East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

History

An early predecessor to East Tsim Sha Tsui, named Mariner in the East Kowloon Line 1970 scheme, was intended to provide interchange to Tsim Sha Tsui of the Kong Kow Line (now part of Tsuen Wan Line).

Plans for East Tsim Sha Tsui were subsequently revived in 1993 when the plans for East Kowloon Line were modified to become a medium-capacity system as part of an Eastern Corridor with transfer to the Lantau Airport Railway (now Airport Express and Tung Chung Line). The contract to construct East Tsim Sha Tsui was subsequently awarded to a consortium consisting of Hong Kong-based Gammon Construction and Japan-based Nishimatsu.

East Tsim Sha Tsui was opened on 24 October 2004 as a southward extension of the KCR East Rail from Hung Hom, and served as the southern terminus of the East Rail Line until 16 August 2009. As a result, the 12-car-long platform screen doors give the station the longest platform screen doors in the world. However, due to the shorter length of the West Rail Line trains, the ends of the platforms are now out of use and closed off.

The predecessor of the East Rail Line is the Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section), which was opened in 1910. At the time of opening, its southern terminus was the old Kowloon Station located in Tsim Sha Tsui, where the Clock Tower stands today. However, the old Kowloon Station was closed in 1975, and the southern terminus of the railway was relocated to the newly-built Hung Hom Station. Therefore, the 2004 southward extension between the Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui trains symbolised the return of the railway to the Tsim Sha Tsui area after 30 years.

The status of the East Tsim Sha Tsui station as the southern terminus of the East Rail Line was intended to be a temporary arrangement only. Upon the opening of the MTR Kowloon Southern Link on 16 August 2009, the East Rail Line terminates at Hung Hom to the south again, and the tracks between Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui became part of the West Rail Line. As a result, Hung Hom is now the common southern terminus of (and an interchange station for) the East Rail Line and the West Rail Line, whilst East Tsim Sha Tsui is now an intermediate station on the West Rail Line.

Before the commissioning of the Kowloon Southern Link, this was the only station on the East Rail Line with platform screen doors.

Station layout

Passengers heading towards the Tsuen Wan Line ride the escalator up to the concourse and leave the West Rail Line system. Then they walk along the Middle Road or Mody Road subway system respectively to reach Tsim Sha Tsui station at exits L2 and M3, respectively.

Although the stations are connected by subway, the fare gates for East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui Stations are separated. Single journey ticket passengers transferring from the West Rail Line to the Tsuen Wan Line must purchase a second ticket at Tsim Sha Tsui Station as the ticket is withdrawn once the passengers exit through the turnstiles at East Tsim Sha Tsui station. In contrast, Octopus card users who transfer between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui stations within thirty minutes without making any other transport related purchases or more than nine non-transport related purchases in between stations are considered to have taken a single journey and are charged accordingly. Also, MTR City Saver users who transfer between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui stations within thirty minutes are considered to have taken a single journey and are charged accordingly.

Entrances/exits

East Tsim Sha Tsui Station is linked with Tsim Sha Tsui Station through the Mody Road and Middle Road Subways. When both stations' exits are combined, the total number of exits outnumber even that of Central. Tsim Sha Tsui Station has the exit with the highest letter of all rail stations in Hong Kong.

In Tsim Sha Tsui Station

In East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

Transport interchange

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