Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station
West Kowloon station (abbreviated WEK), also known as Hong Kong West Kowloon and West Kowloon, is the terminus and only station of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (HSR). The station connects to Mainland China's HSR network (world's longest) through dedicated tunnels and includes a Mainland Port Area where the laws of Mainland China are enforced. It was constructed by MTR Corporation. It is the world's largest underground railway station. The terminal railway station is located in Jordan, West Kowloon, north of the proposed  West Kowloon Cultural District between the Airport Express and Tung Chung line's Kowloon station and the Tuen Ma line's Austin station. The footprint of the new station extends into the basement of the West Kowloon Cultural District. The original scheduled opening date of 2012 was delayed until 2015 following the shake-up of high-speed rail construction across China after the 2011 Wenzhou train collision. While construction of the station was still planned for completion in 2015, major flooding occurred in the railway tunnels under construction on 30 March 2014. This resulted in great damage to the tunnel  boring machines. Internal MTR reports suggested causes were incomplete tender drawings, site surveys, and planning before construction began. The station was formally opened on 4 September 2018 and high-speed trains started to run to destinations in Mainland China from 23 September 2018. RTHK reported that the final cost of the construction was 30% more than the initial estimate. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that West Kowloon station will be closed from 12AM on 30 January 2020, until further notice. Mainland Port Area. The Mainland Port Area is an area inside West Kowloon station that  serves as a border control point between mainland China and Hong Kong. The area has been effectively ceded to Mainland China for a token HK$1,000 a year in rent. Since September 2018, Mainland Chinese immigration and police personnel operate exclusively within the area, and the laws of Mainland China, rather than Hong Kong, are enforced. This arrangement was controversial both before and after its implementation. Pro-democracy advocates were concerned about the erosion of Hong Kong's freedoms and autonomy under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, and the Hong Kong Bar Association stated that the arrangement caused "the integrity  of the Basic Law" to be "irreparably breached" and would "severely undermine" confidence in the rule of law in Hong Kong. Notably, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which applies in Hong Kong, does not apply in the Mainland Port Area, leading to human rights concerns. Area definition. The area delineated and coloured orange on Plan No. 1 and Annex 1 to Plan No. 1 in Schedule 2 of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Ordinance is declared as the Mainland Port Area. It comprises the designated areas on B2 and B3 levels, the  platform areas on B4 level as well as the connecting passageways. A train compartment of a passenger train in operation on the Hong Kong Section of the Express Rail Link is to be regarded as part of the Mainland Port Area. This arrangement will facilitate mainland border control preclearance in Hong Kong. Reports in the British press suggested this area amounts to a cession of of the station for a token annual rent of HK$ 1 000 (reported as being equivalent to £99). Except for reserved matters}, the Mainland Port Area is to be regarded as an area lying  outside Hong Kong but lying within Mainland China for the purposes of the application of the laws of Mainland China, and of the laws of Hong Kong, in the Mainland Port Area; and the delineation of jurisdiction over the Mainland Port Area. It does not affect the boundary of the administrative division of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Although the West Kowloon HSR station is listed on a page titled Checkpoints in SZ by the Shenzhen Gov't Online, it is unclear whether this qualifies as a Port of Exit for the Shenzhen SEZ Visa on Arrival. Implementation process. The  joint meeting on 8 August 2017 of the Panel on Transport, the Panel on Security and the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services of the Legislative Council passed the motion supporting the implementation of the "co-location arrangement" at the West Kowloon station. The meeting on 15 November 2017 of the Legislative Council passed the motion on taking forward the follow-up tasks of the co-location arrangement at the West Kowloon station. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region signed the Co-operation Arrangement between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on  the Establishment of the Port at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link for Implementing Co-location Arrangement with the People's Government of Guangdong Province on 18 November 2017. On 27 December 2017, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved the Co-operation Arrangement and stated that it is consistent with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Bill was passed by the Legislative Council at the  meeting on 14 June 2018. The Ordinance gazetted on 22 June 2018 and come into operation on a day to be appointed by the Secretary for Transport and Housing by notice published in the "Hong Kong Government Gazette". After a ceremony to "mark the commissioning of the Mainland Port Area" was held jointly by Frank Chan, Secretary for Transport and Housing, and "a leading Communist party official from Guangdong province", democracy activists noted that it constituted an erosion of the SAR's autonomy, with Tanya Chan reported as telling local radio that "the