Tung Chung Line
The Tung Chung Line ( Chinese 東涌 綫 / 东涌 线 , Pinyin Dōngchōng Xiàn , Jyutping Dung 1 cung 1 Sin 3 ) is a line of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) in Hong Kong . It runs from Hong Kong Station in Central and Western District via West Kowloon and the southwest New Territories to the residential area of Tung Chung on Lantau Island . Among other things, she drives over the Tsing Ma Bridge , the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world .
The 34.8 km long line runs largely parallel to the Airport Express , but has its own tracks and platforms; more intermediate stations are also served. The usual subway cars are used here and not the more generously equipped version of the airport line. For these reasons, there is no surcharge.
history
In October 1989, the Hong Kong government announced plans to build a new airport on the remote island of Chek Lap Kok to replace the crowded Kai Tak International Airport in the heart of Kowloon.
As part of the initiative, the government asked MTR Corporation to build a rail link to the new airport, the Lantau Airport Railway . The project was initially rejected by the Chinese government, fearing that the construction would put a strain on the currency reserves of the Hong Kong government and leave nothing for the Chinese once the British handed over the territory in 1997. After an agreement between the Chinese and British governments, construction began in November 1994.
The rail link to Chek Lap Kok Airport consists of two railway lines, the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express. The same vehicles are used in both lines, with minor differences in interior fittings and paintwork.
On June 21, 1998, the Tung Chung Line was officially opened by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa , and service began the next day, just under two weeks before the Airport Express .
On December 16, 2003, an open house for charity was held at the recently completed Nam Cheong Station , a transport hub between the Tung Chung Line and the soon-to-be-opened West Rail Line of the Kowloon-Canton Railway . In preparation for the opening of the new West Rail Line, the station was closed on December 19, 2003 and officially opened to the public on December 20, 2003. Since then, the number of cars per train has increased from seven to eight to accommodate the new West Rail Line with additional patronage.
The Sunny Bay station was opened on June 1, 2005 as a transfer station for the Disneyland Resort Line . Hong Kong Disneyland opened its doors three months after the station went into operation.
Four new trains were put into service between 2006 and 2007 to improve the frequency of operations. The first train was delivered on February 9, 2006 and put into service on June 12, 2006. The platforms have been modified to accommodate the new trains, which are a few millimeters wider than the old vehicles.
Route description
Unlike most of the other railroad lines in the system, the Tung Chung Line is largely above ground and extends over a greater distance. The line shares most of the route with the Airport Express and diverges in Tung Chung.
The line runs underground from Hong Kong Station to Kowloon Station via the harbor. Then he shows up to reach the Olympic station. The trains continue over the ground on the West Kowloon Expressway and stop at Nam Cheong Station and then on a viaduct at Lai King Station . The line then crosses the Rambler Channel and stops at Tsing Yi Station on Tsing Yi Island. The trains then enter a tunnel through the island's hills and continue on the Tsing Ma Bridge and Cape Shui Mun Bridge to Lantau Island. On the island, the line runs alongside the North Lantau Expressway . The Airport Express separates from the Tung Chung Line on the outskirts of Tung Chung and runs on the designated routes. The distance between Sunny Bay and Tung Chug is approximately 10 km and the drive takes approximately 6 minutes.
Some outgoing trains do not continue to Lantau, but end at Tsing Yi Station, as the capacity of the Tsing Ma Bridge is limited and only one train can pass at a time. At the terminus in Tung Chung driving cable car Ngong Ping 360 to the mountain Ngong Ping . There you will find the Buddhist monastery Po Lin and the 34 meter high statue Tian Tan Buddha .
Design limitations
When the then colonial government announced its plans to build the airport rail link, the Chinese government expressed concern about the substantial capital expenditure. In 1994, a few years before the handover, both the British and Chinese governments agreed on the terms of the following cost-saving measures:
- The airport rail link was originally designed for four tracks, two each for the Airport Express and the Tung Chung Line. It was later reduced to two lanes, with both services sharing the same lane. As a result, signal failures can affect both services.
- The reduction in train traffic on the Tsing Ma Bridge, Ma Wan Viaduct and Cape Shui Mun Bridge means that only one train can travel in one direction at a time. The minimum interval between trains is 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Some trains on the Tung Chung Line have to cross the bridges to Lantau and end at Tsung Yi.
- The signaling system cannot give priority to Airport Express trains with limited stops. Tung Chung Line trains sometimes stopped at Sunny Bay Station for long periods to make way for the Airport Express trains.
- The power system limits the number of trains that travel between Kowloon and Lai King stations. The system can accommodate a maximum of one Airport Express train and two Tung Chung trains to travel in both directions at the same time. This increases the minimum distance on the Tung Chung Line by 3.5 minutes.
future
The Tung Chung Line should allow an extension from Hong Kong Station to the east. According to Rail Projects Under Planning 2000 published by the Hong Kong Highways Department, three new stations, Tamar , Exhibition Center and Causeway Bay North , will be part of the expansion. The line then connects North Point Station and merges with the Tseung Kwan O Line. 14 years later, Tamar Station became the terminus of both the Tseung Kwan O and Tung Chung Lines, while the Exhibition and Causeway Bay North stations were to be served by the Tseung Kwan O Lines.
Residents of the Yat Tung estate have urged the government to extend the Tung Chung Line to Tung Chung West near Yat Tung to alleviate their transportation problems. Yat Tung currently has 40,000 residents. They claimed that when they moved in 11 years ago, Housing Bureau records indicated an MTR station on the property. Residents are currently required to take a 10-minute bus ride to Tung Chung Station .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ MTR Service Update: 為甚麼 東涌 綫 總是 班次 疏落？ . November 26, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
