HKU () is a
station on the
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
MTR located in the
Shek Tong Tsui
Shek Tong Tsui or Belcher Point is an area in Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District.
This area is bounded north by the Victoria Harbour, south by Pok Fu Lam Road and Third ...
neighbourhood of
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
, Hong Kong. It is named after the
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...
, which is served by the station.
Part of the
West Island line
The Extension of Island line to Western District (previously known as West Island line) is a three- station western extension of the Hong Kong MTR's Island line. Construction of the line began on 10 August 2009, and the two westernmost stations ...
, a westward extension to the existing , HKU station opened on 28 December 2014 along with
Kennedy Town station
Kennedy Town is the western terminus of the . The station serves the Kennedy Town area on the northwestern end of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.
History Planning
When the station first appeared in ''Hong Kong Mass Transit: Further Studies'' in ...
.
As of its opening, HKU station is the largest and deepest station in the MTR network, at below ground.
History
Before the 1980s, an MTR station by the name of Whitty (屈地) was planned to be built underground at
Des Voeux Road West
Des Voeux Road Central and Des Voeux Road West are two roads on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. They were named after the 10th Governor of Hong Kong, Sir William Des Vœux. The name was sometimes spelt with the ligature (typog ...
, near Ka On Street,
Whitty Street
Whitty Street is a street in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Named after R.C. Whitty, the first manager of Hong Kong and China Gas Company, p. 248 the street is well known as one of seven terminals of the Hong Kong Tramways. The ...
and
Hill Road Hill Road may refer to:
* Hill Road, Hong Kong, a road in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
* Hill Road, Mumbai
Hill Road (officially renamed as Ramdas Nayak Road) is an arterial road in Bandra (West), Mumbai, India. It starts from t ...
. Lots at Chong Yip Centre and Pacific Plaza were reserved for future station exits and concourse. This was part of a planned extension of the Island line that was never built, but which was superseded by the West Island Line project, of which HKU station forms a part.
The MTR Corporation let out a tender for the construction of the and HKU stations and of tunnel. In 2009, the design and architecture was awarded to
Aedas
Aedas is an architectural firm with eleven International offices founded by the Welsh architect Keith Griffiths. Aedas provides services in architecture, interior design, urban design, masterplanning and graphic design. It was established in 2002 ...
in joint venture with
AECOM
AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm.
AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list.
The company's official name from 1990 t ...
. The construction work was awarded to
Gammon Construction
Gammon Construction Limited is a Hong Kong construction and engineering contractor headquartered in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. In addition to local construction projects, it also involved in construction and engineering various projects in China an ...
, (half owned by
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...
) for 4.7 billion HK dollars. Construction commenced in 2010 and was completed in 2014.
HKU station opened on 28 December 2014.
Naming
There were disputes among locals and district councillors over the station's name. Some suggested to restore the previous official name "Belcher" (, , bou2 ceoi3) after
The Belcher's
The Belcher's () is a private residential estate in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island. It consists of six residential buildings constructed in two phases; three buildings were constructed in each phase. Construction for the first phase was compl ...
, a housing development in the area, as well as
Belcher Street and
Belcher Bay
Belcher Bay is a bay at Kennedy Town on the northwest shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located east of Sulphur Channel. The bay is named after Edward Belcher, a Nova Scotia-born British naval officer who surveyed the surroundin ...
. Some believed that the
MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hon ...
's decision to change the name to "University" was not well consulted within the community, while others worried that it might cause confusion with another existing on the . Some also suggested "
Shek Tong Tsui
Shek Tong Tsui or Belcher Point is an area in Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District.
This area is bounded north by the Victoria Harbour, south by Pok Fu Lam Road and Third ...
", after the area the station would serve.
In August 2009, MTR named the station "Hong Kong University". The latest revision changed the English name to "HKU", the abbreviation of
The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fir ...
nearby.
