Ferry Services Adjusted for Outlying Islands; Enhanced Bus Services Planned

Bus services to be enhanced to ease passenger flow amid ferry service adjustments on July 2 and 6

The Transport Department (TD) today (June 29) said that, following the special marine transport measures for the mornings of July 2 and 6, ferry services will be adjusted. The TD has steered operators to enhance relevant bus services to ease passenger flow. Members of the public, especially residents of outlying islands, should plan their journeys early and allow sufficient time for commuting.

Outlying island ferry service adjustments

From about 7.20am to 9.30am on July 2, and around 10am to 10.45am on July 6, eight and five outlying island ferry service routes will be adjusted respectively. Details are set out below:

Route	Date	Scheduled sailing time	Details of adjusted sailings
Central - Cheung Chau	July 2	From Cheung Chau
		7.55am	To remain unchanged
		8.10am	To be deferred to 8.20am
		8.20am	To be deferred to 8.30am
		8.40am (ordinary ferry)	To resume as normal
		From Central
		8am	To remain unchanged
		8.40am	To be cancelled
		9am (ordinary ferry)	To resume as normal
	July 6	From Central
		10.15am (ordinary ferry)	To remain unchanged
		10.45am	To be deferred to 11am
		11.15am (ordinary ferry)	To resume as normal
Central - Mui Wo	July 2	From Mui Wo
		7.50am	To remain unchanged
		8.05am	To be deferred to 8.15am
		8.30am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		7.40am	To remain unchanged
		8.30am	To be cancelled
		9am	To resume as normal
	July 6	From Mui Wo
		9.40am	To remain unchanged
		10am	To be deferred to 10.20am
		10.40am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		9.50am	To remain unchanged
		10.30am	To be deferred to 10.50am
		11.10am	To resume as normal
Central - Peng Chau	July 2	From Peng Chau
		7.45am	To remain unchanged
		8.20am	To be advanced to 8.05am
		8.35am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		7.10am	To remain unchanged
		7.40am	To be advanced to 7.30am
		8am	To remain unchanged
		8.30am	To be deferred to 8.40am
		9.15am	To resume as normal
	July 6	From Central
		10am	To remain unchanged
		10.45am	To be advanced to 10.30am
		11.30am	To resume as normal
Central - Yung Shue Wan	July 2	From Yung Shue Wan
		8am	To remain unchanged
		8.20am	To be deferred to 8.30am
		8.40am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		8.10am	To remain unchanged
		8.30am	To be deferred to 8.40am
		8.50am	To resume as normal
Central - Sok Kwu Wan	July 2	From Sok Kwu Wan
		6.40am	To remain unchanged
		8am	To be advanced to 7.50am
		9.35am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		7.20am	To be advanced to 7.15am
		8.35am	To be deferred to 8.40am
		10.20am	To resume as normal
Ma Wan - Central	July 2	From Ma Wan
		7.20am	To remain unchanged
		8am	To be advanced to 7.55am
		8.20am	To be deferred to 8.30am
		9am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		7.50am	To remain unchanged
		8.30am	To be deferred to 8.50am
		8.50am	To be deferred to 9am
		9.30am	To resume as normal
	July 6	From Ma Wan
		9.30am	To remain unchanged
		10am	To be cancelled
		Noon	To resume as normal
		From Central
		10am	To remain unchanged
		10.30am	To be cancelled
		12.30pm	To resume as normal
Ma Wan - Tsuen Wan	July 2	From Ma Wan
		8.10am	To remain unchanged
		9.10am	To be deferred to 9.20am
		4.10pm	To resume as normal
		From Tsuen Wan
		8.30am	To remain unchanged
		9.30am	To be deferred to 9.40am
		4.30pm	To resume as normal
Central - Discovery Bay	July 2	From Discovery Bay North (via Discovery Bay)
		7.45am (*)	To be cancelled
		8.15am (#)	To resume as normal
		From Discovery Bay
		7.45am	To remain unchanged
		8am (i.e. sailing * above)	To be cancelled
		8.15am	To be cancelled
		8.30am (i.e. sailing # above)	To resume as normal
		From Central
		8.20am	To remain unchanged
		8.40am	To be cancelled
		9.10am	To resume as normal
	July 6	From Discovery Bay
		9.40am	To remain unchanged
		10.10am	To be cancelled
		10.40am	To resume as normal
		From Central
		10.10am	To remain unchanged
		10.40am	To be cancelled
		11.10am	To resume as normal

Bus services to be enhanced

During the affected periods, operators will enhance bus services in Mui Wo, Discovery Bay and Ma Wan to ease passenger flow:

• The service of New Lantao Bus route No. 3M (Mui Wo Ferry Pier -Tung Chung Station) will be strengthened;
• Discovery Bay Residents' Service route No. DB03R (Discovery Bay -Sunny Bay Station) will be enhanced;
• Additional free bus service from Discovery Bay (outside Discovery Bay Fire Station) to Central Pier No. 3 will be provided;
• Discovery Bay Residents' Service route No. DB03RP (Discovery Bay North -Sunny Bay Station) will be enhanced on July 2 only; and
• Ma Wan Residents' Service route No. NR338S (Ma Wan (Tung Wan Bus Terminus) -Central Pier No. 2 (Circular)) will operate an additional special departure on July 6 only.

