When you’re finding somewhere to live in Hong Kong, the commute is the first sum to do.
CityHome (cityhome.hk) is in Kai Tak, and the village runs a free shuttle to the nearest MTR station. What happens after you board depends on which line your campus sits on.
Where Kai Tak sits
The area is served by the MTR Tuen Ma line, with Sung Wong Toi and Kai Tak as the two nearest stations.
Along this stretch the order runs:
Hung Hom — Ho Man Tin — To Kwa Wan — Sung Wong Toi — Kai Tak — Diamond Hill
Two things matter here: Hung Hom interchanges with the East Rail line, and Ho Man Tin and Diamond Hill interchange with the Kwun Tong line. Where you’re going is basically a question of which of those three you change at.
The station for each university
| University | Nearest station | From Kai Tak |
|---|---|---|
| PolyU | Hung Hom | Direct on the Tuen Ma line |
| Hong Kong Metropolitan University | Ho Man Tin | Direct on the Tuen Ma line |
| CityU | Kowloon Tong | Tuen Ma → change to Kwun Tong at Diamond Hill or Ho Man Tin |
| HKBU | Kowloon Tong | As above, then a walk or a minibus |
| CUHK | University | Tuen Ma → change to East Rail at Hung Hom |
| EdUHK | Tai Po Market | Tuen Ma → East Rail at Hung Hom, then a bus |
| HKU | HKU station | Tuen Ma → change at East Tsim Sha Tsui / Hung Hom to cross the harbour |
| HKUST | Choi Hung or Hang Hau | Tuen Ma → Kwun Tong at Diamond Hill, then a bus or minibus |
| Lingnan University | Siu Hong | Direct on the Tuen Ma line, then a bus |
Check actual journey times with the MTR. They vary a lot by time of day — this table gives you the shape of the route, not a timetable.
Three practical notes
Run your real commute once. Use the MTR journey planner with your actual class times. Peak and off-peak are very different. Once you have a timetable, check it against your earliest class — that’s the trip you’ll actually be making.
Count the shuttle. The village-to-station leg is the free shuttle, running to the village’s own schedule. Your real commute is waiting for the shuttle, plus the ride, plus the MTR — not the MTR alone.
One change isn’t necessarily slower. People rule out routes the moment they see an interchange, but most MTR changes are cross-platform and cost a few minutes. Routes that need a bus or minibus are the volatile ones, because they sit in road traffic.
If your campus is on Hong Kong Island
Honestly, Kai Tak isn’t the shortest option — you’ll be crossing the harbour and changing lines.
What’s worth weighing: for the same budget, what would you get closer in? If the comparison comes out as “twenty minutes more each way, but twice the room, with a private bathroom and a washing machine”, the sum may still work. That’s yours to do.
The fastest way to judge
Take the shuttle in from the MTR — you’ll cover that leg yourself — then time the walk back to the station afterwards. One trip will tell you more about the commute than any guide.