East Rail line

East Rail line 東鐵綫
A Hyundai Rotem R-train EMU entering University station
Overview
Other name(s)	Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section 九廣鐵路－英段 KCR East Rail 九廣東鐵
Status	Operational
Owner	Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Locale	Districts: Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, Central and Western
Termini	Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau Admiralty
Continues from	KCR (British)
Connecting lines	Kwun Tong line Island line South Island line Tsuen Wan line Tuen Ma line 1 4 10
Former connections	Ma On Shan line West Rail line
Stations	16
Color on map	Light blue (#53B7E8)
Service
Type	Commuter rail / Rapid transit
System	MTR
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
Depot(s)	Ho Tung Lau
Rolling stock	Hyundai Rotem EMU: R-train
Ridership	1,044,800 daily average (weekdays, September 2014)[1]
History
Opened	1 October 1910
Electrification completed	15 July 1983 (Lo Wu to Kowloon)
Technical
Line length	46 km (29 mi)[2][3]
Number of tracks	Double-track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed	Average: 50 km/h (31 mph) Maximum: 120 km/h (75 mph)[4]
Signalling	Siemens CBTC (Trainguard MT)[5]
Train protection system	AWS (Only for KTT through-trains)
Route map Legend Shenzhen Metro Line 4 to Niuhu Guangshen railway to Guangzhou Shenzhen Metro Line 1 to Airport East Luohu 1 Shenzhen Futian Checkpoint 4 Guangdong, China Hong Kong Lo Wu Lok Ma Chau Lo Wu Marshalling Yard Kwu Tung (planned) Fu Tei Au Road Indus (Ng Tung) River Beas (Sheung Yue) River Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse Sutlej (Shek Sheung) River Po Shek Wu Road Sheung Shui So Kwun Po Road Sha Tau Kok Branch to Sha Tau Kok Fanling Wo Hop Shek (1950–1983) Jockey Club Road Ma Wat River Fanling Bypass (under construction) Heung Yuen Wai Highway Tai Po Tai Wo Road Tai Wo Lam Tsuen River Old Tai Po Market Hong Kong Railway Museum Tai Po Market Tai Po River Route 9 Tolo Highway Tai Po Kau Lake Egret Tunnels No. 5 and 5A Cheung Shue Tan Hang Science Park (proposed) University Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier Kau To Hang Ho Tung Lau Depot Racecourse (racing days only) Fo Tan Goods Yard Fo Tan Fo Tan Nullah Fo Tan Road Sha Tin Route 9 Tai Po Road Tai Wai Nullah Tuen Ma line to Wu Kai Sha Tai Wai      Tai Wai Depot (Tuen Ma line) Tsing Sha Highway Tuen Ma line to Tuen Mun Beacon Hill Tunnel (Tunnel No. 2) Kowloon Tong      Kwun Tong line to Tiu Keng Leng Boundary Street Prince Edward Road Mong Kok East Argyle Street Waterloo Road Route 1 Princess Margaret Road Tunnel No. 1A Kwun Tong line to Whampoa Kowloon–Canton Rly (1910–1975) Hung Hom (1910–1921) Kowloon Route 5 Chatham Road Tuen Ma line to Wu Kai Sha 1 2 1: East Rail Line until 2009 2: Through tracks Hung Hom      ( Through trains ) Stabling sidings (East West Corridor) Tuen Ma line to Tuen Mun Victoria Harbour Exhibition Centre Tsuen Wan line to Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan line to Central Admiralty                Island line Kennedy Town – Chai Wan South Island line to South Horizons This diagram: view talk edit

The East Rail line (Chinese: 東鐵綫) is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen and joins in the north at Sheung Shui and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island. At approximately 46 km (29 mi),^[2][6] the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line) is the second longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line. The line's colour is light blue, formerly navy blue before the KCR/MTR merger.

The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui, Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and the central business district.^[7] It is also the city's only Railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China. The line is generally double tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day.^[7]

Opening in 1910 as the Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section), the line is the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong.^[8] Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own the line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC.

The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009,^[9] while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings.^[10]