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The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the
MTR Corporation Limited 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 ...
(MTRCL), it consists of
heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid accelerati ...
, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
network serving the urbanised areas of
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
,
Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...
, and the
New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...
. The system included of rail as of 2022 with 167 stations, including 98 heavy rail stations, 68 light rail stops and one
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
terminus. Under the government's rail-led transport policy, the MTR system is a common mode of public
transport in Hong Kong Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Based on Hong Kong Government's Travel Characteristics Survey, over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, the h ...
, with over five million trips made in an average weekday. It consistently achieves a 99.9 per cent on-time rate on its train journeys. As of 2018, the MTR has a 49.3 per cent share of the franchised public transport market, making it the most popular transport option in Hong Kong. The integration of the
Octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...
smart card A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
fare-payment technology into the MTR system in September 1997 has further enhanced the ease of commuting on the MTR. Construction of the MTR was prompted by a study, released in 1967, commissioned by the Government of British Hong Kong to find solutions to the increasing road congestion problem caused by the territory's fast-growing economy. Construction started soon after the release of the study, and the first line opened in 1979. The MTR was immediately popular with residents of Hong Kong; as a result, subsequent lines have been built to cover more territory. There are continual debates regarding how and where to expand the MTR network. The MTR has served as a model for some newly built systems, particularly in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The MTRCL is involved in the construction and operation of railway projects in three Mainland China cities, namely Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. MTRCL also constructs and operates the Macao Light Rapid Transit. MTRCL operates railway services in London in the United Kingdom, Stockholm in Sweden, and Melbourne in Australia, and is involved in the construction and operation of a railway project in Sydney, Australia. For MTRCL’s network worldwide, see
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 Hong ...
.


History


Initial proposals

During the 1960s, the government of Hong Kong saw a need to accommodate increasing road traffic as Hong Kong's economy grew rapidly. In 1966, British transport consultants Freeman, Fox, Wilbur Smith & Associates were appointed to study the transport system of Hong Kong. The study was based on the projection of the population of Hong Kong for 1986, estimated at 6,868,000. On 1 September 1967, the consultants submitted the ''Hong Kong Mass Transport Study'' to the government, which recommended the construction of a
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
rail system in Hong Kong. The study suggested that four rail lines be developed in six stages, with a completion date set between December 1973 and December 1984. Detailed locations of lines and stations were presented in the study. These four lines were the
Kwun Tong line The Kwun Tong line is a heavy-rail rapid transit line of the MTR network in Hong Kong, coloured green on the MTR map. Starting at Whampoa in Hung Hom and ending at Tiu Keng Leng in Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung, the route has 17 stations and ...
(from
Mong Kok Mong Kok (also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. Mong Kok is one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong. The area is characterised ...
to
Ma Yau Tong Ma Yau Tong () is an area on a mountain pass between Po Lam of Tseung Kwan O New Town and Lam Tin of urban New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is named after the village of the same name. It is known as Lau Tong and Ma Lau Tong in early 20th Century ...
),
Tsuen Wan line The Tsuen Wan line is one of the eleven lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map. There are 16 stations on the line. The southern terminus is Central station on Hong Kong Island and the nor ...
(from
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...
to
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...
),
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
(from
Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
to
Chai Wan Chai Wan (; ), formerly known as Sai Wan (西灣), lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District, and is a mosaic of industrial and residential area ...
Central), and Shatin line (from
Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hu ...
to
Wo Liu Hang Wo Liu Hang () is a village in Fo Tan, Hong Kong. The place was formerly a small plain at the shore of Sha Tin Hoi. The plain to the south has been transformed into an industrial area and a village has been erected in the hilly north. On the recl ...
). The study was submitted to the Legislative Council on 14 February 1968. The consultants received new data from the 1966 by-census on 6 March 1968. A short supplementary report was submitted on 22 March 1968 and amended in June 1968. The by-census indicated that the projected 1986 population was reduced by more than one million from the previous estimate to 5,647,000. The dramatic reduction affected
town planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
. The population distribution was largely different from the original study. The projected 1986 populations of Castle Peak New Town,
Sha Tin New Town Sha Tin New Town, or known as Sha Tin-Ma On Shan New Town or Sha Tin Town is one of the satellite towns and new towns of Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, the New Territories. The New Town covers the neighbourhoods such as Sha Tin, T ...
, and, to a lesser extent,
Tsuen Wan New Town Tsuen Wan New Town is a new town in Hong Kong. It spans Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and the eastern part of Tsing Yi Island. Traditionally, the administrative officials of Tsuen Wan managed the area of Tsuen Wan proper, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi Islan ...
, were revised downward, and the plan for a new town in
Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named. ...
was shelved. In this updated scenario, the consultants reduced the scale of the recommended system. The supplementary report stated that the originally suggested four tracks between Admiralty station and Mong Kok station should be reduced to two, and only parts of the Island line, Tsuen Wan line, and Kwun Tong line should be constructed for the initial system. The other lines would be placed in the list of extensions. This report led to the final study in 1970. In 1970, a revised system with four lines was laid out in the British consultants' new report, ''Hong Kong Mass Transit: Further Studies''. The four lines were to be the Kwun Tong line, Tsuen Wan line, Island line, and
East Kowloon line The East Kowloon line () is a proposed Hong Kong rapid transit line that would run from Diamond Hill to Tseung Kwan O New Town. The route would pass through the hilly Sau Mau Ping residential area, which is not directly served by any MTR, lo ...
. The lines that were eventually constructed were somewhat different compared to those presented in this report and the ''Hong Kong Mass Transport Study''. In 1972, the Hong Kong government authorised construction of the ''Initial System'', a system that roughly translates to today's Kwun Tong line between Kwun Tong and Prince Edward, Tsuen Wan line between Mei Foo and Admiralty, and Island line between Sheung Wan and Admiralty. The Mass Transit Steering Committee, chaired by the Financial Secretary
Philip Haddon-Cave Sir Charles Philip Haddon-Cave, , (; 6 July 1925 – 27 September 1999) was a British colonial administrator. He was the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1971 to 1981 and the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong from 1981 to 1985. During his tenu ...
, began negotiations with four major construction
consortia A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...
in 1973. The government's intention was to tender the entire project, based on the British design, as a single tender at a fixed price. A consortium from Japan, led by
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
, submitted the only proposal within the government's $5-billion price ceiling. They signed an agreement to construct the system in early 1974, but in December of the same year, pulled out of the agreement for reasons stemming from fears of the oil crisis.


Modified initial system

Several weeks later, in early 1975, the Mass Transit Steering Group was replaced by the Mass Transport Provisional Authority, which held more executive powers. It announced that the Initial System would be reduced to and renamed the "Modified Initial System" (now part of the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines). Plans for a single contract were abandoned in favour of 25 engineering contracts and 10 electrical and mechanical contracts. On 7 May 1975 the Legislative Council passed legislation setting up the government-owned Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) to replace the Mass Transport Provisional Authority. Construction commenced in November 1975. The northern section was completed on 30 September 1979 and was opened on 1 October 1979 by Governor
Murray MacLehose Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, (; 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000), was a British politician, diplomat and the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982. He was the longest-serving governor of the colony, with four ...
. Trains on this route ran from
Shek Kip Mei Shek Kip Mei, is an area in New Kowloon, to the northeast of the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. It borders Sham Shui Po and Kowloon Tong. History At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Shek Kip Mei was 72. A major fire on 25 ...
to
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon ...
in Phase 1,
Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hu ...
to
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon ...
in Phase 2 in December 1979, and
Chater Chater may refer to: People *Arthur Reginald Chater (1896–1979), Royal Marines general *Dan Chater (1870–1959), British politician *David Chater (born 1953), British broadcast journalist *Elizabeth Chater (1910–2004), Canadian author of novel ...
to
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon ...
in the last phase, initially in a four-car configuration. The first train drivers were trained on the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
. It was designed by a consortium of consultants led by
Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
and Partners. On later extensions to the railway the stations were designed under the supervision of
Roland Paoletti Romano Roland Paoletti, CBE (23 April 1931 – 13 November 2013) was a British-Italian architect. He was best known for his work on the early stations for Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway, and for commissioning the award-winning designs of the ...
, the chief architect at MTR. The full Modified Initial System was opened on 12 February 1980 by Princess Alexandra, who rode the inaugural train through the immersed tube beneath
Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...
to
Central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
. Trains were gradually extended to six cars to accommodate an increase in passenger numbers.


