Kowloon Tong is a station on MTR's Kwun Tong line and East Rail line 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.

Kowloon Tong

九龍塘
MTR MTR rapid transit station
East Rail line Platforms 1 and 2 (2022)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese九龍
Simplified Chinese九龙
JyutpingGau2lung4tong4
Hanyu PinyinJiǔlóngtáng
Literal meaningNine Dragons Pond
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJiǔlóngtáng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationGáulùngtòng
IPA[kɐw˧˥lʊŋ˩tʰɔŋ˩]
JyutpingGau2lung4tong4
General information
LocationSuffolk Road / To Fuk Road, Kowloon Tong
Kowloon City District, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°20′13″N 114°10′34″E / 22.3370°N 114.1762°E / 22.3370; 114.1762
Owned by
Operated byMTR Corporation
Line(s)
Platforms4 (1 island platform on Kwun Tong line and 2 side platforms on East Rail line)
Tracks4
Connections
Construction
Structure type
Platform levels2
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeKOT
History
Opened
Electrified  East Rail line
Services
Preceding station MTR MTR Following station
Shek Kip Mei
towards Whampoa
Kwun Tong line Lok Fu
Mong Kok East
towards Admiralty
East Rail line Tai Wai
towards Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau
Mong Kok East
Terminus
East Rail line
Some rush hour trips
Track layout
Tai Wai Up arrow
Beacon Hill
Tunnel
Right arrow Lok Fu
Shek Kip Mei Left arrow
Mong Kok East Down arrow
Location
Hong Kong MTR system map
Hong Kong MTR system map
Kowloon Tong
Location within the MTR system

The station straddles the boundary between Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District.[1][2]

This station serves as one of four interchange stations for the East Rail line, leading up to the New Territories and entry point to mainland China. Therefore, it is one of the busiest stations in the system.

History

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On 1 October 1910, the KCR British Section opened, including Beacon Hill Tunnel, but without any station at Kowloon Tong. Kowloon Tong station on the KCR opened on 4 May 1982, serving as an interchange point with the MTR.

On 1 October 1979, the first phase of the MTR's Kwun Tong line opened to the public, including Kowloon Tong station. Kumagai Gumi is the main contractor under Contract 205.[3]

A new underground southern concourse for the East Rail line was opened on 15 April 2004 to increase the station's capacity. The project included a new 60-metre (196 ft 10 in) subway linking to the MTR concourse (meaning the station now has two subways for transferring passengers). The new 1,800-square-metre (19,375 sq ft) concourse also included a new entrance (entrance D) on To Fuk Road. A passenger lift was also installed at entrance E at this time.[4][5]

On 2 December 2007, the MTR–KCR merger took place, and Kowloon Tong became solely operated by MTR, but the turnstiles separating the respective concourse of the Kwun Tong line and East Rail line were not removed until 28 September 2008.

Layout

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Kwun Tong line concourse in March 2014
Kwun Tong line platforms in April 2014
Decorations in East Rail line platforms in October 2008
East Rail line platforms in April 2014

There is a reserved space for a track connecting the East Rail line and the Kwun Tong line in the westbound tunnel just outside Kowloon Tong station towards Shek Kip Mei. The space was originally designed to allow the Metro Cammell EMUs to be transferred to the Kwun Tong line when they were unloaded at Hung Hom, but the track was never built as the MTR decided to use lorries to carry all of its train carriages to the Kowloon Bay Depot.[6]

Note that the platforms for both the East Rail line and the Kwun Tong line are called platforms 1 and 2.

U1 overlying buildings Education Bureau Kowloon Education Service Centre
footbridge East Rail line platforms footbridge connecting East Rail line platforms, Festival Walk, Suffolk Road
G Exit H exit, customer service centre, shops
side platform
Platform 1      East Rail line towards Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau (Tai Wai)
Platform 2      East Rail line towards Admiralty (Mong Kok East)
side platform
Exit G exit, transport interchange, taxi stand, customer service centre, shops
Kwun Tong line concourse exits, transport interchange
C/L1/B East Rail line northern concourse customer service centre, shops, toilets, vending machines, automatic teller machines
Kwun Tong line concourse customer service centre, vending machines, automatic teller machines, shops, Octopus promotion machine, iCentre free internet service
East Rail line southern concourse customer service centre, toilets, shops, automatic teller machines
L2 Platform 1      Kwun Tong line towards Tiu Keng Leng (Lok Fu)
island platform
Platform 2      Kwun Tong line towards Whampoa (Shek Kip Mei)

[7]

Entrances and exits

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A pedestrian walkway connects the station with Festival Walk, a major shopping centre.[8]

Kwun Tong line concourse
East Rail line southern concourse
  • D: Public Transport Interchange  [8]
East Rail line northern concourse
East Rail line platform 2 (ground level)
  • G1: To Fuk Road  
  • G2: Festival Walk[8]
East Rail line platform 1 (ground level)
  • H: Hong Kong Productivity Council  [8]

Exit H is also accessible from the East Rail line northern concourse. It is possible to walk between Exit A and E in the vicinity of the station without entering the paid area. The same goes for Exit B, C, F and H.

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References

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  1. ^ "Kowloon City District" (PDF). Electoral Affairs Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Sam Shui Po District" (PDF). Electoral Affairs Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. ^ 地下鐵路 首日通車紀念特刊. 地下鐵路公司. 1979.
  4. ^ "New KCR / MTR interchange subway at Kowloon Tong Station opens tomorrow". Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. 14 April 2004.
  5. ^ "Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Annual Report 2004". Hong Kong Public Libraries. Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. 2005.
  6. ^ 地鐵神秘景點 – Hong Kong Railway Engineering Centre.
  7. ^ "Kowloon Tong Station layout" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Kowloon Tong Station street map" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2014.