East Rail Line Cross-harbour Extension has commenced service, marking the completion of the Shatin to Central Link project - an important milestone in Hong Kong’s railway development. The 46 km East Rail Line consists of 16 stations including the new Exhibition Centre Station. It extends across Victoria Harbour from the core business district on Hong Kong Island, connecting Kowloon and the New Territories to the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings. With the cross-harbour section, the East Rail Line will become the fourth cross-harbour railway, reducing travel time from Hung Hom to Exhibition Centre Station to just five minutes.
The site of the station is reclaimed land that was previously part of the harbour. The artwork “Water Memory” by local artist Leung Chi-wo, consisting of 1,200 photos taken of the harbour at different times of the year, is displayed on the walls of all three floors of the station interior that face north, the direction of Victoria Harbour. Exhibition panels detailing the East Rail Line’s history of over 100 years are integrated into the walls and exhibits showcasing the challenges posed during construction are displayed, including the casing of a World War II bomb discovered in the course of excavation work.
The station includes allowance for a future North Island line with convenient cross platform transfers. Farrells designed the station with property enabling works to fully integrate the future topside commercial development and passenger transport interchange. The station’s various entrances are connected and integrated to the elevated footbridge network, as well as being connected to a public transport interchange, Harbour Road Sports Centre and Commercial developments in Wanchai North district, providing greater convenience to railway passengers.