Light Rail fans in for a journey back

New Territories West residents and rail enthusiasts can travel back to the old days in 1988 by riding on two replica trains as the MTR celebrates the 35th anniversary of light rail with a series of events, including a depot open day.

A replica light rail train was displayed at Siu Hong station, attracting many to turn up to take photos.

The train had the original colors of orange and white. The seats were also replaced with orange ones, restoring the light rail's look in 1988. Information about its history and past models, and heartwarming stories collected from staff and commuters, were on the backrests and the roof of the train.

The replica was displayed at Siu Hong station from noon to 2 pm yesterday, allowing passengers to reminisce while learning about the 35-year development and changes of light rail operations.

A replica will primarily operate on the 610 line (between Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and Yuen Long) starting today, while the other one will be put into service next month.

One visitor, Wong, who came with his family, said he grew up in Sheung Shui and had never seen the first phase of the light rail. As his son was a railway enthusiast, they came to visit.

Wong said the atmosphere was lively and that he could feel the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The historical photos and interesting facts about the Light Rail inside the train provide an opportunity for people to know more about it.

Tse, a rail enthusiast, said that compared with heavy rail, light rail integrated well with the surrounding communities and environment.

Regarding the replica theme, Tse said that it had successfully recreated the appearance of the light rail's first phase, but there was room for improvement in details such as fonts, handrails and door paint inside the train.

MTR Corp also announced yesterday that it would hold a light rail 35th anniversary depot open day on September 17.

People and local and non-governmental organizations will be invited to visit and learn about the operations of the depot, and deepen their understanding of the service. Five different phases of vehicles will be exhibited for railway enthusiasts and citizens to take photos.

The open day will have six time slots with limited capacity, and entry will be granted with QR code tickets.

Starting from September 5, people can preregister through MTR Mobile or the mobile app THEGULU.

Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis until all slots are filled.