Admiralty station (MTR)

The government gave the Mass Transit Railway Corporation first refusal on the 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m²) site, which was sold to it in 1976 for around HK$200 million for cash and equity consideration.[5]

The Admiralty Centre, United Centre and Queensway Plaza commercial buildings formed part of the development, and sit directly above the station.

On 12 February 1980, the segment of the Kwun Tong line between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui was opened. At the time, Admiralty and Central stations were the only two MTR stations on Hong Kong Island.[6] The platforms began serving the Tsuen Wan line on 17 May 1982.

Admiralty was designed to be a transfer station with the then-planned Island line. On 31 May 1985, the first phase of the Island line (between Admiralty and Chai Wan) opened, with Admiralty the temporary western terminus of the Island line. To facilitate cross-platform interchange, the Tsuen Wan- and Chai Wan-bound platforms were located on a very wide island platform on the lower level, while the Central-bound and termination platforms shared another very wide island platform on the upper level. When the second part of the Island line (Admiralty to Sheung Wan) opened in 1986, the termination platform became the Sheung Wan-bound platform, while the other platforms remained unchanged. In 2014, the Sheung Wan-bound platform became the Kennedy Town-bound platform.[7]

The platforms are wide enough for a very large number of passengers to change trains at the same time.

Platform livery before the platform renovation around 2016.

At 9:14 a.m. on 5 January 2004, 14 passengers suffered minor injuries when a 55-year-old man suffering from delusional disorder ignited two gas cylinders full of paint thinner in the first train car of a Central-bound train from Tsim Sha Tsui.[8] The driver decided to complete the journey and passengers were evacuated from the train in Admiralty.[9]

Admiralty station was expanded to serve two additional lines - the South Island line on level L6 and the East Rail line on level L5.[10]

The South Island line platforms opened on 28 December 2016,[1] after a public open day on 24th of that month,[11] giving residents in the Southern District quicker access to Hong Kong Island's central business district. The opening date was delayed from 2015 due to technical problems in the deep tunnels for the new platforms. The East Rail line began servicing Admiralty on 15 May 2022, allowing commuters from the northeast New Territories to travel directly to Admiralty.[10][12]

A new single level underground transfer lobby with natural light was built to the east of the original concourse, allowing passengers to transfer to the new lines. The atrium was also expanded. The station extension, located under Harcourt Garden, incorporates 34 escalators and five lifts to integrate with the existing station.[10] The East Rail line takes up one level under the transfer lobby, with the South Island line being directly below it.[10][12] Exits E1 and E2 were rebuilt as one exit to accommodate the glass roof of the interchange concourse and has since opened. While the East Rail line tracks will have sidings for terminating trains south of the station, the South Island line tracks end at bumper blocks north of the station with no overrun track.[12]

• 
  South Island line Platform 5
• 
  South Island line Platform 6
• 
  New toilets on Level 5 in paid area
• 
  An image of when SCL platforms were still behind hoardings
• 
  Signs directing passengers to the newly opened South Island line on its opening day (28 December 2016)

The narrowest part of the existing platforms on L3 was widened to provide better access to the first and second cars of the Tsuen Wan line trains, as well as last two cars of Island line trains. Island line passengers travelling towards Tsuen Wan now have easier access to these cars.[13] The expansion brought new toilets in the paid area, a lift between the concourse and, ground level, and artwork in the station.

The expansion works saw the station size being expanded significantly. The number of platforms doubled from 4 to 8, the number of floors increased from 3 to 8, and the number of escalators increased from 8 to 42.[4]

As the primary interchange point between the Tsuen Wan line, the Island line, the East Rail line, and the South Island line, Admiralty is heavily congested during rush hours.

Admiralty and North Point are the only cross-platform interchange stations on Hong Kong Island between lines serving it and Kowloon in the MTR system. It is also the only interchange station for the South Island line. Despite trains departing at capacity (every 2.1 minutes), commuters frequently have to board the second or even the third train when changing lines. The situation deteriorated following fare cuts following the MTR–KCR merger.[16]

Temporary measures are undertaken during peak hours, including the deployment of additional station assistants, adjustment of escalator directions[17] and making pacifying announcements by local celebrities.[18] During evening peak hours, some Tsuen Wan line trains are taken out of service at Central, and placed back into service at Admiralty, in order to relieve the demand at Admiralty.[19][20] In the long term, the existing signalling system of Tsuen Wan line will be upgraded by Thales Transport & Security in 2018.[21]

In addition, the 2022 extension of the East Rail line (from Hung Hom to Admiralty) has helped to divert some cross-harbour demand from the Tsuen Wan line, thereby reducing congestion.[22] New "Cross-Harbour Easy" panels have been installed on the concourse and Island line platform levels to help harbour-crossing passengers make an informed choice between the two lines. These PIDS panels display a countdown to their next two trains, as well as simulations of real-time crowdedness on their respective platforms.

• 
  Crowd waiting to transfer train at Admiralty
• 
  The busiest part of Admiralty during the evening peak hour – Tsuen Wan line platform for Tsuen Wan-bound train
• 
  The new concourse for the East Rail line and the South Island line becomes very crowded during the evening peak hours
• 
  A lot of passengers alighting from an East Rail line train

Art Work "Urban Soundscape" located between Level L5 and L6

The station expansion project has brought three artworks to the station.[10] The first is Sense of Green by Tony Ip, which is a new bamboo-covered landscaped deck over Harcourt Garden.[10] The second, Urban Soundscape by Otto Li, is located along either side of the escalator shaft between the new and current stations. It depicts passengers' journeys through Admiralty.[10] Anchoring the atrium is the suspended alumnium sculpture Mapping Our Journey by American artist Talley Fisher, representing the four MTR lines converging at the station as well as the intersection of individuality and community.[23]

• Bus
  • KMB, serving only cross-harbour routes on Hong Kong Island
  • Citybus
  • Bus terminuses within walking distance of the station:
    • Admiralty (West) – Exit B
    • Admiralty (Tamar Street) – Exit B
    • Admiralty (Drake Street) – Exit C2
    • Admiralty (East) – Exit D
    • Admiralty (Rodney Street) – between Exit D