South Island Line on schedule to bring fully automatic train service to Southern District in December 2016

In full swing, the MTR Corporation is making its final preparations for the opening of South Island Line (SIL) in the end of this year. All of the tracks, trackside equipment, signalling and other train operation systems for the SIL project have been installed and are now under trial operation together with the station facilities.

Overall, the SIL project is over 99% complete. The Admiralty Station extension works under the SIL project have reached their final stage and the associated statutory inspections are going smoothly.

“The SIL project team has worked hard to overcome the tremendous challenges at Admiralty Station,” said Mr Ken Wong, General Manager – South Island Line. “Thanks to the effort of the team and our contractors, as well as the cooperation of relevant Government departments, we are on target to open the new line by the end of this year.”

During a media tour of Wong Chuk Hang Station today (21 November), Mr Francis Li, Chief of Operating of MTR Corporation said SIL has entered the trial operation phase and the testing and trials are making good progress.

“Passengers travelling to and from the Southern District will experience more enjoyable and convenient journeys with the Fully Automatic Operation train service of SIL by the end of this year. All of the stations, tracks and trains have now been handed over to our operations team for trials before the opening,” said Mr Li.

“Trial Operation of station facilities, including automatic platform gates, ticketing machines and entry/ exit gates, are progressing well. The testing of the signalling system and train running started from April last year. With the completion of train and signalling testings, trial operation with train running in full operation time table started from 1 October 2016. More trials and drills will be conducted in the coming weeks. Our aim is to ensure smooth operation once SIL service begins and minimise any teething problems that may occur in the early stage of the train services,” added Mr Li

As part of the MTR network, fares for the new line will be set according to the existing distance-based fare structure. The fares will be comparable to those of road transport operators and passengers will enjoy reduced travelling time.

“Upon the opening of SIL, the MTR network will connect to Southern District, extending the convenience of our railway service across all 18 districts in Hong Kong. With the new rail service, passengers can save time on their journeys to and from the Southern District, and arrive at their destinations much faster. To encourage commuters living and working in the vicinity to use SIL, there will be special offers for passengers connecting to and from the stations,” said Ms Jeny Yeung, Commercial Director of MTR Corporation.

MTR Corporation

MTR Corporation is regarded as one of the world’s leading railway operators for safety, reliability, customer service and cost efficiency. In its home base of Hong Kong, the Corporation operates nine commuter railway lines, a Light Rail network and a high-speed Airport Express link on which more than 5.5 million passenger trips are made on a normal week day. Another 5 million passenger trips are made on the rail services it operates outside Hong Kong in the Mainland of China, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. In addition, the Corporation is involved in a range of railway construction projects as well as railway consultancy and contracting services around the world. Leveraging on its railway expertise, the Corporation is involved in the development of transit-related residential and commercial property projects, property management, shopping malls leasing and management, advertising media and telecommunication services.