MTR ditches UK-made trains to spend HK$6 billion with mainland Chinese manufacturer

The MTR Corporation is to spend HK$6 billion on its largest-ever order of trains from a mainland manufacturer.

The purchase of 93 eight-car trains will replace all of the first-generation, British-made trains – now 30 years old – currently operating on the Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Island and Tseung Kwan O lines, an MTR Corp spokesman said.

Under the new contract, the trains will be delivered by mainland maker CSR Qingdao Sifang between 2018 and 2023.

The corporation said CSR Qingdao Sifang was awarded the deal after a “rigorous” tendering process involving submissions from internationally renowned suppliers.

MTR chief executive officer Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen said: “This is the largest-ever order of new trains in the MTR’s history and it represents a critically important investment to maintain our railway service at world-class levels.”

To address safety concerns, the spokesman said the commissioning, manufacture, testing and supply of the new trains would be carried to strict MTR specifications and standards. The government’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will have to certify the trains before they enter service.