HKU station

HKU is a station on the Hong Kong MTR  located in the Shek Tong Tsui neighbourhood of Western, Hong Kong. The station is named after the adjacent University of Hong Kong.

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

As of its opening, HKU station the largest and deepest station in the MTR network, at 70 m below ground.

History
Before the 1980s, an MTR station by the name of Whitty (屈地) 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, Pacific Plaza, Kwan Tick Building Phase Two and Hang Yue Building were reserved for future station exits at the four corners of an underground concourse. This was part of a planned extension of the Island line that was never built, but which was superseded by the West Island line project, of which HKU station forms a part.

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 venture with AECOM. The construction work was awarded to Gammon Construction, (half owned by Balfour Beatty) for HK$4.7 billion. Construction commenced in 2010 and was completed in 2014.

HKU station opened on 28 December 2014.

Naming
There were disputes among locals and district councillors over the station's name. Some suggested to restore the previous official name "Belcher" (寶翠,, , ) after The Belcher's (the Belcher Gardens before redevelopment ), 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 on the. Some also suggested "Shek Tong Tsui", after the area the station would serve.

In August 2009, MTR named the station "Hong Kong University". The latest revision changed the English name to "HKU", the abbreviation of The University of Hong Kong nearby.

Station layout
The station is located under Pok Fu Lam Road. It has two tracks and one center island platform. In addition, the MTR has built elevators to link HKU station to the University of Hong Kong. The HKU station is located at a depth of 70 m, making it the deepest station in the MTR system upon its opening.

HKU station features designated refuge areas, to which passengers can be evacuated in case of emergency. Refuge areas are pressurised and equipped with fire systems including sprinklers and fire curtains, and independent power supply units. HKU station is the first station in the MTR network to apply such shelter design and the use of lifts to reach safety.

Exits
HKU station has six exits. As exits A1, A2 and C1 are situated deep underneath Mid-Levels, only express lifts are used to transport passengers. This makes HKU station the first to feature lift-only exits.

Exits A1 and A2 are served by a total of eight lifts with a maximum load of 1,800 kg per lift. Exit C1 is served by four lifts with a capacity of 2,100 kg each.
 * A1: Pok Fu Lam Road (near Haking Wong Building), St. Paul's College, St. Stephen's Church College
 * A2: The University of Hong Kong Main Campus, Chow Yei Ching Building, Haking Wong Building
 * B1: Whitty Street, Chong Yip Shopping Centre, Shek Tong Tsui Municipal Services Building
 * B2: Hill Road, Hong Kong Plaza, JEN Hong Kong by Shangri-La
 * C1: The Belcher's, Pok Fu Lam Road, The University of Hong Kong Centennial Campus
 * C2: Belcher's Street, Harbour One, The Westwood

Future
HKU station is proposed to be an interchange station for the Island line and the South Island line (West). The platforms of the South Island line (West) will be built under those of the Island line.