Line extensions

The government approved construction of the
Tsuen Wan line The Tsuen Wan line is one of the eleven lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map. There are 16 stations on the line. The southern terminus is Central station on Hong Kong Island and the nor ...
in 1977, then known as the Tsuen Wan Extension, and works commenced in November 1978. The project added a section to the MTR system, from
Prince Edward station Prince Edward is a station of the MTR rapid transit system in Hong Kong. It is located in Mong Kok, Kowloon, under the intersection of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West. The station is named after this road. History As Prince Edward wa ...
to
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...
. The line started service on 10 May 1982 with a total cost of construction (not adjusted for inflation) of HK$4.1 billion (US$526 million). The plan was modified from that in the 1970 report ''Hong Kong Mass Transit: Further Studies'', with
Kwai Chung Kwai Chung is an urban area within Tsuen Wan New Town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District District of Hong Kong. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a populat ...
station,
Lap Sap Wan Gin Drinkers Bay or Gin Drinker's Bay, also colloquially known as Lap Sap Wan, was a bay in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. The bay was reclaimed in the 1960s and became Kwai Fong and part of Kwai Hing. At the mouth of the bay stood the island of Pilla ...
station, and a planned depot in Kwai Chung next to Lap Sap Wan station being replaced by stations in
Kwai Hing Kwai Hing is an area of Kwai Chung Town, Hong Kong. The mainly residential area extends to North Kwai Chung in the north and east, Kwai Fong in the south, and Kwai Chung Estate to the west. It is part of the reclamation of Gin Drinkers Bay i ...
and
Kwai Fong Kwai Fong is an area of Kwai Chung Town, Kwai Tsing District, Hong Kong. Location The mainly residential area extends to Kwai Hing () in the north, Lai King in the south, Tsing Yi South Bridge, Tsing Yi Bridge to the west, and Tai Lin Pai ...
and a depot in Tsuen Wan. Several stations also had names different to that during planning: So Uk station became
Cheung Sha Wan Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District, which also ...
, Cheung Sha Wan became
Lai Chi Kok Lai Chi Kok is a neighbourhood in Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area and also the largest in Hong Kong with 99 blocks. Administratively, it belongs t ...
, and Lai Chi Kok became Lai Wan (later renamed Mei Foo). When service of this line started, the section of the Kwun Tong line from Chater to Argyle (since renamed Central and Mong Kok respectively) was transferred to the Tsuen Wan line. Thus, Waterloo station (since renamed
Yau Ma Tei Yau Ma Tei is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. Name ''Yau Ma Tei'' is a phonetic transliteration of the name (originally written as ) in Cantonese. It can also be spelt as Yaumatei, ...
) became the terminus of the Kwun Tong line, and both Argyle and Prince Edward stations became interchange stations. This change was made because system planners expected the patronage of the Tsuen Wan line to exceed that of the Kwun Tong line. This forecast proved to be accurate, necessitating a bypass from the northwestern New Territories to
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
. The
Tung Chung line The Tung Chung line is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, linking the town of Tung Chung with central Hong Kong. A part of the Tung Chung line was built along with the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and the Tsing Ma Bridge. The line cu ...
was therefore launched in 1998 with an interchange station at
Lai King Lai King, or Lai King Hill, is the colloquial name for a residential area including a number of private housing and public housing estates, located on Mo Shek Shan (), east of Kwai Chung, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is centred on Lai King Estat ...
for that purpose. Although land acquisitions were made for a station at Tsuen Wan West (near
Tsuen King Circuit Tsuen King Circuit () is an area and a road in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located on a hill in the northwest of the Chai Wan Kok Industrial Area, so it was also called "West Chai Wan Kok". There are mainly private housing estates ...
), beyond Tsuen Wan station, as part of the Tsuen Wan branch, the station was never built. This is not to be confused with the modern-day
Tsuen Wan West station Tsuen Wan West is an underground MTR station in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located between and stations on the . There is an emergency platform on the southern side of the station. There is a large bus and minibus interch ...
on
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
, which lies on a newly reclaimed area near the former ferry pier. Since opening in 1982, the Tsuen Wan line is the line whose alignment has remained the same for the longest time. For example, the Kwun Tong line's alignment has changed three times since its opening—the taking over of Tsuen Wan line from Mong Kok to Central, the taking over of Eastern Harbour Crossing section by the Tseung Kwan O line, and its extension to Whampoa. Government approvals were granted for construction of the
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
in December 1980. Construction commenced in October 1981. On 31 May 1985, the Island line was opened with service between Admiralty station and
Chai Wan station Chai Wan () is the eastern terminus of the MTR on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is the only station on the Island line that is elevated. The station is located at the junction of Chai Wan Road and Island Eastern Corridor, and it serves Siu ...
. Both Admiralty and
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
stations became interchange stations with the Tsuen Wan line. Furthermore, each train was extended to eight cars. On 23 May 1986, the Island line was extended to
Sheung Wan station Sheung Wan is a station on the of the Hong Kong MTR network. The station serves the neighbourhood of Sheung Wan and the western part of Central District. The livery colour of this station is khaki. The station was originally planned in 19 ...
. Construction was delayed for one year, as government offices which were located over the station had to be moved before the construction could start. In 1984, the government approved the construction of the
Eastern Harbour Crossing The Eastern Harbour Crossing, abbreviated as "EHC" (), is a combined road-rail tunnel that crosses beneath Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Opened on 21 September 1989, it connects Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Island and Cha Kwo Ling, East Kowloon, Ko ...
, a tunnel to be used by cars and MTR trains. The Kwun Tong line was extended across the harbour on 5 August 1989 to
Quarry Bay station Quarry Bay () is a station on the and of the MTR in Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island. The station livery is teal green. Location As with all stations on the Island line, Quarry Bay is located on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. Plat ...
, which became an interchange station for the Kwun Tong line and the
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
. An intermediate station,
Lam Tin Lam Tin is an area in the Kwun Tong District in southeastern New Kowloon, Hong Kong. Lam Tin is primarily a residential area but also hosts a major transport interchange and several shopping attractions. Lam Tin was once a large field in th ...
, started operations on 1 October 1989.


Airport connection

The decision was made in October 1989 to construct a new international airport at
Chek Lap Kok Chek Lap Kok is an island in the western waters of Hong Kong's New Territories. Unlike the smaller Lam Chau, it was only partially leveled when it was assimilated via land reclamation into the island for the current Hong Kong International ...
on
Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...
to replace the overcrowded
Kai Tak International Airport Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
. The government invited the MTRC to build a train line, then known as the Lantau Airport Railway, to the airport. Construction started in November 1994, after the Chinese and British governments settled their financial and land disagreements. The new line was included in the financing plans of the new
Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...
as the airport was not considered viable without direct public transport links. Construction costs were also shared by the MTRC, which was granted many large-scale developments in the construction plans for the new stations. The Lantau Airport Railway included two MTR lines, the Tung Chung line and the Airport Express. The
Tung Chung line The Tung Chung line is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, linking the town of Tung Chung with central Hong Kong. A part of the Tung Chung line was built along with the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and the Tsing Ma Bridge. The line cu ...
was officially opened on 21 June 1998 by
Hong Kong Chief Executive The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of governor of H ...
Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...
, and service commenced the next day. The
Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...
opened for service on 6 July 1998 along with the new Hong Kong International Airport. The Airport Express also offers flight check-in facilities at Kowloon station and
Hong Kong station Hong Kong () is a station of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong. It is the eastern terminus of the and . It is situated between Man Cheung Street and Harbour View Street, Central, Hong Kong Island, and sits underneath the International Fina ...
—the in-town check-ins offer a more convenient and time-saving routine; a free shuttle bus service transports travellers from these stations to their respective hotels as well. Porters are also available to help transport luggage from and onto trains. It is the second most popular means of transport to the airport after buses. In 2012, it had a 21.8 per cent of share of the traffic to and from the airport. However, this has declined from a peak of 32 per cent in 1999.


Tseung Kwan O line

The Quarry Bay Congestion Relief Works extended the
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
end of the
Kwun Tong line The Kwun Tong line is a heavy-rail rapid transit line of the MTR network in Hong Kong, coloured green on the MTR map. Starting at Whampoa in Hung Hom and ending at Tiu Keng Leng in Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung, the route has 17 stations and ...
from
Quarry Bay Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The western portion of the area was also formerly known as Lai Chi (). Traditionally an industrial and residential area, the number of commer ...
to
North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Tin Hau, Hong Kong, Causeway Bay and Tsat Ts ...
via a pair of tunnels. The project was initiated due to overcrowding at Quarry Bay and persistent passenger complaints about the five-minute walk from the
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
platforms to the Kwun Tong line platform. Construction began in September 1997 and was completed in September 2001 at a cost of HK$3.1 billion. As with most earlier interchange stations, a
cross-platform interchange A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the Uni ...
arrangement was provided here in both directions. Construction of the
Tseung Kwan O line The Tseung Kwan O line is one of the eleven lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, indicated by the colour purple. It is currently long, taking 15 minutes to travel throughout the entire line. The line runs from North Point on the Hong Kong I ...
(called the Tseung Kwan O extension line in the planning stage) was approved on 18 August 1998 to serve the growing Tseung Kwan O New Town. Construction began on 24 April 1999 and the line officially opened in 2002. It took over the existing Kwun Tong line tracks running through the
Eastern Harbour Tunnel The Eastern Harbour Crossing, abbreviated as "EHC" (), is a combined road-rail tunnel that crosses beneath Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Opened on 21 September 1989, it connects Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Island and Cha Kwo Ling, Kowloon East. H ...
, so that the full line stretches from
Po Lam Po Lam ( Chinese: 寶琳 or 寶林) is a neighbourhood in northern Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. An MTR station with the same name, Tseung Kwan O Village, Yau Yue Wan Village, King Lam Estate, and Po Lam Estate are located there. Name Po ...
to North Point. When the line opened, the Kwun Tong line was diverted to
Tiu Keng Leng Tiu Keng Leng (), formerly Rennie's Mill, is an area of Hong Kong in the Sai Kung District adjacent to Tseung Kwan O (Junk Bay). The area used to be a refugee village housing former Kuomintang officials and followers who escaped to Hong Kong f ...
on the new line. Construction costs were partly covered by the Hong Kong Government and private developers which linked construction of the Tseung Kwan O line to new real estate and commercial developments.


