MTR's HK$16.9 billion South Island Line finally opens as bus routes face overhaul

More than nine years after the project was confirmed and twice having its completion date postponed, the MTR’s South Island Line finally began operations Wednesday morning, giving residents of and commuters to Hong Kong’s Southern District a long-awaited choice to beat worsening traffic congestion.

At 5.55am – five minutes earlier than the operator’s normal daily start – the first train rolled off from South Horizons station on Ap Lei Chau, packed with railway enthusiasts and local residents seeking a glimpse of the city’s latest public transport expansion.

A crowd gathering outside South Horizons station early Wednesday morning. Photo: Sam Tsang

Among them was Daniel Chan Hoi-man, a 16-year-old student and South Horizons resident who previously had to budget 45 minutes every morning to reach his school in Wan Chai.

“Now I’m definitely going to take the MTR. I can sleep in a bit more,” he said, cracking a smile.

The unveiling was celebrated not only by Southern District residents. Anson Lo, 8, along with his parents, arrived at South Horizons station from Tuen Mun by taxi, a trip that cost them HK$300.

But the young railway enthusiast felt it was worthwhile. “I woke up at 3.30 this morning. It was very exciting,” the boy said.

As soon as the train began moving, many passengers rushed towards its front to get a view out the front window – a feature of the automatic, driverless trains similar to those of the Disneyland Resort Line on Lantau Island.

Not all went smoothly at South Horizons. An apparent technical glitch involving a screen door at the new station could have been caused by the accidental activation of a “safety device,” MTR operations director Adi Lau Tin-shing said.

TheMTR Corporationhad stressed its operations control centre could reset and restore train service in case of emergency.

MTR Corp CEO Lincoln Leong taking a selfile with passengers on Wednesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

“The problem was detected at the control centre,” he said. “According to procedures, we sent our station staff to inspect on site and make sure everything was fine before we reset the system.”

After coursing through 7km of overhead rail tracks and tunnels, the first train arrived in Admiralty at 6.05am, a minute earlier than estimated. Many took the return train, while others dashed up to explore the station’s new multi-level platform.

The project encompasses four new stations and Admiralty. Photo: Sam Tsang

As opposed to fears that Admiralty station would become congested with commuters during rush hour, passenger flow was overall smooth Wednesday morning, with most people managing to squeeze into the first or second train on the Tsuen Wan and Island lines.

The HK$16.9 billion line adds four new stations – South Horizons, Lei Tung, Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park – to the city’s ever-growing railway network. Admiralty has become a “mega” station with six levels to handle interchange traffic for four lines, including the future Sha Tin to Central Link.

A trip from Admiralty to Ocean Park costs HK$5.3 and takes four minutes; Admiralty to South Horizons is HK$6.7 and takes 11 minutes. Both journeys mark a significant reduction in the time previously needed by bus during rush-hour road traffic.

Three stations – Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons – do not house customer service centres. Instead, commuters must seek help from roving “mobile service teams” within the stations or through a video conference system at self-service points.

MTR Corp CEO Lincoln Leong (centre) flanked by other railway officials at South Horizons station. Photo: Sam Tsang

The MTR Corp had estimated that the new line would serve up to 170,000 passengers per day, among 350,000 residents of and commuters to Southern District.

It also rebuffed questions that the three-compartment design would be unable to cope with future demand, claiming it accounted for the area’s demographic and economic activities and believing it could handle capacity until 2031.

Anticipating slashed demand for road public transport, the Transport Department restructured, consolidated or cancelled around 20 bus routes from Wednesday. The department said another 20 were to be monitored for possible adjustments.

Meanwhile, 10 new Citybus and green minibus routes debuted, serving commuters from nearby areas not covered by MTR stations, such as Aberdeen, Tin Wan, Wah Kwai and Stanley. Certain routes offer interchange discounts ranging from HK$0.3 to HK$1.

Lei Tung station

Most seats on trains from Lei Tung station to Admiralty were filled at 8.45am Wednesday, but there was still ample room for passengers to stand.

The station serving at least 4,900 public housing residents at Lei Tung Estate at the tip of Ap Lei Chau had around 30 passengers on its platform waiting for each train during morning rush hour.

The new MTR line did not deter passengers from taking other modes of transportation, according to Au Nok-hin, a Southern district councillor for Lei Tung.

Judy Lai, a Lei Tung resident, chose to take the bus to her workplace in Chai Wan.

“It’s too inconvenient to change trains all the time,” Lai said outside a bus stop.

Lai noted she set off for work 15 minutes earlier than usual, fearing buses would run less frequently due to the new line.

Taxi driver Bennie Choi Bo-keung said business was quieter than usual at Lei Tung, but he was confident his customers would return.

“When Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun stations opened, we thought we’d see a downturn in business for two weeks, but they all came back after a week,” he said. “Our regular customers won’t mind paying the extra 30 dollars to get to work. They’ve been doing it for years.”

(SCMP)