Hong Kong Story ｜ Heading for the Future： Domestic Trains Depart on MTR
Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, January 15th: Heading for the Future: Domestic trains set off on MTR.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liang Wenjia
On weekdays, Kwun Tong Line trains travel between Tiaojingling and Huangpu. In the track, the train lights suddenly pass by; On the platform, passers-by are in a hurry; In the carriage, passengers can feel the fast-paced pulse of Hong Kong at any time by immersing themselves in a corner, sitting quietly or sliding their mobile phones with their heads down.
Some passengers have noticed the changes in the carriage: the purple theme of the ground and seats, the bright and soft round lights projected from the roof, the ring-shaped handles and armrest columns … … These all seem that the newly launched domestic train Q-Train looks different.
Change: Say goodbye to memory and sail for the future.
Q-Train, a new domestic train on the move (photo, taken in 2022). Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)
There are many kinds of trains purchased by the Hong Kong Railway Company Limited (MTR), and manufacturers from different countries and regions will name them by letter codes accordingly, that is, M-Train (made by Jiamu, the British capital), Q-Train (made by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock) and C-Train (made by CNR Changchun Rail Bus) which are often mentioned by Hong Kong citizens.
Ye, a fan of railway traffic in Hong Kong, loves to take the subway since he was a child. He knows the subway routes and train models in Hong Kong like the back of his hand. When he heard that the new domestic train was on the line, he went to experience it for the first time and felt that all aspects of performance and ride experience were better than those of the old car.
Ms. Gan, a Hong Kong citizen, takes the Kwun Tong Line to work in Kowloon Bay every day. "The first time I took it, I thought I got on the wrong bus. Later, I learned that the new domestic train Q-Train had been operated on the Kwun Tong Line." She said that old trains sometimes break down, and changing to new trains will provide convenience for travel.
Ms Huang and her 9-year-old son are waiting at the platform of Kwun Tong Line. She said that children like to take the new train very much, and sometimes they even imitate Cantonese, Mandarin and English station announcements with excitement. She thinks that many details of the new car are very humanized, such as the dynamic line prompt on the electronic display screen and the sticker reminder on the key parts of the car.
The first generation of M-Trains in urban lines, which began to be put into service in 1979, has been in operation for more than forty years, and their overloaded service life means that they are on the verge of retirement.
Now, since the Q-Train of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Train was launched on November 27th, 2022, it will gradually replace it and start a new round of changes in Hong Kong railway traffic trains.
Hand in hand: let the city continue to "move forward"
Huang Kunyong, Director of China Mainland Business of MTR Corporation, was interviewed (photo taken on December 21st, 2022). Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gangshe
Huang Kun, director of China Mainland business of MTR Corporation, is familiar with the operation of MTR at home and abroad, and mentions the origin of MTR and Q-Train.
"In 2015, MTR Corporation reached a contract with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. (CRRC Sifang) and invested HK$ 6 billion to purchase 93 new trains, which is also our company’s biggest investment in trains over the years!" Huang Kunyong said that this large-scale train procurement has gone through the bidding process for domestic and foreign companies, and companies from many countries and regions bid, and finally decided to cooperate with CRRC at all levels.
The combination of safe and reliable train performance and humanized ride experience is the key factor for MTR to consider when deciding to purchase a new batch of trains. Working hand in hand with CRRC Sifang for a win-win situation is not only an affirmation of CRRC Sifang’s manufacturing strength, but also full of confidence in the development of rail transit in the mainland.
Huang Kunyong said that although the teams of the two sides are separated by two places, the cooperation is particularly smooth.
At the same time, building a communication bridge with passengers is an important part of MTR Corporation’s continuous improvement of service quality. The design of Q-Train also adopted many suggestions from passengers, focusing on improving the layout of new trains. Compared with the first generation trains in the urban line, the new train widens the distance between the seat glass screen and the door, which is convenient for passengers to stand. From more than 20 ring handrails per car card to 64 ring handrails per car card, it is easier to hold. Passengers get on and off more smoothly, even during rush hours.
Huang Kunyong said with satisfaction: "Hearing the feedback from passengers, the new train is quieter and the design is much better than the previous train. For the operator, this sentence and the smile on the passenger’s face are the power to encourage us to move forward. "
Mission: Deliver every passenger safely and comfortably.
Inside the carriage of the new domestic train Q-Train (photo taken on December 21st, 2022). Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gangshe
Kowloon Bay Depot is the MTR Urban Route General Factory, which provides parking, testing and maintenance services for Kwun Tong Line train sets. There are many berth tracks in the east of the depot for parking trains. A huge thick wall separates the maintenance pit in the west, and both sides of the parking space are connected with the tracks of Kwun Tong Line, and the criss-crossing tracks extend to the outside.
After the new train Q-Train arrived in Hong Kong, Zhao Jianpei, a train employee of Kwun Tong Line, participated in the field test before the train was officially put into service. He was very excited when he heard that he would drive the domestic train that was about to go online in advance.
The new train can transmit the data of key equipment during the running of the train in real time, so that engineers can monitor the train operation from a distance. Zhao Jianpei was surprised by the intelligent server equipped with Q-Train. He stepped onto a Q-Train parked on the track of the garage, entered the cockpit and began to show it to reporters.
"The conductor can see more information about the train operation on the train management system, and can also control different equipment in the car through the system." Zhao Jianpei pointed to the dashboard and said, "If a passenger communicates with the conductor through the emergency intercom, the conductor can remotely reset the system directly in the cab after handling the passenger’s help, so that the train can be put back into service more quickly."
Q-Train’s good test performance in the early stage makes the captains’ driving work handy now. Zhao Jianpei holds the accelerator. "Compared with the first generation of trains, its manual operation is a little different. We used to control the acceleration and deceleration step by step, but the speed control of new trains is uninterrupted."
"It’s like driving a car," Zhao Jianpei said. "The passenger experience is smoother than before, and there won’t be a lot of jitter."
As a conductor, every time you drive, you shoulder a responsibility. Zhao Jianpei looked out of the driver’s window and said, "Our mission is to deliver passengers to their destinations on time and provide them with better, safer and more reliable services."
Video reporter: Zhang Yichi, Xu Shumin, Liang Wenjia.