Introduction
Central Kowloon currently lacks MTR stations, even though it is densely populated, especially Kowloon City district. The Shatin-Central extension (which does not actually run to Central, but Admiralty) will create three stations in the area: Kai Tak, To Kwa Wan, and Ma Tau Wai, and in addition to Ho Man Tin and Whampoa stations on the Kwun Tong Line extension, which is going to create when it is due to finish construction in 2016. However, even with these new stations, a lot of areas in Kowloon are still out of easy reach of an MTR station.
Shatin Central Link (Kowloon Section)
Since 1970, there had been a plan to construct four lines: The Tseun Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line, and East Kowloon Line. Only the former three have been built and are running today. The latter, the ‘East Kowloon Line’, was proposed to run from Rumsey (now Sheung Wan) to Diamond Hill via Mariner (now East TST), Hung Hom, Ho Man Tin, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, and Kai Tak. The Shatin-Central Link takes the route from Diamond Hill to Hung Hom and the section from Hung Hom to East TST is already served by the West Rail Line. The reason the line wasn’t built earlier is because the government issued the Airport Core Programme plan in 1989 and decided that the construction of the ‘East Kowloon Line’ was to be further postponed for the reason of “insufficient distribution of resources”, and that there were already other rail harbor-crossings that existed or were under construction that better served the needs of passengers.