Skip to main content

Hong Kong’s rail terminus goes ahead

With a total area of over 380,000 square meters, the multi-storey West Kowloon rail terminus, the majority of it located underground, will be larger than most airport terminals, and capable of handling around 99,000 passengers per day. The first trains are expected to run from 2015. The Hong Kong section of the express rail link, operating at up to 200 km per hour, will connect Hong Kong with the capital Beijing over 2,000 kilometers away, passing via Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Wuhan.
October 5, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
With a total area of over 380,000 square meters, the multi-storey West Kowloon rail terminus, the majority of it located underground, will be larger than most airport terminals, and capable of handling around 99,000 passengers per day.

The first trains are expected to run from 2015. The Hong Kong section of the express rail link, operating at up to 200 km per hour, will connect Hong Kong with the capital Beijing over 2,000 kilometers away, passing via Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

A safety glass and steel roof structure spans the building and provides daylight to the terminus with its duty-free shops, restaurants and waiting lounges; the design was a winner in the 2010 World Architecture Festival and also won a 2012 MIPIM Award.

Eighty-one escalators and moving walks will transport travellers and visitors throughout the new terminus and to the station's fifteen platforms. An eco-friendly energy saving system reduces the speed whenever there are no passengers. Depending on passenger volumes this can create energy savings of up to 60%.

Related Content

  • Safe-driver training reduces costs, increases safety
    February 3, 2012
    Hermes, one of Europe's leading home delivery specialists, and part of the Otto group's European logistics division, estimates that introducing a range of safe-driving measures in its UK operations have contributed to a US$1.5 million cost saving to the business in the 12 months to April 2010.
  • Mauritius sets out to modernise public transport 
    March 19, 2020
    The National Land Transport Authority (NLTA) in Mauritius is using LIT Transit's mobility platform to provide integrated mobility management and passenger information capabilities on public transport. 
  • Embedded connectivity delivers real time travel information
    February 3, 2012
    Ton Brand describes the GSM Association's Embedded mTelematics programme. As the world's roads become increasingly crowded, consumers and businesses are demanding better real-time information to help them both avoid traffic congestion and make smarter use of public transport. Embedding mobile connectivity directly into vehicles can enable drivers and passengers to see live traffic flows in their localities, as well as the expected arrival time of the next bus, ferry or tram
  • Cost of northern Colombia rail line US$1 billion says study
    March 18, 2015
    It would cost nearly US$1 billion to build a 260 kilometre rail line connecting cities in northern Colombia, according to a study by the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla. The proposed rail corridor would link Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena, which are home to the three biggest ports on the country's Caribbean coast. The train would function as a mixed service line, transporting passengers as well as cargo. "Some details need to be worked out regarding funding sources, which depends more on the