Hundreds of railway fans rushed to the Chai Wan MTR station this morning to greet the new China-made train that made its debut on the Island Line.
The eight-carriage "Q-Train" arrived at the station around 9.48 am and was welcomed by a crowd of railfans who cheered its name and yelled "Open Sesame."
The new train provides customers a more comfortable travel experience by adding more handrails, adopting ergonomic seat design, installing LED lighting in all train compartments, etc.
One of the railfans, surnamed Chung, said the carriage of the Q-Train is more spacious, and the lighting is brighter. Although he was saddened by the gradual retirement of the British-made trains, which have been in service for more than 40 years, replacing them is "inevitable" due to the noise, high maintenance costs, and safety issues.
A Form 4 student surnamed Cheung said he decided to join other fans to witness the new train running on the Island Line, though he had tutorial classes at 10 am.
He said the design of a wider doorway and doubling the number of hand straps is very practical.
The first eight-car Q-Train commenced service on Kwun Tong Line in 2022 and gradually replaced the British-made M-Train, which has been serving the public since 1979.
