Transport & Facilities – Campus Bus · MTR · Ferry

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) integrated information database · 05 Campus Module

CUHK is built into a hillside, climbing from the valley floor near Tolo Harbour all the way up to a hilltop plateau (see Campus Geography for detail). Its transport therefore falls into two tiers: external access via University MTR Station, bus services, and a ferry pier that feed into the campus gateways; internal circulation via free shuttle buses shuttling between three stepped plateaux. This article unpacks both tiers, keeping facts first and sources traceable throughout.

# 1. External Gateway: University MTR Station

University Station on the MTR network sits at the lowest point of the campus (the foot of the hill, close to Tolo Harbour) and serves as CUHK’s principal gateway.

# 1.1 From “Ma Liu Shui Station” to “University Station”

• Opening: According to Wikipedia (University Station), the stop originally bore the name Ma Liu Shui Station, opening on 24 September 1956^※, built to coincide with Chung Chi College’s move to Ma Liu Shui (per Wikipedia · University Station).
• Renaming: According to Wikipedia, the Kowloon–Canton Railway announced on 11 December 1966, with effect from 1 January 1967^※, that the stop would be renamed “University Station”, prompted by CUHK’s growth and the perceived connotations of the original name (per Wikipedia · University Station).
• Electrification-era rebuild: According to Wikipedia, the station was rebuilt from August 1980, completed on 26 April 1983^※, to accompany the electrification of the East Rail line on 2 May 1983 (per Wikipedia · University Station).

# 1.2 Platforms and exits

• Line and platform: According to Wikipedia, University Station lies on the East Rail line and has a single island platform^※ (located on a sharp curve) serving both directions (per Wikipedia · University Station).
• Exits: According to Wikipedia, Exits A and B lead to the concourse, and Exits C and D are at platform level (per Wikipedia · University Station).
• Exit D (2012): According to Wikipedia, MTR Corporation added Exit D on 28 September 2012^※ to handle rising student numbers under the “3-3-4” new academic structure and to connect new teaching buildings and the campus bus terminus; the exit was built with environmentally friendly design features including natural lighting, passive ventilation, and a 5,500‑litre rainwater harvesting capacity (per Wikipedia · University Station).

# 1.3 The “renaming kerfuffle” (facts only)

According to Wikipedia, an internal MTR document dated 12 January 2012 once proposed renaming the stop “Chinese University Station”, a suggestion that was dismissed as a “clerical error” on 26 January^※ (per Wikipedia · University Station). This article notes only the dates of the document and the official response connected to this episode; it does not elaborate on any political narrative behind it.

# 2. External Gateway: Bus Services

A bus terminus sits beside University Station, with multiple franchised bus routes and green minibus (GMB) services providing connections. CUHK’s official website states that travelling from Kowloon to CUHK on the East Rail line takes about thirty minutes^※ (per CUHK website · Campus).

# 3. External Gateway: Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier

On the northern edge of the campus, near Hong Kong Science Park, lies Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier, which serves as the departure point for ferry routes to outlying islands in the northeast New Territories.

• Location: According to Wikipedia, Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier is situated in Sha Tin District, between Science Park Road, Tolo Highway, and the CUHK Water Sports Centre^※ (per Wikipedia · Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier).
• Routes: According to Wikipedia, the pier serves two ferry routes — one to Tap Mun (calling at Sham Chung, Lai Chi Chong, Kau Lau Wan, and others), and one to Tung Ping Chau^※; the pier has two berths, with the northern berth used for the Tap Mun service and the southern berth for the Tung Ping Chau service (per Wikipedia · Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier).
• Access: According to Wikipedia, take the East Rail line to University Station, then walk from Exit B along Chak Cheung Street for about 20 minutes^※ to reach the pier (per Wikipedia · Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier).
• Redevelopment: According to government pier improvement project materials, the rebuilt Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier opened on 9 September 2025^※ (per Pier Improvement Programme · Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier).

# 4. Internal Circulation: Free Shuttle Bus Service

Movement between CUHK’s three stepped plateaux is primarily served by the free shuttle bus service provided by the University.

# 4.1 Nature of the service and who it serves

According to CUHK’s website, the University provides a “Free Shuttle Bus Service”^※, with most routes operating during the daytime, Monday to Saturday. On teaching days, dedicated “inter‑class buses” (轉堂校巴) are also provided to take staff and students between lecture venues. Visitors may instead use the campus paid shuttle minibus service (per CUHK website · Campus Transportation). According to the Transport Office, the shuttle bus service is intended for CUHK students and staff only^※; visitors are to use the paid minibus service (per CUHK Transport Office).

# 4.2 Route numbers (per the Transport Office)

According to the CUHK Transport Office website, the shuttle bus service falls broadly into three categories:

# 4.3 A topography‑shaped “bus‑waiting” culture

The significant elevation difference between the foot and the peak of CUHK has made “waiting for the bus, trudging up the slopes” a daily physical fact of life universally acknowledged by students. This piece of campus culture, shaped directly by the topography, has already been described — based on source‑traceable facts — in Campus Geography; this article merely notes, without retelling that description, that the shuttle bus system exists precisely to bridge this vertical gap.

# 5. Other Campus Facilities (Overview)

The campus also houses a swimming pool (the basement pool at Benjamin Franklin Centre, open annually from April to October, per the Office of Student Affairs), sports grounds, canteens, and staff–student activity centres. Details on individual venues and their completion years can be found in the Campus Buildings & Venues Directory, and are not repeated in list form here.