83-730: Ma Liu Shui is an area in Sha Tin District , in the New Territories , Hong Kong . The area faces Tide Cove (Sha Tin Hoi) and Tolo Harbour . The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Science Park are located in Ma Liu Shui. Ma Liu Shui is directly and phonetically translated to English from "馬料水" in Cantonese . It literally means "the water that the horses feed on". It
166-473: A branch line, the Sha Tau Kok Railway from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok . This branch was unsuccessful and closed on 1 April 1928 following the opening of a road that ran parallel to the tracks. Through the years, more stations were added to the line. Sheung Shui station was opened in the 1930s, and Ma Liu Shui (now University) station opened in 1955. The KCR engines were powered by steam engines before
249-412: A completely new Beacon Hill Tunnel (Tunnel 2) was constructed and took over the original one; and Tunnel 5 was doubled. The new one is known as Tunnel 5A. The line is currently served solely by nine-car R-Stock trains built by Hyundai Rotem , which entered service on 6 February 2021. Thirty-seven sets were built by Hyundai Rotem between 2014 and 2022. Before the introduction of the new R-Stock trains,
332-696: A first class section. The interior design between the two models is different, and the transverse seating near the ends of the Metro-Cammell carriages has been replaced with longitudinal seating in the Kinki Sharyo models to allow for a wider gangway between compartments. All of the East Rail line Hyundai-Rotem trains are maintained at Ho Tung Lau Depot in Sha Tin. With the construction of the Sha Tin to Central Link, which cannot accommodate trains of greater than nine cars,
415-570: A hundred workers died in the construction. The construction was mainly carried out by the Chinese. The government built camps in Kowloon to support the construction. Most of the railway alignment was on flat land, so construction was relatively easy in those places, however, the construction of the Beacon Hill Tunnel involved digging and blasting. The tunnel's two ends were of soft soil, but the centre
498-545: A minimum of 6 tph during early morning and late night hours. Most trains serve between Admiralty and Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, with one train to Lok Ma Chau following two trains to Lo Wu. However, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations close at approximately 00:30 the next day and 23:00 respectively, which means that Sheung Shui is the northern terminus after both border checkpoints are closed. During peak hours, trains are more frequent, running every 2–3 minutes. Between Sheung Shui and Admiralty, there are 20 tph during morning peak, bringing
581-726: A new terminus site was chosen in Hung Hom . Hung Hom station replaced the old one and the old Hung Hom station in 1975. Today, a clock tower is the only structure left from the old terminus, and is a landmark near the Cultural Centre , Space Museum and the Star Ferry pier . Six pillars dismantled from the original station building were relocated to the Urban Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East . A big bell
664-579: A replacement for the previous Automatic Warning System (AWS) developed in Britain, ensures a safe distance is maintained between trains. It also allowed an increase in train frequencies from 20 to 24 per hour each way. The control centre was also relocated from Kowloon station to a new facility in the KCRC operations headquarters building at KCRC House (now known as the Fo Tan Railway House). Also as part of
747-525: A total of ten sets of doors, each side with five; the introduction of new passenger information plasma display; and more standing space by rearranging seating patterns from the traditional back-to-back seating to a longitudinal design. In 1998, a new signalling system, known as Transmission balise-locomotive (TBL, as used in Belgium), came into operation on the line. This Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system,
830-485: Is Hong Kong's largest museum. The Museum was opened on 16 December 2000 and includes 12 galleries, a café and museum shop. Other attractions include: East Rail line The East Rail line ( Chinese : 東鐵綫 ) is one of the ten lines that form MTR , the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau , both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen and joins in
913-586: Is also estimated that with the completion of the Sha Tin to Central Link (Tai Wai – Hung Hom section), 20% of the current East Rail line passengers will take the new East West Corridor. The SP1900 EMUs were withdrawn from the East Rail line on 6 February 2021 and, together with the SP1900/1950 sets on the West Rail and Ma On Shan lines, are being reconfigured as 8-car trains to serve the Tuen Ma line. The conversion project
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#1732852570691996-504: Is also located in Sha Tin. People typically travel there via the MTR East Rail line and get off at University station . A minibus service operates on campus. Sha Tin is the location for Hong Kong's second equestrian racecourse (the first and most famous being Happy Valley Racecourse ) which has a capacity of 85,000. This course hosted the equestrian events during the 2008 Summer Olympics . The Olympics were hosted by Beijing, but there
