| Tuen Ma line | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 屯馬綫 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 屯马线 | ||||||||||||||||||
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TheTuen Ma line (Chinese:屯馬綫) is acommuter rail /rapid transit line that forms part of theMass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It is 56.2 kilometres (34.9 mi) in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of 27 stations, more than any other in the MTR system.[4]
The Tuen Ma line is formed by a merger of two former MTR lines, theWest Rail line and theMa On Shan line via a new stretch of mostly underground railway known as the "Tai Wai to Hung Hom section" (大圍至紅磡段) of theSha Tin to Central Link project. It consists of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of track and six new intermediate stations. The Tai Wai to Kai Tak section (大圍至啟德段) opened on 14 February 2020, while the Kai Tak to Hung Hom section opened on 27 June 2021, thereby completing the line.[5]
During the planning and construction phase, this line was referred to as the "East West Corridor" (東西走廊). On 25 May 2018, the operational name "Tuen Ma line" was confirmed by the MTR Corporation, reflecting the names ofTuen Mun andMa On Shan, Tuen Mun being the terminal of the West Rail line and Ma On Shan being the namesake of the Ma On Shan Line. The full journey time is about 73 minutes.[6]
The line starts atTuen Mun station,Tuen Mun and ends atWu Kai Sha inWu Kai Sha,Ma On Shan. It is 56.2 km (34.9 mi) long with 27 stations, and a complete journey lasts 73 minutes in either direction. There are teninterchange stations:Tai Wai andHung Hom with theEast Rail line;Diamond Hill andHo Man Tin with theKwun Tong line;Nam Cheong with theTung Chung line;Mei Foo with theTsuen Wan line;Yuen Long,Tin Shui Wai,Siu Hong andTuen Mun which connects to theLight Rail. The line has twomaintenance depots at Tai Wai[7] and Pat Heung.
Like all MTR lines, the Tuen Ma line is grade separated throughout its entire length. It is mainly underground in the urban sections ofKowloon andTsuen Wan, and at-grade or elevated in the rest of theNew Territories. Most of the original Ma On Shan line (between Tai Wai and Wu Kai Sha) isbuilt on a viaduct on a rail reservation that existed from the outset of the development ofMa On Shan New Town.[8] However, the section betweenShek Mun andTai Shui Hang is at ground level, locatedbetween the carriageways of theTate's Cairn Highway, along with the section between Tai Wai toHin Keng, which is also partially on anembankment and parallel to theEast Rail line. The line then goes underground towards theLion Rock Tunnel, which takes trains throughLion Rock Country Park. Then, it goes throughDiamond Hill station andKowloon City before emerging into open air nearHung Hom station at ground level. The line then heads southwest into a tunnel after the station and descending underground throughEast Tsim Sha Tsui andAustin stations (the former having originally being served by the East Rail line, and the track heading northwards through the latter), before returning to ground level (though still fully covered) atNam Cheong station. The track then runs northwest through a sealed box tunnel just to the north to and under theWest Kowloon Highway throughLai Chi Kok Park intoMei Foo station, which has a ground-level/underground hybrid design. Bored tunnels traverse densely populatedKwai Chung and under theTsuen Wan line towardsTsuen Wan West station onreclaimed land, after which a 5.5 km (3.4 mi) bored rock tunnel, theTai Lam Tunnel, takes trains throughTai Lam Country Park.
The line then emerges from the tunnel just south of the train depot atPat Heung and initially runs at-grade, and later on anembankment as it approachesKam Sheung Road station. The rest of the line isfully elevated and constructed on a continuousviaduct, running in a westerly direction through the new towns ofYuen Long and turning towards the south atTin Shui Wai, before taking a bend towards theTuen Mun River and eventually terminating atTuen Mun station.
Construction methods predominantly includetunnel boring machines andcut-and-cover, though theLion Rock Tunnel between Hin Keng and the Ma Chai Hang Recreation Ground was constructed using thedrill-and-blast method.
While road and rail traffic in Hong Kongmove on the left, the eastern section of the Tuen Ma line is an exception, as trains moveon the right between Sung Wong Toi and Wu Kai Sha. This allows the southbound tracks of this line and the East Rail Line to lie opposite each other at Tai Wai, such thatcross-platform interchange could be provided there. This design was to speed up passenger interchange between the East Rail line and Tuen Ma line towards Kowloon during the morning commute, although the reverse transfer would require going down to the concourse level and back up again. This layout is maintained as far asSung Wong Toi, before the line goes into a stacked formation atTo Kwa Wan, which has asplit platform layout to allow the tracks to switch sides and adopt the left-hand running used on the original West Rail Line.
Since its opening as part of the KCR system, the interchange station at Tai Wai has not hadticket gates between the Ma On Shan Rail and East Rail platforms, unlike at the former KCR system's interchanges with the MTR system; a trip from either line to the other counted as one ride. There was no direct connection between these two lines and theWest Rail while they were part of the KCR network.
