Several future projects on the MTR have been put forward by the MTR Corporation to the Hong Kong Government. Some of these are still in planning stage, some are now completed. With the rail merger with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation in 2007, the combined network increased to and 84 stations. Committed and future railway projects have increased the network to over and 98 stations today while the rest of the projects may further increase it to over . Current plans New lines Northern Link The Northern Link is a 10.7 km rapid transit line that once completed, will create a new railway corridor between the Tuen Ma line and the East Rail line in northern New Territories. This project consists of two phases; the first with the opening of Kwu Tung station and the second involves the construction of the Northern Link main line, 3 new stations and the expansion of the existing Kam Sheung Road station. The termini of the line will be Kwu Tung station and Kam Sheung Road station. There were concerns on the business viability of the Northern Link without substantial housing developments in the New Territories to assist in building costs, which were examined under the Railway Development Strategy 2013. However, it was approved with the government's plan to develop the area into a New Development Area; Kwu Tung station will be commissioned in 2027, while construction of the Northern Link is scheduled to start in 2025 and end in 2034. In the 2022 Chief Executive's policy address, a new railway line would be built to connect Kam Tin with Kowloon Tong through Kwai Chung to relieve capacity from the Tuen Ma line. It would act as an extension of the Northern Link and interchange at Kowloon Tong station. The deputy chairman of the Legco subcommittee on railway affairs, Gary Zhang, added that the Tuen Ma line alone could not provide the capacity needed for commuters travelling from the planned Northern Metropolis to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Line extensions and new stations Tung Chung line extension The Tung Chung line extension has two elements; The first, a 1.3 km eastward extension from the existing Tung Chung line western terminus Tung Chung station for a new terminus, the Tung Chung East station and the construction of an infill station, Tung Chung West station in between the existing Tung Chung and Sunny Bay stations. In January