The Government today said back of house areas between levels in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link West Kowloon Station support station operation.

The Transport & Housing Bureau made the statement in response to the community's interest in the station’s levels.

The bureau said the West Kowloon Station is a large scale railway station in which there are back of house areas between levels for use by staff of the operator of the Hong Kong Section of the XRL, and for rescue and escape in case of emergency and fire.

Apart from B5 level, B1M level above the B1 Ticketing Hall, B2H level above the B2 Arrival Level, B3M/B3H level above the B3 Departure Level, and B4M level above the B4 Platform Level also have back of house areas designated for station facilities and for office use by staff of the railway operator.

These back of house areas are managed by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, the bureau added.

While a typical level of the station has a floor area of around 110,000 sq m, the floor areas of B1M, B2H, B3M/B3H and B4M levels are only about 5,600 sq m, 10,300 sq m, 7,200 sq m and around 4,200 sq m.

The bureau said the Mainland Port Area comprises designated areas on B2 and B3 Levels, the platform areas on B4 Level as well as relevant connecting passageways.

It added the back of house areas are not within the Mainland Port Area.

The bureau also said such areas are not for passenger use.

Other than personnel who enter those areas to perform duties with authorisation from the railway operator, or during rescue and escape, nobody shall enter the areas.