Retired train won't rust on Wan Chai promenade

Authorities insist that a 12-carriage 'fly-headed train" - a type that ran for close to 40 years from the border to Kowloon until finally being phased out with the opening of the MTR's cross-harbor extension - will be able to resist the elements when mounted on the Wan Chai Promenade.

Nicknamed for the supposed insect look at the front, the Mid-Life Refurbishment class of electric trains that became familiar to generations of rail travelers can stand up to retirement on the harborside according to Development Bureau experts - despite railway fans' concerns it will not weather well.

The bureau reached its conclusion after specialist consultation, though officers do say upkeep is still being planned.

The MLR was built in the 1980s and refurbished since the mid-1990s for the Kowloon-Canton Railway and the current East Rail Line. The last batch of MLR trains were replaced by nine-carriage ones in May.

Authorities have been developing the promenade and much else of the harborside for close on 10 years, aiming to turn unused space into places visitors and locals can enjoy. Twenty-five kilometers out of 38 are already in use, including a fishing area in Central.

By 2025, people will be able to walk along the promenade from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan.

One section comes under the Wan Chai Harbourfront Promenade project Harbourchill, with facilities including outdoor rest areas and pedal-driven boats already in use.

A third phase, to be commissioned early next year, involves at least one floating restaurant.

A fourth phase, to open late next year, stretches 252 meters along the promenade adjacent to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with over 3,400 square meters of space.

The Development Bureau's Harbourfront Commission plans to set use two sections of a fly-headed train there, with interior designs that can provide space for workshops.

Outside the carriages will be rest areas amid an overall layout of an MTR station platform, including clocks, signal lights plus a Harbour Station sign where visitors to punch in.

For rail fans, placing a train aged 40 years in harsh outdoor conditions could see a rapid deterioration of the metal compartments.

Riders, a Facebook group for dedicated railways fans in Hong Kong, is questioning the plans for the promenade project after schematics were released.

Putting an MLR train in such a setting "does not benefit the preservation of railway history," members argue.

They add that while they understand that its display can enrich the cultural atmosphere of the promenade, the chosen train will have already seen much wear and tear in its years of use amid a variety of weather conditions, and saltwater-powered decay could be next.

But a Development Bureau spokesman defended the scheme to The Standard.

He said authorities "do not believe the display will compromise the structural integrity" of the train carriages - a conclusion reached after specialist consultations.

"The placement of the train is intended to serve as an educational and leisure platform for visitors," he said, and planning and discussions about the maintenance and upkeep of the train continue.

The bureau spokesman also said that Harbourchill's phase three may have one on-shore food and beverage facility with alfresco dining on land and a floating restaurant.

According to pictures and plans released by the Development Bureau, the floating restaurant will be a ferry-size craft.

While plans for the floating restaurant have yet to be developed, it has already stirred recent memories of Hong Kong's Jumbo Restaurant, a big barge with a familiar upperworks that capsized a few months ago near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea while being towed to Cambodia and a new operator.

But the spokesman said public consultation for Harbourchill's phase three is still in progress, though plans are for this section of the promenade to be opened by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the revitalized Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter waterfront on Victoria Park Road will reopen this Friday.

The typhoon shelter precinct project - 10,900 square meters spread along 715m - provides 90m of fence-free "harbor steps" to allow people to get close to the water.

Visitors will supposedly be able to enjoy great views of Victoria Harbour sunsets from there.

They can also visit a floating market, interact with boat people who live on their own craft and also cast water lanterns within a designated area.

Three walla-walla craft - boats that once formed the backbone of cross harbor trips - will also be featured, taking people through the typhoon shelter.

There will also be guided tours to cover the story of the typhoon shelter.