Interchange stations

The interchange between the Kwun Tong line and the
Tsuen Wan line The Tsuen Wan line is one of the eleven lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map. There are 16 stations on the line. The southern terminus is Central station on Hong Kong Island and the nor ...
(except
Yau Ma Tei Yau Ma Tei is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. Name ''Yau Ma Tei'' is a phonetic transliteration of the name (originally written as ) in Cantonese. It can also be spelt as Yaumatei, ...
) as well as that between the Kwun Tong line and the Tseung Kwan O line, are two stations long, allowing
cross-platform interchange A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the Uni ...
wherein a passenger leaves a train on one side of the platform and boards trains on the other side of the platform for another line. For example, when passengers are travelling on the Kwun Tong line towards
Tiu Keng Leng Tiu Keng Leng (), formerly Rennie's Mill, is an area of Hong Kong in the Sai Kung District adjacent to Tseung Kwan O (Junk Bay). The area used to be a refugee village housing former Kuomintang officials and followers who escaped to Hong Kong f ...
, getting off at
Yau Tong Yau Tong () is an area of Hong Kong, located in the southeastern end of Kowloon, between Lei Yue Mun and Lam Tin, at the east shore of Victoria Harbour, west of Tseung Kwan O. Administratively, it is part of Kwun Tong District, the most densely ...
would allow them to switch trains across the platform for the
Tseung Kwan O line The Tseung Kwan O line is one of the eleven lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, indicated by the colour purple. It is currently long, taking 15 minutes to travel throughout the entire line. The line runs from North Point on the Hong Kong I ...
towards
North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Tin Hau, Hong Kong, Causeway Bay and Tsat Ts ...
. Whereas, staying on the train and reaching
Tiu Keng Leng Tiu Keng Leng (), formerly Rennie's Mill, is an area of Hong Kong in the Sai Kung District adjacent to Tseung Kwan O (Junk Bay). The area used to be a refugee village housing former Kuomintang officials and followers who escaped to Hong Kong f ...
would allow them to board the Tseung Kwan O line trains towards
Po Lam Po Lam ( Chinese: 寶琳 or 寶林) is a neighbourhood in northern Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. An MTR station with the same name, Tseung Kwan O Village, Yau Yue Wan Village, King Lam Estate, and Po Lam Estate are located there. Name Po ...
/
LOHAS Park LOHAS Park () is a Hong Kong seaside residential development of the MTR Corporation, located in Tseung Kwan O Area 86, New Territories. After its full completion, it will be the largest single residential enclave in the territory. Name and ...
. This design makes interchanging more convenient and passengers do not have the need to change to different levels. However this interchange arrangement is not available for all transferring passengers at
Kowloon Tong Kowloon Tong () is an area of Hong Kong located in Kowloon. The majority of the area is in the Kowloon City District. Its exaclocationis south of the Lion Rock, north of Boundary Street, east of the East Rail line and west of Grampian Road. It i ...
,
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
,
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 ...
,
Quarry Bay Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The western portion of the area was also formerly known as Lai Chi (). Traditionally an industrial and residential area, the number of commer ...
, Nam Cheong (except transfer between Tuen Mun and Hong Kong bound trains), Mei Foo,
Tai Wai Tai Wai () is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District. With three rapid transit stations, one of which an interchange station serving two lines, five bus termini and ...
(only between southbound Tuen Ma line and East Rail line trains) and
Sunny Bay Ta Shui Wan () was a bay in Yam O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Tai Yam Teng () and Ngong Shuen Au (). The bay was reclaimed to construct MTR Sunny Bay station. Ta Shui Wan Ferry Pier () was a ferry pier in Ta Shui ...
(except transfer between Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort bound trains) stations, mainly because this service is available only when there are two continuous stations shared as interchange stations by two lines. Two major works were undertaken to ease interchange between the Kwun Tong line and East Rail line. The modification of
Kowloon Tong station Kowloon Tong is a station on MTR's and in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The station serves Kowloon Tong and its vicinity, including Yau Yat Tsuen, the Festival Walk shopping centre, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University. ...
started in June 2001. A new pedestrian link to Kowloon Tong station southern concourse and a new entrance (Exit D) opened on 15 April 2004 to cope with the increase in interchange passenger flow. Modification to
Tsim Sha Tsui station Tsim Sha Tsui is an MTR station on the . The station, originally opened on 16 December 1979 on the , serves the area of Tsim Sha Tsui. East Tsim Sha Tsui station on the , which opened on 24 October 2004, is connected to this station by underg ...
involved upgrading station facilities and concourse layout to facilitate access from the
East Tsim Sha Tsui station East Tsim Sha Tsui () is a station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system of Hong Kong. It is currently an intermediate station on the . The station was built to alleviate surface traffic jams and passenger congestion at Kowloon Tong stati ...
via its pedestrian links. New entrances to the subway links were opened on 19 September 2004 (Exit G) and 30 March 2005 (Exit F), with the whole scheme completed in May 2005.


Disneyland Resort line

The
Disneyland Resort line The Disneyland Resort line is a heavy rail MTR line connecting Sunny Bay to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, coloured pink on the network diagram. It is the seventh line of the former MTR network before the merger of MTR and KCR, and the ...
, previously known as Penny's Bay Rail Link, provides service to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort which was opened on 12 September 2005. Service to
Sunny Bay station Sunny Bay () is an MTR station in Yam O. It is between and stations. The station is an interchange station between the and the to Hong Kong Disneyland. The station was originally to be named ''Yam O'' (). ''Yam O'' was not used probably b ...
on the Tung Chung line started in 2005. The new line and the Disneyland Resort station opened on 1 August 2005. It is a single-track railway that runs between Sunny Bay station and Disneyland Resort station. The Disneyland Resort station itself was designed to blend in with the ambiance of the resort. The line operates fully automated trains running every four to ten minutes without a driver. The carriages are refurbished M-train rolling stock to match the recreational and adventurous nature of the 3.5-minute journey.


Airport Express extension

The
AsiaWorld–Expo station AsiaWorld–Expo is the western terminus of the of the Hong Kong MTR. It serves the AsiaWorld–Expo in the northeast corner of Chek Lap Kok, the island on which the Hong Kong International Airport is located. The AsiaWorld–Expo is an e ...
is an extension of the Airport Express serving a new international exhibition centre,
AsiaWorld–Expo The AsiaWorld–Expo is one of the two major convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong along with Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was opened on 21 December 2005 by Donald Tsang, the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong, a ...
, at Hong Kong International Airport. The station opened on 20 December 2005 along with the exhibition centre. To cope with the projected increase in patronage, Airport Express trains were lengthened to eight cars from the previous seven. Additional trains are also deployed on the Tung Chung line during major exhibitions and events.


