Railway Station

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Railway Station/Stop (鐵路車站) is the place where trains stop to pick up and drop off passengers.

Stations can either service passengers, freight or both. In Hong Kong, railway stations can be divided into subway stations, light rail stops, tram stops, cable car stations, high-speed rail stations, etc. according to service types. The starting station and terminal station on a railway line are terminus stations/termini, and the stations along the line are intermediate stations.

Urban Lines Stations

Planning

In accordance with established procedures, before finalising any new railway scheme, the Government will consult the public, including the Legislative Council and the local District Council, on the specific alignment, station locations, implementation approach, cost estimates, financing model and actual implementation timetable. In implementing a railway, the Government will take into account not only the projected population of the area concerned, but also other factors such as the scale and pace of development along the railway corridor, the availability of land, the timely completion of the project by the responsible authority, and the long-term viability of the project.

While the population of an area along a railway line is an important consideration, it does not mean that the area has to meet the maximum population target in the short term, particularly at the initial planning stage, in order to enjoy the railway service. For example, when the Tseung Kwan O Line Extension was planned, the population of the Tseung Kwan O new town was 150,000 and when the extension was opened in 2002, the population of the area would only be slightly more than half of the projected maximum population. Similarly, although the population of North Lantau continues to grow and has not yet reached the maximum target of 320,000, the area has been served by heavy rail on the Tung Chung Line since 1998.

The design of the railway line and stations is subject to detailed planning and will only be finalised with the authorisation of the Executive Council. The purpose of reserving railway sites before authorisation and finalisation of the alignment is to minimise obstruction and unnecessary land resumption disturbance and compensation for subsequent railway works. If land is not reserved in advance, there is a risk that the best railway scheme will not be implemented and this would not be in the public interest.

Design and Structure

Generally speaking, MTR underground stations are built with concrete structures, buried in soil or stone layers, and equipped with waterproof layers to prevent water from flowing into the stations. The tracks between stations will be designed in the shape of valleys as much as possible, and the station platforms will be at a high position. When the train leaves the platform, it will run along the downward-sloping track; when the train is about to reach the next station's platform, it will enter the station uphill and drive to the platform at a slower speed. The valley-shaped routing design allows the train to use its own weight to assist acceleration and deceleration, thereby reducing power consumption. This design makes the distance between the underground station and the ground closer, allowing passengers to travel to and from the lobby and the platform in a short time; and the pipeline is built deep underground to avoid building piles along the line.

MTR stations built underground are equipped with air-conditioning cooling devices and ventilation systems to provide passengers with a comfortable riding environment. The air-conditioning cooling device is used to adjust the temperature inside the station, while the ventilation system introduces fresh air from outside the station to ensure air circulation inside the station. Currently, during winter, stations generally only need to maintain air circulation and do not need to activate the air-conditioning cooling device. Therefore, they only need to turn on the ventilation system to introduce fresh air, and the air-conditioning cooling device does not need to be turned on. The railway system is equipped with real-time monitoring of temperature and humidity. When necessary, fresh air will be pumped in to keep the railway system at an appropriate temperature and humidity.

To ensure the safety of the MTR, air circulation must be maintained at railway stations and tunnels to maintain good air quality and appropriate temperatures. Under normal train operation, the ventilation system draws outdoor fresh air into the railway tunnel through ventilation shafts to ensure continuous ventilation and stable temperature in the tunnel, avoid the continued accumulation of warmer airflow, and at the same time provide fresh air to underground stations and trains, and extract it Heat and moisture are generated by passengers and various equipment of the railway system, not the exhaust emission system. As for the air extracted from the ground by the system, it will gradually cool down through the ventilation ducts and mix with the air in the area, diluting the warmer air. The MTR Corporation has always tried to direct the air flow from the vents away from passengers, allowing the warmer air enough space to dissipate in the air and minimising the impact. MTR trains are powered by electricity and do not produce exhaust gas. Therefore, the air discharged from the vents does not contain harmful emissions or pollutants. The public does not need to worry about the impact of railway system ventilation facilities on air quality.

Hong Kong's railway design mainly provides direct railway services to residents in the vicinity of stations. Within this area, residents can use the pedestrian walkway network to access the station. Since the geographical environment, community characteristics, existing development, road space and conditions surrounding each station are different, the number of entrances and exits at different stations also varies. In addition, the layout of the station itself also affects the design of entrances and exits.

The following factors must be considered when establishing entrances and exits:

• Accessibility to major points of interest, such as malls, schools and apartment buildings, while also in high-traffic areas
• The required width of the entrance/exit must accommodate maximum traffic flow during peak hours. They must also allow people to evacuate quickly in the event of an emergency and accommodate future growth
• Station entrance/exits must be wheelchair accessible to ground level pedestrian facilities, either through ramps or lifts so all people can get to/from the concourse. In most cases, the station entrance/exit will need to occupy part of the pedestrian walkway or public space available, or affect retail square footage if directly attached to a shopping centre. Therefore, a balanced consideration must be made when determining the amount of entrances/exits
• The station entrance must be technically feasible

In addition, railway stations, regardless of their type, are part of the urban landscape. Newer MTR heavy rail stations and infrastructure are architecturally designed to better integrate within the surrounding environment and cityscape. Where feasible, MTR Corporation will implement more environmentally-friendly features, such as living walls and green roofs into the exterior of station buildings to further complement the surrounding environment. As rail transportation continues its major role in Hong Kong's public transportation sector, future stations will be designed to be further pedestrian-oriented.

General Station Facilities

• Station Colour

When the Modified Initial System opened in 1979, the initial stations were designed as basic, utilitarian facilities where people could purchase tickets and catch their trains. Little regional variation denoted these stations from each other. For example, Choi Hung had rainbow inlay between the station tiles while the dark grey tiles of Diamond Hill Station had silver tiles inlaid to symbolize the diamonds found in the area. As a result, stations on the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines were designed under a similar basic concept.

When the Island Line opened between Chai Wan and Admiralty in 1985, a new concept to better denote stations was introduced. Station names were displayed along the walls in large Chinese calligraphy, adding a touch of local art and culture to the platform walls. This concept was further expanded when the Tseung Kwan O Line opened in 2002 and has been a mainstay of all new stations ever since. Some stations have also received local art and other artifacts relating to the area.

• Signage

See: Station Signage

• System Map

See: System Map

• Local Area Map

See: Station Information

• Shops

A feature of all Urban Lines stations, people can purchase items such as magazines, cakes and newspapers before or after their trip in the unpaid area, with banks and ATMs also available. Some stations in the former KCR network have shops inside the paid area.

• Advertising

See: Railway Advertising

The MTRCL provides locations throughout the system and on trains for advertising. At most stations, advertisements at the platform level are located on billboards next to the tracks opposite to the platform. In the busier stations, these are often TV screens with synchronized audio that feeds into the platform PA speakers to gain passengers' attention. Advertising slots can also be found on stairwells and walkways leading from entrances/exits.

• Escalators

The design, testing, inspection and operation of escalators must be compliant required by the Lifts and Escalators Ordinance (Chapter 618) and the codes of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD). All escalators must pass relevant safety inspections by the EMSD and have the required operational permits before they can enter service. In addition, according to Section 44 of the Ordinance, MTRCL is required to ensure all escalators and their associated components are in a state of good repair, along with being safe to use by the public.

As of April 2017, there are 1,092 escalators within the MTR system, of which, 35 are longer units with a vertical height of over 15 metres. Consequently, MTRCL has routine maintenance and inspections done on all escalators about every two weeks, in addition to other routine inspections to comply with legal requirements. These ensure these important components remain safe to use.

Generally, the design life of an escalator in MTR stations is over 40 years. However, these are refurbished after 25 years of service to ensure continued reliability and are contracted out. Contractors are required to carry out detailed repairs and maintenance of various components, as well as replace parts with normal wear and tear. Each refurbishment project lasts about three months. To ensure that the station is still easily accessible, only one or a set of two escalators (where more than 2 are running) will be taken out of service at a time. During this period, MTR will closely monitor progress on the project and the passenger volume through such locations to ensure smooth traffic flow, such as by diverting traffic if needed.

Since 2002, major escalator refurbishments have been completed at most Urban Lines stations. For example, the escalators at Lam Tin and North Point Stations have been completed in the second quarter of 2017. As more escalators hit the 25-year mark, the gradual refurbishment of these machines will continue towards the future.

• Lifts/Elevators

As part of accessibility requirements, MTRCL aims to provide lifts at all heavy rail stations where it is feasible to do so, especially between the station concourse and ground-level entrances. The oldest stations, however, which were built in urban areas during the 1970s and 1980s were not designed with lifts and consequently, face problems when installing these features on surrounding properties due to property rights issues. As of 2024, 57 out of 93 stations currently have elevators at ground level. The remaining 34 stations either have ground-level station concourses, ramps or lifts in nearby facilities such as a shopping centre. At stations with the latter three designs, people are not required to use the lift to enter the station concourse.

From 2012 to 2015, the MTR Corporation built an additional connecting station concourse at Sai Wan Ho Station, Lai Chi Kok Station, Cheung Sha Wan Station, Sham Shui Po Station, Prince Edward Station, Jordan Station, Sheung Wan Station and Shek Kip Mei Station. These stations also featured new lifts at ground level. In addition, MTRCL installed one lift each at Shau Kei Wan Station, Yau Ma Tei Station , Admiralty Station, Tsim Sha Tsui Station and Lai King Station in 2016. The new passenger lift at Diamond Hill Station was opened in 2020 in conjunction with the opening of Tuen Ma Line Phase 1 . The lift next to the stairs at Exit B of Tin Hau Station connecting the station concourse and King's Road has also been opened in May 2022.

• Travellator/Moving walkway

Certain stations have moving walkways, or travellators which can be found in longer indoor walkways. Within the MTR system, they can be found between East Tsim Sha Tsui & Tsim Sha Tsui, between Hong Kong & Central, between Elements Mall & Hong Kong West Kowloon, as well as inside Lo Wu & Lok Ma Chau Stations.

• Toilets

Main article: Toilet

All heavy rail stations are equipped with toilets for the convenience of the public and staff. In older Urban Lines stations, these are located within the staff area, as the stations were designed for shorter journeys typical of the 1970s & 1980s. At that time, stations were not designed with such facilities as public toilets could be found in nearby shopping centres and other places. If you need to access the toilet in these stations, speak to staff and they will let you into the staff area, while signage is present in the concourse and platforms.

Newer stations, such as those on the Tuen Ma Line, Disneyland Resort Line and East Rail Line, Tiu Keng Leng Station, Ngau Tau Kok Station, Quarry Bay Station, Sheung Wan Station, Sai Ying Pun Station, Hong Kong University Station, as well as Kennedy Town Station have public toilets located inside the paid area. All Airport Express stations have public toilets located outside the paid area.

When designing new stations, MTRCL will provide toilets within or adjacent to them. For example, stations of the Kwun Tong Line Extension, which opened in 2016, South Island Line (Ocean Park Station, Wong Chuk Hang Station, Lei Tung Station, South Horizons Station and Admiralty (South Island Line Extension)) have public toilets. In addition, all new stations of the Tuen Ma Line and Exhibition Centre have public toilets.

In fact, retrofitting existing stations with public toilets require a complex renovation project that involves considerable technical difficulties, such as sewage tolerances, the relocation of utilities (high voltage power cables, gas mains, etc.) and the need to install an independent ventilation system. The MTR Corporation carried out major renovations at 10 interchange stations (including Mong Kok Station , Prince Edward Station, Admiralty Station, Tsim Sha Tsui Station , Yau Ma Tei Station , Lai King Station, Central Station, North Point Station, Yau Tong Station and Tiu Keng Leng Station) to retrofit a public toilet.

The toilets at Mong Kok and Prince Edward opened in January 2015, while the ones at Admiralty opened in 2016 in conjunction with the South Island Line. New toilets at Tiu Keng Leng Station, Yau Tong Station, Lai Chi Kok and Central opened in 2019, while those at Yau Mai Tei and North Point opened in 2020. The toilets at Tsim Sha Tsui opened in 2022; since then, all interchange stations have public toilets.

• Wi-Fi/Wireless Internet Service

All heavy rail stations have free Wi-Fi service through MTR Free Wi-Fi as of 7 July 2013, with stations opened after this date having such connections built in. Access sessions are timed, similar to iCentres.

• iCentre

In the paid area of some station concourses, iCentres provide a facility to access the Internet at no extra charge.

With widespread adoption of mobile device use, MTRCL has provided USB charging ports at 13 stations as of February 2017. Passengers only need to bring their USB cable to plug in to the socket located at any iCentre. In addition, mobile device charging stations have been added to 16 interchange stations as of 31 March 2020. These facilities are equipped with both USB charging ports and wireless charging pads for devices with such capability.

• Wetlands Viewing Instrument

Located at Lok Ma Chau Station, it allows passengers to view the surrounding wetlands.

• Waste Bins/Trash Bins
• Mailboxes
• Payphone

In the past, 87 station concourses and some platforms were equipped with public payphones provided by Xinjing Telecom, which accepted coins or phone cards for payment.

The contract between MTR and Xinjing expired at the end of December 2015. Xinjing has no intention to renew the contract, and no other contractor has expressed interest in providing services. Xinjing has dismantled all 390 payphones one by one in the first quarter of 2016, which means that payphones Since then, MTR stations have disappeared.