Fans on board with Q-trains

Railway fans were impressed by the brighter lights and quieter China-made train that made its debut on the Kwun Tong Line yesterday.

About 700 enthusiasts and passengers arrived at Choi Hung station to greet the new MTR carriages.

Fans were singing and cheering while they waited at platform two of the station before the eight-car train, made in Qingdao, Shandong, departed at 8.58 am for Tiu Keng Leng station.

The train, fitted with wider doorways and improved handles and seats, was the first among 93 "Q-trains" bought to replace four-decade-old British-made Metro-Cammell or "M-trains" on the Tsuen Wan, Island, Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong lines by 2029.

The city's railway operator secured a HK$6 billion contract in 2015 to get the 93 "Q-trains" from CSR Qingdao Sifang, a subsidiary of state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC.

Spirits ran high at Choi Hung, where fans broke into song and chanted demands to start the train.

The lyrics in the Cantonese adaptation of the English folk song Greensleeves was written by railway buff Jason Law Zit-sum, who became an internet sensation after he sang the song celebrating the opening of the Tuen Ma line last June.

Law said on social media yesterday he was not able to attend the Q-train's maiden journey but was at the scene at 7 am to join in the festivities.

He expressed understanding of the need to swap out the British-made trains.

"It's sad to see the old trains go, but the recent derailment incident has raised my awareness of safety issues, so maybe it's about time to swap them out," he said, referring to a train hitting a metal guardrail, going off the tracks at Yau Ma Tei station on November 13, ripping off two sets of doors and causing a service part-suspension on the Tsuen Wan Line for the rest of the day.

A fan, Lau, who also mentioned the derailment, said that feeling nostalgic was pointless, while another, Lam, who arrived from To Kwa Wan, said he made sure he could get enough rest before seeing the train.

Lam said he was looking forward to seeing the route map for the six new trains touted by the MTR. The new purple color of the plastic backrests matched the train's floors.

The train has extra poles and strap-hangers, multipurpose perch seats, environmentally friendly LED lighting and "smart servers" that enable real-time remote monitoring of the train's critical components.

A spokesman said 12 more of the trains will see service on the Kwun Tong line by the end of next year, with the remaining 80 trains seeing service on other urban lines.