The long-awaited Pak Shek Kok MTR Station project is back on track with a two-storey, open-air design, heading for a 2033 deadline, according to sources.
The news came as the proposal was submitted to the Tai Po District Council and set for discussion on Friday (Jul 10), with relevant documents released today.
Sources suggested that the station will be a two-storey at-grade facility, approximately 250 meters long and 25 meters wide, with no property development on top. Construction is expected to begin between 2027 and 2028, adding 84 seconds, or 1.4 minutes, to the East Rail Line travel time upon completion.
Despite the project's turbulent history, sources confirmed that the government remains committed to the 2033 deadline, with MTR Corporation financing the project independently without Legislative Council funding.
Sources further revealed that the government has dropped the original site at the Education University of Hong Kong's Sports Centre, shifting southwards closer to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The new station is expected to be located near the CUHK's Lo Kwee-Seong Integrated Biomedical Sciences Building (LIBSB), directly opposite the private residential estate Solaria.
With the new site closer to Science Park, sources anticipate the new proposal would benefit around 20,000 workers in the area.
Following the completion of the project, additional community facilities, including shops, pedestrian infrastructure and a public transport interchange, are expected in the neighbourhood.
Authorities also reportedly plan to build an elevated walkway spanning the Tolo Highway to connect the station with the surrounding area and Innovation Road.
It is suggested that the former station site at the EdUHK sports ground will be freed up for private housing and a small shopping mall, with property development proceeds subsidizing construction costs.
Additionally, two land parcels will be offered to the MTR Corporation as compensation, including the site at EduHK sports ground and the site along the Shing Mun River.
The project is also expected to cover infrastructure upgrades in Pak Shek Kok including water storage facilities. During construction, land near A Kung Kok will be used to store materials.
The proposed station was first announced by then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her 2021 Policy Address, which suggested the inclusion of a new station between University Station and Tai Po Market Station. However, the plan has since been postponed four times from its original mid-2024 target.
