Admiralty station (MTR)
Admiralty () is a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station located on Hong Kong Island, in an area often referred to as Admiralty. The station's livery is blue and white. The station connects the Tsuen Wan line with the Island line and the South Island line. Before the opening of the Tsuen Wan branch line in 1982, it was part of the Modified Initial System. The station and the region are named after HMS "Tamar" (a place of land now known as the Tamar site), once the headquarters of the Royal Navy in Hong Kong – this, even though  HMS "Tamar" had never actually been called the Admiralty. It was built on the former site of the Hong Kong naval dockyards, which was built in 1878 and demolished in the 1970s. The Chinese name, which translates to 'Gold or Golde Clock', refers to a clock with gold-coloured numerals and hands that was centred on the main building of Wellington Barracks from 1890 to 1962. In 2011 to 2016, the station underwent major expansion to accommodate two new sets of platforms underneath the original structure to serve two more MTR lines, the South Island line and the East Rail  line (part of the Sha Tin to Central Link). One of the East Rail Line platforms opened on 8 October 2021, but the other will open in 2022, with the commencement of the second phase of the Sha Tin to Central Link. The South Island line opened in 2016. History. Development and construction. The Government had given the Mass Transit Railway Corporation first refusal on the site, which was subsequently sold to it in 1976 for around HK$200 million for cash and equity consideration. The , and formed part of development, and sit directly above the station. On 12 February 1980 , the segment of the first MTR line between Chater (later merged with Pedder and renamed Central) and Tsim Sha Tsui was opened. At the time, Admiralty and Chater were the only two MTR stations on Hong Kong Island. The platforms began serving the Tsuen Wan line on 10 May 1982. Admiralty was always expected to be a transfer station to the Island line. On 31 May 1985, the first phase of the Island line (between Admiralty and Chai Wan) was opened, with Admiralty the temporary western terminus of the Island line. To facilitate cross-platform interchange, the Tsuen Wan- and  Chai Wan-bound platforms were located on a very wide island platform on the lower level, while the Central-bound and termination platforms shared another very wide island platform on the upper level. When the second part of the Island line (Admiralty to Sheung Wan) opened in 1986, the termination platform became the Sheung Wan-bound platform, while the other platforms remained unchanged. 2004 arson attack. At 9:14 a.m. on 5 January 2004, 14 passengers suffered minor injuries when a delusional 55-year-old man ignited two gas cylinders full of paint thinner in the first train car of a  Central-bound train from Tsim Sha Tsui. The driver decided to complete the journey and passengers were evacuated from the train in Admiralty. Station expansion and new lines. Admiralty station was expanded to serve two additional lines: the South Island line on level L6, and the East Rail line extension of the Sha Tin to Central Link project on level L5. The South Island line platforms opened on 28 December 2016, after a public open day on 24th of that month, giving residents in the Southern District much quicker access to Hong Kong Island's central business district. The opening  date was delayed from 2015 due to technical problems in the deep tunnels for the new platforms. The East Rail line extension, expected to open in 2022, will allow commuters from the northeast New Territories to travel directly to Admiralty. A new underground interchange concourse with natural light was built to the east of the current concourse, taking up one level, allowing passengers to transfer to the new lines. The atrium was also expanded. The station expansion, located under Harcourt Garden, incorporated 34 escalators and five lifts to integrate with the existing station. The Sha Tin to Central Link will  be one level under the interchange concourse, with the South Island line being directly below it. Exits E1 and E2 are being rebuilt as one exit to accommodate the glass roof of the interchange concourse. This new exit E will not open until the Sha Tin to Central Link platforms open. While the Sha Tin to Central Link tracks will have sidings for terminating trains south of the station, the South Island line tracks end at bumper blocks north of the station with no overrun track. The narrowest part of the existing platforms on L3 level was widened to make  better use of the first and second car of the Tsuen Wan line train, as well as last two cars of Island line trains. Tsuen Wan line passengers in the Tsuen Wan direction now have easier access to these cars. As for station facilities, the expansion brings along toilets in the paid area, a lift between concourse, ground level and concourse, and artwork in the station. The new station has two artworks. The first is "Sense of Green" by Tony Ip, which is a new, bamboo-covered landscaped deck over Harcourt Garden. The second, "Urban Soundscape" by Otto Li, is  located along either side of the escalator shaft between the new and current stations. It depicts passengers' journeys through Admiralty. Usage and overcrowding. As the primary interchange point between the Tsuen Wan line, Island line and South Island line, Admiralty is heavily congested during rush hours. Admiralty and North Point are the only cross-platform interchange stations between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island lines in the entire MTR system. It is also the only interchange station for the South Island line. Despite trains departing at capacity (every 2.1 minutes), commuters frequently have to board the second or even the third  train when interchanging. The situation has deteriorated following fare cuts due to the MTR–KCR merger. Temporary measures are undertaken during peak hours, including the deployment of additional station assistants, adjustment of escalator directions and making pacifying announcements by local celebrities. In evening peak hours, some Tsuen Wan line trains will be taken out of service at Central, and placed back to service at Admiralty, in order to relieve the demand at Admiralty. In the long term, the existing signalling system of Tsuen Wan line will be upgraded by Thales Transport & Security in 2018. In addition, in Q1 2022, the  East Rail line extension (from to Admiralty) will commence service, diverting some cross-harbour and cross-border demand from the Tsuen Wan line. Station layout. Admiralty station has a total of six underground floors; the uppermost (L1) floor has the fare control, lobby, shops, Customer Service Centre and other major facilities. On floor L2, passengers can access Platforms 4 (Tsuen Wan line to Central) and 3 (Island line to Chai Wan). One floor down, on level L3, are Platforms 2 (Island line to Kennedy Town) and 1 (Tsuen Wan line to Tsuen Wan). There are very wide passageways between the  two platforms on each of floors L2 and L3; they are also curved platforms with trains going in opposite directions. The platforms are in the shape of a trapezium. Because all the platforms are curved and a major interchange station, there are large stickers in front of the platform screen doors with "Mind the gap" text, which can only be found in this station. Passengers travelling from Eastern District and Wan Chai District can walk across to platform 1 to board the Tsuen Wan line trains bound for West Kowloon, Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan. Passengers travelling from West Kowloon , Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan can walk across and board the Island line trains bound for Chai Wan from platform 3. Entrances and exits. Admiralty is part of the Central Business District of Hong Kong Island. There are many office buildings around the station. A major shopping mall, Pacific Place, is accessed through a pedestrian walkway from Exit F. Transport connections. There is a bus terminus stretching across the length of Admiralty that can be reached from exits B, C2 and D. These buses connect to many different parts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Admiralty station