East Rail line

Template:East Rail infobox The East Rail (東鐵) is one of the three lines of the KCR network in Hong Kong. It starts at East Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon and ends at Lo Wu, the land border with Shenzhen. The route used to be the only metro line of the KCRC, but following the construction of the West Rail, it was designated the East Rail to avoid confusion.

The same railway is used for passenger and freight services crossing the border with Shenzhen to various cities in mainland China, including Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. These longer-distance passenger services start/end at Hung Hom. The line is generally double-track and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. Immigration and customs facilities are available at Hung Hom (for through-train) and Lo Wu (for the land border) stations.

History

The construction of the East Rail started in 1910, then as the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The part of the railway located in Hong Kong was referred to as the "British Section", while the remaining route to Canton (now Guangzhou) was called the "Chinese Section", now the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway. Initially, service was only from Yau Ma Tei station to Fanling station with a tunnel through Beacon Hill.

After the "Chinese Section" was completed, through-train service became available to Canton, through Sham Chun (now Shenzhen). Lo Wu station also serves as a border crossing, with a bridge across the Sham Chun River, the natural border between Hong Kong and China. Trains had to stop at Lo Wu station after Communist China closed the border and suspended the through-train service in 1949.

The line was generally single track, with a passing loop at each station.

The line was originally built with narrow gauge tracks, but just before opening standard gauge track was laid and the original tracks were used to build a branch line, the Sha Tau Kok Railway from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok. This branch was unsuccessful and closed on 1 April 1928 following the opening a road that ran parallel to the train.

Through the years, more stations continued to be added to the line. Sheung Shui station was opened in the 1930s, and Ma Liu Shui (now University) station opened in 1955.

The development of the towns along the train line began to grow immensely during the 1970s, prompting a redevelopment of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The original Kowloon station terminus at Tsim Sha Tsui was too small and had no room for expansion, so a new terminus site was chosen in Hung Hom, then known as Kowloon station. The new Kowloon station replaced the old one in 1974. Today, the clock tower is the only structure left from the old terminus. Some six pillars are relocated to Urban Council Centennial Park in TST East. A big bell was stored at Ho Tung Lau. The original Hung Hom station at Chatham Road South was also abolished.

The line was also double-tracked (throughout) and electrified. This work involved building a new tunnel through Beacon Hill and providing an interchange with the MTR network. The development finished in sections between 1982 and 1983, with new electric multiple units replacing diesel locomotives. During the electrification, more stations were added to the line.

On 25 November 1984, a train derailed between Sheung Shui and Fanling station. The incident occurred when the train driver, preparing to back the train up to Sheung Shui station, failed to follow a speed/stop signal while the train was exceeding the speed limit. The train crashed into a boulder/buffer with the first 2 cars piling on top of each other. As a matter of fact, the degree of which they were damaged was so extensive that the cars never returned to service. But luckily the passengers were unloaded prior to the crash, while the driver sustained only minor injuries. However, the accident caused train services to suspend for the rest of the day, and spurred a series of public outcries concerning railway safety. It is certain that this was, and perhaps will remain, Hong Kong's most disastrous railway accident in her history.

The 1990s saw rapid development and changes within the railway. In 1996, the first refurbished Metro Cammell EMU debutted, and the new train eliminated an obstacle - passengers can now walk in the train from one end to another (except for the first class car), when it used to be that the train runs on four 3-car EMUs. 348 of the 351 train cars were refurbished except for unit E44 (144-244-444), of which #144 was preserved at the Tai Po Market Railway Museum. Design of the cars was modified, each car having 5 doors instead of 3; the addition of new passenger information display; and more standing places are made from fewer seats.

On 28 December 2004 a branch to the East Rail, the Ma On Shan Rail was added, with an interchange at Tai Wai.