Partial privatisation and merger

On 5 October 2000 the operator of the MTR network, the
Mass Transit Railway 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 Hong ...
(MTRC), became Hong Kong's first rail company to be partially
privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
, marking the beginning of the Hong Kong government's initiative to reduce its interests in public utilities. Prior to its listing on the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK, also known as Hong Kong Stock Exchange) is a stock exchange based in Hong Kong. As of the end of 2020, it has 2,538 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of HK$47 trillion. It is repor ...
, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) was wholly owned by the Hong Kong government. The offering involved the sale of about one billion
shares In financial markets, a share is a unit of equity ownership in the capital stock of a corporation, and can refer to units of mutual funds, limited partnerships, and real estate investment trusts. Share capital refers to all of the shares of an ...
, and the company now has the largest
shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...
base of any company listed in Hong Kong. In June 2001, MTRCL was transferred to the
Hang Seng Index The Hang Seng Index (HSI) is a freefloat-adjusted market- capitalization-weighted stock-market index in Hong Kong. It is used to record and monitor daily changes of the largest companies of the Hong Kong stock market and is the main indicator ...
. MTRCL has often developed properties next to stations to complement its profitable railway business. Many recently built stations were incorporated into large housing estates or shopping complexes. For example,
Tsing Yi station Tsing Yi is an interchange station of the MTR between the Tung Chung line and Airport Express on Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong. The station is located between Sunny Bay station and Lai King station on the Tung Chung Line, and between Airport ...
is built next to the
Maritime Square Maritime Square is a four-storey shopping centre located on Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong. It was built and is owned by MTR Corporation (MTRC) in conjunction with the opening of Tsing Yi station. History The shopping centre opened on 1 Apr ...
shopping centre and directly underneath the Tierra Verde housing estate. On 11 April 2006, MTRCL signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the
Hong Kong government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...
, the owner of
Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC; ) is a Hong Kong wholly government-owned railway and land asset manager. It was established in 1982 under the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon– ...
, to merge the operation of the two railway networks in Hong Kong in spite of the strong opposition of KCRC staff. The minority shareholders of the corporation approved the proposal at an extraordinary general meeting on 9 October 2007, allowing MTRCL to take over the operation of the KCR network and combine the fare system of the two networks on 2 December 2007. On 2 December 2007 the
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC; ) is a Hong Kong wholly government-owned railway and land asset manager. It was established in 1982 under the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon– ...
(KCRC) granted a 50-year service concession (which may be extended) of the KCR network to MTRCL, in return for making annual payments to KCRC, thereby merging the railway operations of the two corporations under MTRCL's management. At the same time MTRCL changed its Chinese name from "地下鐵路有限公司" (Subway Limited Company) to "香港鐵路有限公司" (Hong Kong Railway Limited Company), but left its English name unchanged; at the same time the system's Chinese name changed from "地鐵" ("underground railway") to "港鐵" ("Hong Kong Railway"). After the merger, the MTR network included three more lines—
East Rail line The East Rail line () is one of ten lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It used to be one of the three lines of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network. It was known as the KCR British Section () from 1910 to 1996, ...
,
West Rail line The West Rail line () was a rapid transit line that formed part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong until 27 June 2021. Coloured magenta on the MTR map, the line ran from Tuen Mun to Hung Hom, with a total length of , i ...
, and
Ma On Shan line The Ma On Shan line () was a rapid transit line that formed part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the MTR map, the line acted as a branch of the East Rail line that connects the new towns of Sha T ...
(now the
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
)—as well as the light rail network and
Guangdong through train Guangdong (, ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal Provinces of China, province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a ...
to
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
. On 28 September 2008, fare zones of all urban lines, East Rail line, Ma On Shan line, and West Rail line were merged. A passenger could travel on these networks with only one ticket, except where a transfer is made between Tsim Sha Tsui and East Tsim Sha Tsui stations, where two tickets are required. Student discounts on Octopus Card were also issued.


Recent extensions

The MTR system has been extended numerous times since the railway merger. Relevant projects include the LOHAS Park spur line (2009), the
Kowloon Southern Link The Kowloon Southern link is a section of the MTR Tuen Ma line, linking Nam Cheong station and East Tsim Sha Tsui station. The rail link is fully underground, lies along the south-west coastline of Kowloon Peninsula, east of rail tracks of the ...
(2009), 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 ...
(2014), the
Kwun Tong line extension The Kwun Tong line extension (abbreviated KTE; ) is an extension of the MTR rapid transit network in Hong Kong. It extends the existing train service of Kwun Tong line to Ho Man Tin station and Whampoa station. Construction started on 25 July ...
(2016), the
South Island line The South Island line, identified by light green on the MTR route map, is a rapid transit line of Hong Kong's MTR metro system. This line connects the HK business district from Admiralty station to the Southern District of Hong Kong Islan ...
(2016) and the
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
Phase 1 (2020). The LOHAS Park Spur Line is an extension of the
Tseung Kwan O line The Tseung Kwan O line is one of the eleven lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, indicated by the colour purple. It is currently long, taking 15 minutes to travel throughout the entire line. The line runs from North Point on the Hong Kong I ...
, splitting off after
Tseung Kwan O station Tseung Kwan O (; : ) is a station on the MTR located at the town centre of the Tseung Kwan O New Town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The previous station is and the line splits after this station to and . The entrances to the station ...
. It serves the new residential development of
LOHAS Park LOHAS Park () is a Hong Kong seaside residential development of the MTR Corporation, located in Tseung Kwan O Area 86, New Territories. After its full completion, it will be the largest single residential enclave in the territory. Name and ...
(formerly "Dream City"), a estate with fifty residential towers. The project is divided into 9 to 13 phases and is about halfway complete as of 2016. These high rises sit above
LOHAS Park station LOHAS Park () is an MTR station on the of the MTR system in Hong Kong. It opened on 26 July 2009. Location The station serves a residential project called LOHAS Park (formerly "Dream City") at Area 86. The first tenders for the construction ...
, which opened on 26 July 2009. 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 ...
, first put forward to the government on 21 January 2003, is an extension of the
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
. It serves the Western District of Hong Kong Island. The construction 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 ...
started on 10 August 2009.
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 ...
and
HKU station HKU () is a station on the Hong Kong MTR located in the Shek Tong Tsui neighbourhood of Western, Hong Kong. It is named after the University of Hong Kong, which is served by the station. Part of the West Island line, a westward extension to ...
opened on 28 December 2014.
Sai Ying Pun station Sai Ying Pun is a station on the MTR network. The station is between and on the . It serves the neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun and the western part of Mid-Levels in northwestern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Sai Ying Pun station was opened ...
opened later, on 29 March 2015, due to construction delays. A proposal to extend the existing Kwun Tong line to
Whampoa Garden Whampoa Garden () is the largest private housing estate in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was built on the site of the former Whampoa Dockyards by Hutchison Whampoa Property. The urban design of the estate incorporates concepts inspired by ...
was made in April 2006 and approved in March 2008 as part of the bid for the
Sha Tin to Central Link The Sha Tin to Central Link (abbreviated SCL; ) is an extension of the MTR rapid transit network. It is divided into two sections. The first section, named "Tuen Ma line (Phase 1)”, runs from Tai Wai station in the New Territories to Hung ...
. Two new stations at Whampoa and
Ho Man Tin Ho Man Tin is a mostly residential area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, part of the Kowloon City District. History Section of lists of villages in the book ' (literally ''The History of Xin'an County'') published in twenty fourth year of Jiaqing era ...
opened on 23 October 2016. The
South Island line The South Island line, identified by light green on the MTR route map, is a rapid transit line of Hong Kong's MTR metro system. This line connects the HK business district from Admiralty station to the Southern District of Hong Kong Islan ...
opened on 28 December 2016 between
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...
and
South Horizons South Horizons () is a private housing estate located in Aberdeen at the western end of Ap Lei Chau ( Aberdeen Island), in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Note: the author of this dissertation was a member of the management team of ...
, linking the MTR to Southern District for the first time. With the opening of the South Island line, all 18 districts of Hong Kong are served by the MTR. The first section of the
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
, an extension of the former Ma On Shan line connecting Tai Wai via Hin Keng and
Diamond Hill Diamond Hill is a hill in the east of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It is pr ...
to
Kai Tak station Kai Tak () is an underground MTR rapid transit List of MTR stations, station located on the Tuen Ma line, in the Kai Tak Development area of Hong Kong (near the old east apron of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon City District). The station ...
, opened on 14 February 2020. The second and final section of the line was completed and opened on 27 June 2021, linking the previously opened Tuen Ma Line Phase One and the West Rail Line together connecting from
Kai Tak station Kai Tak () is an underground MTR rapid transit List of MTR stations, station located on the Tuen Ma line, in the Kai Tak Development area of Hong Kong (near the old east apron of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon City District). The station ...
to
Hung Hom station Hung Hom () is a railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is an interchange station between the and the domestic services of the MTR network, as well as the southern terminus of cross-border through-trains to mainland China whic ...
. An extension of the
East Rail line The East Rail line () is one of ten lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It used to be one of the three lines of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network. It was known as the KCR British Section () from 1910 to 1996, ...
, phase two of the
Sha Tin to Central Link The Sha Tin to Central Link (abbreviated SCL; ) is an extension of the MTR rapid transit network. It is divided into two sections. The first section, named "Tuen Ma line (Phase 1)”, runs from Tai Wai station in the New Territories to Hung ...
(SCL) from
Hung Hom station Hung Hom () is a railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is an interchange station between the and the domestic services of the MTR network, as well as the southern terminus of cross-border through-trains to mainland China whic ...
to Admiralty station across
Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...
was completed and opened on 15 May 2022. An intermediate station was opened at
Exhibition Centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
.


