Tate's Cairn Tunnel


Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a four-lane road tunnel in Hong Kong. Constructed as part of Route 2, it links Diamond Hill, Kowloon with Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories East. It opened on 26 June 1991.
Its toll plaza is situated on the Sha Tin side, leading to Tate's Cairn Highway, Sha Lek Highway and various local roads. The tunnel joins the Kwun Tong Bypass and is connected with Lung Cheung Road and Hammer Hill Road and several local roads on the Kowloon side.
Tate's Cairn Tunnel is the second longest road tunnel in Hong Kong, with the northbound tube having a length of and southbound tube having a length of.

History

Construction of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, begun in July 1988, was carried out by a joint venture between Gammon Construction and Nishimatsu. Nishimatsu built the tunnel and the two ventilation buildings, while Gammon constructed the approach roads and buildings.
The tunnel opened to traffic at 8:00 pm on 26June 1991. It was reported that traffic in the Lion Rock Tunnel dropped 20 per cent during the Tate Cairn Tunnel's first day of operation. The tunnel was formally inaugurated by Governor David Wilson on 1July 1991.

Franchise model

The Tate's Cairn Tunnel is a BOT infrastructure project funded 100% by the private sector. The BOT franchise was awarded to the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Company Limited for a period of 30 years by the Hong Kong Government in 1988.
Under the terms of the BOT, the franchisee is responsible for the construction and operation of the Tunnel until the end of the franchise period. During the franchise period, the Company was allowed to earn a reasonable but not excessive return through the collection of tolls. The statutory requirements to the Company were defined by the Tate's Cairn Tunnel Ordinance. Upon the expiration of franchise at midnight of 11July 2018, the tunnel is now transferred to the Government.

Tunnel tolls

Tolls are collected manually or electronically in both directions at the toll plaza on the Sha Tin side.
CategoryVehicleToll
1Motorcycle$15
2Private car$20
2Taxi$20
3Public light bus$23
3Private light bus$24
4Light goods vehicle $24
5Medium goods vehicle $28
6Heavy goods vehicle $28
7Single-decker bus$32
8Double-decker bus$35
Additional axle$24

Tunnel facilities