The Tsuen Wan Line (荃灣綫) is one of the MTR's heavy rail lines between Central and Tsuen Wan. It was spun off from the Modified Initial System on 26 April 1982 and opened to traffic on 10 May, making it the earliest in the former MTR system opened to service.
On the route map, the Tsuen Wan Line is represented by the colour red and named after Tsuen Wan Station, the western terminus.
Line introduction[]
The Tsuen Wan Line has a total of 16 stations. Among these stations, only Tsuen Wan Station is a ground-level station; Kwai Hing, Kwai Fong, and Lai King stations are elevated stations; the rest are all underground stations.
From the opening of the line until the opening of the Eastern Harbour Crossing on 6 August 1989, this line was the only cross-harbour railway line. Currently, the line has 8 interchange stations, allowing interchanges to 7 other lines, including the Tung Chung Line, Tuen Ma Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line, South Island Line, East Rail Line and Airport Express. This makes it the MTR line with the most number of interchangeable lines among all heavy rail lines.[Remark 1]
History[]
Early planning for Mass-Transit Railway[]
The Tsuen Wan Line was one of the four lines initially planned when the construction of the MTR was first studied in 1970. It was already mentioned in the 1967 Hong Kong Mass Transport Study. At that time, the proposed route was between Admiralty and Tsuen Wan.
Template:Tsuen Wan Line Route (1967)
In 1970, the Hong Kong Mass Transit Further Studies merged the Tsuen Wan Line and the Kwun Tong Line (from Mong Kok to Hong Kong Island) into the Kong Kow Line, which operated in conjunction with the Tsuen Wan Branch and the Kwun Tong Branch. The terminus stations for the Tsuen Wan Branch and the Kong Kow Line were Tsuen Wan West (not the current Tsuen Wan West Station on the Tuen Ma Line) and Chater, respectively.
Template:Kong Kow Line Route Template:Tsuen Wan Branch Route
During the initial planning stages of the Tsuen Wan Line, the proposed terminus was Tsuen Wan West Station, located in the valley west of Tsuen Wan Station, with the intention of extending the line to Tuen Mun in the future. However, during the Tuen Mun New Town Plan, the project was deemed too costly and faced passenger volume issues, leading to its suspension.
By 1983, the MTR decided to expand Central Station (formerly named Chater Station) to accommodate the flow of passengers between Central and Sheung Wan stations; in 1982, Admiralty Station was also expanded. From then on, Central Station and Admiralty Station became interchange stations for the Island Line between 1985 and 1986.
The section between Tsuen Wan and Lai King Station was originally planned to be built underground, rather than on an elevated bridge (as is now the case between Kwai Hing and Lai King Stations). The elevated design was adopted to accommodate the mountainous terrain of Lai King Station, avoiding the station being too deep underground, which could impair efficiency. Additionally, Mong Kok (formerly named Argyle) and Sham Shui Po stations were originally planned to be built at locations further north and south than their current positions, respectively, to replace the existing Prince Edward Station.
Modified Initial System[]
In 1976, the Hong Kong Comprehensive Transport Study was published, recommending the construction of the Tsuen Wan Line. In 1977, the Tsuen Wan Line project was approved and construction commenced immediately.
On 16 December 1979, Jordan Station and Tsim Sha Tsui Station were opened. On 12 February 1980, Admiralty Station and Chater Station were opened. At that time, these stations were part of the Modified Initial System (now the Kwun Tong Line), and trains travelling between Argyle Station (now the Kwun Tong Line platform) and Waterloo Station (now the Tsuen Wan Line platform) used the crossover tracks.
Opening of Tsuen Wan Line[]
As early as 26 April 1982, the Modified Initial System was split into two services named Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line. At that time, the Tsuen Wan Line only carried passengers between Argyle and Central, while the section to Tsuen Wan was used solely for staff training purposes until 10 May, when passenger services were extended to Tsuen Wan. From that day onwards, several six-carriage trains were transferred to the Tsuen Wan Line for operation.[1]
On 10 May of the same year, the entire Tsuen Wan Line was opened, with stations between Tsuen Wan and Prince Edward partially operational. Until 17 May, Prince Edward Station was only used for interchanges, while the section between Sham Shui Po Station and Mei Foo Station was not opened until 17 May. At the time, the Tsuen Wan Line operated with 18 eight-car trains and 6 six-car trains, with the entire line switching to eight-car trains by 6 September.[2]
Island Line opens[]
On 31 May 1985, the section of the Island Line between Admiralty and Chai Wan opened, with Admiralty Station becoming an interchange station for the Tsuen Wan Line and the Island Line. At that time, passengers travelling from stations east of Admiralty Station to Central Station had to interchange to the Tsuen Wan Line at Template:Admiralty Station, and vice versa. The section of the Island Line between Admiralty and Sheung Wan opened on 23 May the following year, with Central Station becoming the second interchange station for the Tsuen Wan Line and the Hong Kong Island Line.
Before the opening of the Eastern Harbour Crossing Cross-Harbour Railway (then known as the Kwun Tong Line) in 1989, this was the only cross-harbour railway, and it was extremely crowded during peak hours, with daily passenger numbers exceeding the safe level of 75,000. The MTR Corporation once introduced a peak-hour surcharge to reduce passenger numbers during peak hours to a safe level.
Following the opening of the Kwun Tong Line cross-harbour railway in 1989 and the introduction of the KMB Route 300 in 1991, passenger numbers on the Tsuen Wan Line's Nathan Road and cross-harbour sections declined slightly, and the peak-hour surcharge was abolished in 1993. Following the opening of the Tung Chung Line in 1998, passenger numbers on the Tsuen Wan Line between Mei Foo and Central further declined. However, after the opening of the Tseung Kwan O Line in 2002, the Kwun Tong Line no longer crossed the harbour, leading to a resurgence in passenger numbers on the Tsuen Wan Line between Admiralty and Mong Kok. From the opening of the Kwun Tong Line Extension in 2016 to the opening of the East Rail Line cross-harbour section in 2022, passenger numbers on the Tsuen Wan Line's Nathan Road and cross-harbour sections continued to rise.[3] After the opening of the East Rail Line cross-harbour section, the congestion on the Tsuen Wan Line's section between Admiralty and Mong Kok was significantly alleviated.
Tung Chung Line opens[]
To accommodate the opening of the Tung Chung Line, the Tsuen Wan Line requires the construction of an interchange station. Otherwise, passengers would have to travel the entire route to the Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island to interchange to other lines, which could exacerbate congestion on Nathan Road. The MTR Corporation selected Lai King Station as the cross-platform interchange station for the Tung Chung Line and Tsuen Wan Line. As a result, the northbound tracks of the Tsuen Wan Line were re-routed to create space for a platform enabling interchanges to the Tung Chung Line.
Due to engineering requirements and to facilitate passenger interchanges, the Tsuen Wan Line Platform 1 at Lai King Station was relocated to the upper-level new platform and officially opened on 6 July 1997; The original Platform 1 (the column-free space between the current Tung Chung Line downbound platform and the Tsuen Wan Line downbound platform) was converted into a passageway to connect the new Platform 4 (the space between the current Platform 4 and Platform 2); The upbound tracks of the old Platform 1 have been decommissioned, with some sections of the tracks removed, and no longer connected to the Tsuen Wan Line, with only the elevated bridge remaining.
On 22 June 1998, the Tung Chung Line commenced operations, alleviating the congestion on the Kowloon section of the Tsuen Wan Line. After the Tseung Kwan O Line opened on 4 August 2002, the Kwun Tong Line no longer crossed the harbour, causing passenger numbers on the Tsuen Wan Line between Admiralty and Mong Kok to rise again. The traffic diversion effect of the Tung Chung Line was only effective on the section along Cheung Sha Wan Road.
Additionally, south of Lai King Station, there is the only crossover track connecting the Tung Chung Line, Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line with other urban lines, used exclusively for engineering vehicles or special operational adjustments. For example, the K-Trains that arrived in Hong Kong in 2001, the C-Trains that arrived between 2011 and 2013, and the Chinese-made Q-Trains that began arriving in 2018. These trains are transferred from the Siu Ho Wan Depot to the Kowloon Bay Depot or other depots. Since 2008, Disneyland Resort Line trains have required manual driving mode approximately every four years to travel from Siu Ho Wan Depot to Kowloon Bay Depot for major maintenance.
Intersections with East Rail and West Rail[]
On 20 December 2003, the Mei Foo Station of the 
KCR West Rail was opened, connecting with the Mei Foo Station of the Tsuen Wan Line.
On 24 October 2004, the East Tsim Sha Tsui Station of the KCR East Rail was opened, connecting with the Tsim Sha Tsui Station of the Tsuen Wan Line, which temporarily reduced the interchanging passenger flow at the Tsuen Wan Line's Mong Kok Station.
On 16 August 2009, the Kowloon Southern Link commenced operations, with the East Tsim Sha Tsui Station switching to West Rail Line services. The line no longer connects with the East Rail Line, resulting in a resurgence of interchanging passenger flow at the Mong Kok Station on the Tsuen Wan Line.
Kwun Tong Line Extension opens[]
On 23 October 2016, the Kwun Tong Line was extended to Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations, and Yau Ma Tei Station officially became another interchange station between the Tsuen Wan Line and the Kwun Tong Line. Passenger traffic on the Tsuen Wan Line section between Admiralty and Yau Ma Tei increased further, particularly during the period from the full opening of the Tuen Ma Line in 2021 to the opening of the cross-harbour section of the East Rail Line in 2022. Many passengers on the newly constructed sections of the Tuen Ma Line interchanged to the Kwun Tong Line at Ho Man Tin and Yau Ma Tei stations (or via the Tsim Sha Tsui Station/East Tsim Sha Tsui Station interchange passageway) to cross the harbour.
South Island Line opens[]
On 28 December 2016, the South Island Line officially commenced operations, connecting the South Horizons Station to the Admiralty Station. The Admiralty Station became a three-line interchange station for the }Tsuen Wan Line, the Island Line and the South Island Line, resulting in a further increase in interchanging passenger flow at the Admiralty Station. MTR Corporation also introduced several empty trains on the Tsuen Wan Line departing from Admiralty Station to Tsuen Wan starting in January 2017 to alleviate passenger congestion at Admiralty Station and remained in place until September 2023.
Opening of East Rail Line cross-harbour section[]
On 15 May 2022, the southern terminus of the East Rail Line was extended from Hung Hom to Admiralty Station. This line also reconnected with the East Rail Line for the first time since the Kowloon Southern Link opened on 16 August 2009. Admiralty Station now serves as a super-interchange station for the Tsuen Wan Line, the Island Line, the South Island Line and the East Rail Line. Since passengers along the East Rail Line can now directly cross the harbour via this line, the overcrowding in the carriages between Admiralty and Mong Kok on the Tsuen Wan Line has since been alleviated.[4]
Second change in signalling system of urban lines[]
By the end of 2016, the Tsuen Wan Line became the first urban line to undergo a second signalling system upgrade (contract number: 3036).[5]
On 9 July 2017, the Tsuen Wan Line conducted its first test of the new signalling system.
On 18 March 2019, a train collision occurred during the testing of the new signalling system on the Tsuen Wan Line, resulting in the suspension of the testing process. After improvements were made, the process resumed in late 2021.
On 6 June 2024, the Tsuen Wan Line conducted another mainline track test of the new signalling system.
The new signalling system test is expected to be completed and put into operation between 2025 and 2026.
Stations[]
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| All stations of Tsuen Wan Line | ||||||||
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| Upward | Station name and colour | Station code | Ticket Vending Machine No. | Upward platform | Downward platform | Interchanging line(s) | Open date | |
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荃灣 Tsuen Wan | TSW | 089 | 1 | 2 | 10 May 1982 | ||
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大窩口 Tai Wo Hau | TWH | 088 | 1 | 2 | |||
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葵興 Kwai Hing | KWH | 087 | 1 | 2 | |||
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葵芳 Kwai Fong | KWF | 086 | 1 | 2 | |||
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茘景 Lai King | LAK | 085 | 1 | 2 | Tung Chung Line | [TCL] | |
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美孚 Mei Foo | MEF | 084 | 1 | 2 | Tuen Ma Line | 17 May 1982 | |
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茘枝角 Lai Chi Kok | LCK | 083 | 1 | 2 | |||
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長沙灣 Cheung Sha Wan | CSW | 082 | 1 | 2 | |||
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深水埗 Sham Shui Po | SSP | 081 | 1 | 2 | |||
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太子 Prince Edward | PRE | 080 | 1 | 4 | Kwun Tong Line | 10 May 1982 | |
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旺角 Mong Kok | MOK | 070 | 1 | 2 | 31 December 1979 | ||
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油麻地 Yau Ma Tei | YMT | 069 | 1 | 2 | 22 December 1979 | ||
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佐敦 Jordan | JOR | 068 | 1 | 2 | 16 December 1979 | ||
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尖沙咀 Tsim Sha Tsui | TST | 067 | 1 | 2 | Tuen Ma Line (East Tsim Sha Tsui Station) | [TST] | |
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金鐘 Admiralty | ADM | 066 | 1 | 4 | Island Line, South Island Line, East Rail Line | 12 February 1980 | |
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中環 Central | CEN | 065 | 1／2 | Island Line Tung Chung Line, Airport Express (Hong Kong Station) | |||
| Downward | Station name and colour | Station code | Ticket Vending Machine No. | Upward platform | Downward platform | Interchanging line(s) | Open date | |
| Notes | ||||||||
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Station renaming[]
At least eight station names on the Tsuen Wan Line differ from the originally planned names. The English names of Central Station (Chater), Mong Kok Station (Argyle) and Yau Ma Tei Station (Waterloo) differ from the current ones, with the station names derived from nearby street names.
Additionally, the original name of Cheung Sha Wan Station was So Uk Station, and the original name of Lai Chi Kok Station was Cheung Sha Wan Station. The station located in the Kwai Tsing District, Kwai Fong Station, was originally named Lap Sap Wan Station, derived from the former name of the area before land reclamation, Gin Drunkers' Bay (also known as "Lap Sap Wan"); Kwai Hing Station was originally named "Kwai Chung Station". These four stations were all renamed to their current names before the line opened.
As for Mei Foo Station, which was originally named Lai Chi Kok Station, it was renamed Lai Wan Station shortly before the line opened, leading to the coexistence of three stations with similar names - Lai Chi Kok, Lai Wan, and Lai King - which caused confusion among passengers. Therefore, Lai Wan Station was renamed Mei Foo Station in 1985, making it the only station on the former MTR network to have its name changed after the line opened.
Platform safety doors[]
Currently, safety doors have been installed on all platforms along the Tsuen Wan Line. Except for Kwai Fong, Kwai Hing and Tsuen Wan stations, which have platform gates, all other stations have platform screen doors.
Future developments[]
On 12 December 2023, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government released the "Hong Kong Major Transport Infrastructure Development Blueprint". The report indicates that the Template:Central Rail Link will add a station in the Tsuen King Circuit area, while the Tsuen Wan Line will be extended westward to Tsuen King Circuit, enabling passengers from the northern New Territories on the Template:Central Rail Link to interchange to the Tsuen Wan Line.
Template:Tsuen Wan Line Route (Future development)
Trains[]
Service hours and headways[]
Train services[]
Passenger demand[]
Ridership[]
Related incidents[]
Gallery[]
Remarks[]
- ↑ Only Tseung Kwan O Line and Disneyland Resort Line cannot be directly interchanged from Tsuen Wan Line and must be interchanged via Island Line/Kwun Tong Line/Tung Chung Line.
References[]
- ↑ "Rail Post HK: First Issue" (p.1), 1 May 2005. (archived version).
- ↑ "Rail Post HK: First Issue" (p.2), 1 May 2005. (archived version).
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "East Rail extension aids people flow", news.gov.hk, 15 June 2022.
- ↑ "MTR Officially Awards HK$3.3 Billion Signalling System Replacement Contract", MTR Corporation Limited Press Release No. 018/15, 3 March 2015.
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