Kowloon station (MTR)

Kowloon is a station on the Tung Chung line and the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. It is one of the two Airport Express stations providing in-town check-in services for passengers departing from Hong Kong International Airport and free shuttle bus services to most major hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei areas. The station is located less than two hundred meters west of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section West Kowloon Terminus, five hundred meters west of Austin on the Tuen Ma line and a kilometre west of Jordan station on the Tsuen Wan line. Escalators link Elements directly with the station concourse. History The station was designed by TFP Farrells. During the planning stage, it was called West Kowloon station (西九龍站). The construction contract (Contract 503C) was awarded to a joint venture of Kumagai Gumi, Entrecanales y Tavora, and Cubiertas y MZOV (both later merged to form Acciona) on 28 November 1994. On 16 September 2000, the new shopping mall "Dickson CyberExpress" (迪生數碼世界) was opened by Dickson Poon. The size was 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) spread over four levels of the station with six shopping areas. However, the mall did not have the expected volume of customers and business was weak. After half a year, the mall shrank in size. The mall's management company planned to decrease the level of the mall from 4 levels to 3 levels and to combine some of the shopping areas. Business remained poor due to sparse population near the station and a recession at that time. The mall finally closed its operation in 2005. The station was proposed as the terminus of the unbuilt East Kowloon line; the proposal indicated using a reserved confined space under the Tung Chung line platforms. The station is connected via footbridges to Austin on the Tuen Ma line. The station is connected to West Kowloon Terminus of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section. Morning Express service The MTR offers Morning Express services to allow passengers to take the Airport Express from Tsing Yi to Hong Kong station. Commuters wishing to get to work faster can use their Octopus card at dedicated gates for HK$25. This offer is available every day except Sundays and public holidays from 7 am to 10 am. Station layout As in other Airport Express stations, the Airport Express and the Tung Chung line have separated paid areas. Platform 2 is only used for disembarking passengers from Hong Kong International Airport or AsiaWorld–Expo, except during morning rush hours from Monday to Saturday for boarding passengers traveling on the line to Hong Kong station with a Morning Express Ticket. Entrances and exits Tung Chung line Concourse (G) A - Station Car Park B - Airport Express Shuttle Bus C and D - Elements mall(ELEMENTS) C1 - High Speed Rail, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, Tuen Ma Line, Austin Station, Public transport interchange, Cross Boundary Coach Terminus, Elements, International Commerce Centre(ICC), International Gateway Centre(IGC), ONE IGC, Ping An Tower, THREE IGC, UBS Tower, Xiqu Centre, Kwun Chung Spotrs Centre, Kowloon Park, Kowloon Park Sports Centre C2 - Sorrento, The Arch, The Harbourside, The Waterfront D1 - Elements mall D2 - Sorrento, International Commerce Centre, The Arch, The Harbourside, The Waterfront Airport Express In-town Check In (G) E1-E5 - West Kowloon Cultural District, West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, Western Harbour Crossing bus stops Gallery References External links Media related to Kowloon Station at Wikimedia Commons