What a relief for many as restrooms installed on platform at Hung Hom

Trial operations will start today with MTR trains running on Phase 1 of the Tuen Ma Line to prepare for its full opening in the third quarter of the year.

A sneak peek of a test run of the Tuen Ma Line revealed washrooms have been installed on the Hung Hom station platform for the first time.

The rail operator released a two-minute video on Facebook yesterday, showing the view from the train cockpit as it made a trial run of the new section from East Tsim Sha Tsui station to the new Sung Wong Toi station.

The video shows the train passing through five stations - East Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Ho Man Tin and the two new ones, To Kwa Wan and Sung Wong Toi.

Web users watching the video caught a glimpse of the washroom signs on the underground platform at Hung Hom station.

The release of the video came a day before trains are set to enter the new section of the Tuen Ma Line for trial operations after they arrive at Kai Tak station.

The line is scheduled to launch in full in the third quarter.

Starting today, all passenger trains on the Tuen Ma Line Phase 1 will progressively run on the new railway section between Kai Tak and Hung Hom stations after passengers have alighted at Kai Tak.

As trains on Tuen Ma Line will still carry passengers while running between Wu Kai Sha station and Kai Tak station, the MTR Corp said additional staff will be deployed at the platform level to ensure passengers alight at Kai Tak.

"We will have public announcements and deploy staff to remind passengers to alight from the trains at this [Kai Tak] terminal station," the MTRC said on Facebook.

"Meanwhile, passengers will also be arranged to board trains at platform 2 of Kai Tak station," it added.

The latest arrangements will be publicized in notices and conveyed through public announcements at Kai Tak station and on trains.

Sammy Wong Kwan-wai, MTR's chief of operations, earlier said the operations team has gone through various drills and exercises to prepare for the full opening of the line.

James Chow So-hung, MTR's divisional general manager (project construction), said earlier that he was thrilled to see the Tuen Ma Line coming to fruition after it moved from the construction phase to the final stage of preparations for passenger services.

The full Tuen Ma Line consists of 27 stations and spans approximately 56 kilometers. It will connect the Wu Kai Sha Line with the West Rail Line at Hung Hom station, making it the longest railway line in Hong Kong upon commissioning.

Due to the shoddy works scandal at the Hung Hom station, the commencement of the Tuen Ma Line was divided into two phases, with the first phase of the line, which runs from Wu Kai Sha station to Kai Tak station, opening on February 14 last year.