North Island line 北港島綫
Overview
Owner	MTR Corporation
Locale	Districts:Central and Western,Wan Chai,Eastern
Termini	North Point Hong Kong
Stations	4
Service
System	MTR
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
History
Planned opening	2042
Technical
Track gauge	1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
Route map Legend Colour legend New tracks (Tung Chung line) New tracks (Tseung Kwan O line) Interchange Swap Names of two schemes Island line toKennedy Town Tung Chung line toTung Chung Airport Express toAsiaWorld–Expo Hong Kong Central Tamar Left: as termini of two lines Right: asTCL station (Admiralty) South Island line toSouth Horizons Tsuen Wan line toTsuen Wan Exhibition Centre East Rail line toLo Wu orLok Ma Chau Causeway Bay North Tin Hau Left: joinsTKL Right: divides Island line Fortress Hill North Point Quarry Bay Tseung Kwan O line toPo Lam orLOHAS Park Island line toChai Wan This diagram: view talk edit

TheNorth Island line is a shelved proposal to providerapid transit service for the area between the existingMTRIsland line and the northern coast ofHong Kong Island in order to relieve the congested Island line.

Originally, according to the document "Rail Projects Under Planning 2000" released by theHighways Department,^[1] the currentTung Chung line would be extended fromHong Kong terminus eastward and two new stations,Tamar station andExhibition Centre station are proposed on the extension. The new route would then connect and continue on the Island line fromFortress Hill station toChai Wan terminus. TheTseung Kwan O line will have newly constructed tunnels connected from itsNorth Point terminus toFortress Hill station and continue on the remaining western half of the Island line.

In 2013, the Highways Department released a second option for the North Island line scheme, also known as the "interchange scheme" because it will only extend the Tung Chung line and the Tseung Kwan O line to meet at Tamar station where it will act as an interchange station for the two lines without dividing the Island line. The original scheme is known as the "swap scheme" for distinction.

The extension of the Tung Chung line formed part of the third phase ofland reclamation inVictoria Harbour onHong Kong Island's northern coast. Due to environmental and utilization concerns, theMTR Corporation did not set a commencement date. The proposedSha Tin to Central Link and the merger of MTRC andKCRC also was a consideration. For these reasons, in 2003 the Hong Kong Government postponed the project indefinitely.

However, the MTRC included the Sha Tin to Central Link and the North Island line details in the diagrams of the latest schemes of theWest Island line andSouth Island line, released in 2008. Those diagrams have excluded the now cancelledCentral South station and Racecourse Station inHappy Valley.^[2]

On 21 February 2013, the Highways Department launched stage two of public consultation ofOur Future Railway, and proposed two schemes for the North Island line.^[3] In addition to a "Swap" scheme which was similar to previous proposals, the consultation documents also included a second "Interchange" scheme.

The existingTung Chung line would be extended along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island, withTamar,Exhibition Centre,Causeway Bay North andFortress Hill stations along the route. The extension would then connect eastwards to the existingIsland line atFortress Hill station, and continue on the remaining Island line section toChai Wan station.

Concurrently, theTseung Kwan O line would extend from its current westbound terminus atNorth Point station to the existing Island line atFortress Hill station, and continue on the remaining Island line toKennedy Town station.

This scheme would greatly increase the number of stations reached directly by the Tung Chung line and the Tseung Kwan O line on Hong Kong Island, but east–west directional traffic along the existing Island line would be interrupted and require an interchange. In addition, the maximum train frequency between Fortress Hill and Chai Wan stations, which would be served by the Tung Chung line, would have to reduce by 8 trains per hour because the service frequency of the Tung Chung line is restricted by the capacity of theTsing Ma Bridge. The signalling system and rolling stock used on both lines are also different, so the “swap” scheme was not considered in the plan.

Both the existing Tung Chung line and Tseung Kwan O line would be extended along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. Three stations, namely Tamar, Exhibition Centre and Causeway Bay North, would be constructed along the extensions, and either Tamar or Causeway Bay North station would be chosen as an interchange between the two lines.

This scheme would preserve the existing Island line in its current form and would not change the current commuting pattern between the Central, Western and Eastern Districts. However, as the Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O lines would not be run on the Island line, passengers would still need to interchange as they currently do. Also, this arrangement would be less effective than the "Swap" scheme in relieving congestion, since although the number of stations and the area served has increased, the link with the current Island line would still be the same, unlike the "Swap" scheme.

According to the "Railway Development Strategy 2014" document, the government opted for the interchange scheme because its construction cost and difficulties are lower and it does not interfere with the commuting patterns of current Island line users. The cost is estimated to beHK$20 billion in 2013 prices.^[4] Planning and construction for the North Island Line was later postponed to 2022 with the opening of East Rail Line to Admiralty; and there is enough capacity for Island Line.

• Proposed railway lines in Hong Kong
• 1432 mm gauge railways in Hong Kong
• Tung Chung line
• Tseung Kwan O line

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