MTR, Hong Kong, has signed an agreement with the Hong Kong government and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) to operate the Tuen Ma Line under a two-year concession from the start of services on the final 4.2km Phase 2 section on June 27.

The extension runs from Kai Tak, via Sung Wong Toi, To Kwa Wan and Ho Man Tin, to Hung Hom, where it will connect with the existing Western Rail and Eastern Rail lines. Phase 2 will complete the full TML project, which will unify the existing Western Rail and Ma On Shan lines into a single 56km line serving 27 stations, including six interchanges. It follows the opening of the 6.8km TML Phase 1 in February 2020, which extended the Ma On Sha line from Tai Wai to Kai Tak. 

“It is a significant milestone for the corporation to launch the full Tuen Ma Line,” says MTR chairman, Dr Rex Auyeung. “With the commissioning of the new section from Kai Tak to Hung Hom stations, the TML will become the longest railway line in Hong Kong. As the project manager, we are most honoured to be the operator of this railway line, which will connect the east and the west of the New Territories and extend railway services to the Kowloon City district, bringing a more comprehensive railway network with higher accessibility for passengers.”

MTR, the government and KCRC signed four principal agreements that will regulate the operation of and concession arrangements for the TML:

  • the amendment agreement to the existing integrated operating agreement (AOA)
  • supplemental agreement to the existing integrated operating agreement (SOA)
  • an amendment to the memorandum on performance requirements between MTR and the government, and
  • the supplemental service concession agreement (SSCA) between MTR and KCRC.

The agreements are the same as those for the existing Hong Kong network, with obligations and requirements for MTR Corporation to ensure that the TML operations meet the high service standards set by government.

“Running approximately 56km and serving 27 stations, the opening of the TML marks a new page in Hong Kong’s railway history,” says MTR CEO, Dr Jacob Kam.

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