The government is exploring the feasibility of building a light rail to Tai O, part of a wider study into Lantau transport networks.

Development Secretary Michael Wong told reporters yesterday that CEDD had hired a consultant to review Lantau’s internal transport links and its connections to the rest of Hong Kong.

He said the consultant was examining the potential for a light rail along the coastal route from Tung Chung to Tai O.

The seaside village currently has just a single road connection, parts of which are barely wide enough for buses to pass. The journey to Tung Chung takes 45 minutes.

Local rural leaders have repeatedly called for an upgrade of the existing road and for a direct road connection to Tung Chung. The coastal road has been rejected on environmental and heritage grounds.

MTR light rail, Tuen Mun (Wiki Commons)

Transport panel chairman and former Kowloon-Canton Railway chairman Michael Tien last year proposed the idea of a light rail around Tung Chung, the airport and the Macau bridge, arguing it would take just 15 minutes to make the trip.

He told Sing Tao newspaper that in principle he supported extending it to Tai O but was wary of the cost, estimating that his original proposal would cost HK$15 billion.

He said because the light rail runs on overhead lines it has a light environmental footprint.

Wong did not elaborate on what other changes the government would make to Lantau’s transport connections. He said the consultancy would complete its study in 2019.

Photo (top): Sha Lo Wan on Lantau’s north coast