Synopsis
The Express Rail Links (XRL) Project undertaking by the MTR Corporation in Hong Kong is an example of excellent achievements that greatly utilized project management best practices and worth for discovering. The uniqueness of managing the project in a high density populated area with environmental and sustainability considerations together with the project Public Consultation and Engagement which affect the alignment selection was a considerable challenge in itself. Coupled with the management of the project construction and the provision of various facilities in the terminus. and the concession approach (which brought post project benefits to Hong Kong and Main land China), it is anticipated that this visit shall be of great interests to members.

The XRL runs from the terminus in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, heading to the northwards to the Hong Kong – Shenzhen border near Shenzhen in the Mainland China. The route length is approximately 26km and the project cost is about HKD$ 62.4 billion. The XRL will link Hong Kong with major Mainland cities with significantly reduced journey time. The project will reinforce Hong Kong as the southern gateway to the Mainland playing an important role in fostering social and economic ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as injecting momentum and creating new opportunities for future development.


Objective
-Expose the members to the intricacies and benefits of project management as applied in real practice.
-Allow the members to have a hands-on feeling of engineering in its raw form, appreciating as well as learning the involved challenges and processes.