For much of its existence, the Ma On Shan line was, in the Hong Kong context, classified as amedium-capacity system. However, it is capable of passenger volumes of up to 32,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD),[9] which is comparable to the passenger capacity of a full rapid transit or "metro" system.[10] Furthermore, the line has been upgraded to the standard of a full-capacity system in anticipation of theSha Tin to Central Link, which will extend it to the heart of Kowloon and result in a merger with the full-capacity West Rail line.
KCRC initially ordered 18 sets of 4-carSP1950 trains, built byKinki Sharyo, running on the Ma On Shan line; they have all since been converted to eight cars. The train is the same model as the SP1900 sets used on the East Rail and West Rail lines, which runs on those lines with twelve-car and eight-car configurations respectively (previously seven cars on the latter, though all has been converted to eight cars and used on the entire line following its completion). They were the only trains in use until March 2017, when newly built eight-carTuen Ma line trains, manufactured byCRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, entered service on the Ma On Shan line. Both of these models have a maximum running speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), but only reach a maximum service speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) on the long section between Kam Sheung Road and Tsuen Wan West stations. Unlike the trains on the East Rail line, there are nofirst-class compartments. All trains were serviced at Tai Wai depot and are equipped with theSelTrac ISmoving-block signalling system fortrain protection, with provision for upgrading to theradio-based SelTracCBTC at a later stage to increase capacity.[11]
The first two converted 8-car SP1900 trains were introduced to the Ma On Shan line on 15 January 2017.[12] During the transition period with both 4-car and 8-car trains in service, passengers had to pay attention to theplatform LCD screens and announcements to queue at the right part of the platforms.[13] Since December 2017, the Ma On Shan line has been run fully by 8-car trains and all stations retrofitted withautomatic platform gates identical to those installed at elevated stations on MTR's other lines.[14]
The former West Rail line was served by 33 eight-carSP1900 trains built by a Japanese consortium ofKinki Sharyo andKawasaki Heavy Industries, of which 22 were originally ordered by KCRC as seven-car trains for the initial opening of the line.[15] Up to 26 sets run during themorning peak service with a 171-secondheadway; MTRC specifies capacities of 52 seated and 286 standing passengers per car.[16] Beginning in January 2016, all 7-car trains on the former West Rail line were converted to 8-car trains in anticipation of theSha Tin to Central Link; this was completed in May 2018.[17] During the transition period with both 7-car and 8-car trains in service, passengers had to pay attention to theplatform LCD screens and announcements to queue at the right part of the platforms.[18] They were the only trains in use on the line until March 2020, when anewly built eight-car EMU, manufactured byCRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, entered service on the line.
Before themerger of the two major Hong Kong railway operators, theMTR Corporation (MTRC) and theKowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) rail networks in 2007, both theWest Rail (opened in 2003) and theMa On Shan Rail (opened in 2004) were operated by KCRC. Both railways were envisaged to be extended in the near future and platforms on the Ma On Shan line werebuilt with reserved structures for extension at a later date.
Both MTRC and KCRC independently submitted their own proposals to theHong Kong government for developing the Sha Tin to Central Link (SCL) by extending their own existing networks. After numerous revisions of their proposals, the government eventually approved the scheme by KCRC, which involved joining the West Rail and the Ma On Shan Rail via theWong Tai Sin andKowloon City districts (the phase 1 East West Corridor), and extendingEast Rail line toHong Kong Island's central business district (phase 2 North South Corridor).
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After the 2007 network merger, operations of all transport services (East Rail, West Rail, Ma On Shan Rail,Light Rail, feeder buses andGuangzhou–Kowloon through train) of the KCRC were leased to the MTRC for 50 years. The MTRC also rebranded the three commuter railways to East Rail line, West Rail line and Ma On Shan linetts like their own railways. Subsequently, the approved SCL schemes fall into the hands of the MTRC.
The construction of East West Corridor, which largely followed an alignment proposed by the MTRC in the 1970s as theEast Kowloon line and later shelved, began in August 2016. At the time, it was unclear how MTRC would name the new lines or whether they would retain the provisional names "East West Corridor" and "North South Corridor"; the word "corridor" would set a precedent in the naming convention of MTR lines. Speculation of a "East West Line" arose when a photograph of an info plate printed with "EWL" (東西綫) atHo Man Tin station while it was under construction surfaced. The plate was removed before the opening of the station that year as part of theKwun Tong line extension toWhampoa. MTRC eventually announced on 25 May 2018 that the operational name was the Tuen Ma line.
The Tuen Ma line was planned to be fully operational in 2019, but after the newly built platforms atHung Hom station failed a safety inspection which occurred between December 2018 and January 2019, its full opening was postponed by about two years.[19]
The head contractor of the SCL construction, Leighton Asia, subsidiary of theCIMIC Group, was accused of covering up construction defects until a whistleblower from a subcontractor leaked photo evidence to the press. This led to more thorough investigations, hearings and inspections behind the set concrete for assessing if it would require demolition and rebuilding the structure from scratch. The Hong Kong government also expressed disappointment in the MTRC executives for their incompetent supervision.
