For the commuter rail line in Colorado, see A Line (RTD). For the rail line in Malaysia, see East Coast Rail line. For other uses, see East Line (disambiguation).
East Rail line 東鐵綫
A Hyundai Rotem R-train EMU entering University station
Overview
Other name(s)
Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section 九廣鐵路－英段 KCR East Rail 九廣東鐵
Status
Operational
Owner
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Locale
Districts: Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, Central and Western
Termini
Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau
Admiralty
Continues from
KCR (British)
Connecting lines
Kwun Tong line
Island line
South Island line
Tsuen Wan line
Tuen Ma line
Former connections
Ma On Shan line
West Rail line
Stations
16
Color on map
Light blue (#53B7E8)
Service
Type
Commuter rail / Rapid Transit
System
MTR
Operator(s)
MTR Corporation
Depot(s)
Ho Tung Lau
Rolling stock
Hyundai Rotem EMU: R-train
Ridership
1,044,800 daily average (weekdays, September 2014)[1]
History
Opened
1 October 1910; 113 years ago (1910-10-01)
Electrification completed
15 July 1983 (Lo Wu to Kowloon)
Technical
Line length
46 km (29 mi)[2][3]
Number of tracks
Double-track
Track gauge
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification
25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed
Average: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Maximum: 120 km/h (75 mph)[4]
Signalling
Siemens CBTC (Trainguard MT)[5]
Train protection system
AWS (Only for KTT through-trains)
Route map
Legend
Shenzhen Metro Line 1
to Airport East
Guangshen railway
to Guangzhou
Shenzhen Metro Line 4
to Niuhu
Luohu 1
Shenzhen
Futian Checkpoint 4
Guangdong, China
Hong Kong
Lok Ma Chau
Lo Wu
Kwu Tung
planned
Lo Wu Marshalling Yard
Fu Tei Au Road
Indus (Ng Tung) River
Beas (Sheung Yue) River
Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse
Sutlej (Shek Sheung) River
Po Shek Wu Road
Sheung Shui
So Kwun Po Road
Sha Tau Kok Railway
to Sha Tau Kok
Fanling
Wo Hop Shek
1950–1983
Jockey Club Road
Ma Wat River
Fanling Bypass
(under construction)
Heung Yuen Wai Highway
Tai Po Tai Wo Road
Tai Wo
Lam Tsuen River
Hong Kong Railway Museum
Tai Po Market
Tai Po River
Tolo Highway
Tai Po Kau
1910–1983
Lake Egret
Tunnels No. 5 and 5A
Cheung Shue Tan Hang
Science Park
proposed
University
Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier
Kau To Hang
Ho Tung Lau Depot
Racecourse
(racing days only)
Fo Tan Goods Yard
Fo Tan
Fo Tan Nullah
Fo Tan Road
Sha Tin
Tai Po Road
Tai Wai Nullah
Tuen Ma line
to Wu Kai Sha
Tai Wai
Tai Wai Depot
(Tuen Ma line)
Tsing Sha Highway
Tuen Ma line
to Tuen Mun
Beacon Hill Tunnel
(Tunnel No. 2)
Kowloon Tong
Kwun Tong line
to Tiu Keng Leng
Boundary Street
Prince Edward Road
Mong Kok East
Argyle Street
Waterloo Road
Princess Margaret Road
Tunnel No. 1A
Kwun Tong line
to Whampoa
former KCR (1910–1975)
Hung Hum
1910–1921
Kowloon
1910–1975
Chatham Road
Tuen Ma line
to Wu Kai Sha
1
2
1: East Rail line tracks until 2009
2: Through Train tracks
Hung Hom
(Through Train)
Stabling sidings
(East West Corridor)
Tuen Ma line
to Tuen Mun
Victoria Harbour
Exhibition Centre
Tsuen Wan line
to Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan line
to Central
Admiralty
Island line
Kennedy Town – Chai Wan
South Island line
to South Horizons
This diagram:
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East Rail line
Traditional Chinese
東鐵綫
Simplified Chinese
东铁线
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
dong1 tie3 xian4
Hakka
Romanization
Tûng-Thiet-Sien
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
dūng tit sin
Jyutping
dung1 tit3 sin3
The East Rail line (Chinese: 東鐵綫) is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen and joins in the north at Sheung Shui and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island. At approximately 46 km (29 mi),[2][6] the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line) is the second longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line. The line's colour is light blue, formerly navy blue before the KCR/MTR merger.
The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui, Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and the central business district.[7] It is also the city's only railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China. The line is generally double tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day.[7]
Opening in 1910 as the Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section), the line is the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong.[8] Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own the line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC.
The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009,[9] while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings.[10]
^"Weekday patronage of MTR heavy rail network from September 1 to 27 and September 28 to October 25, 2014" (PDF). Legislative Council. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ ab"Business Overview" (PDF). MTR. October 2022. p. 6. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^"East Rail Line: Cross-Harbour Extension". MTR. 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
^"Business Overview" (PDF). MTR. July 2021. p. 6. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
^"Hong Kong's East Rail Line extension opens with Siemens Mobility CBTC technology". Siemens. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022. Along the East Rail Line and its Cross-Harbour Extension, the Siemens Mobility solution Airlink has been installed for radio transmission, and automatic train supervision is realized through the operations control system. Electronic interlockings and Trainguard MT (TGMT) Wayside Control Units have been installed for efficient train control. Eventually, a total of 37 passenger trains and 22 locomotives will be equipped with Siemens TGMT On-Board Computer Units (OBCU).
^"East Rail Line Cross-Harbour Extension to Commence Service on 15 May 2022" (PDF) (Press release). MTR Corporation. 3 May 2022.
^ ab"LCQ2: East Rail Line" (Press release). Hong Kong Government. 21 November 2018.
^"East Rail Line". Highways Department. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
^"MTR Exits Freight Business to Focus on Passenger Service" (PDF). MTR Corporation. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
^Standard, The. "Intercity Through Train services may be terminated permanently in a year: source". The Standard. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
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