Senior management of Hong Kong's Western Harbour Tunnel (WHT) has signalled a possible forklift upgrade for vehicle recovery in the facility some time in the next few years.
The WHT has been using a 30-tonne capacity forklift for vehicle recovery since it opened in April, 1997, rather than more conventional recovery trucks.
But while the WHT indicated it was considering buying a faster forklift to improve its efficiency in the future, it stressed there was no urgency in making the purchase.
"We expect a forklift to have a 12 to 20-year working life,'' WHT commercial manager Vivian Lee said, referring to the WHT's present equipment.
''Also, we would like to see retractable folded forks, four-wheel steering and higher-gear transmission for high-speed driving in the next generation of forklifts."
The WHT is a franchised facility completely financed by the private sector at a cost of HKD7 billion (USD900 million). It is Hong Kong's largest private sector transportation project.