Type Heavy rail | ||
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Stations 8 (Phase 1)2 (Phase 2) Opened 2019 (Phase 1)2021 (Phase 2) Terminis Hung Hom Station (through service to West Rail Line) | ||
The Sha Tin to Central Link (abbreviated SCL; Chinese: 沙田至中環線) is an under-construction expansion of the MTR rapid transit network in Hong Kong. Its route is divided into two sections.
Contents
The first section (Phase 1) is from Tai Wai Station in the New Territories to Hung Hom Station in Kowloon. The Tai Wai – Hung Hom segment will connect the Ma On Shan Line and West Rail Line forming the East West Corridor. Operation is scheduled for 2019.
In anticipation of the East West Corridor, the existing Kwun Tong Line was extended from its previous terminus at Yau Ma Tei Station to Whampoa Station. This extension includes the new Ho Man Tin Station to provide interchange with the East West Corridor. The Kwun Tong Line Extension was opened on 23 October 2016.
The second section (Phase 2) of the Sha Tin to Central Link is from Hung Hom Station to Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island. The Hung Hom–Admiralty segment will be an extension of the East Rail Line to form the North South Corridor. This cross-harbour extension is scheduled to be completed in 2021.
History
The proposed route of the Sha Tin to Central Link roughly follows the scheme of the original East Kowloon Line, which was proposed in the late 1960s but was not constructed. The Shatin to Central Link was included as one of the Priority Railway Schemes in the Hong Kong government's Railway Development Strategy 2000.
On 25 June 2002, the government announced that the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) had won its bid against the MTR Corporation (MTRC) to build and operate the Shatin to Central Link. The route was originally planned to go from Tai Wai Station to Central West Station (proposed to be located under the Mid-Levels), as an extension of the then-under-construction KCR Ma On Shan Rail (now the Ma On Shan Line).
The KCRC announced modifications to the proposal in 2005, with the East Kowloon portion of the line joining KCR Ma On Shan Rail at Tai Wai and KCR West Rail (now the West Rail Line) at Hung Hom, with the cross-harbour portion joining KCR East Rail (now the East Rail Line) at Hung Hom. Mong Kok Station (now Mong Kok East) would have been relocated, joining a new tunnel to a deeper Hung Hom station platform connecting to the cross-harbour section. Additionally, stations at Tsz Wan Shan and Whampoa Garden were removed from the proposal; the areas would instead have been served by people movers (APMs) from other stations. However, the KCRC's proposal had not yet been finalised.
At the same time, the MTRC submitted a new proposal to the government. According to the proposal, the Kwun Tong Line would be extended from Yau Ma Tei Station to Whampoa Station (as the KCRC had decided to omit Whampoa Garden station from its proposal), and the route of the SCL would follow the KCRC's original proposal instead of the 2005 modified proposal. An underground train depot would have been built beneath the passenger terminal of the former Kai Tak International Airport, adjacent to Prince Edward Road East in Kowloon City; however, under the Kai Tak redevelopment plan released by the government in October 2006, the depot would have to be constructed somewhere else.
MTR–KCR merge plan
On 11 April 2006, MTRC signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the government of Hong Kong, the owner of KCRC, to merge the operations of the territory's two railway networks. According to the memorandum, the MTRC-owned MTR lines will be fully integrated with the Shatin to Central Link, which will be part of the MTR system. The government also intended to choose the KCRC's modified proposal to build the railway, that is, extending the current East Rail Line to Hong Kong Island. However, final decisions were not made before conducting further studies on the proposal with the MTRC.
The new proposal was announced jointly by both companies on 12 July 2007, before the merger of the two rail networks on 2 December that year. Under this proposal, the depot for the Sha Tin to Central Link would have been built underneath the former Tai Hom Village site between Kai Tak and Diamond Hill stations. The people movers were omitted; Causeway Bay North station was also removed from the proposal due to potential adverse effects on road traffic during construction.
The MTRC announced a revised proposal on 11 March 2008. The government would fund all of the required HK$37.4 billion for construction. The Executive Council approved the construction cost of HK$79.8 billion in March 2012 and construction began on 22 June 2012. Under the final proposal, the former Hung Hom Freight Yard adjacent to Hung Hom Station will be converted into stabling sidings for Sha Tin to Central Link trains, and new access tracks will be constructed to link the Sha Tin to Central Link with the former Hung Hom Freight Yard. Central South Station was excluded in the modified plan, as no suitable sites had been found. One station at Hin Keng (just south of Tai Wai) was added to the proposal afterwards, to alleviate congestion at Tai Wai Station.
The 11-kilometre tunnel of the East-West Corridor was fully broken through in August 2016.
Expected commencement
The original commencement date of Phase 1 was 2018; Phase 2 was expected to be completed in 2020 or 2021. Some of the construction work of Phase 2 will follow the completion of Wan Chai Reclamation Phase 2 and Central–Wan Chai Bypass, as there are overlaps between station and tunnels. On November 2014, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung revealed that the project would be delayed by at least another 11 months, caused by archaeological Work at To Kwa Wan Station, and extra enabling works at Exhibition Station for topside development. The authority later submitted a document to the Legislative Council, stating Phases 1 and 2 would be completed in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Construction
As of February 2017, construction and tunnel boring is underway for the sections between the Exhibition station and Causeway Bay, and between Causeway Bay and Kowloon. The MTR corporation has set up an Immersed Tube Tunnel Casting Yard at the site of the former Shek O Quarry at the south side of the Hong Kong Island to pre-assemble sections of the tunnel tubes, which will be then transported by sea and immersed in place.
Route
From the Ma On Shan Line at Tai Wai Station, the East West Corridor will continue southwards on an embankment to Hin Keng Station, and then head southeast in tunnel towards Kowloon. After Diamond Hill Station, the line will turn southwest and continue in tunnel through Kowloon City to Hung Hom Station, interchanging with the Kwun Tong Line extension at Ho Man Tin along the way. At Hung Hom, the East West Corridor will connect to the West Rail Line just south of its new platforms at the station and interchange with the North South Corridor.
The North South Corridor will connect to the East Rail Line north of Hung Hom Station, adjacent to the southern portal of the tunnel under Princess Margaret Road; and will enter a tunnel to new platforms at Hung Hom Station, interchanging with the East West Corridor. The line will then traverse under Victoria Harbour, parallel to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, and then continue in tunnel westwards from the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter to Exhibition and Admiralty stations.
The Kwun Tong Line Extension, an associated project completed in late 2016, is a southeast extension of the Kwun Tong Line from Yau Ma Tei Station to Ho Man Tin Station, where there will be an interchange to the East West Corridor. The line then continues under Wuhu Street and Tak On Street to a single dead-end platform at Whampoa Station.
Rolling Stock
On 11 December 2013, the MTRC awarded the contract for new rolling stock (17 8-car trains) for SCL phase 1 to Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd.. Designed in 14 months, the first train, officially named East West Line Train, arrived in Hong Kong in June 2016 and began passenger service on 12 March 2017.
As for SCL phase 2 trainsets, namely Hyundai Rotem EMU, cost of HK$4 billion. It is manufactured by Hyundai Rotem in South Korea. 37 trainsets will be delivered. The first delivery took place in 2015. All trainsets will in service by 2020.