In general, the ease of public transportation in Hong Kong is pretty unparalleled, but passengers taking the MTR trains on Sunday, July 28, will find their journeys hampered by partial closures on the Kwun Tong line. In a five-year plan to upgrade railway assets, the MTR railway operator will be closing the Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, and Ho Man Tin stations to make necessary replacements over 28 hours.
While more than 50 large metal hangers that hold power cables along the ceilings of the train tunnels will be replaced during this time, the four affected stations are still going to be served by the Tsuen Wan and Tuen Ma MTR lines.
Changes on the MTR Kwun Tong Line
Passengers heading to Hong Kong Island will normally change from the Kwun Tong line to the Tsuen Wan line at Mong Kok station, but these planned closures mean that Prince Edward will be the only interchange station between these two lines on July 28. Services on the rest of the Kwun Tong line – between Tiu Keng Leng and Prince Edward, and between Ho Man Tin and Whampoa – will be running as usual. To lessen overcrowding at Prince Edward station, waiting times on the Kwun Tong line will be lengthened to five minutes.
Changes on the MTR Tsuen Wan line
On the Tsuen Wan line, which shares the Prince Edward, Mong Kok, and Yau Ma Tei stations, services will mostly continue as normal as they do not operate on the same railway track as the Kwun Tong line. Trains on this line will be available every three-and-a-half minutes.
Changes on the MTR Tuen Ma line
Similarly, Ho Man Tin station on the Tuen Ma line will still be fully functional, though trains on this line will arrive every five-and-a-half minutes. Passengers travelling through or near the four closed stations should still expect some delays in their journeys.
Alternative transportation routes
To bridge the gap in service between the Yau Ma Tei and Whampoa stations, MTR has cooperated with bus operator KMB to provide alternative modes of transport. Bus route 8, which runs from Kowloon Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier, will be available for free. Bus route 30X, which runs between Whampoa Gardens to Tsuen Wan Allway Gardens, will also be free for passengers who board at designated stops. Both these bus routes will increase their frequency to every 10 minutes.
Over 1,000 MTR staff members will be deployed on Sunday to provide extra assistance in the affected stations and at nearby bus stops. There will also be service counters set up at Prince Edward, Whampoa, Ho Man Tin, and Yau Ma Tei stations during peak hours on weekdays and for the entire weekend, so if you’re in doubt on redirection to the best possible route, just grab a member of MTR staff.
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