Sai Ying Pun is a station on the Hong Kong MTR Island Line. It serves the neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun and the western part of Mid-Levels in northwestern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Sai Ying Pun station was opened on 29 March 2015, completing the West Island Line extension of the Island Line. Sai Ying Pun serves as an intermediate station on the West Island Line, as opposed to a transfer station to another line serving the Southern District with the same name as in some previous plans. Plans for the station first appeared in Hong Kong Mass Transit: Further Studies in 1970. It was to be built as part of the Island Line in the 1980s, but construction of the line did not commence westwards beyond Sheung Wan, due to inadequate forecast passenger numbers and technical difficulties identified by contractors.
History
Proposed locations
In Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H3/20, the Planning Department of the government indicated one possible location under Des Voeux Road West at Ko Shing Street as of December 2003. A ventilation shaft marked with MTR notices can be found at the intersection. A large void facing Des Voeux Road West, sealed, can also be found at a nearby medical centre, which some have speculated that it was reserved for a to-be-built exit. These findings suggest that this was original proposed location. However, in proposals submitted to the government by the MTR in May 2002, the proposed station was shifted further west to the intersection of Des Voeux Road West and Water Street. In March 2004, the MTR moved the station back east but south of the initial alignment under King George V Memorial Park. A source from MTR Corporation Limited revealed to the local newspaperMing Pao that this location was chosen to avoid any nuisance during works under major roads. The location would also better suit the needs of Mid-Levels residents, the source said.
Design and construction
The MTR Corporation let out a tender for the construction of the Sai Ying Pun and HKU stations and of tunnel. In 2009 the design and architecture work was awarded to Aedas in a joint venture with AECOM. In March 2010 it was awarded to a joint venture of Gammon Construction and Nishimatsu Construction for HK$4.7 billion. Construction commenced in 2010 and was completed in 2015. The station opened later than the other two on the West Island Line due to construction delays resulting from soft ground conditions. Exit B3 construction was delayed for the same reason. Other elements of the construction included demolition of the Centre Streetcooked food centre, the Ki Ling Lane children's playground, and the Whitty Street public toilet. The station is home to a work of art entitled "Street Scenes of Sai Ying Pun", a collage of monochrome photos by artist Tse Ming-chong and the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. It is located between the concourse and Exit B1/B2. The pedestrian passage between Exit A and the concourse is very long, and has drawn complaints from some residents. Island line western extension opened on 28 December 2014, but Sai Ying Pun station did not open until 29 March 2015.
