Hung Hom station

An older station of the same name once existed on Chatham Road South. It was situated on the former coastline of Hung Hom Bay, at the southeastern corner of the Gun Club Hill Barracks (between the current-day Chung Sze Yuen Building A of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong History Museum).

This old Hung Hom station, a temporary wooden structure, operated from 1 October 1910 (the day the Kowloon–Canton Railway began operation) until 15 September 1921[1] It was later demolished and replaced by this station on 30 November 1975.

Plaque unveiled by Elizabeth II commemorating the opening of the station.

The old Kowloon station in Tsim Sha Tsui began operation in in 1910. After decades of economic growth in Hong Kong, the station, situated at the seafront of Victoria Harbour, became too small and had no room for expansion. A new Kowloon station (the current Hung Hom station), situated to the east, was officially inaugurated by Chief Secretary Denys Roberts on 24 November 1975 as the new terminus of the Kowloon–Canton Railway. However, it did not start operating until a few days later. The old terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui was closed on 29 November 1975.

The first passenger train from Hung Hom pulled out of the new station the following morning at 8:26 am. On 5 May 1975, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening of the new terminal.[2] The new station cost HK$150 million and offered modern new facilities including a spacious waiting hall, a restaurant, a bar, a bookstore, a bank, escalators, and closed circuit television. It was built along with a bus terminus and a multi-storey car park.[2]

The controversial demolition of the old station commenced on 7 June 1978;[3] a new complex of a concert hall and museums were built on Kowloon station's original site, but the clock tower was preserved as a Declared Monument.

Through trains to mainland China started running from Hung Hom station on 4 April 1979.

Lobby of Hung Hom station (2006)

The new station was renamed Hung Hom station around February or March 1996. The Kowloon–Canton Railway was renamed KCR East Rail in 1996, and subsequently the East Rail line upon the merger of the MTR (metro services) and the Kowloon-Canton Railway (suburban train services) in December 2007.

A HK$1.3 billion expansion of Hung Hom station began on 16 March 1995, which included a new concourse designed by Foster and Partners.[4] The expansion was completed in 1998. The passenger terminal now hosts ticket offices, waiting areas, shops and restaurants.

Hung Hom station under construction

After decades of being the terminus station of the East Rail line, Hung Hom temporarily became an intermediate station when the East Rail was extended to East Tsim Sha Tsui station in 2004. This symbolic return to Tsim Sha Tsui of the then Kowloon–Canton railway was followed by the inauguration of a westward Kowloon Southern Link to complete the West Rail line.

On 2 December 2007, MTR and KCR companies have merged. East Rail, West Rail, and Ma On Shan Rail became metro systems.

On 16 August 2009, East Tsim Sha Tsui was transferred to the West Rail line. Hung Hom became the terminus station of southbound trains of the East Rail and West Rail line.

To minimise confusion after the opening of Hong Kong West Kowloon, China Railways renamed the station on its systems to Hung Hom (previously Jiulong / Kowloon) on 1 April 2019.

The West Rail line was relocated to a new set of platforms on 20 June 2021, a week ahead of the Tuen Ma line's inauguration. On 27 June 2021, the West Rail line officially merged with the Ma On Shan line (which already operated as the Tuen Ma line Phase 1 at the time) in East Kowloon to form the new Tuen Ma line, as part of the Shatin to Central link project. The East Rail line moved to the new underground platforms beneath the Tuen Ma line platforms on 15 May 2022 upon the opening of the line's extension to Admiralty. At the same time, the original East Rail / West Rail line platforms were closed permanently to passengers, and are now used as train sidings. The last train departed from the old platforms departed at 00:28 on 15 May 2022. It is now an intermediate station on both lines.

Under the North South Corridor concept, the East Rail line was extended to Hong Kong Island via a new immersed tube tunnel south of the station. At the same time, the West Rail line was connected with the Ma On Shan line via East Kowloon, forming the new Tuen Ma line.

To facilitate this expansion, new platforms were built underneath the Hung Hom station Exit C concourse. The Tuen Ma line platforms sit above the East Rail line platforms.[5] New approach tracks have also been built north and south of the station.

In 2018, a major scandal emerged regarding construction malpractice at the Hung Hom station construction site. In 2015, contractors building the concrete slab forming the Tuen Ma line platform level reportedly cut off the ends of reinforcing bars that were supposed to be screwed into couplers within the diaphragm wall forming the side of the underground station box. The contractor then poured the concrete even though the bars were not connected to the couplers. As a result, engineers have cast doubt on the long-term structural safety of the slab.[6]

The government has demanded that MTR Corporation submit a report on the safety of the station. An independent engineer, C M Wong & Associates Ltd., will conduct safety tests.[7] On 12 June 2018, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that she will appoint a commission on inquiry, headed by Hong Kong judge Michael Hartmann, to investigate the scandal.[8]

Station layout from 30 November 1975 to 19 June 2021: