A kick-off ceremony was held on Friday for the city’s major rail project, the Northern Link (NOL), with officials vowing to complete the link by 2034, two years ahead of schedule.

The link, connecting the East Rail Line and the Tuen Ma Line, will complete the rail network in the northern New Territories and enhance its integration with Shenzhen’s metro network, providing a boost to the Northern Metropolis — a new town under construction that is expected to house one third of the city’s population.

The proposed NOL comprises a 10.7-kilometer-long main line connecting the existing Kam Sheung Road Station of the Tuen Ma Line and the planned Kwu Tung Station of the East Rail Line, and a 6.2-km-long spur line linking up the new San Tin Station with the new Huanggang Port in Shenzhen.

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The new stations for the main line include three intermediate stations at San Tin, Ngau Tam Mei and Au Tau.

After completion of the NOL project, the journey time between Kwu Tung Station and Kam Sheung Road Station will be reduced from the current 60 minutes to 12 minutes, and passengers embarking from San Tin Station will be able to arrive at the Huanggang Port in 11 minutes through the spur line.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the link will promote the development of the Northern Metropolis and form a railway loop connecting the Northern District, the urban area, and the New Territories.

The spur line is expected to facilitate and boost the number of cross-boundary journeys the public will make, she said.

The project has made various breakthroughs, Chan said, including an approach that simultaneously advances the main line and spur line to create a synergistic effect, and the adoption of new standards that combine mainland and overseas standards.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government hopes to formulate new railway standards that encompass the best international benchmarks, incorporating the advantages of mainland construction — including teams and machinery — and will adopt these promptly in the first phase of the project to enhance speed and efficiency, as well as reduce costs, Chan said.

The Hong Kong SAR government has already signed part 1 of the project agreement with the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corp. It will concurrently develop the spur line in conjunction with the main line, achieving simultaneous commissioning by 2034 or earlier. Part 1 of the project will begin in 2025.

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Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen, chairman of the board of directors at MTR Corp, noted that Kwu Tung Station has been progressively promoted, with the topping out scheduled for November 2025. The station is expected to be finished in 2027, and will be the MTR’s 100th station.

The MTR will leverage its wealth of experience from past large-scale railway projects to execute meticulous planning, manage risks effectively, and enhance speed and efficiency, he said.

Earlier, Transport sector lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu told China Daily that he believes adopting mainland standards for the Northern Link will significantly reduce both construction costs and time, adding that station facilities and operations — including railway signalling systems — will continue to follow Hong Kong standards to maintain consistency with existing rail services.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com