Future expansions


Tuen Mun South extension

The
Tuen Mun South extension The Tuen Mun South extension is a proposed extension of the MTR rapid transit network in Hong Kong. It extends the existing train service of Tuen Ma line to the tenatively named A16 station in Tuen Mun Area 16 and ultimately a new western termi ...
on the
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
is a proposed 2.4-kilometre extension to a new western terminus, Tuen Mun South, near
Tuen Mun Ferry Pier Tuen Mun Ferry Pier (屯門碼頭), or Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, is a public pier located in the southern area of Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, Tuen Mun Pier Head, and Tuen Mun Ferry Pier stop (MTR Light Rail) refer to the street-lev ...
. The extension will extend southwards from the current terminus of the Tuen Ma line,
Tuen Mun station Tuen Mun is an MTR station in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is the western terminus of the . The station is elevated over the Tuen Mun River, near the Town Park in the centre of Tuen Mun New Town. The first train to Wu Kai Sha dep ...
. It will include the construction of the
A16 station A16 (provisional name) is an MTR station on the Tuen Ma line to be constructed elevated on the bank of Tuen Mun River at the current site of Tuen Mun Swimming Pool. The construction of the station is gazetted as part of the Tuen Mun South ext ...
(placeholder name used by MTR) and the new terminus Tuen Mun South station. Additionally, the addition of a new infill station, Hung Shui Kiu station, along the Tuen Ma line in between Siu Hong station and Tin Shui Wai station. It is currently under planning. It may be built depending on the development of the Hung Shui Kiu New towns of Hong Kong, New Town.


Northern Link

The Northern Link (MTR), Northern Link is a proposed new line which connects Tuen Ma line with the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line of East Rail line. It also has Au Tau station, Au Tau, Ngau Tam Mei station, Ngau Tam Mei, San Tin station, San Tin, a future interchange station between East Rail line and Northern Link, Kwu Tung station, Kwu Tung, which will become a terminus for Northern link. This potential line would serve the future Northern Metropolis in current planning by the Hong Kong government. It would help to connect planned population centres isolated in the New Territories with Kowloon and Hong Kong.


Tung Chung Line extension

Two new stations are planned on the
Tung Chung line The Tung Chung line is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, linking the town of Tung Chung with central Hong Kong. A part of the Tung Chung line was built along with the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and the Tsing Ma Bridge. The line cu ...
, namely: Tung Chung West station, Tung Chung West and Tung Chung East station, Tung Chung East. Tung Chung East station will serve the eastern part of Tung Chung, while Tung Chung West station will serve Yat Tung Estate and nearby developments. The Oyster bay station is a planned infill station between
Sunny Bay station Sunny Bay () is an MTR station in Yam O. It is between and stations. The station is an interchange station between the and the to Hong Kong Disneyland. The station was originally to be named ''Yam O'' (). ''Yam O'' was not used probably b ...
and the future Tung Chung East station. It is expected to be complete in 2030.


East Kowloon line

The East Kowloon line is planned to serve the East Kowloon area to Tseung Kwan O New Town via the hilly Sau Mau Ping residential area.


South Island line (West)

The South Island line (West) was part of the same original proposal as the South Island line, and would connect HKU station, HKU to Wong Chuk Hang station, Wong Chuk Hang around the west coast of Hong Kong Island, however construction has not started .


North Island line

The North Island line is a planned extension of the
Tseung Kwan O line The Tseung Kwan O line is one of the eleven lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, indicated by the colour purple. It is currently long, taking 15 minutes to travel throughout the entire line. The line runs from North Point on the Hong Kong I ...
that will interchange at the future Tamar station with the Tung Chung line. It will alleviate traffic in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. There will be three new stations: Tamar station, Tamar,
Exhibition Centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
(which will be an interchange between the North Island line and the North South Corridor), and Causeway Bay North station, Causeway Bay North. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and finish in 2040. The cost is estimated to be HK$20 billion in 2013 prices.


Infrastructure


Rail network


Rolling stock

Eight types of electric multiple unit rolling stock operate on the MTR network and five generations of light rail vehicles operate on the light rail network. All use either rail gauge (near standard gauge) or (standard gauge). Except for
Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...
trains, all trains are designed to cope with high patronage, for example, through seating arrangements, additional ventilation (architecture), ventilation fan (implement), fans, and additional sets of extra-wide doors. These configurations allow the MTR to run at 101,000 passengers per hour per direction (p/h/d) on its busy suburban
East Rail line The East Rail line () is one of ten lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It used to be one of the three lines of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network. It was known as the KCR British Section () from 1910 to 1996, ...
and 85,000 p/h/d on its urban metro network.


Former rolling stock


Metro Cammell EMU (DC)

Known as M-trains, these are the oldest model of train in operation. M-Trains can be divided into different "stocks". The M-stock (or "CM-stock") of M-Train are the oldest trains on the MTR, built originally by Metro-Cammell (now Alstom) and refurbished by UGL Rail, United Goninan. The M-train uses sliding doors, unlike K-stocks and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Grupo CAF Trains which use plug doors. They are in service on Kwun Tong line, Tsuen Wan line,
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
and Tseung Kwan O line. The Disneyland Resort line uses driverless M-trains with their appearance overhauled to suit the atmosphere and theme of the line. Windows on each carriage and the handrails inside are made into the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and there are bronze-made The Walt Disney Company, Disney characters decorating the interior of the carriages.


Adtranz-CAF EMU

The Tung Chung line and the
Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...
use CAF Trains tailored to their respective lines. Initially run in seven-car formations, they have now been lengthened to eight cars. These two variations are built jointly by Adtranz (now Bombardier Transportation) and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Grupo CAF (CAF) between 1994 and 1997. Since 2006, MTR Rotem EMU, K-stock has also been used on the Tung Chung line.


Rotem EMU

The K-stock was built jointly by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hyundai Rotem and first put into service on the Kwun Tong line. These were eventually transferred to the Tseung Kwan O line in 2009. Subsequently, in 2006, four additional sets joined the Tung Chung line to cope with the increasing passenger traffic. K-Stock trains have come under criticism when they were first put into service due to delays and door safety issues. Along with other service reliability issues, there have been incidents where passengers have been injured by its doors, leading to the MTRCL "minimising the number of Korean trains for passenger service until a higher reliability of the systems concerned is achieved".


CNR Changchun EMU

A contract (C6554-07E) for 10 new sets of trains was awarded to Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Limited in October 2008 with a further 12 trains ordered in the summer of 2011. These were delivered to Hong Kong between 2011 and 2013 to enhance train frequency on the existing lines to cater for increased patronage on the Island, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Tseung Kwan O lines. These trains feature new 22" LCD TVs, like their counterparts on former KCR lines, and as a result are equipped with MTR In-Train TV, offering infotainment such as news and announcements. The first of these trains entered revenue service on 7 December 2011 on the Kwun Tong line. The South Island line uses a similar train known as the S-train. Unlike the original C-train, the pantographs are on the "A" cars. All cars are powered, so there are no trailer cars. The S-train is also only three cars long and are driverless, with the driver's cab removed to make standing space for passengers. However, the S-trains can still be operated manually in the event of an emergency.


SP1900/1950 EMU

The Tuen Ma line uses the SP1900, also known as the IKK (Itochu, Itochu-Kinki Sharyo, Kinki-Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kawasaki) train. The electrification system used on Tuen Ma line is , as opposed to the used on the urban lines. Should the need arise in the future, dual voltage trains such as those used on Oresund Bridge would be required. The rolling stock is from the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, KCRC network (KCR East Rail, West Rail and Ma On Shan Rail). They did not receive major changes after the merger of the two companies except for the updated route map, the exterior company logo and such. The capability of this EMU fleet is similar to those on the urban network. Starting from 2015, the West Rail and Ma On Shan line trains have been lengthened to 8 cars while the East Rail line 12 car sets have been withdrawn from the line in 2021. All train sets will receive larger TV displays and dynamic route map displays above every door, and will run on the Tuen Ma line in the future.


Hyundai Rotem EMU (R-stock)

In December 2012, the MTRC announced that new contracts had been awarded to Hyundai Rotem for 37 new nine-car trains to be used on the
Sha Tin to Central Link The Sha Tin to Central Link (abbreviated SCL; ) is an extension of the MTR rapid transit network. It is divided into two sections. The first section, named "Tuen Ma line (Phase 1)”, runs from Tai Wai station in the New Territories to Hung ...
. These trains are expected to replace the Metro Cammell EMUs that currently run on the East Rail line. The new R-stock trains are wider than existing units and can accommodate more passengers per car; however, the length of each train will be cut from the current 12-car configuration used on the Metro Cammell and SP1900 EMUs to nine cars. This is due to space constraints imposed by new underground platforms on the Sha Tin to Central Link. MTR will also upgrade existing signalling systems used on the East Rail line which will enable trains to operate at two-minute headways on average, instead of the current three-minute interval, which the MTRC expects will be able to compensate for the loss of capacity resulting from the shorter trains. However, there are concerns from local residents that this will not be effective.


