MTR line to Ocean Park opens

The MTR's South Island Line opened this morning (photo from MTR's Official Fan Page on Facebook).

The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation opened this morning (December 28) its South Island Line (SIL), which provides train services to Ocean Park and other areas in Hong Kong island’s Southern District.

The 7-km South Island Line comprises four new stations—Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons—and an expanded interchange at Admiralty Station.

It offers the 350,000 people living and working in the Southern District reduced journey times as well as seamless connections to the MTR railway network which now covers all 18 districts of Hong Kong.

The frequency of train service during peak periods for SIL will be approximately 3.5 minutes, while train service during non-peak periods will be approximately 4.5 minutes.

“Today is a special and memorable day for all of us as the MTR network officially extends to the Southern District with the opening of the South Island Line.
With the Kwun Tong Line extension to Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations have been opened in October, this is the second new railway service that we have opened within this year,” said Lincoln Leong, Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation.

“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Southern District community for their immense support and patience during the construction of this new line. My profound gratitude also goes to the engineering specialists, contractors and their construction workers, and operations staff for their dedication throughout the planning, construction and commissioning phases,” he added.

At Admiralty Station, giant eye-catching South Island Line directional signs with a light green color are displayed in prominent positions from concourse to platform levels.

At the same time, additional signs indicating the Tsuen Wan Line in red and Island Line in blue have been installed to guide passengers to interchange to other lines.

Construction of the South Island Line began in 2011. The medium-capacity line extends train services from Admiralty Station to the south side of Hong Kong Island through tunnel and viaduct sections to serve the new stations.

The connectivity of the community is also enhanced by the addition of pedestrian facilities such as walkways and footbridges.