Island Line (MTR)
One 25-minute ride threads the entire north shore of Hong Kong Island, from a quiet western neighbourhood to the Eastern District, through the heart of three business districts.
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Opened 31 May 1985, the Island line runs 16.3 km across 17 stations, linking Kennedy Town, Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and Chai Wan in a single continuous journey. It is the practical spine of the island and a fast, cheap alternative to taxis through the densest parts of the city.
What to look for
- Tai Koo station concourse — the opening ceremony was held here in 1985, where commemorative plaques were unveiled by MTR chairman Sir Wilfrid Newton and Governor Sir Edward Youde
- North Point station, expanded in 2001 to offer a cross-platform interchange with the Kwun Tong line — a faster option than the five-minute passageway walk previously required at Quarry Bay
- Eight-car trains — the line launched with six-car sets in 1985 and grew to eight cars when it extended to Sheung Wan in May 1986
An Octopus card covers the full Kennedy Town–Chai Wan run; the journey takes 25 minutes end to end.
Island Line (MTR) is one of 34 sights worth the detour in Hong Kong, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Hong Kong pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Hong Kong
- International Commerce CentreAt 484 m, this is the only building in Hong Kong with more than 100 floors — and it had to be trimmed down so it wouldn't overtop the surrounding mountains.
- Bank of China TowerThe first skyscraper outside the United States to break 1,000 feet — its glass triangles cut the Central skyline unlike anything around it.
- Central PlazaA four-bar neon clock 374 metres above Wan Chai changes colour every 15 minutes, blinking at each quarter-hour change.
- Hong Kong DisneylandThe only Disneyland where a walkway was deliberately bent so good qi energy would not drain into the South China Sea.
- The CenterAfter dark, hundreds of neon bars scroll slowly through the full color spectrum from base to crown — a light show wired into the steel itself.
- Tsing Ma BridgeThe span that ended Lantau Island's water-only isolation — 1,377 metres of road and rail hung from two towers.