East Rail line

The East Rail line (Chinese: 東鐵綫) is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen and joins in the north at Sheung Shui and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island. At approximately 46 km (29 mi), the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line) is the second longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line. The line's colour is light blue.

East Rail line
東鐵綫
A Hyundai Rotem R-train EMU entering University station
Overview
Other name(s)Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section
九廣鐵路-英段
KCR East Rail
九廣東鐵
StatusOperational
OwnerKowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
LocaleDistricts: Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, Central and Western
Termini
Continues fromKCR (British)
Connecting lines
Former connections
  • Ma On Shan line
  • West Rail line
Stations16
Color on map     Light blue (#53B7E8)
Service
TypeCommuter rail / Rapid Transit
SystemMTR
Operator(s)MTR Corporation
Depot(s)Ho Tung Lau
Rolling stock
  • Hyundai Rotem EMU: R-train
Ridership1,044,800 daily average
(weekdays, September 2014)
History
Opened1 October 1910 (1910-10-01)
Electrification completed15 July 1983 (Lo Wu to Kowloon)
Technical
Line length46 km (29 mi)
Number of tracksDouble-track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed
  • Average: 50 km/h (31 mph)
  • Maximum: 120 km/h (75 mph)
SignallingSiemens CBTC (Trainguard MT)
Train protection systemAWS (Only for KTT through-trains)
Route map

Shenzhen Metro Line 1
to Airport East
Shenzhen Metro Line 4
to Niuhu
Luohu 1
Shenzhen
Lok Ma Chau
Lo Wu
Kwu Tung
planned
Lo Wu Marshalling Yard
Fu Tei Au Road
Indus (Ng Tung) River
Beas (Sheung Yue) River
Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse
Sutlej (Shek Sheung) River
Po Shek Wu Road
Sheung Shui
So Kwun Po Road
Sha Tau Kok Railway
to Sha Tau Kok
Fanling
Wo Hop Shek
1950–1983
Jockey Club Road
Ma Wat River
Fanling Bypass
(under construction)
Tai Po Tai Wo Road
Tai Wo
Tai Po Market
Tai Po River
Tolo Highway
Tai Po Kau
1910–1983
Lake Egret
Tunnels No. 5 and 5A
Cheung Shue Tan Hang
Science Park
proposed
University
Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier
Ho Tung Lau Depot
Racecourse
(racing days only)
Fo Tan
Fo Tan Road
Sha Tin
Tai Po Road
Tai Wai Nullah
Tuen Ma line
to Wu Kai Sha
Tai Wai     
Tai Wai Depot
(Tuen Ma line)
Tsing Sha Highway
Tuen Ma line
to Tuen Mun
Beacon Hill Tunnel
(Tunnel No. 2)
Kowloon Tong     
Kwun Tong line
to Tiu Keng Leng
Prince Edward Road
Mong Kok East
Waterloo Road
Princess Margaret Road
Tunnel No. 1A
Kwun Tong line
to Whampoa
former KCR (1910–1975)
Hung Hum
1910–1921
Kowloon
1910–1975
Tuen Ma line
to Wu Kai Sha
1
2
1: East Rail line tracks until 2009
2: Through Train tracks
Hung Hom     
(Through Train)
Stabling sidings
(East West Corridor)
Tuen Ma line
to Tuen Mun
Victoria Harbour
Exhibition Centre
Tsuen Wan line
to Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan line
to Central
Admiralty               
South Island line
to South Horizons
East Rail line
Traditional Chinese東鐵綫
Simplified Chinese东铁线

The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui, Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and the central business district. It is also the city's only railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China. The line is generally double tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day.

Opening in 1910 as the Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section), the line is the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong. Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own the line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC.

The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009, while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings.

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