The project was originally proposed and carried out by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) to link the KCR West Rail that terminated at Nam Cheong station to the KCR East Rail at Hung Hom station. The tracks between Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui station had opened in 2004 as the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension, to alleviate surface traffic jams and congestion at Kowloon Tong station caused by passengers transferring between the KCR East Rail and the MTR by acting as a second interchange between the two system.
