Tung Chung line

Tung Chung line
Tung Chung line
Traditional Chinese	東涌綫
Simplified Chinese	东涌线
Literal meaning	East (of a) branch of a river line
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Dōngchōng xiàn
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	dūng chūng sin
Jyutping	dung1 cung1 sin3

Tung Chung line
東涌綫
Tung Chung line; 東涌綫
	A Tung Chung line CAF–train approaching Sunny Bay station, bound for Hong Kong
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	MTR Corporation
Locale	Districts: Islands, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Central & Western
Termini	Tung Chung; Hong Kong;
Connecting lines	Airport Express; Disneyland Resort line; Tsuen Wan line; Tuen Ma line; Island line;
Former connections	West Rail line
Stations	8
Color on map	Orange (#F7943E)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	MTR
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
Depot(s)	Siu Ho Wan
Rolling stock	Adtranz–CAF EMU; Rotem EMU;
Ridership	236,900 daily average ; (weekdays, September 2014)
History
Opened	22 June 1998; 26 years ago
Technical
Line length	31.1 km (19.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track (shares tracks with Airport Express from Tung Chung to Tsing Yi and Kowloon to Hong Kong); Double-track (separate tracks from Airport Express from Tsing Yi to Kowloon);
Track gauge	1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
Electrification	1.5 kV DC (Overhead line)
Operating speed	Average: 80 km/h (50 mph); Maximum: 135 km/h (84 mph);
Signalling	Advanced SelTrac CBTC (future)
Train protection system	SACEM (to be replaced)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Tseung Kwan O line (NIL)
	to Po Lam or LOHAS Park
	Tsuen Wan line
	to Tsuen Wan
	Island line
	to Chai Wan
	Island line
	to Kennedy Town
	Tuen Ma line
	to Wu Kai Sha
	Tuen Ma line
	to Tuen Mun
	Tsuen Wan line
	to Central
	Tsuen Wan line
	to Tsuen Wan
	Disneyland Resort line
	to Disneyland Resort
	Airport Express
	to AsiaWorld–Expo
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Tung Chung line (Chinese: 東涌綫) is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, linking the town of Tung Chung with central Hong Kong. It was built in the 1990s as part of the Airport Railway project, part of the construction of the new Chek Lap Kok Airport. The line currently travels through eight stations in 31 minutes along its route. The line is coloured orange on the MTR system map.

History

In October 1989, the Hong Kong government announced plans to build a new airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok to replace the overcrowded Kai Tak International Airport in the heart of Kowloon.^[5]

As part of the initiative, the government invited the MTR Corporation to build a rail link to the new airport. The project initially saw opposition from the Chinese government as it feared the construction would drain the fiscal reserves of the Hong Kong government and leave the Chinese with nothing after the British handed the territory over in 1997.

Both the Chinese and British governments reached an agreement and construction commenced in November 1994. The line was originally named Lantau line but was later renamed Tung Chung line during the construction.

The Lantau Airport rail link consists of two train lines, the Tung Chung line and the Airport Express. Both lines deploy the same rolling stock with differences in interior fittings and liveries. The consultants for the Lantau Airport Railway, such as Arup, Halcrow, Meinhardt, Hyder Consulting, and others, at the time of the construction.^[6]

On 22 June 1998, the Tung Chung line was officially opened by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, and service commenced the next day.^[7]

On 16 December 2003, an open house for charity took place at the recently completed Nam Cheong station, an interchange between the Tung Chung line and soon to be opened West Rail line. The station then closed on 19 December 2003 in preparation for the opening of the new KCR West Rail, and it was officially opened to public on 20 December 2003. Since then, the number of cars per train has increased from seven to eight to accommodate the additional patronage.

Sunny Bay station opened on 1 June 2005 as an interchange for the Disneyland Resort line. The resort opened its door two months after the station became operational.

Between 2006 and 2007, four new trains entered service to improve service frequency. The first train was delivered on 9 February 2006 and entered service on 12 June 2006. Modifications were added to the platforms to accommodate the new trains, which are a few millimetres wider than the original rolling stock.

Route map

Rolling stock

MTR Tung Chung line Rolling stock
Model	Manufacturedd	Time of manufacturing	Sets	Formation	Notes
CAF-Train	Adtranz and CAF	1996-1997	12	V-W-X-Y-W-X-Z-V
K-Train	Rotem	2004-2005	4	V-Z-X-Y-W-X-Z-V

Route description

Unlike most other railway lines in the system, the Tung Chung line travels mostly above ground and spans a greater distance. The line shares its trackage with the Airport Express before diverging in Tung Chung.

