Operating Railway
Electrically powered rail transport is the least polluting form of mass
transport mainly because air borne emissions arising from a small number
of power stations can be more easily controlled than those from mobile
internal combustion engines. In addition, power plant emissions are generally
more widely dispersed and occur further away from densely populated areas.
The following graphs provide a graphical comparison of the emissions from
the different types of transport available in Hong Kong (W. Barron &
Steinbrecker 1997).
See graphs
Ozone Depleting Substances
MTR has completed programmes to phase out our use of Ozone Depleting Substances.
In 2001, the refrigerants in 9 chillers at shopping centres and 12 chillers
at office buildings were replaced with zero ozone depleting alternatives.
As a result, 100% of chillers in MTR-managed properties and an estimated
30% of operational railway chillers now contain zero ozone depleting refrigerants.
The remaining chillers will be modified over the next 15 years, while
all new chillers will comply with current legislation on ozone depleting
substances.
Railway Construction
Construction phase air quality monitoring programmes demonstrated the following levels of compliance during 2001:
· 100% for the TKE works (691 measurements and 0 exceedances).
· 100% for the QBR works (192 measurements and 0 exceedances).
· 100% for the MEF works (29 measurements and 0 exceedances).
Compared with the level of compliance during 2000, the overall compliance rate has increased from 99.6% to 100%.
Emissions from Road Vehicles
Corporation personnel use the MTR as much as practical. However, road
vehicles are needed for certain tasks. All MTR road vehicles use unleaded
petrol or ultra low sulphur diesel fuel and 64 of the 72 diesel road vehicles
have been fitted with catalytic converters. The remaining 8 are emergency
vehicles such as heavy lift cranes, which are seldom used, and for which
catalytic converters are not available 'off the shelf'.
ndoor Air Quality
MTR has a comprehensive monitoring programme to assess whether air within the operating railway, its own offices and Public Transport Interchanges meets its own design standards. During 2001, the programme demonstrated that indoor air quality met MTR's design standards.
Radon Monitoring
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas emitted from certain types of rock which can gather in enclosed spaces such as underground tunnels. As a result, MTR undertakes radon monitoring within tunnels and stations to assess compliance with World Health Organisation standards. Monitoring has confirmed that 13 of the 14 TWL stations are within the WHO limits. One station requires more detailed monitoring - this will be conducted in 2002.
< Passenger Waste Paper>, <Wastewater>, <Noise>