Light rail vehicles

Light Rail (MTR), Light rail rolling stock were ordered from four different manufacturers: Commonwealth Engineering (Comeng), Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, UGL Rail, United Goninan and CRRC Nanjing Puzhen. They are designed to run on the standard gauge and use 750 V DC delivered through overhead lines. Trains comprise one or two carriages, where the second carriage functions as only a trailer. The arrangement allows each car to carry approximately 300 passengers with 26 seats, while four sets of poach seats provide flexible riding for passengers. The light rail trains are being modernised as part of a 20th anniversary activity. Trains will include better disabled facilities as well as a totally new interior. The MTR will refurbish 69 older trains (revised to 68 as one was scrapped following a traffic incident) and buy 22 new ones. The first trains have been completed and were scheduled to be put into service in November 2009. The whole project is expected to be completed in 2011. Another batch of 40 Phase V trains have been ordered from CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, which will replace 30 Kawasaki Phase II trains which will not be refurbished, and the 10 additional trains will be used for enhancing services. The first pair of trains (leading + trailer car) entered service in 2020.


Maintenance trains

In addition to the passenger electric multiple units as covered above, MTR also uses various types of work trains for maintenance purposes: *On the urban lines and Lantau Airport Railway, several different battery-electric locomotives and diesel locomotives are used to haul various work trains (including ultrasonic test vehicles and specialist wagons used for overhead wiring access, cable laying, rail transport, tunnel repair etc.), with the former being built by Brush Traction and the latter by Schöma. Like the passenger trains, they are also equipped with BSI coupling, BSI couplers, albeit without the electrical connections. The locomotives were delivered in different phases: **The battery electrics were delivered in three different phases. The first phase comprises five units numbered L51 to L55 which entered service in 1983 and are capable of hauling a maximum trailing load of 109 tonnes on a 3% of gradient. The second phase has six units numbered L56 to L61 which entered service in 1989. They have the same performance as the phase 1 units and can be assumed to be of the same general design. The pantograph is located atop the cab roof, with no sign of an air conditioner. The third phase comprises twenty units numbered L62 to L82 which entered service in 1996; most are used on the Lantau Airport Railway, but some on the urban lines. They are more powerful than the earlier units, being able to haul 160 tonnes. Their design is also slightly different to phase 2 units, with the pantograph at the opposite end, and an air conditioner above the cab. **The Schöma diesel fleet came before the battery electrics. Capable of hauling 100 tonnes, they are presumed to have assisted in the construction of the network and came in three different phases: phase 1 (nine units numbered L11 to L19) in 1977, phase 2 (nine units numbered L20 to 28) in 1979 and phase 3 (eight units numbered L31 to L38) in 1983. They are presumed to be capable of multiple unit operation. *On the ex-KCR lines, diesel locomotives such as the Eurorunner that were formerly used for freight services are now used on works trains and transferring EMUs trains between depots. Maintenance trains for the East Rail line are also largely stabled at Fo Tan depot. *In 2015, MTR procured two new SF02T-FS rail milling machines from :de:Linsinger Maschinenbau, Linsinger. Instead of railgrinder, rail grinding, these machines mill the rail head, providing a more accurate profile and a higher quality processed surface. However, the machines are not without flaws and one of them caught fire on the Tsuen Kwan O Line on 9 May 2016 during maintenance hours.


Station facilities, amenities and services

The architecture of MTR stations is less artistic, instead focusing on structural practicability. With the high level of daily passenger traffic, facilities of the MTR stations are built with durability and accessibility in mind. After extensive retrofitting, the MTR system has become, in general, Easy Access, disabled-friendly—the trains have dedicated wheelchair space, the stations have special floor tiles to guide the Blindness, blind safely on the platforms, and there are extra wide entry and exit gates for wheelchairs as well. Portable ramp for wheelchair users are available for boarding and alighting trains. On board the rolling stock, there are also flashing system maps on select trains while Active Line Diagrams and traditional route maps are installed on the others. Infopanels as well as on MTR In-Train TV onboard trains display important messages such as next station announcements as well as operational messages.


Telecommunications

3G and LTE (4G) mobile phone network is in place throughout the MTR system of stations and tunnels allowing passengers to stay connected underground. Currently, full UMTS, 3G network coverage in all stations and tunnels (except underground section on East Rail line and Tuen Ma line) for the MTR system has been provided by 3 Hong Kong, SmarTone and PCCW. Passengers are able to use high-speed internet on their mobile phones regardless whether the train is above ground or under ground. The MTR has already extended the Wi-Fi service to all of the Airport Express trains and the expansion of the service to other MTR routes is still under consideration by MTR. All 93 stations on the MTR offer free Wi-Fi service with a limit of 15 minutes per session and a maximum of five sessions per day. In late 2015 it was announced that all 400 payphones in the MTR system would be removed in early 2016. The contract with the service provider, Shinetown Telecom, was expiring, and the MTR Corporation said that no one had tendered a proposal to take over the contract. As a result, the MTR system no longer has payphones.


Announcements

When the system opened, public announcements were made in British English and Cantonese by train captains and station staff. In 1992 the announcements were standardised, pre-recorded by RTHK presenter Cheri Chan Yu-yan (), who is now an assistant professor of English-language education at the University of Hong Kong, and who remains the voice of the MTR today. Since 2004, to accommodate Mainland Chinese visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Standard Mandarin, Mandarin Chinese was added to the repertory.


Public toilets

Unlike many other metro systems around the world, "main line" MTR stations originally did not have toilet facilities available for public use. Passengers may use MTR staff toilets at all stations on request. In 2006, MTRCL said it would not consider retrofitting existing underground toilets, because of the challenge of installing new piping and toilet facilities. Only stations on the
Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...
and
Disneyland Resort line The Disneyland Resort line is a heavy rail MTR line connecting Sunny Bay to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, coloured pink on the network diagram. It is the seventh line of the former MTR network before the merger of MTR and KCR, and the ...
had access to toilet facilities. All former KCR stations (on the East Rail line and
Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...
), merged into the MTR network in 2007, have public toilets. During the Legislative Council rail merger bill discussions, the MTR Corporation was criticised by legislators for their unwillingness to install toilets in main line stations. MTRCL indicated that it would carry out a review of the feasibility of installing public toilets at or in the vicinity of its above-ground railway stations. Discussions between the Government and MTRCL have taken into account LegCo members' request for a stronger commitment by the corporation to the provision of public toilets on new railway lines. This resulted in MTRCL agreeing to include the provision of toilets within, or adjacent to, stations in the overall design parameters for all future new railway lines, subject to planning and regulatory approval and any concerns raised by residents in the vicinity about the location of external ventilation exhausts. Toilets have since been retrofitted into several existing MTR stations, including
Sheung Wan station Sheung Wan is a station on the of the Hong Kong MTR network. The station serves the neighbourhood of Sheung Wan and the western part of Central District. The livery colour of this station is khaki. The station was originally planned in 19 ...
, Ngau Tau Kok station,
Quarry Bay station Quarry Bay () is a station on the and of the MTR in Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island. The station livery is teal green. Location As with all stations on the Island line, Quarry Bay is located on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. Plat ...
, Mong Kok station,
Prince Edward station Prince Edward is a station of the MTR rapid transit system in Hong Kong. It is located in Mong Kok, Kowloon, under the intersection of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West. The station is named after this road. History As Prince Edward wa ...
, and Admiralty station. In addition, newly opened stations such as those of the West Island line have toilets. The MTR plans to install public toilets at all interchange stations by 2020. In late 2017 the MTR introduced breastfeeding rooms at 20 interchange stations. The rooms are located in back of house areas, and are available upon request to MTR staff.


Commerce and journals

Prior to the privatisation of MTRC, MTR stations only had branches of the Hang Seng Bank, Maxim's Cakes stores, and a handful of other shops. Since then, the number and types of shops have increased at stations has increased, turning some of them into miniature shopping centres. Automatic teller machine, ATMs and convenience stores are now commonplace. The MTR has contracted with publishers for the distribution of free magazines and newspapers in MTR stations. ''Recruit'' was the first free magazine which was solely distributed in stations (before railway merger) since July 1992, but the contract was terminated in July 2002. Another recruitment magazine ''Jiu Jik'' (招職), published by ''South China Morning Post'', replaced ''Recruit'' as the only free recruitment magazine distributed in MTR stations bi-weekly. The ''Metropolis Daily'' (都市日報), published by Metro International, is the first free newspaper distributed free in MTR stations during weekdays (except Public holidays in Hong Kong, public holidays); and in 2005, there is another weekend newspaper ''Express Post'' (快線週報), distributed every Saturday except public holidays. The ''Metropop'' (都市流行), a weekly magazine featuring cultural affairs and city trends also published by Metro International, started its distribution in MTR stations every Thursday since 27 April 2006, a few months after the termination of ''Hui Kai Guide'' (去街 Guide) in 2006. MTR Stations on ex-KCR lines feature two free Chinese-language newspapers, namely ''am730'' and ''Headline Daily''. MTR promotes reading of these newspapers by adding special coupons and promotion offers inside the newspapers, for example, a free trip to Lok Ma Chau or a free keyring. On the Kwun Tong line, East Rail line and Tuen Ma line, ''MTR In-Train TV'' is available.


