HKU Station

HKU 香港大學
MTR rapid transit station
Platform 1 (foreground)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	香港大學
Simplified Chinese	香港大学
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization hoeng1 gong2 daai6 hok6 IPA [hœ̂ːŋkɔ̌ːŋ tàːihɔ̀ːk] Jyutping hoeng1 gong2 daai6 hok6
General information
Location	The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Shek Tong Tsui Central and Western District, Hong Kong
Coordinates	22°17′03″N 114°08′08″E / 22.2841°N 114.1356°E / 22.2841; 114.1356Coordinates: 22°17′03″N 114°08′08″E / 22.2841°N 114.1356°E / 22.2841; 114.1356
Operated by	MTR Corporation
Line(s)	Island Line
Platforms	2 (island platform)
Connections	Bus, public light bus
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	70 metres (230 ft)
Platform levels	1
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	HKU
History
Opened	28 December 2014 (2014-12-28)
Services
Preceding station   MTR   Following station Kennedy Town Terminus Island Line Sai Ying Pun towards Chai Wan   Proposed   Terminus South Island Line (West) Queen Mary Hospital towards Wong Chuk Hang
Location
HKU Location within the MTR system

HKU (Chinese: 香港大學) is a station on the Hong Kong MTR Island Line located in the Shek Tong Tsui neighbourhood of the Western District, Hong Kong. It is named after The University of Hong Kong, which is also served by the station.

Part of the West Island Line, a westward extension to the existing Island Line, HKU Station opened on 28 December 2014 along with Kennedy Town Station.

As of its opening, HKU Station is the largest and deepest station in the MTR network, at 70 metres (230 ft) below ground.

Before the 1980s, the HKU station was planned to be built underground at Des Voeux Road West, near Ka On Street, Whitty Street and Hill Road. Lots at Chong Yip Centre and Pacific Plaza were reserved for future station exits and concourse.

The MTR Corporation let out a tender for the construction of the Sai Ying Pun and HKU stations and 2.2 km of tunnel. In 2009, the design and architecture was awarded to Aedas in joint verture with AECOM. The construction work was awarded to Gammon Construction, (half owned by Balfour Beatty) for 4.7 billion HK dollars. Construction commenced in 2010 and was completed in 2014.

There were disputes among locals and district councillors over the station's name. Some suggested to restore the previous official name "Belcher" (寶翠, [pǒutsʰɵ̄y], bou2 ceoi3) after The Belcher's, a housing development in the area, as well as Belcher Street and Belcher Bay. Some believed that the MTR Corporation's decision to change the name to "University" was not well consulted within the community, while others worried that it might cause confusion with another existing University Station on the East Rail Line. Some also suggested "Shek Tong Tsui", after the area the station would serve.