The Phantom MTR Station

Twenty-first-century passengers of the MTR traveling on the Island Line probably do not realize that every time they travel past Sheung Wan Station, they are passing a true ghost station. In fact, for decades, commuters could peer directly into this subterranean void.

In 1970, the Hong Kong government planned an East Kowloon Line—not to be confused with the modern East Rail Line—that would link Diamond Hill to the Sheung Wan and Central area at a station named Rumsey Station, after nearby Rumsey Street. When construction on the Island Line began in 1982, the MTR Corporation pre-built the Rumsey Station interchange in anticipation of this future expansion.

However, after numerous delays, the East Kowloon Line was eventually shelved, leaving the unlinked Rumsey Station as the sole remnant of the planned line. Ever since, the 60-metre-long, trackless platform has remained shrouded in darkness, sparking numerous urban legends and myths.

Eventually, when the West Island Line extension toward Kennedy Town was built in 2014, the MTR Corporation reconfigured the layout of Sheung Wan Station. During these renovations, workers permanently walled off, boarded up, and completely obscured the abandoned Rumsey platforms from public view.

Today, thousands of passengers walk directly over the old phantom station every single day, completely unaware that it sits empty right beneath their feet.