Tseung Kwan O line
| Company type | Rapid transit line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Founded | August 18, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
Area served | Hong Kong |
| Products | Rail transport services |
| Parent | MTR Corporation |
| Website | www |
The Tseung Kwan O line () is among the ten lines operating within Hong Kong's MTR network, covering a distance of and requiring approximately 15 minutes to travel from one terminus to the other. On the MTR map, it is represented by the color Purple.
This line links North Point on Hong Kong Island with the newly developed area of Tseung Kwan O. East of Tseung Kwan O station, it branches into two directions: one heading north toward Po Lam and another southbound to LOHAS Park. The maintenance of trains is conducted at the Tseung Kwan O Depot located at LOHAS Park.
During peak morning hours, 15 trains run at intervals of 2.5 minutes between North Point and Tseung Kwan O stations.
Route description
Notably, the Tseung Kwan O line was the first within the MTR system constructed without elevated tracks on viaducts and initially was the sole line lacking Automatic Platform Gates until the inauguration of the West Rail line (currently known as the Tuen Ma line). The entire route is underground except for two brief open-air segments introduced following the completion of LOHAS Park station. Stations such as Yau Tong, Po Lam, and LOHAS Park are situated at ground level but are enclosed to minimize noise pollution; all other sections run beneath the surface.
The western end of the line at North Point provides a cross-platform interchange with the Island line. The subsequent stop, Quarry Bay, also connects to the Island Line, though without cross-platform transfer convenience. Traveling eastward, the line passes beneath Victoria Harbour through the Eastern Harbour Crossing to reach Yau Tong station, serving East Kowloon. From this point, it continues through the tunnels under Black Hill into the new town area of Tseung Kwan O New Town, arriving at Tiu Keng Leng.
Inside Tseung Kwan O new town, just beyond Tseung Kwan O station, the route divides into two branches: one heading north servicing stations including Hang Hau and Po Lam, and another extending south to LOHAS Park station, which is a significant residential development built above the train maintenance facility at the Tseung Kwan O Depot.
Train operations
Managing operations is intricate due to the bifurcation east of Tseung Kwan O. The majority of services operate continuously between Po Lam and North Point. Direct trains running from LOHAS Park to North Point are available only during peak periods; outside these times, LOHAS Park is connected by shuttle trains running every 12 minutes between it and Tiu Keng Leng station. Passengers traveling during off-peak hours must transfer at either Tiu Keng Leng or Tseung Kwan O stations.
Train frequency details:
- Peak periods: For every two trains from Po Lam, one train runs through from LOHAS Park
- Between North Point and Po Lam: intervals range from 2.5 to 4 minutes
- Between North Point and LOHAS Park: intervals of 7 to 8 minutes
- Combined service frequency between North Point and Tseung Kwan O: every 2.5 minutes
- Off-peak periods:
- Monday to Friday, Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00, Sundays from 09:00 to 20:00
- Trains between North Point and Po Lam run every 4 minutes
- Shuttle service between Tiu Keng Leng and LOHAS Park operates every 12 minutes
- No direct trains between LOHAS Park and North Point
- Daily from 20:00 to midnight
- North Point to Po Lam services every 5 minutes
- Tiu Keng Leng to LOHAS Park shuttle every 12 minutes
- No through trains connecting LOHAS Park and North Point
- After midnight each day
- Trains from North Point to Po Lam every 6 minutes
- From Po Lam back to North Point every 8 to 9 minutes
- Shuttle service between Tiu Keng Leng and LOHAS Park continues every 12 minutes
- Monday to Friday, Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00, Sundays from 09:00 to 20:00
History
The Tseung Kwan O line was first introduced in 1981 under the Junk Bay New Town Transport Study to provide transit services for the developing new town of Tseung Kwan O. The original design proposed extending the Kwun Tong line to reach Lam Tin station, terminating near Tsui Ping Estate, with an anticipated budget of HK$3 billion. This 7-kilometer branch, featuring five or six stations, received approval from the Hong Kong Government in 1985, with construction planned to commence in 1992 and operations to start by 1996. Nevertheless, the MTR Corporation cancelled this initial scheme in August 1990.
The project was revived by MTR in 1993 and subsequently gained endorsement from the Hong Kong Executive Council on 20 October 1998. Groundbreaking took place on 24 April 1999, and the line officially opened on 18 August 2002 at a total cost of HK$18 billion. Upon opening, the new line assumed control of the cross-harbour section via the Eastern Harbour Crossing leading to North Point, which had previously been part of the Kwun Tong line. Meanwhile, the Kwun Tong line was extended to include Yau Tong and Tiu Keng Leng, enabling interchange connections with the Tseung Kwan O line.
Trains
Service on the Tseung Kwan O line is provided by both K-Stock trains and M-Trains. The K-Stock units, built through a partnership between Hyundai Rotem and Mitsubishi Corporation, are engineered to operate with reduced noise levels and feature regenerative braking systems that recover energy during deceleration.
Although these K-Stock trains were designed specifically for this route, they initially operated on the Kwun Tong line from their introduction until April 2010, after which they were reassigned to the Tseung Kwan O line. The original M-Trains then took over service on this route.
| Rolling stock of MTR Tseung Kwan O line | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Manufacturer | Production Period | Number of Sets | Formation | Notes |
| M-Train | Metro-Cammell | 1977–1986, 1989–1995 | 7 | A-C+D+B-C+D+C-A | |
| K-Train | Hyundai Rotem and Mitsubishi | 2001–2002 | 13 | A-C-B+B-C+B-C-A | |
| Previous rolling stock | |||||
| Model | Manufacturer | Production Period | Number of Sets | Formation | Notes |
| C-Train | CNR Changchun | 2010–2013 | N/A | A-C-B+B-C+B-C-A | currently operating on Kwun Tong line |
Stations
Below is an overview of stations served by the Tseung Kwan O line.
Station List
| Service | Line Color | Station Name | Images | Transfers; Connecting transport |
Opening Date | District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | |||||||||
| Template:White | ||||||||||
| ● | ● | North Point | 北角 | Template:Rcb towards Kennedy Town | 27 September 2001; 25 years ago |
Eastern | ||||
| ● | ● | Quarry Bay | 鰂魚涌 | Template:Rcb towards Chai Wan | 6 August 1989; 37 years ago |
|||||
| ● | ● | Yau Tong | 油塘 | Template:Rcb |
4 August 2002; |
|||||
|
● |
● |
style="background: #99CC00" |
調景嶺 |
rowspan="4" |
18 August 2002; |
rowspan="4" |
||||
|
● |
● |
style="background: #BB2200" |
將軍澳 |
|||||||
Future development
Plans are underway to extend the Tseung Kwan O line to Tamar station, where it will connect with an extended Tung Chung line as part of the "interchange scheme" linked to the North Island line. This extension is set to include stations at Fortress Hill, Causeway Bay North, and Exhibition Centre, providing interchange options with the Sha Tin to Central Link extension of the North South Corridor. Construction activities are not anticipated to commence before 2021.
A previous proposal known as the "swap scheme" suggested that the Tseung Kwan O line would assume control of the Island line segment from Fortress Hill to Kennedy Town, while transferring the eastern portion to the Tung Chung line. This plan was ultimately dismissed due to concerns over service disruptions and the necessity for additional transfers.
In the 2022 Policy Address, the Chief Executive revealed intentions to extend the line southward to Tseung Kwan O Area 137, an 80-hectare development site planned to accommodate 50,000 new residential units. Although population growth is projected by 2030, no specific schedule has been established for completing this extension or inaugurating new stations.