MTR could end Tung Chung Line services earlier on specific days for extension project

Hong Kong's MTR Corporation said on Thursday that services on the Tung Chung Line may end earlier on specific days for construction of an extension.

The extension project will see two stations added - Tung Chung east between the existing Sunny Bay and Tung Chung stations followed by Tung Chung west, which will become the new terminal on the line.

The works will involve the diversion of a 1.2 km section of the operating tracks at Tung Chung East.
Read more: MTR to extend reach around Tung Chung

Project manager Lesly Leung Po-po said today that the diversion is the most challenging part of the project, requiring her team to make use of the non-traffic hours to undergo the construction.

"The work can only be carried out during late-night hours when the trains are not in service, typically two to three nights per week," Leung explained. "Any slight mishap could disrupt the next day's train operations, so we need to be extremely careful in our planning."

She added that the project team has divided the different work procedures into smaller steps to be completed within the "golden two hours" after the last train departs. However, tasks such as hoisting overhead power lines and installing track switches would require the team to work continuously for a few hours, resulting in an extension to non-traffic hours.

Leung estimated that the worst-case scenario could see the non-service hours extended up to four times, and added that the railway operator will notify members of the public in advance.

Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu, an engineer who had served as operations manager at the rail giant, agreed that extending the non-service hours is inevitable given the scale and duration of the rerouting work, which is expected to last several years. 

"The MTR is expected to set several Saturday nights for early last train departures, with Sunny Bay station temporarily serving as the terminal for the Tung Chung Line," Zhang said. "Shuttle bus services will be provided to minimize the impact."