Two Hong Kong rail lines to open two hours late on May 2 to accommodate test run on section of MTR’s Sha Tin-Central link

MTR Corporation says West Rail line and phase 1 of the Tuen Ma line will not open until 7.30am on the day of the test

The trial ‘will simulate the running of the full Tuen Ma line’, which is expected to fully open in the third quarter of this year

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Trains on the West Rail and Tuen Ma phase 1 lines will begin running two hours late on May 2. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 7:06pm, 14 Apr 2021Updated: 7:33pm, 14 Apr 2021

Trains on two Hong Kong MTR lines will start running two hours later than usual on May 2 to allow for tests on a core section of the Sha Tin to Central rail link, the city’s most expensive railway project.

All of the West Rail line and phase 1 of the Tuen Ma line will not open until 7.30am on the day of the test, the MTR Corporation said on Wednesday.

James Chow So-hung, the corporation’s divisional general manager for projects construction, said the schedule change was necessary to facilitate a trial run ahead of the full commissioning of the Tai Wai-to-Hung Hom section of the HK$90.7 billion (US$11.7 billion) Sha Tin to Central link.

“The tests will be carried out in the early morning of May 2,” he said. “They will simulate the running of the full Tuen Ma line under peak and non-peak hours. Extra time will be required for preparation and testing, which will inevitably extend to part of the normal operating hours in the morning.”

MTR Corp divisional general manager James Chow (left) and chief of operation Sammy Wong announce a test un on the full Tuen Ma line on Wednesday. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

The Tuen Ma line will eventually link Tuen Mun and Wu Kai Sha by combining the existing West Rail and the former Ma On Shan lines and connecting them via a series of new stations. The 56km line will ultimately service 27 stations, and is expected to finally open in the third quarter of this year after repeated delays, allegations of shoddy construction and cost overruns.