The Future MTR Lines Planned for Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s MTR serves every corner of the city’s 18 districts. Since its opening in October of 1971 and merging with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation in 2007, the network’s 270-kilometre service brings in a daily ridership of nearly five million.
The system has become a daily necessity connecting Hong Kongers to business and tourists to pleasure.
Despite a record year of losses in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the MTR Corporation (MTRC) has plans to extend their network further into areas of Hong Kong lacking speedy access to Hong Kong Island CBD or business centres in Kowloon and New Territories.
In discussions with the government in 2000, 2005, and 2014, the MTRC set out plans for six new lines set to enter construction and open for business with the next two decades.
Sha Tin to Central Link - Admiralty to the East Rail line
The Sha Tine to Central link – featuring two extensions to MTR line’s linking Hong Kong Island, south Kowloon, and Sha Tin – was first proposed in a 2000 government project paper, “Rail Projects Under Planning 2000,” outlining the MTR’s future expansion of their system.
The first phase of the link includes an extension of the Tuen Ma line from Tai Wai through to Diamond Hill, passing Kai Tak and connecting at Hung Hom. The first phase opened June 27, 2021. The second phase sees the construction of a new station, Exhibition Centre beside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and a cross-harbor link between Admiralty and Hung Hom extending the East Rail line south to Hong Kong Island.
Construction began in 2016 with the Kwun Tong line extension. The opening of Exhibition Centre and completion of the East Rail line extension is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2022.
South Island Line (West) - West of Hong Kong Island
The MTRC’s most promising expansion is the South Island line (West), an extension of the existing Island line along Hong Kong Island’s western coast, covering communities in Mount Davis, Pokfulam, Wah Fu, and Aberdeen. The existing cousin line, the South Island line (East), opened in December 2016, has already seen drastic reductions in commuter times, from 25 minutes to 6 minutes from Wong Chuk Hang to Admiralty.
Transport links along the west coast of Hong Kong Island have mainly consisted of bus transportation, with the demand of an MTR line, dubbed the Pokfulam line, an important step to accommodating for population rise and direct links between residential areas and the CBD.
Construction nor planning has not begun yet. A 2014 MTR strategy report stated that an “implementation window” between 2022 and 2026 will take place to finalize details of the line, with a final opening date set for 2031.
North Island Line - Linking Hong Kong Station to North Point
Another line proposed in the 2000 government paper and confirmed in the 2014 report, the North Island line would see the extension of the Tseung Kwan O line into the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, creating new stations Causeway Bay North, Exhibition, and Tamar to accommodate for the growth of business in and around Causeway Bay.
Within the proposal, the Tung Chung line would be extended eastward and the Tseung Kwan O line westward. The line would “divert harbour-crossing passenger traffic” away from the Tseun Wan line and alleviate crowds from the Island line.
Additionally, the North Island line would connect industries located in south-east Kowloon to the Tung Chung line for travel to the Hong Kong International Airport, Qianhai in Shenzhen, and Macao.
An “indicative implementation window” from 2021 to 2016 has been set to plan for construction. A similar date of early 2030s may see the opening of the North Island line.
Northern Link – Connecting Tuen Ma Line to the Border
Approval was granted in December 2020 to proceed with planning stages and design for the Northern Link MTR line, connecting the East Rail line at Kam Sheung Road and the West Rail line at Lok Ma Chau MTR station.
Phase one, set to begin construction in 2023, will comprise of a new station built at Kwu Tong village on the Lok Ma Chau branch of the East Rail Line. Prior to completition of the station in 2027, phase two will commence with the construction of the line between Kwu Tung and Kam Sheung Road in 2025.
With a planned opening of 2034, the Northern Link would greatly reduce travel times from north-west New Territories to the Shenzhen-Hong Kong land border. Estimates suggest that more than135 million hours of travel time over 50 years of operation will be saved, with an estimated economic benefit of around HK$14 billion.
East Kowloon Lline – Diamond Hill to Po Lam
The East Kowloon line was proposed in the 2014 development report as a wider government initiative to redevelop the east Kowloon area and for planned developments in the Sau Mau Ping district later this decade. The estimated cost for construction is the highest among the MTR’s proposed lines in their railway strategy: HK$27.5 billion in 2013 for the 7.8-kilometre system.
The planned six stations on the line consists of four newly created stations – Choi Wan, Shun Tin, Sau Mau Ping, and Po Tat – and the connection of Diamond Hill and Po Lam stations. The line would serve the densely populated areas of east Kowloon and would bring accessibility to the manual industries in the area.
The construction of the East Kowloon line remains heavily a mystery. Discussions late 2020 in the Legislative Council suggest that the line will be shelved for the future, with priority given to the Route 6 highway connecting Tseung Kwan O and west Kowloon instead.
Secretary for Transport and Housing, Chen Fan, stated in July 2020 that the mountainous environment of east Kowloon poses a risk to whether a line can be built through the area.
Tung Chung Line Extension - Construction of East and West Stations
In 2023, construction will begin on extending the Tung Chung line east and west with the creation of two new stations, Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West. Expected to cost HK$18.7 billion and completed by 2029, the extension project is designed to expand access to development in the proposed Tung Chung East and West villages and residents in the existing Yat Tung Estate.
Tung Chung East station will sit between Sunny Bay station and Tung Chung station. The line will be extended to build the Tung Chung West station.
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