Rail giant using AR technology to fast-track work on Northern Link station

Hong Kong’s railway operator has deployed augmented reality (AR) technology to speed up construction of a station on a new link serving the Northern Metropolis megaproject to ensure it opens on time next year. The MTR Corporation said on Tuesday that the power supply had been connected at Kwu Tung station and AR technology had been adopted to hasten progress. “Applying the AR inspection system will allow us to simulate future scenarios and help workers carry out the assembly work accurately and efficiently so that we can ensure our station can open on schedule in 2027,” said Law Tik-ko, head of project delivery for the Northern Link (phase 1). Several escalators have already been installed at the station using the technology, the South China Morning Post observed. Kwu Tung station, located between the Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau stops on the East Rail line, forms part of the Northern Link. The link will serve as the transport backbone of the Northern Metropolis megaproject near the border with mainland China. The project aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into a new engine for economic growth with a population of about 2.5 million and around 650,000 jobs by 2034. Phase one of the link will run from Kwu Tung station to Kam Sheung Road station on the Tuen Ma line, with three intermediate stations added when phase two is completed. They are San Tin, Ngau Tam Mei and Au Tau stations. Law said this marked the first time for the MTR Corp to use AR technology in building a station, with plans to apply it in other one in the future. Workers could use devices such as iPads to visualise the station in real time, helping them assemble components accurately rather than spending hours cross-referencing blueprints and relying on their imagination during construction, he said. He did not elaborate on manpower saved or how much the system cost. Authorities previously described the Northern Link as an “engine” of significant strategic value, crucial for providing the cross-border and regional transport needed to maximise the future hub’s potential. Echoing calls from Beijing’s top man on Hong Kong affairs to remove barriers and accelerate the megaproject, the government and the MTR Corp signed an agreement last year to fast-track the link’s completion to 2034 instead of between 2036 and 2038. The initial HK$39.05 billion deal, funded by land premiums, covers three mainline stations, a spur line and tunnels. The project might also involve the participation of mainland Chinese authorities to help excavate tunnels, as part two of the link will involve a station being built at Huanggang at the border.