Special traffic and transport arrangements for Kai Tak Stadium concerts on January 24 to 26
The Transport Department (TD) today (January 22) said that special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented to facilitate the holding of concerts at Kai Tak Stadium on the evenings of January 24 to 26. As traffic in the vicinity of the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) is expected to be heavy, concertgoers should opt for public transport and avoid driving or taking private cars (including cross-boundary private cars).
The TD has co-ordinated with local and cross-boundary public transport operators to strengthen their services during dispersal. The MTR will enhance the intervals between trains on the Tuen Ma Line. The last MTR train to Lo Wu Station interchanging at Tai Wai Station on the East Rail Line will depart from Sung Wong Toi Station at 10.59pm and Kai Tak Station at 11.01pm. Franchised bus companies will provide 11 special bus routes at the Sung Wong Toi Road Pick-up/Drop-off Area (PUDOA) to the Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange (route No. SP12), the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and Airport (route No. A25S), and major districts across the territory.
Concertgoers who plan to return to the Mainland on the same day may also take the KTSP's cross-boundary coach during dispersal. Passengers should purchase tickets from the operators' online platforms in advance. On-site ticket sales will not be available during dispersal.
The Kai Tak Stadium Taxi PUDOA will be open. The Sung Wong Toi Road PUDOA will be open for taxi drop-off only during admission (3.30pm to 7pm) and suspended for taxi pick-up/drop-off during dispersal. The expected waiting time will be longer amid the outflux of spectators, and passengers' patience is appreciated.
Spectators are advised to heed real-time information via the on-site broadcast and the "Easy Leave" platform (easyleave.police.gov.hk) as well as the latest traffic news through the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), the "HKeMobility" mobile application and radio and television broadcasts.
Source: AI-created image
Speech by CE at Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet
Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet today (January 22):
Professor Dennis Lo (President of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences), members of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences and the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is an honour to join you tonight, in celebration of the landmark 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
Over the past decade, the Academy has played a pivotal role in bringing together leading scientists, locally and internationally. No less important, it has nurtured promising young science and technology talent, inspiring scientific and technological excellence in Hong Kong. The Academy has also been the Government's close partner in developing Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) sector.
I&T is shaping the future of our generation and our world. And the Government is committed to ensuring Hong Kong's rise as an international I&T centre.
I'm glad to tell you that we're making notable progress. To quote a few figures, our gross expenditure on research and development in 2024 was more than double that of 2014, ten years ago, rising from 16billion Hong Kong Dollars in 2014 to about 36 billion Hong Kong Dollars in 2024. The number of employees in the I&T sector has also surged 70 per cent, from 35 000 to about 59 000, over the same period.
During that time, we witnessed the birth of 20 unicorn companies in Hong Kong. At last count, we are home to a thriving community of some 4 700 start-ups. And I have confidence that these figures will be on the rise, as we continue to attract quality I&T talent, companies and start-ups to Hong Kong.
And we're certainly not slowing down. Among many other initiatives, we launched the 3 billion Hong Kong Dollars Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme last September. The funding will help our universities attract leading scientists and researchers to Hong Kong.
Last year, for the first time, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranked first, number one, among the world's top 100 innovation clusters, in the annual Global Innovation Index.
Also last year, Hong Kong ranked fourth, globally, in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking published by the International Institute for Management Development. That's up three places from the previous year. In the areas of "technological framework" and "adaptive attitudes", we came first globally.
More than topping international rankings, our development into an international I&T centre tops the HKSAR Government's policy agenda. In this, we enjoy the firm support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, as well as the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.
We are, let me add, expediting development across the entire I&T spectrum, which include:
- consolidating our upstream strengths in basic research;
- promoting the midstream transformation and commercialisation of research outcomes; and
- encouraging downstream industry development.
This wide-ranging, far-reaching approach is opening up fresh opportunities, particularly under our new South-North dual engine, which pairs finance in the south and I&T in the north. Hong Kong Park in the Loop and San Tin Technopole, both located in our fast-growing Northern Metropolis, are the strategy's central pillars.
Together, they will drive emerging technology industries in Hong Kong, and serve as a critical centre for developing new quality productive forces.
Hong Kong Park in the Loop officially opened last month. That marked a milestone in the development of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, an area that straddles our boundary with Shenzhen.
The 210 hectares of new I&T land in the San Tin area is a natural extension of the Loop. And our publication, last November, of the conceptual outline of San Tin Technopole's development plan for the I&T industry, sets a clear strategy for San Tin Technopole.
The San Tin area's I&T sites are expected to integrate with the industry supply chains of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. And the land will accommodate the varying scales and technology fields of their companies.
We expect it will also take up the transformation and industrialisation of Hong Kong Park's research outcomes. That will certainly drive economic growth, creating high-quality employment opportunities and industrial upgrading.
Together, the new I&T land surrounding San Tin and Hong Kong Park will form a crucial node for the integrated emergence of upstream, midstream and downstream I&T industries. They will help propel Hong Kong's development as an I&T powerhouse, radiating with influence that transcends boundaries.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just the beginning. Thanks to the unwavering support of our country, the Northern Metropolis' fast-track development, and the continuing contributions of key partners such as the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, I am confident that Hong Kong's science and I&T sectors will be at the heart of our city's flourishing future.
My thanks, once again, to the Academy of Sciences for its dedication, perseverance and countless contributions over its first eventful decade. I look forward to the Academy's next 10 years of scientific promise and great progress.
Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a very memorable evening and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Thank you.
The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by CE at Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
