The Ma On Shan line (Chinese: 馬鞍山綫) was a rapid transit line that formed part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the MTR map, the line acted as a branch of the East Rail line that connects the new towns of Sha Tin and Ma On Shan in the northeastern New Territories.

Ma On Shan line
馬鞍山綫
Kinki Sharyo SP1950 EMU running on viaduct near Wu Kai Sha
Overview
LocaleSha Tin District
Termini
Continues asTuen Ma line
Former connectionsEast Rail line
Stations9
Color on map     Brown (#923011)
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemMTR
Depot(s)Tai Wai
Rolling stockSP1900/1950 EMU
Tuen Ma Line C-train
Ridership153,100 weekday average
(Sept to Oct 2014)[1]
History
Opened21 December 2004; 19 years ago (2004-12-21)
Closed14 February 2020; 4 years ago (2020-02-14) (became part of the Tuen Ma line)
Technical
Line length11.4 km (7.1 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification 25 kV AC 50 Hz (Overhead lines)
Route map

Wu Kai Sha
Ma On Shan
Heng On
Tai Shui Hang
Nui Po Dong Hang
Shek Mun
City One
Sha Tin Wai
Che Kung Temple
Tai Wai     
Tai Wai Depot
Ma On Shan line
Traditional Chinese馬鞍山綫
Simplified Chinese马鞍山线
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinma3 an1 shan1 xian4
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationmáh ōn sāan sin
Jyutpingma5 on1 saan1 sin3

The railway was one of three built by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), which named it as Ma On Shan Rail (Chinese: 馬鞍山鐵路, abbreviated as 馬鐵). Since KCRC's merger of operations with the MTR Corporation on 2 December 2007, the line has been operated as part of the MTR network. Along with the West Rail line, the line was integrated into Tuen Ma line Phase 1 on 14 February 2020 following the partial opening of the Sha Tin to Central Link.

Overview and current status

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Construction of the Ma On Shan line began on 12 February 2001[2] and it fully opened for service on 21 December 2004,[3] 3 days earlier than the proposed opening date.[4] KCRC estimated the construction costs to be HK$10 billion.[5] Over a thousand passengers took the first train from Tai Wai on the first day of service. Since then, the usage of buses and taxis in the area decreased by as much as 50%. It was reported that some bus routes operated by KMB saw a decrease of ridership by one-third in just a few days.

Since the early planning stages, the Ma On Shan line was designed to be capable of joining with the West Rail line. Under Phase 1 the Sha Tin to Central Link project, the Ma On Shan line would be extended from Tai Wai station to Hung Hom station via East Kowloon, with six new intermediate stations, including interchanges with the Kwun Tong line at Diamond Hill and Ho Man Tin, an additional interchange with the East Rail line at Hung Hom, and a new station, Hin Keng, serving Sha Tin. The extension will connect to the West Rail line at Hung Hom and continue on to Tuen Mun station in the northwest New Territories via the current West Rail line and its 2009 extension to Hung Hom). Due to various delays, the new line opened only as far as Kai Tak on 14 February 2020, with the remaining section to Hung Hom to begin service on 27 June 2021.[6]

After the opening of the Tuen Ma line Phase 1 on 14 February 2020, the Ma On Shan line became part of the new line with three new stations in Hin Keng, Diamond Hill and Kai Tak. While technically still in operation, the name "Ma On Shan line" is no longer in use.

Both the SP1900 and East West line C-trains in eight-car formations will run on the conjoined line, now known as the Tuen Ma line, resulting in the platforms of the Ma On Shan line being lengthened from 2014 to 2016 to accommodate the longer trains[7] and automatic platform gates by Gilgen Door Systems (part of Nabtesco Corporation) retrofitted on all platforms from 2014 to 2017.[8] The SelTrac IS signalling system will also be upgraded to SelTrac CBTC, which equips the extension.[9]

Stations

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The following is a list of the stations on the Ma On Shan line.

Livery and Station Name Connections Opening date District
English Chinese
Wu Kai Sha 烏溪沙 21 December 2004 Sha Tin
Ma On Shan 馬鞍山
Heng On 恆安
Tai Shui Hang 大水坑
Shek Mun 石門
City One 第一城
Sha Tin Wai 沙田圍
Che Kung Temple 車公廟
Tai Wai 大圍      East Rail line


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Geographically accurate route map showing Ma On Shan line

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Weekday patronage of MTR heavy rail network from September 1 to 27 and September 28 to October 25, 2014" (PDF). Legislative Council. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Construction of Ma On Shan Rail commences". Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. 12 February 2001. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  3. ^ "The Financial Secretary inaugurates MOS Rail today". Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. 21 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Ma On Shan Rail Charity Ride received overwhelming response". Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. 19 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  5. ^ "二零零四年度第七次會議紀錄初稿 (lit. 2004 7th Conference Record (sketch))" (in Chinese). District Council of Sha Tin, Hong Kong. 25 November 2004. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  6. ^ "New rail line to open". Government of Hong Kong News. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Ma On Shan Line: 4-car trains modified to 8-car trains". mtr.com.hk. MTR Corporation. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  8. ^ "First Pair of Automatic Platform Gates Installed on Ma On Shan Line" (PDF). Press releases. MTR Corporation. 21 November 2014.
  9. ^ Burroughs, David (10 June 2019). "MTR to resume Tuen Ma Line CBTC testing". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
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