MTR Bus

At various stations of the MTR network, the MTRCL (which took over from KCR) operates feeder buses which enhance the convenience of taking the MTR. These bus routes, which normally consist of one to two stops, terminate at housing estates and go past major landmarks. The feeder bus routes on the East Rail line are run under the MTR name but are operated by Kowloon Motor Bus.


Signalling

Throughout its history, MTR has used different signalling systems for its lines. The main Operations Control Centre for the entire network is located at Tsing Yi. Previous control centres were located at Fo Tan and Kam Tin for the East Rail line, Ma On Shan line and West Rail line. On the pre-merger MTR network, wayside signals are simple two-aspect signals whose colours are namely red for "stop" and blue for "proceed according to ATO"; this is made possible by the use of automatic train operation (ATO) which provides the onboard equipment the permitted speeds via undercarriage antennas located underneath the cab whereas the signals having been sent by radio transmitters located between the rails. An automatic train protection (ATP) is also used to enforce safety. In 1998, transmission balise-locomotive (TBL) was implemented on the East Rail line to monitor train safety. Subsequently, in 2002, ATO was also implemented on the East Rail line. However, the original British-style Automatic Warning System is still retained for use by Intercity-Through Trains. On the other hand, the Tuen Ma line uses a SelTrac moving block communications-based train control (CBTC) system from Alcatel-Lucent, Alcatel Canada (now Thales Group). The SelTrac system is also used by the fully automated Disneyland Resort line, whereas the South Island line uses another signalling supplier, Alstom, Urbalis 400 CBTC system. As part of RailGen 2.0 implemented from 2014 onwards to improve the standards of the rail network, the signalling systems on the older lines are to be replaced with new CBTC systems; the system used for the pre-merger network will be replaced with Alstom-Thales SelTrac whereas that for the East Rail line will be replaced by Siemens Trainguard CBTC. However, the signalling upgrades encountered a serious setback in the form of a train collision outside
Central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
on 18 March 2019.


Head office

The MTR Headquarters Building is located at Telford Plaza. It is a part of the larger Telford Garden complex, which was developed as part of a partnership between MTR and private development companies. Telford Plaza held an exhibition dedicated to the history of MTR in April 2014.


Fares and tickets

After the rail merger, there are three different fare classes on the MTR: Adult, Students and Concessionary. Only children below the age of 12 and senior citizens 65 years or older are eligible for the concessionary rate on all lines. Full-time Hong Kong students between the ages of 12 and 25 qualify for the concessionary rate using a personalised Octopus Card on all lines except on
Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...
, or travel to or from cross-border stations (Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau). Children below the age of 3 travel free (unless they exceed the height range). The fare of MTR between any two particular stations is not calculated using a particular formula, and must be looked up from the fare table. Fares for the Airport Express Line are significantly higher. Services to checkpoint termini are also more expensive than ordinary fares, as are journeys that require a harbour crossing than are journeys that do not. Adult fares range from Hong Kong dollar, HK$3.6 to $52.6 (US$0.46–6.74). Concessionary fares are usually half the adult fare, and range from HK$1.50 to $27.00. Student fares are the same as child and elderly fare on the urban lines, but are the same as the Adult fares for journeys to or from checkpoint termini, and range from HK$1.50 to $51.00. The fare is subject to adjustment in June every year. Prior to May 2009, MTR did not provide concessionary fares for the disabled. Legislators such as social welfare constituency legislator Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung and those from Hong Kong's Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood had for years demanded that such concessions be put in place. In May 2009, MTR eventually agreed to offer the disabled concessionary fares with HK$2 million sponsorship from Transport and Housing Bureau and under the condition that Legislative Council amends the ''Disability Discrimination Ordinance''. Single journey tickets can be purchased at vending machines while tourist passes, Octopus cards and other special tickets must be purchased at the ticket counter. Credit cards are only accepted to purchase Airport Express tickets and tourist Octopus cards from automatic vending machines located within Hong Kong airport.


Octopus cards

The Octopus card is a reusable Contactless payment, contactless stored value
smart card A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
for making Electronic money, electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong developed by Australian company ERG Group. Launched in September 1997 to collect fares for the territory's mass transit system, the Octopus card system became the world's second contactless smart card system, after the Korean Upass, and has since grown into a widely used payment system for all public
transport in Hong Kong Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Based on Hong Kong Government's Travel Characteristics Survey, over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, the h ...
. Octopus's success has led to the development of the Navigo card in Paris, the Oyster Card in London, the Opal card in New South Wales, NETS FlashPay, EZ-Link in Singapore, and other similar systems. The Octopus card has also evolved for use as payment in many retail shops in Hong Kong, including convenience stores, supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants. Other common Octopus payment applications include parking meters, car parks, petrol stations, vending machines, fee payment at public libraries and swimming pools, and more. The cards are also used for non-payment purposes, such as school attendance and access control for office buildings and housing estates.


Tourist pass

The Tourist Day Pass gives tourists unlimited MTR rides (with the exception of MTR Bus routes, the First Class section of the East Rail line, the Airport Express, as well as journeys to and from Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and Racecourse stations) for 24 hours from the point of first entry . Each pass costs HK$65 and is available at all the MTR Customer Service Centres. Tourist Day Pass must be used within 30 days upon the day of issue. The Airport Express Tourist Octopus Cards are also available. Cardholders may enjoy three days of unlimited rides on the MTR (except Airport Express, East Rail line First Class, and journeys involving Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations) refundable deposit of HK$50 and choice of either a single (HK$220) or round trip (HK$300) on the Airport Express.


Other fares

A touchless smart card system is used for single journey tickets. These tickets are pre-paid for between pre-determined stations, and are good for only one trip. There are no return tickets, except on the Airport Express. As of mid-2013, less than five per cent of MTR customers travelled on single journey tickets. Fares for the Airport Express are substantially different from main line fares. Apart from single tickets, same-day return tickets (same price as a single), and one-month return tickets are also available. A one-day pass was able to be purchased for unlimited travel to and from Hong Kong Disneyland within the same day, from 2005 to 2011, and cost HK$50. This pass could be purchased from any MTR Customer Service Centres or Airport Express Customer Service Centres.


Ticket recommendation

Ticket Suggestion and Route Suggestion functions are available on the MTR website; based on trip destination and travel pattern, they can recommend the lowest price ticket type for daily and non-daily commuters. Third parties, such as MTR Service Update, have also developed ticket recommendation capabilities, claiming to be more user-friendly and fare-saving. The Checkfare function at MTR Service Update can recommend whether to interchange at Tsim Sha Tsui or East Tsim Sha Tsui, to receive a better discount. File:Central MTR Octopus gate.jpg, An MTR ticket gate with an Octopus reader File:Mtr ticket, value add machines.jpg, Ticket and add-value machines


Performance

Since the merger in 2007, MTR has consistently achieved a 99.9% on-time rate, meaning 999 of every 1,000 passengers arrives at their destination within 5 minutes of scheduled time. In 2013, out of the 5.2 million passengers the MTR averaged each workday, 5.195 million passengers were considered to have arrived "on time". This makes the MTR one of the most efficient major public transport networks on the planet. MTR must report all delays of more than eight minutes to the government. There were 143 reportable incidents in 2013. MTR is fined HK$1 million for having delays of 31 minutes to an hour, with higher fines for longer delays.


