Hung Hom Station (紅磡站) is located at 8 Cheong Wan Road, Hung Hom Bay, Yau Tsim Mong District, Kowloon, between Tsim Sha Tsui East and Hung Hom District, and is next to the Kowloon entrance and exit of the Cross Harbour Tunnel, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Coliseum, and was opened on 30 November, 1975.
It opened under the name “Kowloon Station” (九龍站) as the southern terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, after the old terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui closed. Until 2022, the station served as the hub for intercity trains bound for Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing. Now, this station is now a key interchange between the East Rail Line and the Tuen Ma Line.
In line with plans from the Railway Development Strategy of 2000, Hung Hom Station is one of two interchanges between the East Rail Line and the Tuen Ma Line (previously called the East-West Corridor and North-South Corridors respectively), the other being Tai Wai Station.
Station symbol
The main colour scheme of Hung Hom Station is red, since the Chinese character 紅 in “紅磡” literally means red. The theme plant is the Bauhinia, and the street view drawing depicts the intercity train concourse and the exterior of the Hong Kong Coliseum. Like most East Rail Line stations, the platform wall is pasted with the name of the station in calligraphy.
Station layout
| 5 | Upper Floor | Car Park, MTR Hung Hom Building, MTR Academy |
| U3 | Mezzanine Floor | Shops, Restaurants, Toilets |
| U2／C／3 Podium |
Concourse | Customer Service Centre, Ticketing Area, Shops, ATMs, Police Reporting Centre, Mobile Charging Facilities, Mailboxes, Toilets Exits C1, C2 and C3 |
| Cheong Wan Road, On Wan Road | Footpath, Public Transport Interchange Exits A2, A3, B2, D6 | |
| U1／2 Middle floor |
Subway to exits A, B and D | Footbridge (to Cross-Harbour Bus Stop and Hong Kong Polytechnic University） Exits A1 and B1 |
| Shops, Footbridge（to Cross-Harbour Bus Stop and Tsim Sha Tsui East） Exits D1-D5 |
Subway | |
| 24-hour open link between the concourse and exits | ||
| G／P Tuen Ma Line platforms |
Former platform 1 | East Rail Line siding |
| Former platforms 2 and 3 | East Rail Line siding | |
| Former platform 4 | East Rail Line siding | |
| Former platforms 5 and 6 | Former intercity trains (now a temporary exhibition) | |
| Platform 7 | Disused platform | |
| Platform 2 | Tuen Ma Line to Wu Kai Sha | |
| Platform 3 | Tuen Ma Line to Tuen Mun | |
| L1 East Rail Line platforms |
Platform 1 | East Rail Line to Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau |
| Platform 4 | East Rail Line to Admiralty | |
The Hung Hom Control Point was found within the border crossing restricted area of Hung Hom Station, which operated from 7:15 am to 9:00 pm daily. Passengers wanting to access the through trains must have a valid ticket and must clear customs and immigration; non-transit personnel must have a "Hung Hom Restricted Area Permit" issued by the MTR before they can enter the restricted area.
The restricted area and the border checkpoint are no longer in use (as revenue service platforms) as of 2020, after the suspension of through train service due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its cessation in 2022, being replaced with the Express Rail Link. The space was later converted to a museum.
Platforms
The station has four platforms for commuter trains and two for intercity through trains, being located on three island platforms. The local platforms are separated from the through train platform by a fence, where the latter is within the restricted area of the station.
Since the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line now serve new underground platforms as of June 20, 2021 & May 15, 2022 respectively, the ground-level platforms are no longer in passenger service and will be maintained as a stabling area for the East Rail Line.
Local Trains
Prior to the extension to East Tsim Sha Tsui, East Rail trains would use any of the local platforms, a practice left from the diesel era.
Following the extension, East Rail Line services used the inner two island platforms (2 & 3) on the west side of the station, near the Cross Harbour Tunnel toll plaza. With the opening of the Kowloon Southern Link in 2009, East Rail Line trains would serve the outer platforms while West Rail Line trains would serve the inner platforms. This allowed for a cross-platform transfer between the two lines.
A connection between the East Rail and Tuen Ma lines also existed past the inner platforms, although it was never used in regular service.