unlawful and unconstitutional joint checkpoint has been  implemented forcefully — it has caused an irreparable damage to our legal system and rule of law." Chief Executive Carrie Lam, however, denied that there was any attempt to cover up the event, despite the ceremony being closed to press and being held without advance notice to news media or to members of the Legislative Council. In the Court of First Instance of the High Court, Judge Anderson Chow refused the applications for leave to apply for judicial review by his decision dated 27 September 2017 and 18 April 2018. He refused the applications for interim relief by his decision dated  14 August 2018. He granted the applications for leave to apply for judicial review but dismissed the substantive applications for judicial review by his judgment dated 13 December 2018. Mainland police operations. Since the Mainland Port Area began operations, there have been several reported cases of travellers being detained or arrested by mainland officials in Hong Kong. In one case, a Hong Kong resident working for the British consulate was detained upon returning to Hong Kong and sent back to mainland China by mainland police officers. Amid the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Chinese border officers have also begun to routinely  search the phones of travellers for evidence of involvement in the protests. Structure. Construction of the West Kowloon station project was divided into two parts, XRL810A (northern part) and XRL810B (southern part) (XRL meaning e"X"press "R"ail "L"ink). The northern construction area was awarded to Leighton Contractors & Gammon Construction responsible for joint operations. The southern part of the project was awarded to a consortium of Laing O'Rourke, HCCG (Xinchang) & Paul Y jointly responsible for the construction. West Kowloon station features 9 long distance platforms and 6 short haul regional platforms for a total of 15 platforms. The long platforms are located  on the east of the station and adequate for docking 16-car train. There will be total 9 track, 4 island platform and 1 side platform in the final stage of operation. 6 track, 3 island platform and 1 side platform will be opened in the initial stage. Every platform is equipped with 2 elevator, 2 escalators connecting the Arrival Level on B2 and 2 escalators connecting the departure level on B3. The short platforms are located on the west of the station in Spanish solution arrangement and adequate for docking 8-car train. There will be a total of  6 tracks, 5 island platforms, and 2 side platforms in the final stage of operation. 4 tracks, 4 island platforms, and 1 side platform will be opened in the initial stage. 3 out of 5 platforms will be the boarding platform and each equipped with 1 elevator and 2 escalators connecting the departure level on B3. The two other platforms will be the alighting platform and each equipped with 1 elevator and 2 escalators connecting the arrival level on B2. In addition, as a cross-border railway station, West Kowloon station will also be set up with customs and immigration  facilities for the passengers to go through the formalities prior to boarding the train and not require any stops at the Hong Kong border. Exits. A: Austin station B: Wui Man Road Pick-up/Drop-off C: Lin Cheung Road (closed) D: Green Plaza F: Green Plaza G: Xiqu Centre H: Green Plaza J: Coach Pick-up/Drop-off K1: Austin station K2: West Kowloon Station Bus Terminus K4: Sky Corridor M: Elements N: Austin station Landscaping. West Kowloon station features an extensive green garden across the roof area of the station. It also sets up a large collection of  cultural elements and entertainment spaces. Passengers can easily cross the ground floor between Kowloon station, Austin station and West Kowloon Cultural District, providing Hong Kong residents and visitors ample public open space and a comfortable green walking environment. Above the station, an area of approximately 8,900 square metres has been planted with a large number of plants and trees with traffic separated. All to create a pedestrian area, a green platform, and a wooded park that will integrate with the West Kowloon Cultural District harbourside parklands. In addition, the West Kowloon station entrance lobby area features a green ecological leisure  channel zone to tie in with the greenery on top of the building. Train services. The West Kowloon station is served by both short-distance and long-haul train services. Short-distance services consist of a frequent service to mainland Chinese cities in neighbouring Guangdong province, including Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Guangzhou, while long-distance services link Hong Kong to at least 16 major destinations in mainland China. Six platforms will be designated for short-haul trains, while nine will be designated for long haul trains. Short-haul services Long-haul services According to a 2008 study, it is expected that  by 2030, train services will increase in frequency. Road network. Related developments by the Hong Kong government in West Kowloon, expect to improve the efficiency of road and pedestrian access routes, as well as to resolve a problematic traffic intersection in West Kowloon. These road developments hope to meet the transport needs of the entire area of the new development area of West Kowloon Cultural District and West Kowloon station after completion. Transportation Study identified the following specific road improvement measures: Awards. In 2010, the West Kowloon station design won "Cityscape Awards for Architecture" in the Emerging Markets of Tourism , Travel & Transport Future Awards. In the same year on 4 November, the West Kowloon station design won the "Best Future Project ─ Infrastructure" World Architecture Festival Awards.