MTR has estimated that the cost of building the Hong Kong-Shenzhen section of the high-speed Express Rail Link (XRL) will rise to HKD $71.52 billion.
In April, MTR announced that construction would be delayed by several months after torrential rain flooded several sites and caused substantial damage to tunnelling equipment.
Having already pushed back the original 2015 completion target to 2017, MTR has now revised up the link’s predicted cost from HKD $62.4 billion to HKD $71.52 billion.
In a statement, MTR said: “This figure is based on a detailed review of the revised programme for completion of the XRL project in 2017 incorporating a range of scenario planning and taking into account various factors including the need for additional manpower, contractor resources and potential future events such as unforeseen site conditions.”
Work began on the Hong Kong section of the link – the second phase of the route – in 2010. The following year, the Guangshen section between Guangzhou and Shenzhen officially opened.
