The North Island line is a proposal to provide rapid transit service for the area between the existing MTR Island line and the northern coast of Hong Kong Island in order to relieve the already congested Island line. Originally, according to the document "Rail Projects Under Planning 2000" released by the Highways Department, the current Tung Chung line would be extended from Hong Kong terminus eastward and two new stations, Tamar station and Exhibition Centre station are proposed on the extension. The new route would then connect and continue on the Island line from Fortress Hill station to Chai Wan terminus. The Tseung Kwan O line will have newly constructed tunnels connected from its North Point terminus to Fortress Hill station and continue on the remaining western half of the Island line. In 2013, the Highways Department released a second option for the North Island line scheme, also known as the "interchange scheme" because it will only extend the Tung Chung line and the Tseung Kwan O line to meet at Tamar station where it will act as an interchange station for the two lines without dividing the Island line. The original scheme is known as the "swap scheme" for distinction. 2000 proposal The extension of the Tung Chung line formed part of the third phase of land reclamation in Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island's northern coast. Due to the disagreement from public and political groups such as Society for Protection of the Harbour as well the insufficient traffic demand, the MTR Corporation never gave the proposal a commencement date. Thee proposed Sha Tin to Central Link and the merger of MTRC and KCRC also influenced the fate of the North Island line. For these reasons, in 2003 Hong Kong Government postponed it indefinitely. However, the MTRC included the Sha Tin to Central Link and the North Island line details in the diagrams of the latest schemes of the West Island line and South Island line, released in 2008. Those diagrams have excluded the now cancelled Central South station and Racecourse Station in Happy Valley. 2013 proposal On 21 February 2013, the Highways Department launched stage two of public consultation of Our Future Railway, and proposed two schemes for the North Island line. In addition to a "Swap" scheme which was similar to previous proposals, the consultation documents also included a second "Interchange" scheme. "Swap" scheme The existing Tung