East Rail Line To Reach HK Island On May 15: Source

RTHK has learnt that MTR is planning to launch the harbour-crossing extension of the East Rail Line on May 15.

That means southbound trains on the line will no longer stop at Hung Hom station, but at Admiralty via the Exhibition Centre Station.

In response, the rail giant said tests on the extension has been going smoothly, and it will announce the launch date in due course.

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien, for his part, described the completion of the project as a major milestone for Hong Kong’s railway development.

"The Shatin-Central Link will be very convenient, it will be the jewel of the Hong Kong rail network. The whole city has been waiting thirty, forty, fifty years for this to happen," the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman said.

However, Tien said he expects the East Rail Line to be very crowded with many new passengers and called on the authorities to divert passenger flow by building an additional railway to connect Queen's Hill in Fanling to Tai Wai.

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