1079-787: Is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. As one of the 9 districts located in the New Territories , it covers the areas of Sha Tin , Tai Wai , Ma On Shan , Fo Tan , Siu Lek Yuen , Kwun Yam Shan and Ma Liu Shui . The district is the most populous district in Hong Kong, with a population of 659,794 as per 2016 by-census, having a larger population than many states or dependencies including Iceland , Malta , Montenegro and Brunei . The Sha Tin District covers approximately 69.4 km (26.8 sq. mi), including Sha Tin New Town and several country parks. Built mostly on reclaimed land in Sha Tin Hoi ,
1162-474: Is served by an extensive road network. Four trunk routes on Hong Kong's strategic route network pass through the district: These trunk roads make use of several road tunnels leading to the district. Of these, the Lion Rock Tunnel used by Route 1, is the oldest, having opened in 1967 to replace the overcrowded Tai Po Road to Sham Shui Po . Despite the opening of further tunnels over the years, it remains
1245-480: Is stored at Ho Tung Lau . The original Hung Hom station at Chatham Road South was also demolished. In 1975, the KCR asked two consultancies, Sofrerail and Transmark , to make proposals on the modernisation of the line. In 1979, Transmark's proposal to double-track and electrify the entire line for $ 2.5 billion (in 1979 prices) was accepted by the government. This work involved building a new tunnel through Beacon Hill as
1328-554: Is taking place at MTR's Pat Heung Depot and converted sets are being placed into service on the Tuen Ma line alongside newly delivered CRRC Changchun TML C-trains (nicknamed as the pseudo-SP1900 due to its similarity to the SP1900). The SP1900 first class cars will be shipped back to Kinki Sharyo factory in Osaka , Japan for conversion into standard-class compartments. The Metro-Cammell EMUs were retired on 6 May 2022 after 40 years of service, with
1411-685: The Hong Kong–China border and proceed to Guangzhou , Shanghai and Beijing in Mainland China. Intercity trains did not call at stations in Hong Kong apart from the Hung Hom terminus, where both inbound and outbound passengers complete their Hong Kong immigration and customs clearance. In July 2020, all of the Intercity Through Train routes has been permanently discontinued. As the demand for long-distance train service has been catered to by
1494-698: The KMB and several routes of Green minibuses . Most of them go to the nearby Ma On Shan area. The following KMB bus routes terminate at the University MTR Station bus terminus: Cancelled bus routes which formerly terminated at the University MTR Station Bus Terminus: 22°24′59″N 114°12′32″E / 22.41639°N 114.20889°E / 22.41639; 114.20889 Sha Tin District Sha Tin District
1577-623: The Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section) , the line is the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong. Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail ) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own
1660-571: The MTR railway network, the most of any district in Hong Kong. Five of these stations lie on the East Rail line , namely Tai Wai , Sha Tin , Fo Tan , Racecourse and University . Although all except Racecourse station (which only has service on race days) lie on the original Kowloon–Canton Railway , the oldest in the territory, only Sha Tin station existed at the time the line was inaugurated in 1910, providing direct service to Hung Hom station in Kowloon in
1743-431: The central business district . It is also the city's only railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China . The line is generally double tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day. Opening in 1910 as
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#17328525706911826-485: The 1950s. There were 20 engines. However, diesel engines were purchased starting from 1950, with the first one with number 51. Steam engines then disappeared from KCR. The development of the towns along the line began to grow immensely during the 1970s, prompting a modernisation of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The original Kowloon station terminus at Tsim Sha Tsui was too small and had no room for expansion, so
1909-680: The ATP project, a two kilometre section of the tracks near the Pak Shek Kok reclamation, curving around the former coastline, was straightened out during the mid-1990s. The tracks now run alongside the Tolo Highway . A vestige of the former alignment, an old bridge beside Cheung Shue Tan village built between 1906 and 1909, was identified by the Antiquities and Monuments Office in 2008 as a historic asset. In 2002, an automatic train operation (ATO) system
1992-411: The East Rail line was operated with two types of commuter trains: the 29 refurbished Metro-Cammell EMUs (also known as Mid-Life Refurbished Trains) and eight sets of the newer SP1900 EMUs , manufactured by Kinki Sharyo of Japan in 2001. Both models shared the same exterior colour scheme, door arrangement (five pairs per car, except first class), as well as consisting of 12 carriages per train including
