First China-made MTR carriages ready to roll

The first mainland-made eight-car train will debut on the Kwun Tong Line on Sunday as the MTR Corp begins to replace all 93 four-decade-old British trains on four urban lines after the new models passed safety tests and were given official approval.

The SAR's rail operator has already outlaid HK$6 billion for procuring 93 Q-Trains from a Qingdao manufacturer for the Tsuen Wan, Island, Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong lines.

The target is to complete the replacement program by 2029.

Word of progress on the new rolling stock came yesterday in the wake of the derailment of a British-made train at Yau Ma Tei station on November 13.

A falling trackside fence became wedged between a carriage and a platform and ripped off two sets of carriage doors, causing a partial service suspension on the Tsuen Wan Line for the remainder of the day.

"The new train has been confirmed to be safe and sound by government departments," said Jeny Yeung Mei-chun, the Hong Kong transport services director of MTR Corp.

The new trains will feature six core enhancements, she added.

They include more handrails being added to trains by using a split-pole design to allow for more holds. The new Q-train will also be equipped with 64 straphangers per car compared to 24 or 27 in the old carriages.

The reorientation of the straphangers and grab poles also aims to encourage people to move further into train compartments and make way for passengers entering a carriage through a widened boarding area.

The train's seats are also equipped with plastic backrests to provide more support for passengers.

And there are more perch seats to provide passengers in wheelchairs with a secure spot or for other commuters to take a quick rest while taking up less space.

The trains are also equipped with LED green lighting that produces more vibrant illumination while using less energy.

And a dynamic route map in carriages will provide ride information to passengers.

"Smart servers" below seats will send data to control centers, enabling remote monitoring of critical components, while data analysis will be carried out to enhance preventive maintenance of trains.

After the debut by the first new train on Sunday there will be 12 more brought gradually into service by the end of next year.

The trains produced by CSR Qingdao Sifang, a subsidiary of state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC, will replace the aging Metro-Cammell trains that have been in service in Hong Kong since 1979.

While there was HK$6 billion outlaid in 2015 to get the replacement deal rolling more is outstanding, though the MTRC did not reveal how much.

The rail operator also said a new signalling system to help boost train frequency will be rolled out on the Tsuen Wan Line by 2025 with the new Q-trains, which are compatible with the operator's current-generation signalling system.

The signal system will then be extended gradually to other lines for completion of the program by 2029.

"While the hardware installation works for the new signalling system are nearing completion the contractor has proposed amendments to the project's software," MTR Corp operations director Tony Lee Kar-yun said.

Lee said while the works are more complex than the operator had expected earlier, though the system meets stringent standards for safety, reliability and feasibility.

Work is now in progress on software, including independent verification procedures and tests with the signalling system simulator.

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com