Sha Tin to Central Link

Sha Tin to Central Link 沙田至中環線
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
System	MTR
Locale	Districts: Sha Tin, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon City, Wan Chai, Central and Western
Termini	Tai Wai (through service to Ma On Shan Line) Hung Hom (through service to West Rail Line) Admiralty (transfer to Island Line)
Stations	8 (Phase 1) 2 (Phase 2)
Operation
Opened	2019 (Phase 1) 2021 (Phase 2)
Owner	Hong Kong Government
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
Depot(s)	Tai Wai, Hung Hom
Technical
Line length	17 km (11 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC
Route map Legend Colour legend East West Corr. ext. (2019) North South Corr. ext. (2021) Kwun Tong Line Ext. (2016) East Rail Line (NSC) to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau Ma On Shan Line (EWC) to Wu Kai Sha Tai Wai Tai Wai Depot Hin Keng Diamond Hill Kwun Tong Line to Tiu Keng Leng Kai Tak To Kwa Wan Ma Tau Wai Tsuen Wan Line to Tsuen Wan Yau Ma Tei Ho Man Tin Whampoa Hung Hom (Through Train) West Rail Line (EWC) to Tuen Mun Victoria Harbour Exhibition Island Line to Chai Wan Admiralty South Island Line to South Horizons Island Line to Kennedy Town Tsuen Wan Line to Central

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.

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[3]:35

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.^[4]

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,^[5] 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.

 Stations of previous proposals 

KCRC proposal (2002)		KCRC revised proposal (2005)	MTRC proposal (2005)	KCRC–MTRC proposal (2007)
(to Ma On Shan Rail) Tai Wai      Tsz Wan Shan Diamond Hill      Kai Tak Ma Tau Wai To Kwa Wan Ho Man Tin Whampoa Garden Hung Hom           Exhibition Admiralty           Central West		Ma On Shan Rail East Kowloon Extension (to Ma On Shan Rail) Tai Wai      Diamond Hill      (APM to Tsz Wan Shan) Kai Tak To Kwa Wan / Ma Tau Wai Ho Man Tin Hung Hom      (APM to Whampoa Garden) (to West Rail) East Rail Cross-harbour Extension (to East Rail) Mong Kok (relocated) Hung Hom (relocated)      (APM to Whampoa Garden) Causeway Bay North Exhibition Admiralty           Central West	Shatin to Central Link Tai Wai           Tsz Wan Shan Diamond Hill      Kai Tak Ma Tau Wai To Kwa Wan Ho Man Tin      Hung Hom           Exhibition Admiralty           Central West                     Kwun Tong Line Extension (to Kwun Tong Line) Yau Ma Tei Ho Man Tin      Whampoa	East-west Line (to Ma On Shan Line) Tai Wai      Diamond Hill      Kai Tak Ma Tau Wai To Kwa Wan Ho Man Tin      Hung Hom      (to West Rail Line) North-south Line (to East Rail Line) Hung Hom (relocated)      Exhibition Admiralty           Central South Kwun Tong Line extension (to Kwun Tong Line) Yau Ma Tei Ho Man Tin      Whampoa
Legend	KCR East Rail      KCR West Rail      KCR Ma On Shan Rail      MTR Shatin to Central Link      MTR North-south Line      MTR East-west Line      MTR Kwun Tong Line      MTR Tsuen Wan Line      MTR Island Line      MTR Tung Chung Line      MTR Airport Express

The MTRC announced a revised proposal on 11 March 2008. The government would fund all of the required HK$37.4 billion for construction.^[6] The Executive Council approved the construction cost of HK$79.8 billion in March 2012^[7][8] and construction began on 22 June 2012.^[9] 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.^[10] Central South Station was excluded in the modified plan, as no suitable sites had been found.^[3]:39[11] One station at Hin Keng (just south of Tai Wai) was added to the proposal afterwards,^[12] to alleviate congestion at Tai Wai Station.^[10]

On 11 December 2013, the MTRC awarded the contract for new rolling stock (14 8-car trains) for SCL phase 1 to Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd.. Designed in 14 months, the first train arrived in Hong Kong in September 2015 and began passenger service on 2 January 2016.^[13][14] The 11-kilometre tunnel of the East-West Corridor was fully broken through in August 2016.^[15]

