West Rail Line, which has 12 stations, provides a fast and convenient link between Hung Hom and TuenMun, reducing by half the previous travelling time by road to 37 minutes. Various interchange stations enable passengers to make direct transfers to the Light Rail and MTR networks.
The 35.4km railway is mostly constructed above ground level on either viaduct or embankment. The use of viaducts of up to 13.4km in continuous length avoids severing land and communities and interference with the natural drainage of low-lying areas in the New Territories.
West Rail is one of the world’s most environmentally friendly railways. Noise from the railway is mitigated by using floating slab track construction, comprising precast concrete slabs laid on soft rubber bearings, together with train mounted side skirts and under-train sound absorption panels. Wetland areas have been provided along the alignment in the New Territories to preserve the habitats of water fowl and other species.
