Tai Wai station

The first iteration of Tai Wai station along the Kowloon–Canton railway (KCR), which would later be renamed the East Rail line, arose out of a natural disaster, when a temporary station was first constructed at its present-day location in the immediate aftermath of tropical storm Ellen, whose associated torrential rain severely damaged the original masonry arch Bridge No. 11 across Shing Mun River on 25 August 1976.^[1] With diesel train services cut between Mong Kok and Sha Tin Stations, it was decided on 28 August 1976 to construct a temporary relief platform at Tai Wai, which was completed in 48 hours and put into operation on 1 September 1976, reconnecting train services to and from Hung Hom Station to the south and supported by connecting shuttle bus services between the temporary station and Sha Tin Station for onward travel to/from Lo Wu.^[2][3] The temporary platform was dismantled following this resumption.

Meanwhile, Bridge No. 11 was demolished and reconstructed to more modern construction standards, enabling a full resumption of end-to-end train services between Hung Hom and Lo Wu on 10 October 1976.^[4]

Eventually, plans were made to construct a permanent station at Tai Wai to serve its growing new town population. As a short-term move, construction of a temporary wood-supported station next to Tai Wai Industrial Estate began in November 1982 and it was opened on 15 August 1983 as part of the KCR's greater electrification and double-tracking modernisation programme. The temporary station was located on Shing Chuen Road (成全路), north of the current station on the opposite side of the nullah.^[5][6]

The permanent station was constructed at its present location and opened on 23 April 1986 to replace the temporary station.^{[citation needed]}

Further construction began in the new millennium to significantly expand Tai Wai station to serve as the western terminus of the Ma On Shan Rail, a new KCR line built to serve eastern Shatin and Ma On Shan New Town. The line opened on 21 December 2004. The expansion provided for cross-platform transfer from the Ma On Shan Line (westbound) to the East Rail (southbound).^[7]

Automatic platform gates were retrofitted on the Ma On Shan line platforms in 2015–2016.

On 14 February 2020, the Ma On Shan line was extended west to a new terminus in Kai Tak, as part of the first phase of the Shatin to Central Link project. The Ma On Shan Line was renamed Tuen Ma Line Phase 1 at the time.^[8]

On 27 June 2021, the Shatin to Central Link project was completed with the opening of a new section of rail line through East Kowloon, connecting the Tuen Ma line Phase 1 with the existing West Rail line. The newly unified line was thus renamed to "Tuen Ma line".^[9]

On 26 October 2023, following the opening of a new shopping mall the Wai, exit H was opened, directly connecting platform 3 with the mall.^[10]

All platforms on the station are side platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 serve the East Rail line and platforms 3 and 4 serve the Tuen Ma line. Platforms 3 and 4 are positioned slightly higher than Platforms 1 and 2.^[11]

Platforms 2 and 3 serve southbound trains on the East Rail and Tuen Ma lines respectively and are connected by four large walkways. This makes it possible for southbound passengers to walk directly between the two platforms, without the need to use stairs, escalators, or lifts.^[11]

^[11]

• A: Tsuen Nam Road  ^[12]
• B: Public Transport Interchange, The Wai  ^[12]
• C: Mei Tin Road  ^[12]
• D: Grandway Garden  ^[12]
• E: Holford Garden^[12]
• F: Mei Tin Road^[12]
• G: Chik Wan Street^[12]
• H: The Wai  ^[10]

•  
  East Rail line platforms 1 (left) and 2 (right) (April 2022)
•  
  Station concourse (July 2021)
•  
  Transfer passageway between Southbound East Rail line Platform 2 (left) and Kai Tak bound Tuen Ma line Platform 3 (right)
•  
  Exit A (July 2022)
•  
  Fare gates near Exit C (April 2019)
•  
  Installation of platform gates on Platform 4 of the Ma On Shan line (now Tuen Ma line) (December 2014)
•  
  Construction of the KCR East Rail Tai Wai station (December 2003)

• Sha Tin to Central Link
• The Wai

• Digital leaflet about Tai Wai station