Station layout
The station is located under
Pok Fu Lam Road
Pok Fu Lam Road, or Pokfulam Road, is a four-lane road in Hong Kong. Built on Hong Kong Island, the road runs between Sai Ying Pun and Wah Fu, through Pok Fu Lam.
Description
It runs south from Sai Ying Pun, passing The University of Hong Ko ...
. It has two tracks and one center
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
. In addition, the MTR has built elevators to link HKU station to the University of Hong Kong.
The HKU station is located at a depth of , making it the deepest station in the MTR system upon its opening.
HKU station features designated refuge areas, to which passengers can be evacuated in case of emergency. Refuge areas are pressurised and equipped with fire systems including sprinklers and fire curtains, and independent power supply units. HKU station is the first station in the MTR network to apply such shelter design and the use of lifts to reach safety.
Exits
HKU station has six exits.
[Site Plan of University Station](_blank)
West Island Line EIA Reports As exits A1, A2 and C1 are situated deep underneath
Mid-Levels, only express lifts are used to transport passengers.
This makes HKU station the first to feature lift-only exits.
Exits A1 and A2 are served by a total of eight lifts with a maximum load of 1,800 kg per lift. Exit C1 is served by four lifts with a capacity of 2,100 kg each.
*A1:
Pok Fu Lam Road
Pok Fu Lam Road, or Pokfulam Road, is a four-lane road in Hong Kong. Built on Hong Kong Island, the road runs between Sai Ying Pun and Wah Fu, through Pok Fu Lam.
Description
It runs south from Sai Ying Pun, passing The University of Hong Ko ...
(near Haking Wong Building),
St. Paul's College,
St. Stephen's Church College
*A2:
The University of Hong Kong Main Campus, Chow Yei Ching Building, Haking Wong Building
*B1:
Whitty Street
Whitty Street is a street in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Named after R.C. Whitty, the first manager of Hong Kong and China Gas Company, p. 248 the street is well known as one of seven terminals of the Hong Kong Tramways. The ...
, Chong Yip Shopping Centre, Shek Tong Tsui Municipal Services Building
*B2:
Hill Road Hill Road may refer to:
* Hill Road, Hong Kong, a road in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
* Hill Road, Mumbai
Hill Road (officially renamed as Ramdas Nayak Road) is an arterial road in Bandra (West), Mumbai, India. It starts from t ...
, Hong Kong Plaza, JEN Hong Kong by Shangri-La
*C1:
The Belcher's
The Belcher's () is a private residential estate in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong Island. It consists of six residential buildings constructed in two phases; three buildings were constructed in each phase. Construction for the first phase was compl ...
,
Pok Fu Lam Road
Pok Fu Lam Road, or Pokfulam Road, is a four-lane road in Hong Kong. Built on Hong Kong Island, the road runs between Sai Ying Pun and Wah Fu, through Pok Fu Lam.
Description
It runs south from Sai Ying Pun, passing The University of Hong Ko ...
, The University of Hong Kong Centennial Campus
*C2:
Belcher's Street
Belcher's Street is a main street in Kennedy Town of Hong Kong. It connects east Victoria Road and joins west Queen's Road West. A small section in its west end built a ''turn around'' for Hong Kong Tramways.
The street was named after E ...
, Harbour One,
The Westwood
HKU Station Concourse Shops 201503.jpg , West Concourse
East shops in HKU Station.jpg , East Concourse
HKU Station entrance and exit A1.JPG , Exit and Entrance A1
HKU Station Exit A2 201412.jpg , Exit and Entrance A2
HKU Station Exit C2 201412.jpg , Exit and Entrance C2
Future
HKU station is proposed to be an interchange station for the Island line and the
South Island line (West). The platforms of the South Island line (West) will be built under those of the Island line.
References
{{Central and Western District
Railway stations in Hong Kong opened in 2014
MTR stations on Hong Kong Island
Island line (MTR)
West Island line
South Island line (West)
Shek Tong Tsui
Railway stations at university and college campuses