“The station is so big. Once I took the wrong escalator it became a huge detour,” the 30-year-old said.

The long-awaited cross-harbour extension runs from Hung Hom to Admiralty, via a new Exhibition Centre station, and is the final section of Hong Kong’s costliest rail project.

Following the extension’s opening, Admiralty station has become a mega interchange with platforms over six storeys for four MTR lines – the East Rail, Tsuen Wan, Island and South Island. Passengers can cross the harbour using either the Tsuen Wan or East Rail lines.

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Signboards at the concourse and interchange platforms will show the wait times for the north-bound direction of both lines. Displays along the platforms will also indicate the occupancy rate of each carriage to encourage passengers to board those that are less crowded.

A 50-year-old lawyer who only gave his surname as Wong welcomed the extension of the East Rail line as it shortened his commute to his Central office by 10 minutes.

“Before today I had to transfer at Kowloon Tong and then again at Mong Kok. Now I can take the MTR from Fo Tan and only switch once,” Wong said.

During the evening rush hour, the new East Rail extension helped divert commuters and thin out crowds previously crossing the harbour using the Tsuen Wan line.

On Monday evening, an IT worker who only gave his surname as Wong was commuting via the Tsuen Wan line at Admiralty and said the crowd had definitely lessened compared with several weeks ago, adding that he believed the extension might have played a role.

“It’s about 50 to 60 per cent less crowded than usual,” he said.

Another commuter, an NGO worker who only gave his surname as Fok, agreed with Wong’s comment.

“Normally the queue [for the Tsuen Wan line at Admiralty] would be double or triple the size,” he said.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Fok said he occasionally had to wait for several fully packed trains to pass by before one arrived with any space for passengers.

One female clerk in her 40s, who was travelling from her office at Sai Ying Pun to her home in Tai Po, said she was trying the new extension for the first time. She noted the volume of passengers at Admiralty was lower than she expected.

“I will keep using this line if the situation is like now in the future,” she said.

Another clerk said he was also using the new route for the first time, travelling from Admiralty to his home in Ho Man Tin, noting he felt more comfortable using the extension than taking the Tsuen Wan line.

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At the bus interchange located outside the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in the morning, commuters said bus lines had shortened significantly since the opening of the extension, while trains felt more crowded.

“I used to be able to get a seat on the train at this time, but there are so many people today. Seems like everyone is switching to taking the MTR,” said a construction worker employed in Fortress Hill.

Wong Kai-wah, a 71-year-old freelancer who works in Ap Lei Chau, said he would continue to take cross-harbour buses from Hung Hom out of comfort and convenience.

“There’s a lot of walking involved if I transfer MTR lines, and it’s crowded. On the bus, I get to sit,” Wong said.

The East Rail line is serviced by a new signalling system, and nine-car trains have replaced the 12-car ones, reducing the capacity of each train from 3,750 passengers to 2,845. Trains will arrive every 2.7 minutes during weekday morning peak hours, shortened from three minutes.

Rail giant the MTR Corporation acknowledged that teething issues could still occur during the extension’s initial operations, and said it would try to minimise the impact on passengers.

The Transport Department said it was closely monitoring the extension’s operations.

Chief transport officer Mark Mok Ka-sing said major interchange stations along the East Rail line were operating normally, but he encouraged passengers to plan ahead for their journey during rush hour.

At the new Exhibition Centre station in north Wan Chai, dozens of elderly residents spent their Monday morning looking at exhibits, including a timeline detailing the challenges of constructing the cross-harbour section.

Residents queued up to take photos with the shell of a World War II bomb, uncovered during construction.

A 70-year-old retiree said he was on his way to a badminton session with his friend in Sha Tin but alighted to check out the new station.

“It was too crowded [on Sunday], but I want to see the exhibition and ride the train across the harbour,” he said.

Leung, who lives in Eastern district, said he would now switch lines at Admiralty station when heading to Sha Tin for his games, instead of making three transfers at Quarry Bay, Yau Tong and Kowloon Tong.

Thousands of railway buffs rushed to board the first train at dawn on Sunday morning at the Exhibition Centre station, commemorating the maiden voyage across the harbour on the East Rail line.

As of 8pm, more than 39,300 passenger trips had been recorded at the Exhibition Centre station for the day. A further 82,100 and 128,900 commuters were reported at Hung Hom and Admiralty, respectively.

The long-overdue opening of the Hung Hom-Admiralty section of the HK$90.7 billion (US$11.55 billion) Sha Tin to Central link brought an end to a project plagued by construction delays, glitches and cost overruns.