Michael Tien, former KCRC chairman, suggested that it was technically feasible to have the Ma On Shan line be initially extended from Tai Wai toDiamond Hill station instead of delaying the opening of the entire line. This has the advantage of spreading the Kowloon bound traffic between Tai Wai andKowloon Tong stations of the East Rail Line, which is overcrowded during peak hours.[20] However, the then MTRC chairman,Frederick Ma, insisted that they aimed at inaugurating the whole line in mid-2019 to avoid the extra resources required for operating the line in separate phases.[21]
On 18 July 2019, theTransport and Housing Bureau announced that the Tuen Ma line would open in two phases. On 14 February 2020, the Ma On Shan Line was extended from Tai Wai station toKai Tak station because the latter has acrossover track which permits the operation of the station as a terminus. The extension, named Tuen Ma line Phase 1, was expected to alleviate significant congestion on the East Rail line between Tai Wai and Kowloon Tong stations in preparation for the shortening of trainsets as part of preparatory works for the cross-harbour extension of that line. The remaining section of the Tuen Ma line, from Kai Tak to Hung Hom, opened on 27 June 2021.[22]
In May 2020, the Government submitted a proposal for the Tuen Mun South Extension to the Legislative Council Subcommittee on Railway Matters. In addition to the "Railway Development Strategy 2014", which includes a proposal forTuen Mun South station near theTuen Mun Ferry Pier, the MTRCL has proposed in the latest project proposal to addan additional station in Tuen Mun Area 16. Building an intermediate section in Tuen Mun Area 16 will require the Tuen Mun Swimming Pool to be relocated. A possible relocation for the Tuen Mun Swimming Pool is at the Tuen Mun Golf Centre; the specific plan depends on the technical feasibility study. If, after research, it is confirmed that the above-mentioned location is not suitable, MTRCL will identify other possible locations. Considering that the detailed planning and design of the project will take about two to three years, the Tuen Mun South Extension started construction in 2023 and will be completed in 2030. The government has invited MTRCL to carry out the detailed planning and design of the Tuen Mun South Extension project, and will negotiate with the MTR Corporation on the financing arrangements for the Tuen Mun South Extension on the basis of the "ownership" model for the project.[23]
Not all trains on Tuen Ma line run the entirely of the line. Shorter trips occur regularly during peak hours and at the start or end of service:
| Origin | Destination |
|---|---|
| East-bound | |
| Tuen Mun | Hung Hom, Diamond Hill, or Wu Kai Sha |
| Tin Shui Wai, Tsuen Wan West, East Tsim Sha Tsui or Tai Wai | Wu Kai Sha |
| West-bound | |
| Wu Kai Sha | Tai Wai, Hung Hom, Mei Foo or Tuen Mun |
| City One, Ho Man Tin, Hung Hom, East Tsim Sha Shui, Nam Cheong or Kam Sheung Road | Tuen Mun |
The following is a list of the stations on the Tuen Ma line.
| Livery and name | Connections | Opening date | District | Original line | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | |||||
| Tuen Ma Line (TML) | ||||||
| Wu Kai Sha | 烏溪沙 | — | 21 December 2004 | Sha Tin | Ma On Shan line | |
| Ma On Shan | 馬鞍山 | |||||
| Heng On | 恆安 | |||||
| Tai Shui Hang | 大水坑 | |||||
| Shek Mun | 石門 | |||||
| City One | 第一城 | |||||
| Sha Tin Wai | 沙田圍 | |||||
| Che Kung Temple | 車公廟 | |||||
| Tai Wai | 大圍 | East Rail line | 15 August 1983 | |||
| Hin Keng | 顯徑 | — | 14 February 2020 | New stations | ||
| Diamond Hill | 鑽石山 |
| 1 October 1979 | Wong Tai Sin | ||
| Kai Tak | 啟德 | — | 14 February 2020 | Kowloon City | ||
| Sung Wong Toi | 宋皇臺 | 27 June 2021[5] | ||||
| To Kwa Wan | 土瓜灣 | |||||
| Ho Man Tin | 何文田 | Kwun Tong line | 23 October 2016 | |||
| Hung Hom | 紅磡 |
| 30 November 1975[a] relocated on 20 June 2021 | Yau Tsim Mong | West Rail line | |
| East Tsim Sha Tsui | 尖東 | Tsuen Wan line (Tsim Sha Tsui)[b] | 24 October 2004[c] | |||
| Austin | 柯士甸 | 16 August 2009 | ||||
| Nam Cheong | 南昌 | Tung Chung line | 16 December 2003 | Sham Shui Po | ||
| Mei Foo | 美孚 | Tsuen Wan line | 17 May 1982 | |||
| Tsuen Wan West | 荃灣西 | —[d] | 20 December 2003 | Tsuen Wan | ||
| Kam Sheung Road | 錦上路 | Northern Link(proposed) | Yuen Long | |||
| Yuen Long | 元朗 |
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| Long Ping | 朗屏 | — | ||||
| Tin Shui Wai | 天水圍 | |||||
| Hung Shui Kiu | 洪水橋 | 2030(Expected) | Under Construction | |||
| Siu Hong | 兆康 | 20 December 2003 | Tuen Mun | West Rail line | ||
| Tuen Mun | 屯門 | |||||
| A16 | 第16區 | 2030(Expected) | Planned new stations | |||
| Tuen Mun South | 屯門南 |
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