Tate's Cairn Tunnel
Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a four-lane road tunnel in Hong Kong. Constructed as part of Route 2, it links Diamond Hill, New Kowloon with Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories East. It opened on 26 June 1991.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22.3640°N 114.2119°E |
| Route | Route 2  |
| Start | Diamond Hill, New Kowloon |
| End | Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | July 1988 |
| Opened | 26 June 1991 |
| Owner | Hong Kong Government |
| Traffic | Vehicular |
| Toll | Yes |
| Technical | |
| Length | 3,913 metres (12,838 ft) – Northbound 3,945 metres (12,943 ft) – Southbound |
| No. of lanes | 4 (2 per direction) |
| Operating speed | 70 km/h (45 mph) |
| Tate's Cairn Tunnel | |||||||||||
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 Tate's Cairn Tunnel | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 大老山隧道 | ||||||||||
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Its toll plaza is situated on the Sha Tin side, leading to Tate's Cairn Highway, Sha Lek Highway and various local roads. The tunnel joins the Kwun Tong Bypass and is connected with Lung Cheung Road and Hammer Hill Road and several local roads on the Kowloon side.
Tate's Cairn Tunnel is the third longest road tunnel in the New Territories and in Hong Kong, and the second longest over land, with the northbound tube having a length of 3,913 metres (2.43 mi) and southbound tube having a length of 3,945 metres (2.45 mi), after Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Tunnel (at 3.1 miles (4.99 km)) and Lung Shan Tunnel (3 miles (4.83 km)) – It was the longest when it opened.
History
Construction of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, begun in July 1988, was carried out by a joint venture between Gammon Construction and Nishimatsu.[1] Nishimatsu built the tunnel and the two ventilation buildings, while Gammon constructed the approach roads and buildings.[2]
The tunnel opened to traffic at 8:00 pm on 26 June 1991.[3] It was reported that traffic in the Lion Rock Tunnel dropped 20 per cent during the Tate's Cairn Tunnel's first day of operation.[4] The tunnel was formally inaugurated by Governor David Wilson on 1 July that year.[5]
Franchise model
The Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a BOT (build, operate, transfer) infrastructure project funded 100% by the private sector. The BOT franchise was awarded to the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Company Limited for a period of 30 years by the Hong Kong Government in 1988.[6]
Under the terms of the BOT, the franchisee is responsible for the construction and operation of the tunnel until the end of the franchise period. During the franchise period, the company was allowed to earn a reasonable but not excessive return through the collection of tolls. The statutory requirements to the company were defined by the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Ordinance.[6] Upon the expiration of franchise at midnight of 11 July 2018, the tunnel is now transferred to the government.
Tunnel tolls
Tolls are collected manually or electronically in both directions at the toll plaza on the Sha Tin side.
| Category | Vehicle | Toll[Note 1][7] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorcycle | $15 |
| 2 | Private car | $20 |
| Taxi | ||
| 3 | Public light bus | $23 |
| Private light bus | $24 | |
| 4 | Light goods vehicle (less than 5.5 tonnes) | |
| 5 | Medium goods vehicle (5.5 to 24 tonnes) | $28 |
| 6 | Heavy goods vehicle (more than 24 tonnes) | |
| 7 | Single-decker bus | $32 |
| 8 | Double-decker bus | $35 |
| Additional axle | $24 |
Notes
- As of 22 January 2016
Tunnel facilities
- dual-tube, 4-laned
- 9 manual toll booths and 5 autotoll booth
- 24 cross passages
- 160 fire alarms
- 156 emergency telephones
- 320 fire extinguishers
- 82 hose reels
- 78 hydrants
- 18,268 fluorescent tubes
- 3,277 tunnel wall panels
- 44 CCTVs inside tunnel tubes
- 10 CCTVs outside tunnel tubes
- 16 ventilation fans
References
- "HK's longest tunnel opens months early". South China Morning Post. 1 July 1991. p. 48.
- Mundy, J.K. (1 July 1991). "Long road to vital linkage". South China Morning Post. p. 49.
- Lau, Jeremy (26 June 1991). "Tate's Cairn to help cut travel time". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
- Lau, Jeremy (28 June 1991). "Tate's Cairn debut spurs calls for Lion Rock toll cut". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
- Wong, Lorna (2 July 1991). "Tate's Cairn daily target on schedule". South China Morning Post. p. 6.
- Annual Report 2011. Tate’s Cairn Tunnel Company Limited
- Toll Rates of Road Tunnels and Lantau Link Transport Department, Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
External links
- Tate's Cairn Tunnel Company
- Transport Department, toll rates
Geographic data related to Tate's Cairn Tunnel at OpenStreetMap
| Preceded by Kwun Tong Bypass |
Hong Kong Route 2 Tate's Cairn Tunnel |
Succeeded by Tate's Cairn Highway |