The line travels underground from Hong Kong station to Kowloon station across the harbour, then surfaces to the ground to reach Olympic station. Trains continue to travel above ground along the West Kowloon Expressway and stops at Nam Cheong station, followed by Lai King station on a viaduct. Thereafter the line crosses the Rambler Channel and stops at Tsing Yi station on Tsing Yi Island.

Trains then enter a tunnel through the hills of the island and continues on the Tsing Ma Bridge and the Kap Shui Mun Bridge onto Lantau Island. The line continues along the North Lantau Expressway and stops at Sunny Bay before terminating at Tung Chung. The distance between the two stops is roughly 10 km (6.2 mi) and takes approximately 6 minutes to complete.

Some outbound trains do not continue to Lantau but terminate at Tsing Yi station due to the capacity constraint of the Tsing Ma Bridge which only allows a maximum of one train per track at all times.^[8]

A Tung Chung line CAF-train at Sunny Bay station as viewed from the footbridge
A Tung Chung line K-train approaching Sunny Bay station, bound for Hong Kong
Exterior of Tung Chung station
Upper platform level of Lai King station

Nam Cheong station; interchange with Tuen Ma Line
Olympic station concourse
Kowloon station, Tung Chung line platform
Hong Kong station, Tung Chung line platform

Stations

This is a list of the stations on the Tung Chung line.

List

Livery	Station Name		Images	Interchange; Adjacent transportation	Opening	District
Livery	English	Chinese	Images	Interchange; Adjacent transportation	Opening	District
Tung Chung Line (TCL)
	Tamar	添馬		Tseung Kwan O line	TBA	Central and Western
	Hong Kong	香港		Airport Express Central: Tsuen Wan line Island line	22 June 1998; 26 years ago	Central and Western
	Kowloon	九龍		Airport Express Austin: Tuen Ma line West Kowloon: High-speed rail services to Mainland China		Yau Tsim Mong
	Olympic	奧運		—		Yau Tsim Mong
	Nam Cheong	南昌		Tuen Ma line	20 December 2003; 20 years ago	Sham Shui Po
	Lai King	茘景		Tsuen Wan line	22 June 1998; 26 years ago	Kwai Tsing
	Tsing Yi	青衣		Airport Express	22 June 1998; 26 years ago	Kwai Tsing
	Sunny Bay	欣澳		Disneyland Resort line	1 June 2005; 19 years ago	Tsuen Wan
	Oyster Bay	小蠔灣		—	2030; 6 years' time	Islands
	Tung Chung East	東涌東		—	2029; 5 years' time
	Tung Chung	東涌		Ngong Ping Cable Car	22 June 1998; 26 years ago
	Tung Chung West	東涌西		—	2029; 5 years' time

Design limitations

When British Hong Kong was planning to build the Airport Railway (Tung Chung line and Airport Express) in the 1990s, which was a few years before the handover to China, the Chinese government raised concerns about the effect of the project on the territory's fiscal reserves, which eventually forced the Hong Kong government to reduce the cost of the Airport Railway. The resulting changes made to the design imposed limitations on the level of service on the line.^[9]

The airport rail link was originally designed to accommodate four tracks, two each for the Airport Express and Tung Chung line. It was later reduced to two tracks where both services share the same trackage. As a result, signal failures can affect both services.
The Lantau Link section of the line (consisting of the Tsing Ma Bridge, Ma Wan Viaduct, and Kap Shui Mun Bridge) only allows one train to pass through each direction at the same time, raising the minimum headway between trains to 2 minutes 15 seconds. As a result, some Tung Chung line trains terminate at Tsing Yi during peak hours, instead of travelling the entire line.
The signalling system is not capable of giving priority to Airport Express trains; as a result, Tung Chung line trains stopping at Sunny Bay station frequently impede Airport Express trains, which do not serve the station. Tung Chung Line trains would sometimes stop at Sunny Bay Station for an extended period of time to give way to the Airport Express trains.
The power supply system restricts the number of trains running between Kowloon and Lai King stations. The system can accommodate a maximum of one Airport Express train and two Tung Chung trains travelling in both directions at one time. The minimum headway on this section of the line is 3 minutes 30 seconds.

