The South China Morning Post reports that, starting 15 May, passengers will finally be able to take the MTR East Rail line to Hong Kong Island.
Of course, due to COVID-19, it’s more practical to say that Hong Kong residents living in Sha Tin and Tai Wai in the New Territories will at last, have a transfer-free ride to Hong Kong Island’s Admiralty station (which is adjacent to Central district), in addition to the entirely new Exhibition Centre Station in Wan Chai district:
The Sha Tin to Central link project commenced on 11 May 2012, and has been plagued by issues concerning shoddy construction, budget problems, COVID-19, and even World War II-era bombs. Considering how vast the entire project had become, it was split up into two phases, the Tai Wai to Hung Hom part, and the Hung Hom to Admiralty part; for reference, this map at UrbanRail.net can help you understand the layout of the MTR, as well as future MTR projects.
Personally, when I used to live in Shenzhen, the city located right across the Chinese border from Hong Kong, I generally dreaded having slog through the masses to transfer to get to Hong Kong Island. When the East Rail link used to terminate at East Tsim Sha Tsui, I’d just walk to the Star Ferry for the always scenic yet way-too-short boat ride to Wan Chai or Central. Only the East Rail link made Hung Hong its terminus did I bother to transfer, occasionally swallowing my pride and transferring at Kowloon Tong instead. This new Admiralty terminus is a game-changer.
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