Hung Hom station

Hung Hom 紅磡
MTR rapid transit station China Railway station
New Tuen Ma line Platforms For Hung Hom station
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	紅磡
Simplified Chinese	红磡
Jyutping	Hung4ham3
Hanyu Pinyin	Hóngkàn
Literal meaning	Red, dangerous sea cliff
showTranscriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hóngkàn Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hùngham IPA [hȍŋhɐ̄m] Jyutping Hung4ham3
General information
Other names	Hong Kong Hung Hom (China Railway, from 1 April 2019) Kowloon / Jiulong (China Railway, before 31 March 2019)
Location	Cheong Wan Road, Hung Hom Bay Yau Tsim Mong District, Hong Kong
Coordinates	22°18′10″N 114°10′54″E / 22.3029°N 114.1816°E / 22.3029; 114.1816Coordinates: 22°18′10″N 114°10′54″E / 22.3029°N 114.1816°E / 22.3029; 114.1816
Owned by	Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Operated by	MTR Corporation
Line(s)	East Rail line      Tuen Ma line Beijing–Kowloon line
Platforms	7 (3 island platforms and 1 side platform)
Tracks	7
Connections	Bus, public light bus
Construction
Structure type	At-grade (present station); Underground (future East Rail line platforms)
Depth	At-grade-Underground
Platform levels	1
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	HUH
History
Opened	30 November 1975; 45 years ago (1975-11-30) (East Rail line and Through Train) 20 June 2021; 2 months ago (2021-06-20) (Tuen Ma line ground platform)
Electrified	16 May 1982; 39 years ago (1982-05-16)
Services
Preceding station China Railway Following station Shenzhen towards Beijing West Beijing–Kowloon railway Terminus All trains to and from Mainland China skip East Rail line intermediate stations. Preceding station MTR Following station Terminus East Rail line Mong Kok East towards Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau Ho Man Tin towards Wu Kai Sha Tuen Ma line East Tsim Sha Tsui towards Tuen Mun Changping towards Foshan Guangdong through train Terminus Guangzhou East towards Beijing West Beijing–Kowloon through train Guangzhou East towards Shanghai Shanghai–Kowloon through train Future Exhibition Centre towards Admiralty East Rail line Sha Tin to Central Link Mong Kok East towards Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau
hide Track layout Legend Original platforms to Mong Kok East Tunnel No. 1A Kwun Tong line Yau Ma Tei Kwun Tong line Ho Man Tin to Kowloon (1910–1975) to new platforms track removed c. 2010 1 4 5 7 6 transfer table to new platforms to East Tsim Sha Tsui New platforms to Ho Man Tin L1 (lower) G (upper) to stabling sidings 1 2 4 3 to stabling sidings to Exhibition Centre
Location
Hung Hom Location within the MTR system

Hung Hom (Chinese: 紅磡; Cantonese Yale: Hùngham) is a passenger railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is the southern terminus of the East Rail line and an intermediate station of Tuen Ma line domestic services of the MTR network, as well as cross-border through trains to mainland China. The station is one of four Hong Kong ports of entry on the MTR network; the others are Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, and West Kowloon. As the station is located next to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel's northern portal, it is also served by many cross-harbour bus routes.

Opened as the new southern terminus of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) on 30 November 1975 by Queen Elizabeth II, the station was originally named Kowloon station after the older terminus of the same name, which it replaced. The station was substantially expanded in the 1990s, at which time it was given its present name. The KCR British Section was also renamed East Rail in order to differentiate it from the new West Rail, which opened on 20 December 2003 and was extended to Hung Hom station on 16 August 2009.

Under the Sha Tin to Central Link project, which has been under construction since 2012, much of Hung Hom station has been reconstructed. A new immersed tube south of the station will carry East Rail line trains across Victoria Harbour to Central, while the West Rail has been extended via eastern Kowloon to connect to the former Ma On Shan line, with the combined line being renamed "Tuen Ma line".

History[]

Former Hung Hom station[]

An older station of the same name once existed on Chatham Road. It was situated on the former coastline of Hung Hom Bay, at the southeastern corner of the Gun Club Hill Barracks (between the current-day Chung Sze Yuen Building A of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong History Museum).

This old Hung Hom station, a temporary wooden structure, operated from 1 October 1910 (the day the Kowloon–Canton Railway began operation)^[1] It was later demolished.

Relocation of Kowloon station[]

The old Kowloon station in Tsim Sha Tsui began operation in 1910. After decades of economic growth in Hong Kong, the station, situated at the seafront of Victoria Harbour, became too small and had no room for expansion. A new Kowloon station (the current Hung Hom station), situated to the east, was officially inaugurated by Chief Secretary Denys Roberts on 24 November 1975 as the new terminus of the Kowloon–Canton Railway. However, it did not start operating until a few days later. The old terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui was closed on 29 November 1975.

The first passenger train pulled out of the new station the following morning at 8:26 am. On 5 May 1975, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening of the new terminal.^[2] The new station cost HK$150 million and offered modern new facilities including a spacious waiting hall, a restaurant, a bar, a bookstore, a bank, escalators, and closed circuit television. It was built along with a bus terminus and a multi-storey car park.^[2]

The controversial demolition of the old station commenced on 7 June 1978;^[3] a new complex of a concert hall and museums were built on Kowloon station's original site, but the clock tower was preserved as a Declared Monument.

Through trains to mainland China started running from Hung Hom station on 4 April 1979.