Expected commencement

The original commencement date of Phase 1 was 2018. The 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 Development Phase 2 and Central–Wan Chai Bypass, as there are overlaps between station and tunnels. ^[16] On November 2014, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung revealed there was at least 11-month deferral, caused by archaeological Work at To Kwa Wan Station, and extra enabling works for this topside development. The authority later submitted document to Legislative Council, the Phase 1 and 2 would be completed in 2019 and 2021 respectively.^[17]。

Route

The route of the Sha Tin to Central Link, per the 2008 revised proposal

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.^[12]

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.^[12]

The Kwun Tong Line extension will connect to the current end of the Kwun Tong Line at Yau Ma Tei Station, and then continue southeast in tunnel under Gascoigne Road, afterwards curving northeast and then southwest towards Ho Man Tin Station, where there will be an interchange to the East West Corridor. The line will then continue under Wuhu Street and Tak On Street to a single dead-end platform at Whampoa Station.^[18]

Stations

Livery and name		District	Connections	Opening date
East West Corridor
↑ Ma On Shan Line to Wu Kai Sha
	Tai Wai	Sha Tin	North South Corridor	21 December 2004
	Hin Keng			2019
	Diamond Hill	Wong Tai Sin	Kwun Tong Line
	Kai Tak	Kowloon City
	To Kwa Wan
	Ma Tau Wai
	Ho Man Tin		Kwun Tong Line
	Hung Hom	Yau Tsim Mong	North South Corridor Through Train services to Mainland China	30 November 1975[lower-alpha 1] being relocated 2019
↓ West Rail Line to Tuen Mun
North South Corridor
↑ East Rail Line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau
	Hung Hom	Yau Tsim Mong	East West Corridor Through Train services to Mainland China	30 November 1975 being relocated 2019
	Exhibition	Wan Chai	North Island Line (under planning)	2021
	Admiralty	Central and Western	Island Line,      Tsuen Wan Line and      South Island Line (2016)
Kwun Tong Line extension
↑ Kwun Tong Line to Tiu Keng Leng
	Yau Ma Tei	Yau Tsim Mong	Tsuen Wan Line	31 December 1979
	Ho Man Tin	Kowloon City	East West Corridor (2019)	23 October 2016
	Whampoa

Notes

1. Originally opened as part of the East Rail Line (then the KCR British Section).

References

1. "MTR Updates Construction Progress on SIL(E) and KTE Railway Projects" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 2014-06-12.
2. "MTR – Shatin to Central Link - Project Details - Programme". MTR Corporation. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
3. "Review and Update of the Railway Development Strategy 2000 – Executive Summary" (PDF). Highways Department of the Government of Hong Kong. September 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
4. "Diamond Hill eyed for train depot", The Standard, 13 November 2006.
5. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr06-07/chinese/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp0716cb1-2058-1-c.pdf
6. "政府全資374億建沙中線(A4)". Ming Pao. 12 March 2008.
7. "行會拍板港鐵沙中綫上馬 (lit. Executive Council has approved Sha Tin to Central Link.)". Sing Tao Daily. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
8. "Gazettal of Shatin to Central Link". Press releases. Hong Kong Government. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
9. 政務司司長出席沙中線動工典禮致辭全文 (in Chinese). Hong Kong Government News Archives. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
10. "MTR - Shatin to Central Link - FAQ". MTR Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
11. "政府全資374億建沙中線(A4)". Ming Pao. 2008-03-12.
12. "MTR - Shatin to Central Link - Project Details - Alignment". www.mtr-shatincentrallink.hk. MTR Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
13. "Shatin to Central Link (SCL)". Railway Technology. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
14. "MTR - Shatin to Central Link - Construction - New Trains". 2016-03-20. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
15. "11-km East-West Corridor tunnel of the Shatin to Central Link broken through" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
16. (PDF). Legislative Council. 31 March 2016 沙田至中環線工程的最新進展 http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr15-16/chinese/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp20160627cb4-1136-3-c.pdf 沙田至中環線工程的最新進展 Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
17. "港鐵沙中綫通車日期需延遲約一年". 香港電台. 2015年3月4日. Check date values in: |date= (help)(traditional Chinese)
18. "MTR - Kwun Tong Line Extension > Project Details > Key Information". www.mtr-kwuntonglineextension.hk. MTR Corporation. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.