The South Island Line (East) has 3 possible alignment options between Ocean Park and Admiralty.

Option A:
Ocean Park --> Admiralty

Option B:
Ocean Park --> Happy Valley --> Admiralty

Option C:
Ocean Park --> Happy Valley --> Wan Chai --> Admiralty

Railway System

The maximum demand on the South Island Line is expected to eventually grow to a peak line flow of approximately 20,000 passengers per hour per direction. Compared to the design capacity up to 85,000 passengers per hour on the existing MTR system, a medium capacity system with capacities of 10,000 - 35,000 passengers per hour provides a relatively cost-effective alternative to accommodate the ultimate ridership on the South Island Line.

Preliminary calculations show that a typical 4-car medium capacity train with a length of about 60m operating at intervals of 2 to 4 minutes will meet the service requirements.

The medium capacity systems can work with steel wheels on steel rails (as the existing MTR), but rubber tyred vehicles may be more suitable, since they give greater flexibility in railway alignment.

Compared to other MTR stations, the shorter medium capacity trains require shorter platforms which will increase flexibility in station design and reduce both construction and maintenance costs.

Proposed Layout of Medium Capacity Station

Design & Construction

Most of the South Island Line (East) will be located in tunnel except for short sections between Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park which will be on viaducts. A bridge will be constructed between Apleichau and Wong Chuk Hang alongside the existing Apleichau Bridge.

The stations at Wong Chuk Hang and Ocean Park will be above ground. All other stations will be underground.


Programme

MTR Corporation wishes to reach an agreement with Government to proceed with the project as quickly as practical. The design and statutory processes for the South Island Line (East), such as the Environmental Impact Assessment and Railways Ordinance gazetting will take about 2 years to complete, following endorsement in principle by the Government. Construction of the new South Island Line (East) will then take about 4 years to complete.



Journey Planner

The South Island Line will provide a fast, reliable and convenient mode of transport between Southern District and the northern shores of the Hong Kong Island. The estimated journey time from Wong Chuk Hang to Admiralty will be 6 minutes only. 



Benefits

The South Island Line will create value in monetary and non-monetary terms, to the society and the Government. The benefits include:

• Time savings in travelling generated by a fast and reliable railway service;
• Environmental benefits (air and noise) brought about by a reduction in road traffic;
• Renewal of older districts with poor quality buildings;
• New employment opportunities from potential new tourism and commercial developments;
• Increase in value of properties along the railway corridor.

• The proposal for South Island Line (East) is in response to long standing calls from local residents of Southern District for improved transport, as well as a choice of transport services; benefits which most other districts of Hong Kong already enjoy.
• The current transport problems affecting Southern District are constraining development and urban renewal. Employment in the former industrial and godown areas of Wong Chuk Hang has declined, despite the fact that this district is relatively close to the Central Business District. Provision of improved transport would make this district ideal for office and hotel developments which will generate significant new employment opportunities in the long run.
• Most developed cities have learned that it is not possible to solve transport problems by building more roads. Congestion along the north shore of Hong Kong Island is the root cause of the congestion at Aberdeen Tunnel for Southern District. Building a rail link will allow commuters to bypass this congestion and allow overall reduction in road based vehicles.

• The South Island Line will serve population and employment centres which are already established. Some 80% of the population and employment will be within the walk-in distance of a South Island Line station. Therefore the railway does not need to rely on future population growth to meet its predicted patronage.
• The forecast patronage has assumed that full competition from other public transport will continue. The South Island Line will have a competitive edge over other public transport services, as they will provide convenient interchange with existing MTR network, with much reduced and more predictable journey times, unaffected by weather and traffic conditions.
• The expected market share of South Island Line will be around 40%, which is slightly less than the recently completed Tseung Kwan O Line.
• The Corporation has a good track record for patronage forecast, cost control, and financial performance.
• The Corporation has an obligation to its shareholders to ensure that all proposed projects are assessed utilizing prudent commercial assumptions to meet the required rate of return.

• South Island Line will help Government to resolve the longstanding transport problems of Southern District, without which Government has to invest in other transport infrastructure to solve or mitigate the problem. The South Island Line will be a better and more cost effective solution to Government.
• Commuters will benefit from the safe, reliable and speedy service of the railway and the less congested road network.
• The new line will also generate substantial economic and social benefits:
  
  
  • urban rejuvenation within Southern District;
  • preservation of the south-western shoreline;
  • enhancement of the living quality in Southern District;
  • promotion of tourism developments, redevelopment plans of Ocean Park will become possible;
  • at least 20,000 new jobs as a result of the increased business activities.
  
  
  
• The total economic and social benefits of West Island Line and South Island Line, as assessed by the University of Hong Kong, are estimated to be HK$40 billion, of which the direct financial benefits accruing to Government will be HK$4 to $5 billion. The methodology, assumptions and data are clearly documented in the HKU study report.
• Although the project is not financially viable from an investment point of view of the Corporation, given the substantial transport, external and social benefits that the project will generate, it is worth pursuing for the benefit of the community at large and for a better future for Hong Kong.
• In the past, the Corporation was able to share the values created by railway through property development along the railway corridor. In this case, Government and the society will capture most of the benefits of the project. The Corporation therefore suggests that the Government should provide one-off financial support of not more than half of the project cost.

• Reduced traffic congestion on roads will benefit all road users, particularly public transport operators.
• Franchised bus operators will be affected as a significant portion of their passengers will switch to South Island Line.
• Taxis and mini-buses will only be slightly affected because they will be not in direct competition with the railway. Most of these surplus taxis and minibuses can be redeployed as new feeder services.
• As the South Island Line will not be available for the next 6 to 7 years, it will pose no immediate impact to the existing operators.
• There will be adequate time to carry out any required planning for better co-ordination of transport services in the Southern District, to minimize the impact before the railway opens.
• Greater transport demand from tourism development and increased business activities will also benefit other public transport operators, particularly taxis and minibuses.

• It is the Government transport policy to shift from road based transport to rail, and to have railway as the backbone of transport system. Most major cities around the world are building underground railways in preference to roads to meet inner city transport problems.
• By enhancing the rail network, road traffic congestion can be significantly relieved as a result of a reduced number of vehicles.
• With a reduction in road vehicles there will be improvements in air quality, noise pollution as well as a reduction in road-related transport accidents.
• A road option will not ultimately solve the existing transport problems since it cannot reduce the traffic bottlenecks on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, particularly in areas such as Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Central Business District.
• Compared to the Route 4 (previously known as Route 7) proposal, which will cost Government HK$9~$12 billion to build and HK$80~$100 million to maintain every year, the South Island Line is a more economic alternative.