TST rail extension update?
 

Anyone in HK have current info on when the KCR extension to TST will be available for passenger? (I understand that they may have begun testing trains but without paying customers.)

It will certainly making it easier to get to Shenzhen when the line is open (to say nothing about making it easier to cross Salisbury Rd when the whole shebang is done).

I had 2006 in my mind as the opening date. Given the mess on Salisbury Rd two weeks ago, I can't see it being that soon.

It's interesting that KCRC's website still says 2004. But considering the messy opening of the West Rail last year, I doubt any official would dare to give anyone an exact opening date.

A HK news article tomorrow does say the new KCR TST East station will open in November. A underground walkway (air-conditioned, with moving sidewalks) from the MTR TST station to TST East will be open 9/19.

Yay! The real question will be if it really worth all of the hassle of construction.

They didn't do all that just to extend the KCR East Rail by one stop. But it's part of a longer-term plan to connect the KCR East and West lines around southern Kowloon.

This TST EAST
 

is going to be one big station. It will have all 3 rails. 2 currently in use and the third one building. Check out the KCR site and see for yourself.

East Rail
 

The news taoday said it will open on October 24 officially. But it will open on October 17 to the public for test run.

just read from the HK Yahoo news (in Chinese) that there WAS a test run involving 60,000 people yesterday (17 Oct Sun). Though it was a trial run, the participants had to PAY for their rides which caused a lot of unhappiness.

Suggestions (a very nice word for complaints, haha) brought up were:
1) Inadequate signage
2) The passagewalk to take the line which crosses the sea (?) was too long

On the whole, the trial was successful and the new line will open officially on 24 Oct 2004 Sun @ 1500hrs. not sure when this URL will expire but if you are able to read traditional Chinese, here is the full article
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/041017/10/15sjy.html

* amended suggestion #2 which had the airport error

That's a bizarre observation since the TST extension isn't intended to connect with the airport line!

Thanks for the updated info. (Though like christep I have no clue what the "airport line" comment was about.)

i am very sorry that abt the error- i guess i had glanced through the article too quickly during lunch and attempted to translate and post it without checking. plus that i have minimum knowledge of this new line and i am not from HK, nor am i a professional at translating Chinese to English.

now that i have re-read the article, the exact words used in the article, and loosely translated were "the people who took the train to cross the sea, observed that the passageway was too long". until i actually visit the new line in person, i assume this means that one has to walk a long way to take the train which crosses the sea (?).

i have corrected the "airport" error in my original post.

to end, i'd just like to add that abt the "bizarre observation", i don't know if it was typed with the intention of making a sacarstic remark at me. because that's how it appears to me. this reminds me of another FTer who had previously commented that SG hawker centre food prices need no comparison :(

My comment was about the news story -- I did not intend to make any implication about tzwlh, and I am sorry if anyone understood it as a comment about tzwlh. Indeed, I would thank tzwlh for bringing the article to our attention.

My guess would be that "the people who took the train to cross the sea, observed that the passageway was too long" would have been complaining that it was a long walk from the MTR station (the subway from HK Island) to the KCR train.

I echo wideman's comments. My apologies if any unintended criticism of tzwlh was inferred.

thanks for the clarification. it has been a rough week so i may be a little "odd". sorry too...

i wasn't quite able to get an article on the trial run from the web, but managed to find something else from KCR's website which is relevant to the new line (abt ticket fares)

=================================================
KCRC announces the opening and fares of Tsim Sha Tsui Extension dated 15 Oct 2004

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is pleased to announce today that the new Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) Extension will be opened for passenger services on 24 October 2004 (Sunday). During the trial operation in August, the average punctuality and service delivery reached 99.9% and 99.5%.

Speaking about the fares for the TST Extension at the meeting of the Transport Panel of the Legislative Council today, KCRC Chairman Mr Michael Tien said, “With the opening of the TST Extension, passengers travelling from east New Territories to TST East on East Rail (ER) will save a lot more journey time and pay a lower fare than when they change to MTR at Kowloon Tong.”

Mr Tien said, “We adopt the same fare setting approach as for West Rail. We first consider the competition we are facing and set the fare levels which will enable the passengers to enjoy better value for money. Survey results showed that passengers valued “shorter journey time” and “accessibility of stations” most. Therefore, we compare the fares of other modes of transport and the journey time saved by travelling ER to TST, and set the fares for the new Extension which, we believe, are highly competitive.”

“For example, ER direct from Sha Tin to TST will take only 20 minutes, as against 44 minutes by bus and 31 minutes by changing from ER to MTR at Kowloon Tong. The single-ride adult Octopus fare from Sha Tin to TST by ER direct is $7.6, as against $7.0 by bus and $10.7 by ER/MTR.”

In addition, passengers interchanging with MTR at TST Station will further enjoy an interchange discount of $1.5. Passengers will enjoy a $1 discount interchanging between East Rail and two green minibus routes, 77M (MTR Kowloon Station – TST East) and 78 (Island Harbourview – Hankow Road). These interchange discounts will last for six months until the end of April 2005.

Passengers taking a second trip on ER on the same day will also enjoy a 20% discount until the end of March 2005.

Before the official opening of the TST Extension and Station, the Corporation will arrange an Open Day and a full-day public trial ride on Sunday, 17 October. Members of the public will have an opportunity to try out the station facilities and take trial rides. ER passengers will not be charged any additional fares for extending their journeys to and from the East TST Station. Passengers travelling between Hung Hom and East TST Station will be charged a minimum fare of $3.2 (Octopus).

There will be no train service for the new Extension from 18 to 23 October when the railway will be closed for final preparations for its official opening. Starting from 7 November 2004, the feeder bus K16 currently plying between West Rail Nam Cheong Station and Hung Hom will change its route to run between Nam Cheong and East TST.

The details of the fares which will be effective on 24 October 2004 are attached for reference.

http://www.kcr.com.hk/Upload%20Content/News%20Centre/Press%20Release/Corp/Eng/(Eng)%20KCRC%20announce(%20Fares%20table).htm