Editorial | Mind the gap as MTR expands to southwest
Hong Kong Island residents keep fingers crossed that, after a decade of stop-start planning, work on a new line linking HKU and Wong Chuk Hang stations will finally begin
With its passenger trips reaching 5 million a day, Hong Kong’s mass transit railway is seen as the backbone of the public transport system. Notwithstanding its expansion over the past 45 years, some districts are still not covered by its network.
And even when planning is under way, the process can be woefully long and fraught with constraints and uncertainties.
Having waited for a decade, residents on the southwest of Hong Kong Island may be pleased to learn that a more concrete proposal is finally on the drawing board.
The latest approach is to adopt a “smart and green” system with a “medium carrying capacity”, instead of a heavy rail as originally proposed for the South Island line extension.
Running primarily on an elevated viaduct, the 7.5km new rail line will form a loop connecting HKU station with Wong Chuk Hang station, serving some 130,000 residents in Aberdeen, Wah Fu, Cyberport and Pok Fu Lam.
The authorities aim to begin detailed planning and design next year and start construction work in 2027.