Renaming and expansion[]

The new station was renamed Hung Hom station around February or March 1996.^{[citation needed]} The Kowloon-Canton Railway was renamed KCR East Rail in 1996, and subsequently the East Rail line upon the merger of MTRC (metro services) and KCRC (suburban train services) in December 2007.

A HK$1.3 billion expansion of Hung Hom station began on 16 March 1995, which included a new concourse designed by Foster and Partners.^[4] The expansion was completed in 1998. The passenger terminal now hosts ticket offices, waiting areas, shops and restaurants.

After decades of being the terminus station of the East Rail line, Hung Hom temporarily became an intermediate station when the East Rail was extended to East Tsim Sha Tsui station in 2004. This symbolic return to Tsim Sha Tsui of the then-Kowloon–Canton railway was followed by the inauguration of a westward Kowloon Southern Link to complete the West Rail line. On 16 August 2009, East Tsim Sha Tsui was transferred to the West Rail line. Hung Hom regained its status of terminus station, now of both railway lines.

To minimise confusion after the opening of Hong Kong West Kowloon, China Railways renamed the station on its systems to Hong Kong Hung Hom (previously Jiulong / Kowloon) on 1 April 2019.

The West Rail line was relocated to a new set of underground platforms on 20 June 2021, a week ahead of the Tuen Ma line's inauguration. On 27 June 2021, the West Rail line officially merged with the Ma On Shan line (which was already extended into the Tuen Ma line Phase 1 at the time) in East Kowloon to form the new Tuen Ma line, as part of the Shatin to Central link project. Hence, Hung Hom was included in the project and lost its status of terminus. It is now an intermediate station on the Tuen Ma line, that spans between Wu Kai Sha and Tuen Mun.

For now, the East Rail line remains at its original surface platforms and will not be relocated until all the older MLR trains are retired, as it and the new Rotem trains have a different door layout that preclude the older trains from lining up with the platform screen doors at the new platforms. Footbridges were used to cover the former West Rail line platforms. When the line's expansion south to Admiralty opens in 2022 as part of the Shatin to Central Link project, its platforms at Hung Hom station will also be relocated underground, below the Tuen Ma line's platforms.^[5]

Cross-border services[]

Platforms 5 and 6 are used by China Railway for cross-border trains to Beijing West (Beijing–Kowloon line), Shanghai (Shanghai–Kowloon line), and Guangzhou East (Guangzhou–Kowloon line).

China Railway has referred to the station as "Hong Kong Hung Hom" (Chinese: 香港紅磡; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Hóngkàn) since 1 April 2019.

As of 4 September 2019, Hung Hom station and its cross-border services cannot be found at China Railways official website, as opposed to high speed services at West Kowloon station.

Sha Tin to Central Link expansion[]

Background[]

Currently an interchange station between the Tuen Ma line and East Rail line, Hung Hom station will become an intermediate stop on the Sha Tin to Central Link, a railway line connecting Sha Tin to Hong Kong Island.

Under the North South Corridor concept, the East Rail line is currently being extended to Hong Kong Island via a new immersed tube tunnel south of the station. At the same time, the West Rail line is being extended to connect with the Tuen Ma line via East Kowloon.

To facilitate this expansion, new platforms have been built underneath the Hung Hom station Exit C concourse. The Tuen Ma line platforms sit above the future East Rail line platforms.^[5] New approach tracks have also been built north and south of the station.

Construction safety scandal[]

In 2018, a major scandal emerged regarding construction malpractice at the Hung Hom station construction site. In 2015, contractors building the concrete slab forming the Tuen Ma Line platform level reportedly cut off the ends of reinforcing bars that were supposed to be screwed into couplers within the diaphragm wall forming the side of the underground station box. The contractor then poured the concrete even though the bars were not connected to the couplers. As a result, engineers have cast doubt on the long-term structural safety of the slab.^[6]

The government has demanded that MTR Corporation submit a report on the safety of the station. An independent engineer, C M Wong & Associates Ltd., will conduct safety tests.^[7] On 12 June 2018, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that she will appoint a commission on inquiry, headed by Hong Kong judge Michael Hartmann, to investigate the scandal.^[8]

Station layout[]

^[9]

Exits[]

An interchange for buses (lower level) and public light buses and taxis (upper level) is located outside the station building. The lower-level bus station is situated at the Kowloon entrance of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Elevated walkways connect the station to the Hong Kong Coliseum; Hong Kong Polytechnic University; the residential area of Hung Hom; and tourist attractions in eastern Tsim Sha Tsui, such as the Science Museum and the Avenue of Stars along Victoria Harbour.^[10]

• A1 – Hong Kong Polytechnic University^[10]
• A2 – Bus terminus on On Wan Road^[10]
• A3 – Northeast side of station^[10]
• B1 – Walkway to Hung Hom, Royal Peninsula, Harbour Place, Whampoa Garden^[10]
• B2 – Walkway to Exit C Concourse^[10]
• C1 – Bus Terminal; cross-harbour taxi stand^[10]
• C2 – Airport Express shuttle stand; walkway to Harbour Plaza Metropolis, Fortune Metropolis, Metropolis Residence, Metropolis Tower^[10]
• C3 – Taxi stand on Cheong Wan Road; Hong Kong Coliseum^[10]
• D1 – Walkway to Tsim Sha Tsui East and Hong Kong Polytechnic University^[10]
• D2, D3, D4 – Hong Kong Coliseum^[10]
• D5 – Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade^[10]
• D6 – Walkway to Exit C Concourse^[10]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hung Hom Station.

• MTR Intercity Through Train e-Ticketing Services