The Hong Kong government announced today (May 3) that the East Rail Line's harbor-crossing extension will open on May 15.
The line will link Hung Hom to Admiralty, via a new Exhibition Centre Station. The journey time between Admiralty and the New Territories will be cut by 11 minutes.
The number of carriages in each train will be reduced from 12 to 9, but Transport Secretary Frank Chan said the frequency of services will be increased during rush hours to meet passenger demand. He added that he is confident the city's fourth cross-harbor line will operate smoothly.
"They are under very close scrutiny before they are allowed to operate. Hong Kong's railway is one of the best across the globe. We have confidence that the new cross-harbor extension will operate very smoothly in due course," he said.
Responding to reports that the MTR will stop operating cross-border through-trains between Hong Kong, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, Chan said officials are reviewing the services with their counterparts on the mainland and an announcement will be made at an appropriate time.
The intercity through-trains use the East Rail tracks, but services have been suspended since the start of the pandemic.
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