Regulations and safety

According to the Mass Transit Railway By-laws, eating, drinking, or smoking are not allowed in the paid area of stations or in trains. Offenders will be fined up to HK$5000. Various campaigns and activities are taken to help ensure that the MTR is a safe system to travel on. Poster campaigns displaying information on topics such as escalator safety are a common sight in all MTR stations, and announcements are made regularly as safety reminders to travelling passengers. By-laws were also introduced to deter potentially dangerous actions on the MTR, such as the ban on flammable goods on the MTR and rushing into trains when the doors are closing. Penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment have been imposed for such offences. Police officers patrol the trains and stations, and police posts are available at some stations. The Hong Kong Police Force has a Railway District responsible for the MTR. Closed-circuit television cameras are installed in stations and on some of the newer trains. The entire Tung Chung line and Airport Express, as well as the stations added by the Tseung Kwan O line, has platform screen doors (PSDs), ordered from Swiss glass door manufacturer Kaba Group, Kaba Gilgen AG, installed upon construction. So does the entire Tuen Ma line, inherited from KCR. These doors make platforms safer by preventing people from falling onto the rails, even though MTRCL did not heavily promote it directly. However, the primary motivation was to separate the stations from the tunnels, hence allowing substantial energy savings on station air-conditioning and tunnel ventilation (architecture), ventilation. Automatic platform gates (APGs) have also been installed at the Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort stations. Their heights are half of the PSDs and only prevent people from falling onto the rails. MTR has finished installing the APGs on all of the above-ground stations of the MTR except on the East Rail line; they will be installed there as part of the
Sha Tin to Central Link The Sha Tin to Central Link (abbreviated SCL; ) is an extension of the MTR rapid transit network. It is divided into two sections. The first section, named "Tuen Ma line (Phase 1)”, runs from Tai Wai station in the New Territories to Hung ...
project. In June 2000, MTRCL proceeded with plans to retrofit 2,960 pairs of platform screen doors at all 30 underground stations on the Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, and Island lines in a six-year programme. The programme made MTR the world's first railway to undertake the retrofitting of PSDs on a passenger-carrying system already in operation. A prototype design was first introduced at Choi Hung station in the 3rd quarter of 2001. The scheme was completed in October 2005, ahead of the forecast completion date in 2006. MTRCL said that part of the cost had to be assumed by passengers. HK$0.10 per passenger trip was levied on Octopus card users to help fund the HK$2 billion retrofit programme. This levy was ended in 2013 after raising more than HK$1 billion.


Visual identity

The MTR visual identity, which includes logo, vehicle livery, signage, route maps and passenger information, was updated in 1995–1998 by Lloyd Northover, the British design consultancy founded by John Lloyd (graphic designer), John Lloyd and Jim Northover.


Social outreach


Art promotion

With the objective "not only bring MTR passengers more time for life, but also more time for art", the Art in MTR Initiative has been a success since its reception in 1998, where the Airport Express Artwork Programme was the pioneer project. Thereafter, live performances, art exhibitions, display of artwork by established and emerging artists, students and young children have been brought into the MTR stations. MTRCL have even made art part of the station architecture when building new stations or renovating existing ones. Artworks are exhibited in different forms on the network, including "arttube", open art gallery, community art galleries, roving art, living art, and art in station architecture.


MTR Hong Kong Race Walking

MTR and Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates have jointly hosted MTR Hong Kong Race Walking annually in spring since 2005. The race walking competition aims at promoting healthy living in Hong Kong. The race begins and ends on the ground above Central MTR station, namely Chater Garden, Chater Road, Ice House Street and Des Voeux Road Central in Central, Hong Kong, Central. There is a fun walk apart from the regular competition. The event attracted over 800 participants in 2005 and 1,500 in 2012. The event is attended not only by Hongkongers, but also athletes from various countries. The race raises fund for Better Health for a Better Hong Kong, a Hospital Authority project for the working population.


Controversies


Tree removal

The MTR Corporation came under fire in June 2011 after their work on the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link, cross-border high-speed railway line encroached on a conservation area in Pat Heung, Yuen Long. 34 trees were Felling, felled and an entire slope was concreted over in the conservation area. The Environmental Protection Department issued summonses to the corporation for offences under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance. In September 2011, a fine of HK$15,000 was imposed by the court. The MTR Corporation admitted that 34 trees were felled by mistake; all were common native woodland species and no rare tree species were affected. The corporation said owing to a technical misalignment of relevant drawings, the plan submitted to the Environmental Protection Department did not include the part of the Conservation Area which was included in the gazettal plan of their works. The corporation became aware that part of the approved tree removal works may have encroached onto the Conservation Area during construction, and proactively reported the situation to the government. Evaluation and measures have been taken to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The MTR Corporation came under fire again in September 2011 after felling dozens of trees in Admiralty as part of construction work for the South Island line. Green activists denounced the tree felling as "unprofessional", and Ken So Kwok-yin, chief executive of the Conservancy Association and a certified tree arborist, said that the explanations offered by the MTR Corporation as to why the trees were felled were "unacceptable". The MTR Corporation is felling approximately 4,000 trees for the construction of the South Island line, raising concerns from environmental groups and the public about its commitment to protecting Hong Kong's natural environment.


Limits on oversized luggage

The corporation has limits on the size of items allowed on trains. The MTR system is facing pressure from increasing numbers of parallel trading in Hong Kong, parallel traders who carry oversized baggage onto trains for resale in China. The corporation has been criticised for allowing parallel traders to board trains with massive bags, causing undue congestion and inconvenience to residents of the North District (Hong Kong), North District. Furthermore, the corporation accused of double standards in enforcement when images of cross-border smugglers pushing overladen trollies appeared on social network sites on a regular basis, whilst local students carrying large musical instruments were reported to have been stopped and issued with written warnings. Leading musicians joined in the criticism of MTR's stance on large instruments; some citizens invited players of cellos and other large instruments to congregate on 3 October 2015 with their equipment at Tai Wai station, where the majority of these instances occurred. Following the public uproar, MTR issued a press release in the early hours acknowledging discontent and announcing a one-month review of the policy on oversized items to see whether there was room for fine-tuning that would not compromise on passenger safety. The corporation said that staff would continue executing existing policy until any revisions are made.


October 2018 disruption

On 16 October 2018, four MTR lines suffered delays simultaneously, an unprecedented disruption to railway services. MTR stated that initial investigations showed that the problems were related to the computers that control the signalling system, and an in-depth investigation would be carried out.


Cathay Pacific advertisement

In May 2019, the MTR Corporation and the Airport Authority Hong Kong reportedly refused to display a Cathay Pacific advertisement featuring two men holding hands due to its LGBT message.


Involvement in 2019–20 Hong Kong protests


Yuen Long attack

On 21 July 2019, a mob of men dressed in white and carrying wooden sticks and metal pipes entered the MTR's Yuen Long station and assaulted people indiscriminately. The attack is largely believed to have been carried out by pro-Beijing paid thugs. One pregnant woman was hurt and found lying on the floor, and journalists were also attacked. The mob entered the paid area and attacked commuters aboard a train, which was unable to depart. Over 40 people were sent to hospital. After the incident, pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho was accused of supporting the attack.


Prince Edward station attack

On 31 August 2019, during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, anti-extradition bill protests, Special Tactical Squad officers of the Hong Kong Police Force entered
Prince Edward station Prince Edward is a station of the MTR rapid transit system in Hong Kong. It is located in Mong Kok, Kowloon, under the intersection of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West. The station is named after this road. History As Prince Edward wa ...
and attacked people inside. They fired tear gas inside the station and trains, violating guidelines on the use of such products in enclosed spaces. Bystanders were caught in the operation and it has generally been deemed a brutal attempt to stop the protests. Widespread rumours of civilian deaths at the station circulated after discrepancies were noted regarding the number of injuries. The MTR refused to provide CCTV footage filmed during the incident, helping to perpetuate these rumours.


Halting of services

On multiple occasions during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, MTR has sealed off stations close to locations of protest before their starting time. Supporters of the protests have thus criticised MTR of intentionally impeding the public from attending protests and unnecessarily affecting civilians, giving MTR the nickname "CCP railway" (Chinese: :zh:黨鐵, 黨鐵; ). Following a clash between police and protestors in the Yuen Long station on 21 August 2019, the Chinese state media People's Daily published a commentary accusing MTR of "conspiring with protestors" by "arranging special free trains for rioters to escape". In response to the accusation, MTR issued a statement declaring that it will close stations under emergency situations in the future. After that, MTR has on multiple occasions closed off stations close to ongoing protests, for example closing the Lam Tin station, Kwun Tong station and Ngau Tau Kok station on 24 August 2020 before the starting time of a permitted demonstration in Kwun Tong. Similar incidents of varying scale have occurred multiple times later, leading to the criticisms that MTR is cooperating with the government to prevent citizens from attending protests.


Arrangement of train for riot police

On 24 August 2019, MTR arranged a special train exclusively to carry riot police to Kowloon Bay station, which was closed to the public at that time due to the demonstration nearby at Kwun Tong. This has led to criticisms that MTR is assisting the government in oppressing the freedom of assembly and the freedom of expression in Hong Kong.


See also

* List of MTR stations * List of metro systems worldwide * Metro systems by annual passenger rides * MTR fare adjustment mechanism * Other railways in Hong Kong ** Hong Kong Tramways ** Peak Tram * Transport in Hong Kong


Notes


References


External links

*
Urbanrail Page on Hong Kong

Track map
{{Authority control MTR, Underground rapid transit in Hong Kong Rapid transit in Asia, Hong Kong 25 kV AC railway electrification 750 V DC railway electrification 1500 V DC railway electrification