2075-599: The East Rail line were operated by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation until they were absorbed by the MTR Corporation in 2007. Railway connectivity to and from Sha Tin District is expected to be significantly improved following the completion of the Sha Tin to Central Link , which will see extensions to both the East Rail and Ma On Shan lines. The first section, known as Tuen Ma line Phase 1, opened in January 2020, extending
2158-543: The East Rail line would be extended across Victoria Harbour and terminate at Admiralty station , providing a direct service to Hong Kong Island for the first time. A total of 110 franchised bus routes serve various points in Sha Tin District. These are predominantly operated by Kowloon Motor Bus , which has a depot in Siu Lek Yuen. They include a combination of routes entirely within the district, routes connecting
2241-621: The MTR decided in December 2012 to phase out all of the aging Metro-Cammell trains from 2020 and replace them with 37 sets of 9-car R-Stock trains built by Hyundai Rotem of South Korea. In 2020, the MTR purchased an additional 6 trains bringing the total number to 43 sets. The first new train arrived in Hong Kong in September 2015 and entered service in February 2021. They fully replaced the older fleet in time for
2324-543: The Ma Liu Shui area. There is a ferry pier in Ma Liu Shui, from which regular ferry services run to remote areas including the islands of Tap Mun and Ping Chau in the northeast New Territories. The former ferry service to Wu Kai Sha has now been replaced by a bridge across the Shing Mun River Channel to the Ma On Shan area. Next to the railway station, there is a bus terminus. There are several bus routes of
2407-524: The Ma On Shan area. Its nine stations, running between Tai Wai and Wu Kai Sha, were all located within Sha Tin District, and served newly built housing estates along the route. The only interchange between this line and the rest of the network was at Tai Wai, leading to extreme congestion on the East Rail line between this station and Kowloon Tong , which has a connection to the Kwun Tong line . Both this line and
2490-568: The Ma On Shan line to Kai Tak via Diamond Hill , and includes a further station serving Hin Keng at the southern end of Sha Tin District. This is expected to relieve congestion on the East Rail line between Tai Wai and Kowloon Tong. By the end of 2021, the full Tuen Ma line would open with a new route through Kowloon City , merging with the West Rail line at Hung Hom and continuing to the northwestern New Territories via western Kowloon. Finally, in 2022,
2573-477: The SCL project presented an opportunity to improve the line's infrastructure. The local community had long fought for the retrofitting of automatic platform gates (APGs) on East Rail line platforms, yet the pre-SCL signalling system could not support their addition. As construction of the SCL project progressed, advance works for APGs installation including platform structure reinforcement was also carried out. A year after
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2656-512: The Tai Wai area, through the Sha Tin town centre to Tide Cove . It has three main tributaries, namely Tai Wai Nullah , Fo Tan Nullah and Siu Lek Yuen Nullah . Along the Shing Mun River are high-rise residential, commercial and industrial buildings with numerous village type developments scattered around. Sha Tin District is served by a total of fourteen rapid transit stations on two lines of
2739-647: The University Station, whereas a McCafe can be located in Shaw College. New Asia College campus has a Chinese dumpling restaurant. Newer colleges also has quite a number of new food stalls which offers ox tail soup, fish balls and sushi rolls. A KFC is also available in Chung Chi College campus. There is an East Rail line station in Ma Liu Shui just by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The station
2822-532: The borders to Dameisha Beach , Shenzhen in the early 1980s, which had been closed down. Ma Liu Shui is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 91. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money); no government schools are in this net. Tertiary institutions in Ma Liu Shui: Restaurants in Ma Liu Shui spread mainly in 2 area: up on
2905-617: The construction of a railway from Kowloon to Canton (now Guangzhou). The whole project was 87 miles (140 km) long, with 22 miles (35 km) in the British Section and 65 miles (105 km) for the Chinese Section. However, the English could earn 65% of the income while China could only earn 35% of it. Construction started in 1906. The most difficult section was the approx. 7200-foot-long (2195 m) Beacon Hill Tunnel , and about
2988-464: The cross-boundary stations (except approved FCA residents holding a Railcard) are charged at a premium, the proceeds of which is used to cross-subsidise fares of domestic journeys to a certain extent. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Intercity Through Train ( Chinese : 城際直通車 ) service shared tracks with East Rail line domestic service between Hung Hom and Lo Wu. These intercity trains ran across
3071-479: The cross-harbour extension opened, the installation of APGs formally commenced, with the first pairs of APGs at Racecourse and Tai Po Market stations putting into operation on 7 May and 3 June 2023, respectively. Tunnels on the East Rail line have numbers assigned to them. When the railway was first opened, there were five tunnels: During the construction of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel , which opened in 1972,
