Extension of Island line to Western District

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 on line opened on 28 December 2014; the intermediary Sai Ying Pun station opened on 29 March 2015. The first train went into service that day at 6:00 a.m. Hong Kong time.

Extension of Island Line to Western District 港島綫西延
Overview
Locale	Districts: Central and Western
Termini	Sheung Wan Kennedy Town
Stations	3
Service
Type	Heavy rail (rapid transit)
System	MTR
History
Opened	28 December 2014 (2014-12-28) (HKU and Kennedy Town) 29 March 2015 (2015-03-29) (Sai Ying Pun)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	1.5 kV DC
Route map Colour legend West Island Line Kennedy Town South Island line (West) to Wong Chuk Hang HKU Sai Ying Pun Sheung Wan Island Line to Chai Wan

History

Main article: History of the South Island line and West Island line

Initial proposals

The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC) submitted its first proposal for the West Island line in May 2002. This was similar to the final alignment, with stations at Sai Ying Pun, Belcher and Kennedy Town. In revisions in 2003 and 2004, the West Island line became its own line, which would interchange with the Island line at Sheung Wan or Sai Ying Pun. On 28 May 2004, planning for the line was deferred.

Alignment of Original Scheme

Final scheme

Alignment of the final scheme

On 25 February 2005, the Panel of Transport of Legislative Council had a meeting discussing the West and South Island lines. MTR submitted a revised scheme on 22 February. An introduction to the scheme was conducted in the meeting.

In the scheme, the West Island line included only the extension to Island line. The rest became the west section of South Island line. The Extension of Island line to Western District would run from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town:

• Sheung Wan
• Sai Ying Pun
• HKU, interchange to the South Island Line (West)
• Kennedy Town

The scheme was gazetted in October 2007 and given final authorisation in March 2009. Construction of the 3-kilometre extension started on 10 August 2009, for completion in 2014. The cost of the extension is estimated to be HK$15.4 billion.

Project details

Construction cost

The summary report of the new lines estimated the construction cost for extending the Island Line to the Western District to be HK$15.4 billion as of December 2008. MTR requested government funding for less than half of the total cost, with the remaining construction and operational expenses to be covered by MTR.

• 
  Sai Ying Pun station Exit A1 in April 2014
• 
  Under construction HKU station Exit A

Features

One of the "lift-only" exits at HKU

New Ticket Machines at Kennedy Town

These new stations incorporate features aimed at enhancing services and facilities for passengers. Lift-only entrances have been implemented at HKU and Sai Ying Pun stations, due to their significant depth. These entrances feature multiple high-speed lifts equipped with doors on both sides, enabling transportation of a large number of passengers entering and exiting the stations.

In the event of a fire, these lifts can also serve as evacuation routes. To ensure safety, fire shutters are installed for each lift, which can be lowered, and the air within the lifts can be pressurized to prevent the infiltration of smoke and fire.

New multi-purpose ticket machines are installed in the concourse. Using touch screens, they combine the existing functions of ticket vending machine and add-value machine. They can also be used to purchase single journey and City Saver tickets by cash or Octopus card.

See also

• MTR
• Future projects of the MTR
• South Island line

References

Papers from Government and Legislature

• "Second Railway Development Study (RDS-2)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2008. From Highways Department Hong Kong. Retrieved 27 February 2005.
• "Information paper about the Feb 2005 scheme" (PDF). From Panel of Transport, Legislative Council. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 27 February 2005.
• "Background brief on Route 4, South Hong Kong Island Line and West Hong Kong Island Line" (PDF). From Panel of Transport, Legislative Council. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 27 February 2005.
• "Presentation of Feb 2005 scheme by MTR" (PDF). From Panel of Transport, Legislative Council. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 5 March 2005.

News reports

• Yung, Chester and Chung, Danny. "Western on the MTR track. (1 July 2005). The Standard.

Press releases

• "MTR Corporation welcomes Government's decision on West Island Line and South Island Line" (PDF).. (30 June 2005). From MTR Corporation.
• MTRCL to proceed with preparations for West Island Line. (30 June 2005). From Information Services Department, Government of Hong Kong.

External links

• Official website
• Papers from Legislative Council concerning West Island Line and South Island Line