However, the departure times were not consistent as a train on one line could depart before one on the other arrived, making passengers miss their connection. To ensure passengers were on the correct platform, MTR installed a platform display telling them where the next train would depart from. In addition, announcements were made to provide information on where the train would terminate.
With the opening of the complete Tuen Ma Line, the West Rail Line platform was relocated on June 20, 2021, connecting it to the rest of the Tuen Ma Line alongside a new alignment, featuring air conditioning and platform screen doors. Following the relocation, cross platform transfers between the two lines ceased, requiring passengers to proceed to the concourse, then walk through the Exit C lobby to access the Tuen Ma Line platforms. Signage was put in place as a result. The inner platforms were closed to trains after 46 years of service and five access bridges were placed between them and the outer platforms. These allowed passengers to walk between all four platforms without having to use the concourse level.
As for the new platforms, they used the same design as underground stations on the Urban Lines, leading the media to mistakenly call it an underground platform.
On May 15, 2022, the final southbound East Rail Line train arrived at the original platform 4 at 1:16 am, ending service to the original platforms after 47 years of operation. From then on, trains began using a new island platform below the current Tuen Ma Line platform with a new alignment connecting it to Admiralty. This kept passengers to the lower levels of the station complex when transferring between both lines. The original concourse and platforms are still standing, however, they are no longer accessible to passengers and have been mothballed.
Intercity Through Trains
Intercity Through Trains served Platforms 5 and 6, which were connected to the Hung Hom Control Point. A fence separates these platforms from the local platforms, which prevents people from attempting to bypass Customs & Immigration and illegally entering Hong Kong. The platforms were decommissioned in 2020.
In 2024, platforms 5, 6 and the former Hung Hom Control Point were converted into a museum, with retired rolling stock parked on both platforms.
Concourses
Main Concourse
The main concourse, known as the Intercity Through Train Departure Hall or "Exit C Hall" is available for all passengers, located on the C/U2/U3/M levels of the station complex. This expansion was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, which glass ceilings with a wavy roof in a two-story concourse. Shops can also be found on the mezzanine level (U3/M). Glass walls were used to separate the Hung Hom Control Point and intercity platforms from the concourse.
As for the original Kowloon Station, which had opened in 1975, it can be found on the ground level of the current complex and car park. Many Hongkongers who once passed through here can remember the ceiling decorations, lighting and the large departures board, which were features of the original station. In the 1990s, in consideration of expansion, KCRC carried out extensive renovation projects which included the new concourse being expanded into the original facility. The former bus terminus was decommissioned, with the building expanded over a former bus terminus.
The new passenger facilities were completed and opened in March 1997, while renovation was completed in 1998.
Exits A, B, D (Mid-Level)
The two mid-level concourses are located at the mezzanine levels of former Platforms 1-4, allowing passengers to access trains from the north and south ends. These concourses were connected to 24-hour pedestrian walkways serving the Cross-Harbour Tunnel Bus Interchange, Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Cosmopolitan and access to the Tsim Sha Tsui district. Such a concourse was planned in 1990.
As part of improving connectivity and expansion, KCRC planned another pedestrian bypass to allow better access for bus passengers travelling between the Cross-Harbour Tunnel Interchange and Tsim Sha Tsui, thereby reducing the distance needed and mitigate congestion. In addition, in preparation for the Kowloon Southern Link, KCRC expanded the concourse again to facilitate pedestrian traffic between the station and Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront.
The concourse opened on May 18, 2002 and was connected to the current Exit D. It was four times the size of the original concourse, equipped with 6 turnstiles, 5 ticket vending machines, a Customer Service Centre and a small shopping area. The concourse was connected to Platforms 1-4 via two sets of escalators and two stairwells.
Effective May 15, 2022, with the East Rail Line now serving new platforms as part of the Sha Tin to Central Link, this concourse is no longer in use and has been closed to passengers.
Notes
- ↑ The station name of the Chinese Railway Authority, which was Jiulong (九龍) before April 2019, is the same as Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Railway's Hong Kong West Kowloon (香港西九龍).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 KCR ended the name of the station was built, before the Kowloon-West Rail opened to traffic with "station".
- ↑ Although the Kowloon-Canton Railway Company renamed this station as Hung Hom Station in 1996, the Chinese railway authorities kept calling it this station before the name was changed in 2019 from Kowloon Station.
- ↑ The number of stores is based on a single store, excluding banking and self-service, and excluding vacant shops