Kwun Tong line

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Kwun Tong line 觀塘綫
A CRRC Qingdao Sifang EMU train approaching Kwun Tong
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	MTR Corporation
Locale	Districts: Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O
Termini	Tiu Keng Leng Whampoa
Connecting lines	Tsuen Wan line East Rail line Tuen Ma line Tseung Kwan O line
Former connections	Island line
Stations	17
Color on map	Green (#00AB4E)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	MTR
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
Depot(s)	Kowloon Bay
Rolling stock	CNR Changchun EMU CRRC Qingdao Sifang SFM47/47A
Ridership	604,600 daily average (weekdays, September 2014)[1]
History
Opened	1 October 1979; 45 years ago (1979-10-01)
Last extension	23 October 2016; 8 years ago (2016-10-23)
Technical
Line length	17.32 km (10.76 mi)[2]
Track length	18.4 km (11.4 mi)
Track gauge	1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in) (Tiu Keng Leng to Yau Ma Tei) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (Kwun Tong line extension)
Electrification	1,500 V DC (overhead line)
Operating speed	33 km/h (21 mph) (operational) 80 km/h (50 mph) (maximum) [3]
Signalling	Advanced SelTrac CBTC (future)[4]
Train protection system	SACEM (currently being replaced)[5]
Route map Legend Whampoa Ho Man Tin      Tuen Ma line to Tuen Mun East Rail line to Admiralty Tsuen Wan line to Central Yau Ma Tei      Mong Kok      Prince Edward      Tsuen Wan line to Tsuen Wan Shek Kip Mei Kowloon Tong      East Rail line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau Lok Fu Wong Tai Sin Tuen Ma line to Wu Kai Sha Diamond Hill      Choi Hung Kowloon Bay Depot Kowloon Bay Ngau Tau Kok Kwun Tong Lam Tin Tseung Kwan O line to North Point Yau Tong      Track connections (unused in regular service) Tiu Keng Leng      Tseung Kwan O line to Po Lam or LOHAS Park This diagram: view talk edit

The Kwun Tong line (Chinese: 觀塘綫) is a rapid transit line of the MTR network in Hong Kong, coloured green on the MTR map. Starting at Whampoa in Hung Hom and ending at Tiu Keng Leng in Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung, the route has 17 stations and takes 35 minutes to complete.^[3] The Kwun Tong line is one of the busiest railway lines on the network connecting the central and the eastern portions of Kowloon via Wong Tai Sin. The line is mostly underground, but includes a lengthy elevated section, and runs generally in an east-west direction. During the morning rush hour, the Kwun Tong line utilises 33 trains running at 29tph (trains per hour) to achieve a route capacity of 85,000 pphpd (passengers per hour per direction).^[3]

Opened on 1 October 1979 as the first urban railway line in Hong Kong and the first operated by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC), the Kwun Tong line operates over much of the original section of the "Modified Initial System", from Shek Kip Mei to Kwun Tong station, which it is named after. The line has seen the most changes in alignment of all the MTR lines, the most recent in 2016. It has crossed Victoria Harbour to serve Hong Kong Island using two separate routes in its history, though other lines have since taken over the harbour crossings; as such, the current route lies entirely within Kowloon except for Tiu Keng Leng in the New Territories. It has interchanges with four other lines: the Tsuen Wan line at Yau Ma Tei- Prince Edward station, the East Rail line at Kowloon Tong station, the Tuen Ma line at Ho Man Tin and Diamond Hill station, and the Tseung Kwan O line at Yau Tong and Tiu Keng Leng station.