HK govt signs North Ring Line deal with MTR Corp, costs cut 28%
Hong Kong signed a deal with MTR Corp for the full North Ring Line, cutting costs 28% to HK$86.2 billion. The 10.7km main line and 6km branch will link Tuen Ma and East Rail lines, connect to Shenzhen's metro via Huanggang port, and open by 2034.
Hong Kong’s government and the MTR Corporation signed an agreement on 10 November 2026 for the full North Ring Line project, a strategic railway under the city’s first five-year plan aligned with national 15th Five-Year Plan priorities. Secretary for Transport and Public Works Chan Mei-bo said the line, comprising a main line and a branch, will serve local commuter and cross-border rail functions, unlocking transport links for the Northern New Territories.
Chan highlighted three key features: it will become the main public-transport backbone for new development areas in the Northern New Territories, including the San Tin Tech City and the Lok Ma Chau innovation and technology cluster; it will connect the Tuen Ma Line and the East Rail Line to form a circular railway, boosting network coverage and resilience; and it will link to the Huanggang port, which uses a “co-operative inspection, one-time release” customs model, connecting Hong Kong’s and Shenzhen’s metro networks to enhance Greater Bay Area infrastructure.
Over the past year, the government and MTR undertook cost-reduction and acceleration efforts, including three breakthrough measures. In February 2026, the Highways Department issued the Hong Kong Railway Standards, adopting international best practices to allow innovative technologies, materials and equipment, and set up a railway approval team to cut building-plan processing times by 30% to 50%. The Northern New Territories Development Bill proposed streamlining measures, such as simplifying noise-permit applications. The main line and branch were merged into a single project, advancing the branch’s timeline by two years for simultaneous opening by 2034 or earlier.
These measures cut the entire project’s construction cost by 28% from earlier estimates. With independent auditing, the verified cost for the second part – covering tunnels, stations, depots and electromechanical systems – is about HK$54.8 billion (at July 2025 prices). The total cost for the entire North Ring Line is HK$86.2 billion (at July 2025 prices), also 28% lower than the original budget.
Under a “railway plus property” model, the Chief Executive-in-Council approved granting MTR eight land parcels for residential and commercial development, including sites in Ngau Tau Leng, San Tin, and Kwu Tung. The government will deduct a fixed lump sum from the full market land value (on a “with railway” basis) as financial support for MTR’s second-part works.
The main line is a 10.7km underground railway with five stations: interchange stations at Kam Sheung Road (Tuen Ma Line) and Kwu Tung (East Rail Line), plus intermediate stations at San Tin, Ngau Tau Leng and Au Tau. During peak hours, travel from Kam Sheung Road to Kwu Tung will drop from 60 minutes to 12 minutes. The branch is about 6km (including about 1.1km in Shenzhen), with stations at Chau Tau, Lok Ma Chau, and the Huanggang port terminus. Travel time from San Tin to Huanggang port will be about 11 minutes.
