East Rail line

East Rail line
East Rail line
Traditional Chinese	東鐵綫
Simplified Chinese	东铁线
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	dong1 tie3 xian4
Hakka
Romanization	Tûng-Thiet-Sien
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	dūng tit sin
Jyutping	dung1 tit3 sin3

East Rail line
East Rail line
	A Hyundai Rotem R-train EMU entering University station
Overview
Other names	Formerly called: Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section) (九廣鐵路 (英段); 1910–1996); KCR East Rail (九廣東鐵; 1996–2007);
Native name	東鐵綫
Status	Operational
Owner	Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Locale	Districts: Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, Central and Western
Termini	Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau; Admiralty;
Connecting lines	■ Kwun Tong line (via Kowloon Tong); ■ Island line (via Admiralty); ■ South Island line (via Admiralty); ■ Tsuen Wan line (via Admiralty); ■ Tuen Ma line (via Hung Hom, Tai Wai); Shenzhen Metro:; ■ Line 1 ■ Line 4 ■ Line 10
Former connections	■ Ma On Shan line; ■ West Rail line;
Stations	16
Color on map	Light blue (#53B7E8)
Service
Type	Commuter rail / Rapid transit
System	MTR
Operator	MTR Corporation
Depot	Ho Tung Lau
Rolling stock	Hyundai Rotem EMU: R-train;
Ridership	1,044,800 daily average ; (weekdays, September 2014)
History
Opened	1 October 1910
Last extension	2022
Electrification completed	15 July 1983 (Lo Wu to Kowloon)
Technical
Line length	46 km (29 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed	Average: 50 km/h (31 mph); Maximum: 120 km/h (75 mph);
Signalling	Siemens CBTC (Trainguard MT)
Train protection system	AWS (Only for KTT through-trains, which were discontinued since 2020)
Route map
Route map
	Shenzhen Metro Line 4
	to Niuhu
	Guangshen railway
	to Guangzhou
	Shenzhen Metro Line 1
	to Airport East
	Guangdong
	Hong Kong
	Sha Tau Kok Branch
	to Sha Tau Kok
	Fanling Bypass
	Old Tai Po Market
	Hong Kong Railway Museum
	Ma Liu Shui
	Ferry Pier
	Tuen Ma line
	to Wu Kai Sha
	Tai Wai Depot
	(Tuen Ma line)
	Tuen Ma line
	to Tuen Mun
	Beacon Hill Tunnel
	(Tunnel No. 2)
	Kwun Tong line
	to Tiu Keng Leng
	Princess
	Margaret Road
	Kwun Tong line
	to Whampoa
	Kowloon–Canton Rly
	(1910–1975)
	Tuen Ma line
	to Wu Kai Sha
	1: East Rail Line until 2009
	2: Through tracks
	Through
	trains
	Stabling sidings
	(East West Corridor)
	Tuen Ma line
	to Tuen Mun
	Tsuen Wan line
	to Tsuen Wan
	Tsuen Wan line
	to Central
	Island line
	Kennedy Town – Chai Wan
	South Island line
	to South Horizons

The East Rail line (Chinese: 東鐵綫) (formerly known as KCR British Section from 1 October 1910 to 1996, then KCR East Rail until 2 December 2007) is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line begins at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau (both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen, and are on tracks that join in the north at Sheung Shui) and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island. At approximately 46 km (29 mi), the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line) is the second-longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line.

The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui, Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and the central business district. It is also the city of Hong Kong's only railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China. The line is generally double-tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day.

The line was the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong; it opened in 1910 as the Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section). Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own the line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC.

The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009, while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings.