The East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension in Hong Kong commenced its operations on 15 May 2022. This marks an important milestone for the century-old railway as it extends across Victoria Harbour to the city’s core business district, connecting the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong island.

With this extension, the East Rail Line is now 46-km long consisting of 16 stations, including the new Exhibition Centre and Admiralty stations. The line has also become the fourth cross-harbour railway line after the Tsuen Wan Line, Tung Chung Line and Tseung Kwan O Line. [Scroll down to watch video of the tunnel construction work on this new line].

The new Exhibition Centre station is located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai North, while the new Admiralty station is a mega interchange station of four railway lines (East Rail Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line and South Island Line). 

There are now four interchange stations in total, namely Tai Wai, Kowloon Tong, Hung Hom and Admiralty stations, allowing passengers to make connections easily between the East Rail Line and five other railway lines – the Tuen Ma Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line and South Island Line.

Along with construction of the East Rail Line extension across the harbour, MTR Corporation said it has also upgraded 12 existing stations on the line and introduced a new train fleet.

Dr Jacob Kam, CEO of MTR Corporation, commented, “The service commencement of the East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension, which also involves the opening of the Exhibition Centre station and extensions of Admiralty and Hung Hom stations and the introduction of new trains and signalling system, were made possible with the great work of the MTR team – including colleagues in railway design, construction and operations. The effort and support from the relevant government departments, contractors and the community were also critical to its successful completion.”

All images: MTR Corporation