Internally, we seek value by focusing on revitalising the critical dimension of our business, that is, people, service, business and assets. For each of these, a series of initiatives are in progress to raise the bar in performance.
Augmenting the anchor Customer Service Pledges and service campaigns are on-going programmes that focus on customer convenience and expectations. These include on-going station and network improvements that incorporate advancing consumer technologies to keep passengers connected and informed as they travel. Other programmes look beyond the network to better integrate rail and community connectivity through such conveniences as external pedestrian links to commercial and community centres and to public road transport hubs.
We plan and design our rail network and related properties to integrate both stakeholder interests and their interface with our services. A human factors study has been undertaken at existing stations to explore how passengers perceive and use our network. By understanding users' behaviour and their network interface, we can create a more efficient outcome to the design for future rail projects. Stations will incorporate a number of factors identified in the study, which include better use of natural light and other environmentally-friendly design features, reconfigured traffic flows and station spaces and, barrier free access for the disabled and improved visual and audio communication tools and signage. The South Island Line, currently in advanced government approval stages, will fully incorporate this passenger perception approach.
Vision 2020, tabled in 2007, is a scenario-based study that examines the MTR network of the future and the asset management programme to achieve it. The study serves as a starting point in understanding customers of the future– who they will be and how they will influence our services delivery. The main objective is to commence the collaborative thinking on managing risk and leveraging opportunities inherent to the long-term maintenance and growth of rail network patronage.
In developing the new communities and townships adjacent to our rail network, we work under our master layout plan which maps for our partner developers the holistic approach to meeting society's social and environmental aspirations. The plan is purposely resilient so as to respond to the changing trends in lifestyle expectations. This is applied to the LOHAS Park development in which green spaces continue to be maximised where opportune and individual flat sizes are progressively larger. We are also setting tangible targets for both social and environmental achievement with our business partners in that all developers must build to HK-BEAM specifications and undertake fit-out under the Corporation specified eco-efficient guidelines. Further changes to the master layout plan are expected with the implementation of practices under our Climate Change Policy.