In-harbour ferries' temporary service adjustments

Of note, during the affected periods, there may be temporary service adjustments up to around 30 minutes in nine in-harbour ferry routes, namely Wan Chai - Tsim Sha Tsui, Central - Tsim Sha Tsui, North Point - Hung Hom, North Point - Kowloon City, Central - Hung Hom, North Point - Kwun Tong, Water Taxi, Sai Wan Ho - Kwun Tong and Sai Wan Ho - Sam Ka Tsuen, subject to the actual situation.

The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate round the clock to closely monitor the actual traffic situation at sea together with public transport operators. If practicable, normal services will be resumed as soon as possible and services will be enhanced as needed to ease passenger flow.

The TD will work with relevant District Offices and operators to enhance information dissemination through websites, mobile apps, notices and broadcasts at piers and onboard as well as district networks to inform passengers of the arrangements. Members of the public should heed the latest traffic news via radio and television broadcasts, the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app and the operators.

Source: AI-found images

Water Supplies Department signs MOU with South China University of Technology

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) and the South China University of Technology (SCUT) signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Guangzhou today (June 29) to strengthen collaboration in areas such as innovative water supply technologies, engineering design methods and AI.

The MOU was signed by the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Roger Wong, and Vice-President of the SCUT Professor Lin Yiwen. Under the MOU, both parties will engage in reciprocal visits, technical exchanges and information sharing, as well as explore and promote relevant research projects and co-organise conferences and seminars.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Wong said that in addressing the challenges of global climate change and pressures on water demand arising from urban development, water resources management must keep pace with the times by continuously adopting innovative technologies. Leveraging the strong cross-disciplinary research capabilities of the SCUT, this collaboration will inject powerful impetus into the WSD's digital transformation. Currently, both parties are collaborating to develop an AI model capable of predicting the remaining useful life of water mains for implementing predictive maintenance, thereby facilitating early repairs to prevent water main bursts. In the future, both parties will deepen co-operation across three core areas: the research and application of water supply technologies, equipment and materials; innovative water supply engineering design methods and construction techniques; and the development and practical application of AI models. He further expressed the hope to leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages by deeply integrating "industry-academia-research" to accelerate the adoption of research outcomes by the industry and their expansion into international markets, jointly building a sustainable smart water ecosystem.

Mr Wong further stated that the collaboration between both parties aligns with the forward-looking blueprint set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan, which emphasises the promotion of deep integration of AI with technological innovation, industrial development and social governance. He emphasised that through the empowerment of "digital intelligence", the deepened application of data and intelligent technologies in areas such as water supply diversion planning, water quality monitoring and leakage prediction would not only enhance operational efficiency, but also ensure stable and reliable water supply services, improve the service experience for citizens, and effectively meet public expectations for a stable water supply, thereby leveraging the advantages of smart technologies to improve people's livelihood.

The Chancellor of the SCUT, Professor Tang Hongwu,stated that the collaboration between the SCUT and the WSD rests on a solid foundation and holds broad prospects. He looks forward to drawing upon the WSD's successful experience to jointly explore the efficient operation of the dual systems of seawater for flushing and fresh water supplies, and to promote the advanced experience of dual water supply networks to cities on the Mainland. Through the sharing of cutting-edge research findings and technical exchanges, the two parties aim to jointly protect precious water resources, strengthen the efficient utilisation of water resources and drive innovative breakthroughs in smart water technologies.

During the visit, Mr Wong toured the International Campus of the SCUT and exchanged views with Professor Tang, Professor Lin and other leaders of the university. In their meeting, both parties had in-depth discussions on a "water-secure future" and advancing "digital water" initiatives.

Located in Guangzhou, the SCUT is a key national university directly affiliated with the Ministry of Education, designated under the National "Project 985", "Project 211" and the "Double First-Class" initiatives. It is one of the Mainland's "Four Leading Institutes of Technology", with its science, engineering and architecture schools being among the "Eight Historic Schools of Architecture", enjoying a prestigious international reputation.

Today, Mr Wong also led a delegation of 20 operational staff from the water treatment works of the WSD to visit the Huangge Smart Water Treatment Works and the Lanhe Smart Water Treatment Works of the Nansha Water Company under Guangdong Water Co Ltd in Guangzhou to participate in practical training. They also jointly witnessed the plaque-unveiling ceremony for the establishment of the Smart Water Treatment Works Practical Training Base at the Huangge Water Treatment Works. The milestone establishment of this practical training base not only establishes a professional exchange platform for the smart operation and management of water treatment works in both places, but will also provide systematic professional training for operational staff. This will help further enhance the operational efficiency of water supply and deepen the collaboration between Guangdong and Hong Kong in the realm of smart water management.

Water Supplies Department signs MOU with South China University of Technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Water Supplies Department signs MOU with South China University of Technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases