‘Nervous’ MTR fine-tunes operations for Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park

Name: How walkable is Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park? We put it to the test
Uploaded: 2025-02-22T00:30:18.000Z
Duration: 3 min 58 s
Description: How walkable is Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park? We put it to the test

MTR Corp deployed more staff at two nearby stations and created a guide on how to get to park during events with big passenger flows

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Cheris Lee says passenger information including signage has been improved at Kai Tak station. Photo: Edmond So

Harvey Kong

Published: 8:30am, 22 Feb 2025Updated: 8:42am, 22 Feb 2025

Rail giant the MTR Corporation has said the biggest challenge over the coming opening of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park will be visitors who have never been to the venue, even though nearly 20 drills have been conducted.

Cheris Lee Yuen-ling, chief of the firm’s operating and metro segment, said on Friday that the corporation had deployed more staff at Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi stations, the nearest stops, during occasions with greater passenger flows and had created a guide for people on how to get to the park, which opens on March 1.

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How walkable is Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park? We put it to the test

In the run-up to the opening, authorities staged almost 20 test runs starting last October, with the final large-scale drill held on February 16. Several trials used civil servants and community members as participants rather than members of the public.

“For the future, we are quite nervous about occasions when there are real events at the park. There can be a group of people who have never been there before,” she said.

“They could be Hong Kong residents who are not familiar with the location. They could be visitors from mainland China or from overseas, where they are not familiar with Hong Kong to begin with. So, how can we be more hospitable? This is very important.”

Kai Tak Sports Park includes a 50,000-seat main stadium. Photo: Eugene Lee

The HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) park is the city’s latest multipurpose venue for sporting competitions and performances. The park is expected to be a key engine for the city’s mega-event economy push, with several major concerts and sports events scheduled for its 50,000-seat main stadium.