Awarded entry of the HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award - Grand Award (Infrastructure Category)

The West Rail’s Yuen Long Section signifies a breakthrough in integrated railway infrastructure design, showcasing how innovative engineering can transform urban connectivity while enhancing quality of life. This 7.6-km section, featuring Hong Kong’s longest continuous elevated rail viaduct and three major stations, has set new benchmarks in railway design and construction.

The project’s most remarkable innovation lies in its pioneering noise control solutions. In response to Hong Kong’s stringent environmental requirements, engineers developed a revolutionary multi-plenum system that achieved an unprecedented 24 dBA noise reduction. This sophisticated design, incorporating vehicle skirts, sound-absorbing plena, and floating slab trackform, has created a new standard for railway acoustic engineering worldwide.

Each of the three elevated stations - Yuen Long, Long Ping, and Tin Shui Wai - presented unique engineering challenges. Yuen Long Station’s innovative foundation design supports future 38-storey residential towers in a complex geological condition, while Tin Shui Wai Station, at 480 m, became Hong Kong’s longest railway station, seamlessly integrating with existing light rail and road networks. Long Ping Station demonstrated exceptional engineering in its construction over an existing nullah, requiring complex diversion works.

The project’s impact extends far beyond transportation. It has catalysed sustainable urban development in the New Territories while protecting community well-being through sophisticated environmental controls. Through thoughtful architectural design, the visually integrating viaducts and stations create a unified visual identity which enhances Hong Kong’s urban landscape, while the integration of future development capacity demonstrates far-sighted infrastructure planning.

Today, the West Rail’s Yuen Long Section continues to influence railway design, particularly in dense urban environments. Its success in balancing technical excellence with environmental sensitivity provides a blueprint for modern infrastructure development, cementing Hong Kong’s position as a leader in sustainable urban rail solutions.

West Rail