North Island Line is a proposed reformation of the existing Island Line and extension of Tung Chung Line of the Hong Kong MTR metro system. According to the documentary, Rail Projects Under Planning 2000, released by Highways Department[1], the current Tung Chung Line will be extended from Hong Kong terminus eastward and two new stations, Tamar Station and Exhibition Station are proposed on the extension. The new route will then join and substitute the Island Line from Fortress Hill Station to Chai Wan terminus. Tseung Kwan O Line will have new constructed tunnel connected from its North Point terminus to Tin Hau Station without passing Fortress Hill Station and substitute the remaining western half of Island Line. The difficulties of constructing North Island Line include updating the signalling apparatus of Island Line to be compatible with the apparatus which has been installed in Tung Chung Line.
The extension of Tung Chung Line forms part of the third phase of land reclamation of Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island's northern coast. Due to the disagreement from public and political parties such as Society for Protection of the Harbour and the insufficient traffic demand, the MTR Corporation has never given the proposal a commencement date. To add more uncertainty, the proposed Shatin to Central Link and the merger of MTRC and KCRC also influence the fate of North Island Line. Due to said reasons, in 2003 Hong Kong Government has postponed the extension to beyond 2016. However, the MTRC included the Sha Tin to Central Link and the North Island Line details in the diagrams of the latest schemes of the West Island Line and South Island Line, released in 2008. Those diagrams have excluded the now cancelled Central South Station and Racecourse Station[2].
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