3154-406: The crowds and its importance. In 2005, Yucca de Lac was closed down. Another familiar landmark is the ferry dock in Ma Liu Shui. It has the only ferry service connecting the public to Tung Ping Chau , at the same time serving as the gathering spot for sightseeing trips to the coasts of New Territories , which explains its popularity on the weekends. It also had had a hovercraft service crossing
3237-638: The district to other parts of the New Territories and Kowloon, and several cross-harbour routes to Hong Kong Island, including one as far as Aberdeen. Furthermore, Long Win Bus operates several routes to Lantau Island, the airport, and the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge , while New World First Bus has express bus service to eastern Hong Kong Island and Tseung Kwan O . The district is also served by various public light bus routes. Sha Tin District
3320-672: The district was built. Several other villages were built along the river after Tai Wai Village. Sha Tin started to be administered by the British Hong Kong government after the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory was signed. The establishment of the Sha Tin station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) in 1910 caused Sha Tin to be the more common name for the area, replacing Lek Yuen ever since. Sha Tin
3403-477: The earliest. There are long distances between University and Tai Po Market stations, between Tai Wo and Fanling stations, and between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau stations; and there are no intermediate stations within these sections. These sections of track are nearby the Science Park , Tai Po Kau , Hong Lok Yuen, Kau Lung Hang village, and Kwu Tung village. However, intermediate stations within some sections of
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3486-641: The existing tunnel was not wide enough to accommodate two tracks. New stations were added, including Kowloon Tong station , which was completed in 1982 to provide an interchange with the new MTR network. Tai Po Kau station and the original Tai Po Market station were closed, with the latter being redeveloped into the Hong Kong Railway Museum . The development finished in sections between 1982 and 1983, with new Metro Cammell EMUs , manufactured by Metro-Cammell in England, replacing diesel locomotives . With
3569-496: The first class car is common during rush hour. Riding on this carriage costs twice that of a standard-class journey and passengers are required to buy the first class ticket (at the vending machine on East Rail line stations or ticket counters at the other stations) or revalidate their Octopus cards on the first class reader (located at the station platforms and beside the gangway door of the First class compartment itself) before entering
3652-474: The first class carriage), when trains once ran on four three-car EMUs. All but three of the 351 railcars were refurbished; the only unit exempt from refurbishment was unit E44 (144-244-444), which is currently stored in Ho Tung Lau depot. The yellow-cab train was formally retired with a "Farewell Ride" on 31 October 1999. When refurbished, each set was still made up of 12 cars (with one first-class car). Prior to
3735-448: The first-class car. Ticket Inspectors will perform random checks on train, and passengers failing to produce a valid first class ticket or validated Octopus Card will be liable to a surcharge of $ 1000. Domestic trains on the East Rail line operate from around 05:30 to 01:00 the next day, running at around 3–8 minute intervals for most part of the day. Trains operate at roughly 15–16 trains per hour (tph) per direction off-peak, and drops to
3818-406: The form of 37 nine-car R-Trains , which would completely replace all existing trains used on the line. The new signalling system was slated to replace the old ones on 12 September 2020 and R-Trains would start carrying passengers on the same day, but one day before the changeover, the discovery of abnormalities that misrouted Lok Ma Chau bound trains into tracks towards Lo Wu on three occasions during
3901-529: The hill inside the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) campus, and the Science Park along to coast. In between these 2 areas, tourist may also find a dining option in the Kerry Lake Egret Nature Park (白鷺湖互動中心). A large group of small restaurants and canteens can also be found inside the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus to serve both the students and staff. A Maxim fastfood can be found in
3984-450: The horse may have originated from there, therefore the sense of belonging. They named the area "馬嫽水", which translates to "Ma Liu Shui" because of this. Ma Liu Shui was a barren land inhabited by Hakkas until in 1956, Chung Chi College was allowed 10 acres of land in Ma Liu Shui to build their campus upon, alongside opened a KCR station also named 'Ma Liu Shui station' for people's convenience. In 1963, Chinese University of Hong Kong
