Lo Wu station


Lo Wu is the northern terminus of the East Rail Line of Hong Kong, located in Lo Wu within the Closed Area on Hong Kong's northern frontier. The station serves as a primary checkpoint for rail passengers between Hong Kong and mainland China and vice versa, rather than serving a specific area. It is also the northernmost railway station in Hong Kong.

History

When the Kowloon-Canton Railway first went into service, trains did not stop at Lo Wu, as there was no border patrol at the time. However, shortly after the People's Republic of China was created in October 1949, the KCR announced that trains would terminate at Lo Wu, and that passengers would be able to cross the border on foot.
After the economic reformation of China, cross-border traffic increased substantially. During the 1980s, Lo Wu station was completely redeveloped. On 15 January 1987, the new Lo Wu station was formally opened.
Refurbishment work of the station started in 2002 and new facilities such as a group waiting area and new ticket gates were introduced. Since 28 December 2004, this station also serves as the interchange station for the Shenzhen Metro Luohu station, which shares the same Chinese name.

Station layout

Platform 4 was built in 2004 to accommodate increasing passenger numbers. Before the completion of refurbishment works, trains would stop at the island platform for simultaneous alighting and boarding. The platform was always crowded during the time. The building of platform 4 and converting platform 1 for boarding improved passenger flow. Since then, trains have been emptied with doors opened towards platforms 2 and 3 for passengers getting off; afterwards, the doors are opened to platforms 1 and 4 for boarding passengers.
Automatic doors limit the number of people that are allowed on the platform. Two large glass sliding doors close about a minute after the train pulls in for boarding. These doors are located after the area for validating at the ticket barriers, but before the platforms area. Even with this system in place, passengers may have to wait for the next train to arrive before they can travel back towards Hung Hom, as alternate trains pull into each paired platform. This layout makes use of the Spanish solution.

Exits

The station has three exits:
On February 2, 2020, 2 explosive devices were found at Lo Wu Station.