Kennedy Town MTR station to open December 28... but Sai Ying Pun will have to wait

The MTR Corporation announced yesterday that the West Island Line connecting Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town will be open on the 28th of this month after five years of construction, but trains will skip Sai Ying Pun station until next March.

MTR operations director Jacob Kam Chak-pui said the government had given them the go-ahead yesterday morning after the line passed all the statutory tests. But he warned there could be teething problems on opening and appealed for understanding.

"Most of the teething problems will be relatively minor. For example, the usual problem is the stopping accuracy - when the train reaches the platform it may not stop exactly at the right place," Kam said. "So passengers may have to wait a few seconds before the train is set to the correct position."

The first train heading to Chai Wan from Kennedy Town will leave at 6am and will take commuters to Sheung Wan in five to seven minutes, stopping at Hong Kong University station along the way and skipping Sai Ying Pun. Sai Ying Pun station will not be open in time because difficult ground conditions have delayed the completion of several exits. Kam said the station was expected to open at the end of the first quarter next year, but that an exit on Ki Ling Lane would not open until the end of next year.

He said trains would still stop at Sai Ying Pun station for around 10 seconds but the doors will remain closed. Announcements will be made on trains to tell passengers that the station is not in use.

To encourage people in Sai Ying Pun to use the line in the meantime, four machines offering HK$2 discounts will be set up at four 7-Eleven convenience stores in the area.