香港将加快北部都会区关键道路建设，将新田公路段提前至2034年通车，并以2033年为目标建成青龙大桥，但一位交通专家兼立法会议员警告，首批入驻居民仍可能面临“交通孤岛”困境。
Hong Kong will fast-track key Northern Metropolis roads, bringing forward the San Tin highway section to 2034 and targeting 2033 for the Tsing Lung Bridge, but a transport expert and lawmaker have cautioned that the first arrivals could still end up stranded.
专家指出，基建项目进度可能滞后于洪水桥大学城等发展项目，建议政府尽快开通快线巴士路线，并加快建设中环铁路，以确保区域连通性。
Infrastructure projects could lag behind developments such as the Hung Shui Kiu University Town, they said, suggesting the government launch express bus routes and build the Central Rail Link as soon as possible to ensure connectivity.
消息人士向《南华早报》透露，当局正推进青龙大桥项目，将其开通时间提前两年至2033年。
A source told the South China Morning Post that authorities were pushing ahead with the Tsing Lung Bridge project, bringing forward its launch by two years to 2033.
消息人士称，拟建的北部都会区公路新田段工期加快，主要得益于边坡稳固等技术手段的应用。
The acceleration of the San Tin section of the planned Northern Metropolis Highway, meanwhile, would mainly be achieved through techniques such as slope stabilisation, the source said.
政府将打造北部都会区列为议程首位，该区域面积达3万公顷（74,132英亩），毗邻深圳，旨在建设成为新的经济引擎和住房枢纽。
The government has put the creation of the Northern Metropolis, a 30,000-hectare (74,132-acre) area bordering Shenzhen that is intended to become a new economic engine and housing hub, at the top of its agenda.
行政长官李家超在上周三的施政报告中，公布了一系列加速区域互联互通、支持三大大学城发展的措施。
In his policy address last Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled a slew of measures to accelerate connectivity across the area and support its three university towns.
进展最快的项目之一是洪水桥大学城，土地将在数月内开始分配，以便首批院校可于2027-28学年落户设立校园。
Among the most rapidly progressing projects is the Hung Shui Kiu University Town, where land will begin to be allocated within months so the first institutions can set up campuses by the 2027-28 academic year.
北部都会区公路将作为主要道路骨干，贯穿东西向，串联主要创科及住宅枢纽。
The Northern Metropolis Highway will be the main road spine, running east to west, and integrating major innovation, technology and residential hubs.
根据施政报告，政府已加快其建设进度，优先推进服务古洞北、牛潭尾及新田科技城等重大发展项目的新田段工程。
The government has fast-tracked its construction, with priority given to the San Tin section that will serve major developments including Kwu Tung North, Ngau Tam Mei and the San Tin Technopole, according to the policy address.
李家超表示，当局将采用国家和国际设计标准，结合先进建筑技术，将该路段的完工时间提前两年至2034年。
Lee said authorities would adopt national and international design standards alongside advanced construction technology to advance the completion of the section by two years to 2034.
政府消息人士透露，《南华早报》获悉，北部都会区公路全长24公里（15英里），其中新田段长9公里。
Government sources told the SCMP that the Northern Metropolis Highway would be 24km (15 miles) long, with the San Tin section covering 9km.
该路段部分路段将为隧道，知情人士称隧道长度已从5公里缩减至2.5公里。
Part of the section will be a tunnel, which the insider said had been halved in length from 5km to 2.5km.
当局还将加快位于11号干线南端的青龙桥建设，目标在2033年通车，以应对南北向车流增加的情况。
Authorities will also accelerate construction of the Tsing Lung Bridge at the southern end of the overarching Route 11, targeting a 2033 launch to handle the increased north-to-south flow of vehicles.
但前立法会议员田北辰警告，交通基建项目的落成与早期规划发展项目（如首个大学城）的启用之间存在时间差。
But former lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun warned of a gap between the completion of transit projects and the opening of the early slated developments such as the first university town.
“届时民众可能只能依靠巴士或私家车前往这些地区，”九广铁路公司前行政总裁田北辰表示。他敦促政府推进早前基建蓝图中提出的中部铁路线。
“People might have to rely on buses or private cars to reach those areas,” said Tien, a former head of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. He urged the government to press ahead with the Central Rail Link proposed in its earlier infrastructure blueprint.
这条全长约17公里的路线将经葵涌连接元朗锦田与九龙塘，提供通往维多利亚港沿岸市区核心的通道。
The roughly 17km-long line will connect Kam Tin in Yuen Long and Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung, providing access to the urban core along Victoria Harbour.
立法会议员张可森也指出，虽然北部都会区公路要到2034年才全面投入运作，但学生和科技企业预计会更早迁入新田大学城和科技园。
Lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung also noted that while the Northern Metropolis Highway would not be fully operational until 2034, students and tech firms were expected to move into the San Tin University Town and the technopole well before then.
“我们不能让这些先行者被遗弃、自生自灭，”新界西北选区议员说道。
“We cannot leave these pioneers stranded to fend for themselves,” said the legislator for the New Territories North West geographical constituency.
“政府必须立即推出具体的过渡交通方案。我们需要高频次的点对点直达快线巴士，将该区直接连接上水、落马洲和锦上路站。”张可森补充道，必须在现有的新田公路和青山公路设立专线巴士专道，以保证高峰时段的可靠行车时间。
“The government must roll out concrete interim transport solutions now. We need high-frequency point-to-point express buses directly linking the area to Sheung Shui, Lok Ma Chau and Kam Sheung Road stations.” Chong added that dedicated bus lanes must be set up on the existing San Tin Highway and Castle Peak Road to guarantee reliable travel times during peak demand.
政府不应“固执地等到2034年一次性开通整条高速公路”，他警告道。
The government should not “stubbornly wait to open the entire highway in one go in 2034”, he cautioned.
“我们需要分阶段开通策略。一旦关键路段完工，特别是新田和古洞之间的连接道路，应立即向公众开放，以缓解当地交通瓶颈，”他说。
“We need a phased opening strategy. As soon as a critical section is finished, especially the connecting roads between San Tin and Kwu Tung, it should be opened to the public immediately to relieve local traffic bottlenecks,” he said.