One of the things I love most about Hong Kong has got to be its magnificent metro system – the MTR. 365 days a year, the MTR operates with unbelievable efficiency, transporting 1 in 3 of the city’s population every day.

The 12 colourful railway lines connect people to all corners of Hong Kong at lightning speed: just 3 minutes to get across the harbour (from Admiralty station to Tsim Sha Tsui station); 25 minutes to get from Central station to the airport, and with the brand new South Island line open, 4 minutes to get from Admiralty station to Ocean Park!

Despite how impressive this world-class railway system already is, there are still grand plans for further expansion. Many of these projects are already well under way, such as the Shatin to Central link, due to open in 2021, connecting Admiralty to Hong Hom and Hong Hom to Tai Wai; the westward extension of the Tung Chung line that has plans to go as far out as the popular outlying island of Cheung Chau; and the highly anticipated Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, due to open at the end of 2018, which will take you from West Kowloon to Shenzhen in an astounding 14 minutes.

With MTR access to previously inaccessible and undiscovered areas of Hong Kong, comes the revitalisation and gentrification of many neighbourhoods. New residential projects are already in works around future MTR stations such as Kai Tak, and many are cropping up in the New Territories to attract people to move out there.

Who knows, maybe the next expat haven could be somewhere on the dark side!