Hong Kong MTR: Sha Tin-Central link will be a hit with commuters with launch of cross-harbour stretch, city leader says ahead of long-awaited opening
- Chief Executive Carrie Lam among the first to embark on ride along operational stretch under project previously plagued by years of controversy
- Authorities looking to extend line to Luohu district in Shenzhen to serve as gateway to Greater Bay Area
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has hailed the city’s costliest rail project as one that will be immensely popular among residents, with its long-awaited cross-harbour section set to open on Sunday after repeated delays and cost overruns.
At a ceremony on Saturday at the Exhibition Centre station, ahead of the full opening of the Hung Hom-Admiralty section of the long-overdue HK$90.7 billion (US$11.7 billion) Sha Tin to Central link, Lam said the stretch would bring greater convenience to commuters.
She added that the government was studying the feasibility of extending the line to Luohu district in Shenzhen to serve as a cross-border rail gateway to the emerging Greater Bay Area economic zone.
“This rail section has a strategic function,” she said after taking a ride from Hung Hom to the Exhibition Centre station. “I deeply believe that it will be highly popular among residents following its opening.”
The Hung Hom-Admiralty section – via Exhibition Centre station in Wan Chai North – will open on Sunday, bringing to an end a saga plagued by shoddy work, repeated delays and cost overruns.
The stretch, also known as the cross-harbour extension of the East Rail line, will extend the line’s length to 46km through 16 stations. It will be the fourth cross-harbour railway route connecting the northeastern New Territories, central Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Admiralty station will become a mega interchange point for four lines – East Rail, Tsuen Wan, Island and South Island. Passengers will be able to reach the commercial, convention, exhibition and financial hubs in the Wan Chai North and Admiralty areas without changing lines.
