructed in 2009, there was constant traffic congestion as the construction site was blocking major road passages. They had to build detours and various other passages for road passengers to drive through, and this lead to constant traffic jams in that area.
During construction, there will be a lot of air pollution emitted from the machines and trucks. It would also cause noise pollution to the nearby residents. This can also happen after construction work is completed. There is an article about how residents 'fear pollution, noise from MTR ventilation shaft". Residents in Central and Western District has expressed their concern on noise and air pollution in a ventilation shaft on Hill Road. The shaft is very close to a number of residential buildings, and some bedrooms are as close as 5 meters from the shaft.
- Increased number of accidents
- Traffic Congestion
The construction of the MTR lines would definitely lead to traffic congestion. This is because construction work will take up a lot of space, which are near roads. For example, when Austin Station in Elements was being constructed in 2009, there was constant traffic congestion as the construction site was blocking major road passages. They had to build detours and various other passages for road passengers to drive through, and this lead to constant traffic jams in that area.
- Air and Noise Pollution
During construction, there will be a lot of air pollution emitted from the machines and trucks. It would also cause noise pollution to the nearby residents. This can also happen after construction work is completed. There is an article about how residents 'fear pollution, noise from MTR ventilation shaft". Residents in Central and Western District has expressed their concern on noise and air pollution in a ventilation shaft on Hill Road. The shaft is very close to a number of residential buildings, and some bedrooms are as close as 5 meters from the shaft.
Sources:
- http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1240668/mtr-corporation-may-face-heavy-fine-train-derailment
- http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1396912/mtr-condemned-over-accidents-during-construction-railway
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12LVZRh_-LBDcp90jkWREhOqEA4ssi9RpwPO-wiePIxw/edit
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Station_(MTR)