Airport Express (MTR) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Airport Express is one of the lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) serving Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. It links the principal urban areas of Hong Kong to Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...

and the associated AsiaWorld-Expo

AsiaWorld-Expo

The AsiaWorld-Expo is one of the two major convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong along with Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was opened on 21 December 2005 by Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and it is operated by AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited...

exhibition and convention centre.

Although a part of the MTR system, the Airport Express is not primarily a rapid transit or metro

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

line. Instead, it provides premium fare express service to and from the airport and exhibition centre every 12 minutes, using specially designed rolling stock

Rolling stock

Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...

intended to provide similar levels of comfort to that found on an airliner

Airliner

An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...

. The average maximum speed between stations is 130 kilometres per hour.

The Airport Express line is the only rail link to the airport's terminal area. However, it is paralleled for most of its length by the Tung Chung Line, a more traditional rapid transit line. The Tung Chung line diverges from the Airport Express line just south of the channel between Lantau Island

Lantau Island

Lantau Island , based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong...

and Chek Lap Kok

Chek Lap Kok

Chek Lap Kok was an island in the western waters of Hong Kong. Together with the smaller Lam Chau, it was leveled and merged via land reclamation into the platform for the current Hong Kong International Airport, which opened for commercial operations in 1998...

island (on which the airport was constructed), and terminates in the adjacent Tung Chung

Tung Chung

Tung Chung, meaning 'eastern stream', is an area situated on the north-western coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Tung Chung, currently one of the latest generation of new towns, was formerly a rural village around Tung Chung Wan, and along the delta and lower courses of Tung Chung River and Ma...

new town. From here bus links serve the various areas of the airport, including the passenger terminals.

The journey from Hong Kong Station to the airport takes 24 minutes. The line is indicated in the colour teal on MTR system maps.

History

In October 1989, the Hong Kong government

Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...

decided to replace the over-crowded Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...

, located in Kowloon

Kowloon

Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...

, with a new airport to be constructed at Chek Lap Kok. The government also invited the MTR, then called the MTRC, to build an express line to the airport called the Lantau Airport Railway. The project did not begin until the Chinese government

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

and the British government

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

settled financial and land disagreements in November 1994.

The Lantau Airport Railway was developed as two separate MTR lines, the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express, with the two lines sharing tracks for parts of their journey. The Airport Express began service on 6 July 1998, the same date as the new Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

, and initially terminated at Airport Station. The journey time on the initial line was 23 minutes.

With the opening of Sunny Bay Station

Sunny Bay (MTR)

Sunny Bay is an MTR station in Yam O . It is between Tung Chung and Tsing Yi stations. The station is an interchange station between the Tung Chung Line and the Disneyland Resort Line to Hong Kong Disneyland. The station was originally to be named Yam O...

on the adjacent Tung Chung Line in June 2005, the total journey time between the Airport and Hong Kong Stations increased to 24 minutes. With the opening of AsiaWorld-Expo

AsiaWorld-Expo

, Airport Express was extended to AsiaWorld-Expo Station

AsiaWorld-Expo (MTR)

AsiaWorld-Expo is a station on the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. It serves the AsiaWorld-Expo on the northeast corner of Chek Lap Kok, the island on which the Hong Kong International Airport is located....

on 20 December 2005. The journey time to this station from Hong Kong is 28 minutes.

Route

The Airport Express line runs from Hong Kong Station

Hong Kong (MTR)

Hong Kong Station is the eastern terminus of the Tung Chung Line and Airport Express of the Hong Kong MTR metro system, situated between Man Cheung Street and Harbour View Street, Central, Hong Kong Island, and sits underneath the International Finance Centre...

in the Central and Western District

Central and Western District

The Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 261,884 in 2001...

, crossing under the harbour to West Kowloon

West Kowloon

West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north, the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon...

, where it serves Kowloon Station

Kowloon Station

Kowloon Station may refer to:*Kowloon Station, a station on the MTR Tung Chung Line and Airport Express, near West Kowloon Cultural district*Kowloon Station , the south terminus of the British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway at Tsim Sha Tsui , southmost of Kowloon, demolished in 1974*Former...

. The line then runs along the western side of the Kowloon peninsula, and crosses by bridge to Tsing Yi Island where it serves Tsing Yi Station. From here the line crosses the major Tsing Ma Bridge

Tsing Ma Bridge

The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail...

before running along the northern shore of Lantau Island

Lantau Island

to Airport Station before terminating at AsiaWorld-Expo Station

AsiaWorld-Expo (MTR)

.

The line shares tracks with the Tung Chung Line in the cross-harbour tunnel between Hong Kong and Kowloon stations, and again from Tsing Yi station for most of the rest of its route. It runs on separate tracks alongside the Tung Chung line between Kowloon and Tsing Yi, and in the area of Sunny Bay Station

Sunny Bay (MTR)

(only served by Tung Chung line trains) on the northern coast of Lantau Island. Just before reaching the airport, the two lines diverge at a flying junction

Flying junction

A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...

. The two lines have their own tracks and platforms at all stations.

Features

The Airport Express features a more comfortable environment than the MTR's other operations and are designed specifically for airline passengers. There is a baggage hold beside each door, and each seat is equipped with in-seat loudspeakers for listening to current news, advertisements and announcements showing on the LCD television in front. The Airport Express has a more spacious environment and more passenger-friendly compartments and stations.

Airport Express passengers can check-in

Check-in

Check-in is the process of announcing your arrival at a hotel, airport, sea port or social network service.-Airlines and airports :Check-in desks are found in the majority of commercial airports. Their main function is to take in luggage that passengers wish to, or are required to, place within the...

for flights for selected airlines and receive boarding pass

Boarding pass

A boarding pass is a document provided by an airline during check-in, giving a passenger permission to board the airplane for a particular flight. As a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, and the date and scheduled time for departure...

es for flights at the Hong Kong and Kowloon

Kowloon Station

Stations, with no extra cost. There are free Airport Express shuttle bus services at the Hong Kong and Kowloon Stations, travelling to several major hotels in Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...

