The world’s largest underground railway station
19 August 2018
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The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) is slated to commence service in late September. By connecting Hong Kong to the 25 000 km long national high-speed rail network, it will significantly reduce the time and cost of travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland cities, and provide a safe, reliable and convenient option for short-, medium- and long-haul passengers.
The new intercity rail will be a main artery linking Hong Kong with the Mainland, and the West Kowloon Station a strategic hub of this artery. As part of the XRL that measures around 140 km, the Hong Kong Section runs approximately 26 km completely underground from the boundary at Huanggang to the West Kowloon Station, which is just north of the West Kowloon Cultural District and sits between the local metro’s Kowloon Station and Austin Station.
Spanning about 11 hectares of land, the West Kowloon Station has a total construction floor area of 400 000 m2, making it the largest underground railway station in the world. Most of the station facilities, including the ticket hall, clearance area, waiting hall for departing passengers and train platforms, are placed underground to allow room for six hectares of public space and green walking zone.
The station’s meticulous design features a streamlined glass canopy made up of over 4 000 irregular glass panes and supported by massive columns, allowing visitors breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour from inside the station.
The double glazing design is illustrative of the environment-friendly concept of the station. It brings in plenty of natural light and reduces heat transfer, thus enhancing energy efficiency. Besides, the express rail itself is a green transport mode. The carbon emissions are only about 15% and 25% of those from aircraft and buses respectively.
The trains are painted in a colour scheme dominated by metallic silver, paired with red and white waves that bring out the vividness. The colour patterns, along with the matching orange arcs drawn on both sides at the front, symbolise a Chinese dragon flying in mid-air while alluding to our Chinese heritage.
On the rooftop of the station is a Sky Corridor that can accommodate hundreds of people. It is a good spot not only for watching festival fireworks but also for taking photos that you can proudly share with friends online. Above the bustling city traffic surrounding this rail terminus, the Sky Corridor is literally an urban oasis to relax and chill out in.
For local employment, tremendous job opportunities will be created directly in the fields of railway operation and maintenance as well as retail, catering and station management. Job opportunities also abound in some supporting industries that will benefit from the project, like tourism, hospitality, conferences and exhibitions. We expect the number of jobs thus created after rail service commencement to be in the order of thousands.
Meanwhile, we are developing the West Kowloon Cultural District, a major government investment to support the long-term development of arts and culture in Hong Kong. Just next to the West Kowloon Station, the cultural district is expecting the successive completion of a variety of facilities, which include the Xiqu Centre, the M+ Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum. We can well foresee the synergy between the station and the cultural district. In the future, the area centred around the station will become Hong Kong’s new tourist and cultural landmark. We will see more and more tourists coming to Hong Kong by the XRL to watch world-class arts and cultural performances and exhibitions, thus helping to promote Hong Kong’s image as an events capital.
The commissioning of the XRL, the West Kowloon Station and the major road network around the station, together with the development of the adjacent West Kowloon Cultural District, represents a significant new milestone for Hong Kong. With a road map in hand, our city is once again ready to embark on a new era of speed and vibrancy.