4067-412: The last train leaving Hung Hom at 13:00, departing for Sha Tin, and ending service there to a large crowd who took the train. The East Rail line is the only railway in Hong Kong to offer first class commuter service. One car of each train is designated as a first class carriage (Northbound Car No.4 and Southbound Car No.6). These compartments have softer and wider seat arrangements; however, standing in
4150-465: The line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC. The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009, while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic , with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings. The United Kingdom and China signed an agreement to cooperate on
4233-399: The line once MFO started). Passenger services started on the cross-harbour extension on 15 May 2022. The extension allows New Territories East residents to reach the central business district in one train ride. During the first two weeks after the extension's commissioning, the patronage of the line's critical link, that is the section from Tai Wai to Kowloon Tong, during the busiest hour in
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#17328525706914316-506: The modernisation of the railway and the concurrent urbanisation of the New Territories, ridership rose quickly, from a daily average of 190,000 in 1983 to 491,000 in 1990. A temporary station in Tai Wai opened in 1983 while the permanent Tai Wai station was completed in 1986. Fo Tan station opened in 1985 to serve the expanding industrial estate. Tai Wo station opened in 1989 to serve Tai Wo Estate and to replace Tai Po Kau station . The 1990s saw more rapid development and changes within
4399-502: The morning peak recorded a 27% increase from 26,000 to 33,100 pphpd . As the need to transfer from the line to other MTR lines (at Kowloon Tong or Hung Hom / East Tsim Sha Tsui) or cross-harbour tunnel buses (at Hung Hom) for destinations on Hong Kong Island is now eliminated, the new extension had relieved the critical links on Tsuen Wan line and Kwun Tong line of around 20% and 10% loading during morning peak, respectively. The introduction of new trains and signalling systems under
4482-895: The most direct route to central Kowloon, and thus the most heavily travelled. The Lion Rock Tunnel was followed by the Shing Mun Tunnels on Route 9 in 1990, the Tate's Cairn Tunnel on Route 2 in 1991, and most recently the Tsing Sha Highway on Route 8 (consisting of the Eagle's Nest Tunnel and Sha Tin Heights Tunnel ) in 2008. Other major roads in the area include Sha Lek Highway linking central Sha Tin to Ma On Shan, Sha Tin Road linking eastern Sha Tin to Fo Tan, Tate's Cairn Highway linking eastern Sha Tin to Ma Liu Shui, Tolo Highway linking Sha Tin to
4565-412: The natural border between Hong Kong and Mainland China. Trains had to stop at Lo Wu station after Communist China closed the border and suspended the through train service in 1949. The line was generally single track, with a passing loop at each station. It was originally built with narrow gauge tracks, but just before opening standard gauge track was laid and the original tracks were used to build
4648-408: The new Guangshengang XRL which opened 2018, there are currently no plans to resume the Intercity Through Train service despite the reopening of the border in 2023. This is a list of the stations on the East Rail line. In May 2008, MTR announced plans to renew many stations, some of which have been in service for over half a century. Refurbishment is not expected to be fully completed until 2016 at
4731-464: The north at Sheung Shui and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island . At approximately 46 km (29 mi), the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line ) is the second longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line . The line's colour is light blue, formerly navy blue before the KCR/MTR merger. The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui , Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and
4814-407: The northern districts, and Sai Sha Road linking Ma On Shan to Sai Kung . A network of cycle tracks throughout Sha Tin measures about 50 km long and is the longest cycle track network in Hong Kong. Schools with Misplaced Pages articles: There are four hospitals in Sha Tin District: Local and tourist attractions in the Sha Tin area include, most famously, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum , which
4897-408: The opening of the Hung Hom to Admiralty section of the Sha Tin to Central Link on 15 May 2022. Due to the shorter train length, there are concerns that the new formation may worsen the existing overcrowding problem. However, the Transport and Housing Bureau and MTRC suggest that the new signaling system and higher train speeds will increase the train frequency from three minutes down to two minutes. It
4980-447: The parallel Fo Tan station. Trains terminating at Racecourse might also be operated. Both Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations are integrated with immigration control points between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The two stations are located within the Frontier Closed Area (FCA) and access is restricted to genuine boundary-crossing passengers with a valid travel document, and nearby residents holding Closed Area Permits. Journeys to and from
5063-476: The railway was extended in tunnel to a new southern terminus at East Tsim Sha Tsui station . On 28 December 2004, a branch to the East Rail, the Ma On Shan Rail was added, with an interchange at Tai Wai. On 15 August 2007, an extension from Sheung Shui station northwest through a tunnel to Lok Ma Chau station was opened. This provides a second border crossing between Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China. The Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network, of which East Rail
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#17328525706915146-410: The railway. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) signed a contract with Anglo-French manufacturing giant GEC-Alsthom to refurbish the Metro-Cammell EMUs at the East Rail depot at Ho Tung Lau . In 1996, the first refurbished train was put into service on the line, which was now known as KCR East Rail ( 九廣東鐵 ), and trains now allow passengers to traverse from one end to another (except for
5229-422: The region around four thousand years ago. Sha Tin was formerly named Lek Yuen , literally meaning the "source of trickling" or "source of clear water". The area of the present day Sha Tin was populated before the Ming Dynasty . As the Shing Mun River runs across the district, most local residents were farmers and relied on agriculture for living. In 1579, Tai Wai Village , the oldest and largest walled village in
5312-413: The rule proclaimed in 1994 which fixed the number of cars on each set to 12, trains were inconsistent in terms of length, ranging from six cars (two EMUs), nine cars (three EMUs) to 12 cars (four EMUs). In terms of appearance, trains no longer have the monotonous design of having a red stripe running across the middle from the cab to the end; the doors now have a red coating, and the window panes along with
5395-460: The same year, Yucca de Lac had opened near the Chinese University of Hong Kong . In between 1969 and 1973, the various academic buildings of CUHK and New Asia and United College moved into their new premises next to Chung Chi College . During the 1980s, University station (MTR) became a main transit station for locals because of the redevelopment of the new town in Ma On Shan . The opening of Ma On Shan line in December 2004 helped dilute
5478-510: The same year. Phase 2 of the link is a southern extension of East Rail line which takes the line southward across Victoria Harbour to a new terminus, Admiralty station, on Hong Kong Island . The extension also includes an intermediate station at Exhibition . In preparation for this extension, the TBL and ATO signalling systems in use on the East Rail line were replaced by the Trainguard MT communications-based train control system supplied by Siemens. The line also received new rolling stock in
5561-400: The section of tracks near Oi Man Estate , Ho Man Tin was covered to construct the section of Princess Margaret Road connecting to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. A new tunnel was therefore created and given the number 1A. During the modernisation of the line in the early 1980s, Tunnels 1, 3, 4 were removed by demolishing the mounds above them. Tunnel 1A already had double track width when built;
5644-418: The south and the mainland border crossings at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau in the north. The other four stations were added later, mostly during the electrification of the line in the 1980s, as a result of the development of the Chinese University, Sha Tin Racecourse, and Sha Tin New Town. The Ma On Shan line , a branch of the East Rail line, began service in December 2004, serving the eastern parts of Sha Tin and
5727-415: The system reliability tests was revealed by a media report. The changeover of signalling systems was eventually postponed to 6 February 2021. From that day until 6 May 2022, East Rail line entered the stage of "Mixed Fleet Operation" (MFO) in which new 9-car trains were put to service, running alongside and gradually replacing the legacy 12-car Metro-Cammell EMUs (the SP1900 EMUs were removed from service on
5810-481: The train frequency up to 2.7-3.8 minute intervals. Additional short-haul trains would also depart from Tai Po Market and Sha Tin, augmenting the number of trains south of Sha Tin to 23 tph. The line's usual service patterns on non-race days could be summarised as follows:- Racecourse station is only open to passenger traffic during horse racing meetings at the Sha Tin Racecourse , during which some trains would be channelled through Racecourse instead of calling at
5893-402: The upper part are fashioned with blue paint. The original design of the train front, encapsulating the driver's cab and commonly referred to as the "Yellow-cab", was replaced with a more modern design capped with a silver coating, and a digital display added providing the train's destination. The design of the EMU was modified as well: four more sets of doors being added to each car, adding up to
5976-541: The well-developed Sha Tin New Town comprises mainly residential areas along the banks of the Shing Mun River Channel . In the early 1970s it was a rural township of about 30,000 people. After Sha Tin's first public housing estate, Lek Yuen Estate , was completed in 1976, the settlement began to expand. Today, about 65% of the district's population live in public rental housing, housing under Hong Kong's Tenants Purchase Scheme , or Home Ownership Scheme . According to archeological discoveries, there were inhabitants settled in
6059-541: Was a former market town at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre. Sha Tin Town was the second batch of satellite towns, or new towns , to be built in the New Territories, on land reclaimed from the sea . In addition to the residential areas, there are four industrial areas for light industries: Tai Wai , Fo Tan , Siu Lek Yuen and Shek Mun . The Chinese University of Hong Kong
6142-495: Was added to TBL, which controls the speed of the train for the driver and ensures that all trains will stop when arriving at every station. Under normal circumstances, most trains are operated in ATO mode except for scenarios such as operation of trains in and out of train depots, driver training, or at times when the ATO system fails to function properly. However, intercity trains using the East Rail line continue to operate on AWS. In 2004,
6225-530: Was called the "Chinese Section" (now the Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway ). Initially, service was only provided from Yaumati station to Fanling station with a tunnel through Beacon Hill . After the "Chinese Section" was completed, through train service to Canton through Sham Chun (now Shenzhen ) became available. Lo Wu station also serves as a border crossing, with a bridge across the Sham Chun River ,
6308-485: Was completely suspended. Northbound trains terminated at Sheung Shui for three years, until Lok Ma Chau crossing was reopened on 8 January 2023 following the lifting of travel restrictions. Lo Wu station reopened to cross-boundary passengers on 6 February 2023, after completion of renovation. First conceived in 1967, the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) expansion project received approval in 2012, and began construction later in
6391-568: Was concern over proper quarantine and disease monitoring in the Chinese capital. Penfold Park is located inside the racecourse and closed on race days. It is best accessed via the Fo Tan station . Sha Tin Park is another major park located in Sha Tin. The Shing Mun River is a 7 km long, 200m wide channel originating at the Shing Mun Reservoir ( Tai Mo Shan catchment) that runs as a river from
6474-449: Was established, setting its campus in Ma Liu Shui. Chung Chi College was therefore expanded, the original KCR station renamed as University station. Ma Liu Shui Village was relocated to its present site in between Lung Yeuk Tau and Kwan Tei , belonging to the Rural committee of Fanling district, and was renamed 'Ma Liu Shui San Tsuen', literally meaning the new village of Ma Liu Shui. In
6557-409: Was granite. This caused a delay in construction as it was not suitable to use explosives at the two ends while the explosives could not blast off a lot of rock in the centre. The railway line to the Chinese border, then called the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) (KCRBS; 九廣鐵路英段 ), opened for passenger services on 1 October 1910. The remaining section from Lo Wu to Canton (now Guangzhou )
6640-454: Was originally known as Ma Liu Shui Station, but was later renamed University station . This is also because the Chinese University of Hong Kong is more well-known than the name "Ma Liu Shui". The Cantonese phonetics also had significant similarities with Ma Niu Shui (馬尿水), prompting the successful lobby of its name change in 1967. The station sign was changed on 1 January 1967. The MTR plans to build another station called " Science Park " in
6723-510: Was originally named "馬嫽水", with the same phonetic translation, literally meaning "the water that the horses play in". According to legend of Hakkas, hundreds of years ago when the government of Bao'an County was riding his horse around towns to announce the collection of rice and crops, the horse stopped in the area and went down the hills to drink and play in the lake. It would not leave and looked as if it were at home. The Hakka villagers observed this strange phenomena and cleverly suggested that
6806-521: Was part of, was amalgamated into the MTR system on 2 December 2007. The KCR East Rail was renamed the East Rail line. At that time, the line terminated at East Tsim Sha Tsui in the south, and Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau in the north. On 16 August 2009, Hung Hom became the southern endpoint of both the East Rail line and West Rail Line after the completion of the Kowloon Southern Link . The section of East Rail line between Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui
6889-592: Was taken over by the West Rail line, with the latter station becoming an intermediate stop on West Rail line (now part of Tuen Ma line). As the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect Hong Kong in early 2020, the Hong Kong government closed all border crossings on the land boundary with Mainland China, including the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line control points, on 3 February. During the closure, Lo Wu station served only certified residents nearby, while passenger service at Lok Ma Chau
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