The South Island Line (East) will be a medium-capacity railway connecting the MTR network at Admiralty to the Southern District of Hong Kong, via new stations at Ocean Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons - a distance of approximately 7 km. A train stabling and maintenance depot will be located in Wong Chuk Hang.

The scheme was gazetted under the Railways Ordinance in July 2009. Consultation with the public has continued since then, in parallel with progress on the railway's design. Amendments to the scheme were gazetted under the Railways Ordinance in June 2010 to take account of changes arising from this consultation and from design development.

MTR Corporation has been working closely with Southern District Council, which has provided strong support for the project, to accommodate local views on the new railway as much as practicable. This work will continue throughout the remainder of the project.

Construction of the South Island Line (East) is expected to commence in 2011 and will be completed in 2015.