, Yau Tsim Mong District

Yau Tsim Mong District

Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts...

, and also to Hung Hom Station. Free porter service is also available at all stations except AsiaWorld-Expo

AsiaWorld-Expo (MTR)

to help passengers with baggage.

Fare structure

Fares for the Airport Express are substantially higher than main line fares. Single trips from the Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi Stations to Airport Station (and vice-versa) cost HK$

Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

100, HK$90 and HK$60 respectively. Apart from single tickets, same-day return tickets (same price as a single), and one-month return tickets are also available. Some of these tickets are available from all MTR stations and MTR online booking service.

As of December 2005, a trip on the Airport Express from Hong Kong

Hong Kong (MTR)

Station to the Airport

Airport (MTR)

Airport is a railway station on the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. It serves the Hong Kong International Airport, and is integrated with the passenger terminal. The station was opened in July 1998 at the same time as the airport, and served as the western terminus station of the line until the...

or AsiaWorld-Expo

AsiaWorld-Expo (MTR)

Station costs HK$

Hong Kong dollar

100, $50 concessionary rate. The rate for a one-month return ticket is HK$180. Discounts are available for group travellers of 2-4. Hong Kong residents can also obtain discount coupons, such as those sent from credit card companies.

Same-day return discount will be given to Octopus Card

Octopus card

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...

users who have stayed in AsiaWorld-Expo for at least 2 hours. The discounted fare costs HK$72 from Hong Kong Station, and includes free connection to other MTR lines. A single-trip from Airport to AsiaWorld-Expo station is HK$5.

The Airport Station

Airport (MTR)

does not have any turnstiles or gate barriers separating the paid and unpaid zones of the station.

Airport Express passengers using Octopus cards can connect the MTR urban lines for free, right before or after the Airport Express journey.

There are various promotions as well, such as Group Ticket Discount, free taxi connections, Rewarding program, Asia Miles program, etc. Passengers may also buy discounted tickets from some local travel agents.

In March 2010 the MTR began moves to phase out the magnetic tickets used for single, group, and multiple journey tickets, replacing them with new "smart tickets" that contain a memory chip. The new system was in full operation by June 5, 2010. These new tickets are advertised as:

"touch" the smart tickets to the processor on the entry gates,
"go" on their way, and
"recycle" the used tickets by dropping it a recycle boxes at Airport Express stations.

Due to the high fares and small catchment areas of the Airport Express stations; some travellers may instead choose to either use the cheaper, local Tung Chung Line combined with a bus route, or make their entire journey by bus. Patronage on the Airport Express is cannibalised by the Tung Chung Line running mostly on the same track.

Morning Express Service

The Morning Express Service is a special promotional service, allowing passengers from Tsing Yi

Tsing Yi (MTR)

Tsing Yi is an interchange station on the Tung Chung Line of MTR and Airport Express on Tsing Yi Island in Hong Kong. On the Tung Chung Line, it is located between Sunny Bay Station and Lai King Station. On the Airport Express, it is between Airport Station and Kowloon Station. The livery of...

and Kowloon

Kowloon (MTR)

Kowloon is a station on the Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express of Hong Kong's MTR. Only about 10,000 passengers use this station daily due to its inconvenient location west of the heart of Kowloon, making it one of the least used stations in the MTR system.This station provides an in-town...

stations travel to Hong Kong

Hong Kong (MTR)

Station everyday (excluding Sundays and Public Holidays) from 7am to 10am for HK$

Hong Kong dollar

20.

Operations

The Airport Express line is served by 184 "A-Stock

MTR A-Stock EMU

The A-Stock is an Electric Multiple Unit that operates on the MTR rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. There are two variants, one used on the conventional Tung Chung Line, and a more luxurious version used on the Airport Express. The vehicle interiors were designed for MTR by Jones...

" Bombardier Metro cars and CAF

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...

.

This is a list of all the stations on the Airport Express.

Name	District Districts of Hong Kong The Districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas by which Hong Kong is geographically divided. Each district has a district council, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule...	Connection(s)	Date opened
Airport Express
AsiaWorld-Expo	Islands Islands District The Islands District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 137,122 in 2009.Hong Kong consists of a peninsula and 236 islands...		December 20, 2005
Airport			July 6, 1998
Tsing Yi	Kwai Tsing Kwai Tsing District Kwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 477,092 in 2001...
Kowloon Kowloon Station Kowloon Station may refer to:Kowloon Station, a station on the MTR Tung Chung Line and Airport Express, near West Kowloon Cultural districtKowloon Station , the south terminus of the British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway at Tsim Sha Tsui , southmost of Kowloon, demolished in 1974*Former...	Yau Tsim Mong Yau Tsim Mong District Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts...
Hong Kong	Central and Western	Central Station for and

Rivals

Two bus companies offer airport-connection bus services with lower prices, greater cover of local destinations.

Cityflyer
Cityflyer
Cityflyer is a airport coach service provided by Citybus . The service was started during the opening of the Hong Kong Airport in 1998.-Fleet:...

, operated by Citybus
Citybus (Hong Kong)
Citybus Limited is one of the three major bus operators in Hong Kong. It provides both franchised and non-franchised bus service. The franchised route network serves mainly Hong Kong Island, cross-harbour routes , Ocean Park, North Lantau and Hong Kong International Airport...
Long Win Bus
Long Win Bus
Long Win Bus Company Limited provides bus service to northern Lantau Island and the Hong Kong International Airport...

, a KMB company

External links

Official Website of Airport Express

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