Admiralty Station (MTR)

This article is about the metro station of the Hong Kong MTR. For the metro station of the Singapore MRT, see Admiralty MRT Station.
Admiralty
金鐘
MTR rapid transit station

Platform 2
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 金鐘
Simplified Chinese 金钟
Literal meaning Golden Bell
General information
Location Drake Street/Tamar Street, Admiralty
Central and Western District, Hong Kong
Coordinates 22°16′44″N 114°09′53″E / 22.2788°N 114.1646°ECoordinates: 22°16′44″N 114°09′53″E / 22.2788°N 114.1646°E
Owned by MTR Corporation
Operated by MTR Corporation
Line(s)
Platforms 4 (island platforms)
Tracks 4
Connections Bus, public light bus, tram
Construction
Structure type Underground
Platform levels 2
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code ADM
History
Opened
  • 12 February 1980 (Kwun Tong Line)
  • 31 May 1985 (Island Line)
  • 2016 (South Island Line (East)
  • 2021 (North South Corridor)
Services
Preceding station   MTR   Following station
Terminus
Tsuen Wan Line
towards Tsuen Wan
towards Kennedy Town
Island Line
towards Chai Wan
  Future  
TerminusSouth Island Line (East)
North South Corridor
towards Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau
Location
Hong Kong MTR system map
Admiralty
Location within the MTR system
The interchange concourse is wide enough for a very large number of passengers to change trains at the same time
Livery of the Admiralty MTR Station.

Admiralty station is an MTR station located on Hong Kong Island, in an area often referred to as Admiralty. The station's livery is blue. The station connects the Tsuen Wan Line with the Island Line in cross-platform interchange type. Before the opening of the Tsuen Wan branch line in 1982, it was part of the Kwun Tong Line.

The station is 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 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.

Currently the station is undergoing major expansion for accommodating 2 more metro lines, North South Corridor and South Island Line (East). This will make Admiralty station the first railway hub in Hong Kong providing access to 4 metro services in one single structure.

Development

The Government had given the MTR Corporation first refusal on the 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) site, which was subsequently sold to it in 1976 for around HK$200 million for cash and equity consideration.[1]

The Admiralty Centre, United Centre and Queensway Plaza formed part of development, and sit directly above the station.

Usage

As the primary interchange station for most Tsuen Wan Line and the Island Line riders, Admiralty is heavily congested during rush hours. Currently, Central, Admiralty and North Point are the only cross-platform interchange stations between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island lines in the entire MTR system. 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-KCRC merger.[2]

2004 arson attack

On 5 January 2004, 14 passengers suffered minor injuries when a delusional 55-year-old man ignited a bottle of paint thinner in an Admiralty-bound train from Tsim Sha Tsui. The driver decided to complete the journey and passengers were evacuated from the train in Admiralty.[3] To date it is the only arson attempt in MTR's history.

Future development

The North South Corridor of the Sha Tin to Central Link project and the South Island Line (East) are under development, completing in 2020 and 2016 respectively. The former will allow commuters from the northeast New Territories direct interchange from the East Rail Line, whereas the latter, terminating at Admiralty, will give residents in the Southern District much quicker access to the CBD. A new underground interchange concourse with natural light will be built to the east of the current concourse, taking up one level, allowing passengers to transfer to the new lines, conveniently. 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 into one eye-catching exit to accommodate the glass roof of the interchange concourse. There will also be a little rooftop garden in the new Admiralty Station.

Timetable

Line Destination First train Last train
Tsuen Wan LineTsuen Wan06:0700:56
Central06:0800:57
Island LineChai Wan06:1001:00
Kennedy Town06:0501:02
Source: MTR[4]

Station layout

There are very wide passageways between the two platforms on each floor; they are also curved platforms with opposite directions. The platforms are in the shape of a trapezium. Because all the platforms are curved and it is a major interchange station, there are large stickers in front of the 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 to platform 3 to board the Island line trains bound for Chai Wan in Eastern District.

Ground - Exits, Public Transport Interchange
L1
Concourse
Concourse Customer Service, MTRShops, Hang Seng Bank
Vending machines, automatic teller machines
MTR Travel
Student Travel Scheme Office, MTR Lost Property Office
L2
Platforms
Platform 4      Tsuen Wan Line towards Central (Terminus)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Platform 3       Island Line towards Chai Wan (Wan Chai)
L3
Platforms
Platform 1       Tsuen Wan Line towards Tsuen Wan (Tsim Sha Tsui)
Island platform, doors will open on the right
Platform 2      Island Line towards Kennedy Town (Central)

[5]

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.[6]

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.

Bus routes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Admiralty Station.
  1. Malcolm Surry, Metro's role in the property game, South China Morning Post, 16 July 1976
  2. Passengers feel the crush after fare reductions, Anita Lam, 10 Mar 2008, SCMP
  3. Prosecution against arsonist on MTR train 2006 no.50 - High Court (Hong Kong) (Traditional Chinese)
  4. "Admiralty Station timetable" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  5. "Admiralty Station layout" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. "Admiralty Station street map" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2014.