Central station (MTR)

Central (Chinese: 中環; Cantonese Yale: Jūngwàan) is an MTR station located in the Central area of Hong Kong Island. The station's livery is firebrick red but brown on the Tsuen Wan Line platforms. The station is the southern terminus of the Tsuen Wan Line, a stop on the Island Line, and connects to Hong Kong Station, which serves the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express.

Central

中環
MTR rapid transit station
Platforms 1 and 2 on the Tsuen Wan Line
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese中環
Hanyu PinyinZhōnghuán
Cantonese YaleJūngwàan
Literal meaningCentral ring
General information
LocationDes Voeux Road Central/Chater Road, Central
Central and Western District, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°16′55″N 114°09′27″E
Owned byMTR Corporation
Operated byMTR Corporation
Line(s)
Platforms4 (island platform (Tsuen Wan Line), 2 split level side platforms (Island Line))
Connections     Tung Chung Line      Airport Express Hong Kong Station, bus, public light bus, tram, ferry, Peak Tram
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels3
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeCEN
History
Opened
  • 12 February 1980 (1980-02-12) (Tsuen Wan Line)
  • 23 May 1986 (1986-05-23) (Island Line)
Previous namesChater
Services
Preceding station MTR Following station
Terminus Tsuen Wan line Admiralty
towards Tsuen Wan
Sheung Wan
towards Kennedy Town
 Island line Admiralty
towards Chai Wan
Terminus Airport Express
transfer at Hong Kong
 Kowloon
towards AsiaWorld–Expo
Tung Chung line
transfer at Hong Kong
 Kowloon
towards Tung Chung
Track layout
to Admiralty
03/2019 collision accident
1
3
L2 (uppermost)
2
L3
4
L4 (lowest)
to Sheung Wan
Location
Central
Location within the MTR system
The platforms of the Tsuen Wan Line are located under Chater Road, next to the Court of Final Appeal Building
Platform 3 on the Island Line

The station was originally named Chater Station. It was initially conceived to cater for 330,000 passengers daily and was planned to be 380 metres (1,250 ft) long – one of the longest stations in the world.[1] More than 200,000 passengers use this station daily. The longest distance between two exits is approximately 700m.

History

Early plans

Central station was included in the Hong Kong Mass Transport Study, a system proposed in September 1967.[2] Together with Western Market station, it was to serve as an interchange station of the Kwun Tong Line and Island Line. In the recommended system, the Tsuen Wan Line would end at Admiralty. The station was originally planned to be located under Des Voeux Road Central between Jubilee Street and Pedder Street.

In 1970, in the Hong Kong Mass Transit Further Studies, the station was proposed as two separate but connected stations: Chater Station (遮打站) under Chater Road and Pedder Station (必打站) under Pedder Street), which would serve the Kong Kow Line (now Tsuen Wan Line) and Island Line respectively.

Modified Initial System and opening

The station first opened as Chater Station on 12 February 1980 as the terminus of the Modified Initial System (MIS, now Kwun Tong Line). Only a portion of the station came into operation as the Island Line had not been opened yet.

The station was named Chater in English but 中環 (Central) in Chinese. This would be misleading as many thought that the Chinese name would be 遮打, a transliteration. When the Island Line between Admiralty and Chai Wan opened on 31 May 1985, MTR renamed Chater to Central together with the renaming of some other stations on the Tsuen Wan line.

Construction for the Island Line was carried out in early 1983 and connected the new platforms with the original structure. The Island Line began servicing Central on 23 May 1986 when it was extended beyond Admiralty to Sheung Wan and the Island Line platforms came into service.

Passageway to Hong Kong Station

One component of the Airport Core Programme[3] between 1991 and 1998 was a railway connecting the new Hong Kong International Airport to the city centre. To link Central with the nearby Hong Kong Station, the southern terminus of the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express, a passageway was built under Connaught Road to connect the two stations. The passageway starts at the Pedder Street concourse and was refurbished with a design similar to that of Hong Kong Station.

Panorama of Platform 3 on the Island Line towards Chai Wan

Station layout

Central Station has four platforms on three levels.

The top level includes platform 3 and is built beneath Des Voeux Road Central at the intersection of Pedder Street, stretching from World-Wide House to Alexandra House, on the northern side of the road. The platform serves Chai Wan-bound trains on the Island Line and this level includes the connecting walkway to Hong Kong Station.

The middle level includes platforms 1 and 2 using a shared island. They serve the Tsuen Wan Line and were built directly under Chater Road, extending from Des Voeux Road Central to Club Street.

The bottom level, two levels from the top level, is platform 4, for Island Line trains in the direction of Kennedy Town.

Passengers from platform 3 transferring to platforms 1 or 2 use the regular escalators on the Chater Road concourse. There are designated escalators from platforms 1 and 2 to platform 4 for the sole purpose of transfer.[4]

The Tsuen Wan Line platforms are straight and were built by cut-and-cover. Most of the length of the Island Line platforms is the same, although the eastern part (towards Admiralty Station) is curved and the gap is large, as they are located in sections of bored tunnels and have the curved walls typical of most other stations on the Island Line.

G Street level Exits
P Chater Road concourse –
L1 Pedder Street concourse Customer Service, MTRShops
Hang Seng Bank, vending machines
Octopus promotion machine
Chater Road concourse Customer Service, MTRShops
ATM
L2 Chater Road concourse Customer Service, MTRShops
Hang Seng Bank, vending machines
Pedder Street concourse Customer Service, MTRShops
Subway to Hong Kong Station for      Tung Chung line &      Airport Express
Octopus promotion machine, i-centre internet service
Side platform, doors will open on the left
Platform 3 →      Island line towards Chai Wan (Admiralty) →
L3 Platform 1 →      Tsuen Wan line towards Tsuen Wan (Admiralty) →
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Platform 2 →      Tsuen Wan line towards Tsuen Wan (Admiralty) →
L4 Side platform, doors will open on the right
Platform 4 ←      Island line towards Kennedy Town (Sheung Wan)

[4]

Entrances and Exits

Central Station stretches underneath Chater Road from Statue Square in the east and underneath Des Voeux Road to Li Yuen Street East in the west. The distance between the easternmost and westernmost exits is approximately 700m. There are 13 entrances, connecting buildings, shopping malls, main roads and ground transport facilities nearby.[5]

Pedder Street Concourse
Chater Road Concourse

Transport connections

Central Station is one of the transport hubs of Hong Kong. The area around Central Station and Hong Kong Station offers a wide range of transport options, including the tramway, buses, ferries, minibuses and more. (See also Transport in Hong Kong)

References
  1. "MTR briefing for public". Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. 3 December 1976.
  2. Freeman, Fox, Wilbur Smith & Associates (1967), Hong Kong Mass Transport Study.
  3. www.info.gov.hk/napco/index-e.html Archived 5 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Central Station layout" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  5. "Central Station street map" (PDF). MTR Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
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