Future development

Extension in Tung Chung

Tung Chung line extension

In the Railway Development Strategy 2014, it was proposed that the Tung Chung Line be extended west and a new station constructed at Tung Chung West.^[10]

In April 2020, Carrie Lam and the Executive Council approved the detailed planning and design of the Tung Chung line extension project consisting of two new stations. Construction began in May 2023, with the cost of the two new stations expected to be HK$24.2 billion in 2023. Tung Chung East is an infill station between Tung Chung and Sunny Bay, while Tung Chung West would be a new underground station west of Tung Chung and serve as the new terminus of the Tung Chung Line.^[11] This extension is expected to be complete by 2029. The project is will extend the line by an additional 1.3 kilometres. The design contract for the extension was recently awarded to British engineering companies Arup and Atkins.^[12]^[13]

Oyster Bay

Extensions on Hong Kong Island

Airport Railway Extended Overrun Tunnel (AREOT)

An underground tunnel, around half a kilometer long, will be built eastwards of Hong Kong station. It will allow Tung Chung line and Airport Express trains to turn around so trains can easily switch directions and enhancing operational efficiency. This project would also include the construction of a new ventilation building, ARB. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and to be completed by 2032.^[14]^[15]

North Island line

Once the North Island line is complete, trains will travel in a tunnel east of Hong Kong station along the shore of the island before merging into the Tseung Kwan O line at North Point. Three new stations - Tamar, Exhibition Centre and Causeway Bay North will form part of the extension.

References

^ "Weekday patronage of MTR heavy rail network from September 1 to 27 and September 28 to October 25, 2014" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ "Business Overview" (PDF). MTR. July 2021. p. 6. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
^ "Alstom and Thales to supply advanced CBTC signalling system to Hong Kong's seven metro lines". RailwayPRO. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
^ https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/tenders/SHD_1701.html
^ Basler, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (16 October 1989). "INTERNATIONAL REPORT; Hong Kong Builds for the Future: Big Airport Project Is Under Way". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
^ MTR Corporation Annual Report 1998. MTR Corporation. 1998.
^ MTR Corporation Annual Report 1998. MTR Corporation. 1999. p. 16.
^ "Legislative Council Panel on Transport, Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways, Airport Railway Capacity" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
^ (in Chinese)MTR Service Update (26 November 2012). "為甚麼東涌綫總是班次疏落？". Retrieved 28 November 2012.
^ "Railway Development Strategy 2014" (PDF). Transport and Housing Bureau. 17 September 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
^ 2023 Interim Results (PDF) (Report). MTR Corporation. 10 August 2023. p. 12. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
^ "Atkins-Arup JV to design Tung Chung Line Extension in Hong Kong - News - GCR". www.globalconstructionreview.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
^ "MTR receives approval for Tung Chung Line Extension project work". www.railway-technology.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
^ "Annual Report 2022: Connecting the Future" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 9 March 2023. p. 23.
^ "Harbourfront Commission Task Force on Harbourfront Developments on Hong Kong Island: Briefing on Development of Airport Railway Extended Overrun Tunnel (ARO)" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 25 April 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 23 August 2023.

[1] "Weekday patronage of MTR heavy rail network from September 1 to 27 and September 28 to October 25, 2014" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

[business_report_2021-2] "Business Overview" (PDF). MTR. July 2021. p. 6. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

[3] "Alstom and Thales to supply advanced CBTC signalling system to Hong Kong's seven metro lines". RailwayPRO. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

[4] ttps://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/tenders/SHD_1701.html

[5] Basler, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (16 October 1989). "INTERNATIONAL REPORT; Hong Kong Builds for the Future: Big Airport Project Is Under Way". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 June 2024.

[6] MTR Corporation Annual Report 1998. MTR Corporation. 1998.

[1998annualreport-7] MTR Corporation Annual Report 1998. MTR Corporation. 1999. p. 16.

[8] "Legislative Council Panel on Transport, Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways, Airport Railway Capacity" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2017.

[9] (in Chinese)MTR Service Update (26 November 2012). "為甚麼東涌綫總是班次疏落？". Retrieved 28 November 2012.

[10] "Railway Development Strategy 2014" (PDF). Transport and Housing Bureau. 17 September 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.

[11] 2023 Interim Results (PDF) (Report). MTR Corporation. 10 August 2023. p. 12. Retrieved 23 August 2023.

[12] "Atkins-Arup JV to design Tung Chung Line Extension in Hong Kong - News - GCR". www.globalconstructionreview.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

[13] "MTR receives approval for Tung Chung Line Extension project work". www.railway-technology.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

[14] "Annual Report 2022: Connecting the Future" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 9 March 2023. p. 23.

[15] "Harbourfront Commission Task Force on Harbourfront Developments on Hong Kong Island: Briefing on Development of Airport Railway Extended Overrun Tunnel (ARO)" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 25 April 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 23 August 2023.

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v t e North Island line
Future projects of the MTR
Tung Chung line extension	(← Tung Chung line) Hong Kong Tamar
Tseung Kwan O line extension	Tamar Exhibition Centre Causeway Bay North North Point (Tseung Kwan O line →)
Stations that are proposed, under planning or under construction are shown in italics.