Everything about Island Line Mtr totally explained
The is one of 10 lines of the
MTR, the
mass transit system in
Hong Kong. It runs from
Sheung Wan in the
Central and Western District to
Chai Wan in the
Eastern District. The line first opened in
May 31,
1985. It currently travels through 14 stations in 25 minutes along its route.
The line is indicated by the colour
blue on the
MTR map.
History
The
Hong Kong Government authorised the construction of the 13.1
km long Island Line in December
1980, after rejecting plans to extend the
tram to
Chai Wan. On
31 May 1985 the Island Line opened with services operating between
Admiralty and
Chai Wan stations. Services were then extended to
Central and both
Admiralty and
Central stations became interchange stations with the . As part of this extension, each train was extended to eight cars in length. On
23 May of 1986, the Island Line extended its reach to
Sheung Wan station.
After the was extended to
Quarry Bay station on
1 October 1989, that station became an interchange station with the Island Line. In a response to passenger congestion at Quarry Bay station, the government recommended the
Quarry Bay Congestion Relief Works project, and decided to expand
North Point station to include a second interchange with the Kwun Tong Line, with construction starting in September
1997.
The North Point interchange opened on
27 September 2001, and proved to be a much more efficient method of interchanging, as the new station featured
cross-platform interchange, reducing the time required to interchange from five minutes at Quarry Bay station to less than one minute. On
4 August 2002, North Point and Quarry Bay became interchange stations with the new .
Route Description
The Island Line is the
MTR line that resembles the deep-level lines of the
London Underground the most, as most of the route and stations along the line are deep underground and consist of
cylindrical tunnels. This is the result of a lack of available land, as the construction plans for the line required it to be built under major roads.
The major roads that the Island Line runs under are:
The route of the underground section of the line (as well as the proposed extension to
Kennedy Town) is also served by local
trams at surface level. This brought concerns of the tram system might be abolished when the MTR line was going to be built (See
Hong Kong Tramways for more information about the concern).
Because of the depth of the line, most underground stations on this line (except
Admiralty,
Shau Kei Wan and
Tai Koo) have curved walls on the platforms, which are due to the routes'
cylindrical tunnels, only with a greater
diameter. Of the underground stations not bearing this feature, Tai Koo Station is itself a large tube containing both the concourse and the platform, while both Shau Kei Wan and Admiralty stations are built using cut-and-cover method.
Because most stations were built under roads, most of the platforms are curve, the platform gaps are large. (Only
North Point Station,
Heng Fa Chuen Station and
Chai Wan Station don't have large gaps)
All but two of the stations along the route have their station names written in
Chinese calligraphy as part of the stations' livery. The only stations that don't have this feature are
Heng Fa Chuen and
Chai Wan, which are also the only above-ground stations. This feature is also shared amongst some newer MTR stations such as those on the Tseung Kwan O Line and
Lam Tin Station on the Kwun Tong Line.
The Island line is also one of the six MTR metro lines not crossing the
Victoria Harbour, and is the first major urban line never to have done so.
Image:Admiralty Station.jpg|Admiralty Station, Island Line platform
Image:HK MTR ChaiWan TrainWaiting 2003Jan17.JPG|A train waiting to depart from Chai Wan station, terminus of the Island Line
Image:Tai Koo opening.jpg|Plaque of MTR Island Line opening ceremony held at Tai Koo Station on May 31, 1985 by Sir Edward Youde, then governor of Hong Kong
Stations
This is a list of all the
stations on the Island Line. The coloured boxes holding the station names represent the respective colour motif for the station.
Notes
* Proposed stations
^ Planning in progress
Connections with the
West Island Line and South Island Line project suggested by
MTRCL: Note that South Island Line (West Section) corresponds to "West Island Line" run by medium capacity rail in the prelimery proposals, while "West Island Line" as of June
2005 refers to the extension of the
heavy-rail Island Line to
Sai Ying Pun,
University and
Kennedy Town.
Future Development
In 2002, the MTRC announced that it would use HK$300 million to construct the West and South Island Lines, provided that the Government would award subsidies towards the project. No sooner, in May 2002, the first proposal from the MTRC detailed an extension towards
Kennedy Town. However the plan was abruptly brought to a halt due to
land reclamation obstacles on the western coast of
Hong Kong Island, and the enormous cost and uncertainties concerning Hong Kong Government's subsidies for the project. However, the current plan for the new lines to the
Southern District would require parts of the Western extension in order for it to be completed. As a result, the MTR Corporation was conducting extensive surveys as well as public forums to gather opinion and suggestions concerning the alignment of the extension and location of the
Sai Ying Pun,
Shek Tong Tsui and Kennedy Town stations for the West Island Line.
According to implementation options revealed by the MTRC in February
2005, the Island Line will be extended to Kennedy Town, and the South Island Line (West Section) to begin at University station. This opinion suggests there would be two stations in the areas of Shek Tong Tsui and Sai Ying Pun, between Kennedy Town and Sheung Wan on the West Island Line.
As of June 30, 2005, the MTR Corporation Limited has been given approval to extend the existing Island Line to
Kennedy Town, along with two intermediate stations at
Sai Ying Pun and
University (Shek Tong Tsui). The extension would be approximately 3 km long, making the Island Line the lengthiest urban line (16.1 km) and the one with the most stations (17 stations).
The
Hong Kong Government has once invited MTR to extend the Island Line to
Siu Sai Wan, but after an initial survey that lasted for more than a year, all the proposed routes were deemed too winding and disruptive to local residents, therefore dismissing the extension.
If the North Island Line is built along the northern shore of
Hong Kong Island, which is tentatively scheduled to be built after
2016, the Island Line will be split in two; the section from
Sheung Wan to
Tin Hau will be taken over by the Tseung Kwan O Line, and the Tung Chung Line will oversee operation of the section from
Fortress Hill to
Chai Wan.
Further Information
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