Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 30, 2023

Hong Kong commuters will only benefit from MTR’s signalling upgrade in 2025

Hong Kong commuters will only benefit from MTR’s signalling upgrade in 2025

New eight-car trains, which were meant to be introduced at the same time as the signalling project was launched, will start serving commuters on Sunday.

The introduction of a long-awaited upgrade to the signalling system of Hong Kong’s rail network will only begin in 2025 at the earliest, the MTR Corporation has said.

The upgrade was intended to go hand in hand with the introduction of new eight-car trains to serve several lines, but the first of these will start serving commuters on the Kwun Tong line on Sunday.

The MTR Corp on Tuesday attributed the delay of the signalling upgrade to software development issues, stressing hardware installation work had already been completed on the Tsuen Wan line and was nearly done on the Island, Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines.

“The upgrade project has taken longer than planned because it is much more complicated than expected,” operations director Tony Lee Kar-yun said. “We are now adopting a revised technical proposal for the software development.”


Tony Lee, operations director of MTR Corporation.

Instead of developing a completely new signalling system for the city, the upgrade would rely on a common one in use overseas but customised to make it compatible with the rail operating environment in Hong Kong, the company said.

“The new plan ensures the safety and reliability of the new signalling system and can bring greater certainty to the project,” Lee said. He added that when the project was completed, train services on those lines could be enhanced to increase overall carrying capacity, meeting long term operational needs.

The MTR Corp had planned to upgrade the signalling system in the early 2010s, aiming to boost capacity of the lines by about 10 per cent. At first, work was expected to be completed in 2018, with the Tsuen Wan line the first to use the upgraded system.

But the project suffered a major setback in 2019 after two trains collided at Central Station on the Tsuen Wan line during an overnight trial of the new signalling system. The project was suspended pending a review of the software by the contractor.

Lee on Tuesday said the company would ensure the safety and reliability of the new system before it was put into operation.

“It is expected to commence service on the Tsuen Wan line by 2025-26 and will then extend to the Island line, Kwun Tong line, and Tseung Kwan O line. The overall project is expected to be completed by 2028-29,” said Lee.

New MTR trains have ergonomic design seats, wider doorways, double-branched grab poles and more straps.


The MTR Corp, meanwhile, said on Tuesday the 93 new trains that it had earlier bought would gradually be brought into service to replace the first generation trains that were about 40 years old.

Lee said it had plans to replace the 13 British-made first generation locomotives running on the Kwun Tong line by next year.

The mainland China-made trains will gradually go into service on the Island line, Tsuen Wan line, and Tseung Kwan O line, according to Jeny Yeung Mei-chun, MTR Corp’s Hong Kong transport services director.

Yeung also said commuters could expect a more pleasant ride on the new trains, which would have ergonomic design seats, wider doorways, double-branched grab poles and more straps.

LED lighting is used to make train compartments brighter. “Smart servers” are also installed on trains to allow real-time remote monitoring of the critical components during train operations, according to Yeung.

The company was still investigating the derailment of a train carriage at Yau Ma Tei station earlier this month, she added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
Tsai Ing-wen received a "warm welcome" from the Chinese people in the US.
EU's von der Leyen: "We know this is an era where we rely on one single supplier. China. 98% of our rare earth supply."
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Singapore’s Prime Minister says China and US need to stabilize relations because world can't afford a confict between the two superpowers
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
Police violence in Paris
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
×