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Kylie Knott

For many students in Hong Kong, a ride on the Mass Transit Railway, or MTR, the city’s major public transport network, is part of their daily routine.
But for one school, the trains have become part of their learning experience.
At the Ying Wa College and Primary School in the city’s Kowloon district, two retired MTR carriages have been transformed into train-themed classrooms.
“For many children, the old trains will greatly enhance the sense of belonging to the school and the identity of Hong Kong citizens,” wrote one online observer.

Other social media commenters said the trains would be better in a museum where members of the public can access them.
“The original intention of the MTR is good, but a train museum is more reliable,” wrote another.
The project is part of the MTR’s “Legacy Train Revitalisation Programme”, which aims to give retired trains a second life.
It started in 2021 and has so far seen the company work with more than 20 non-governmental organisations, social partners and government departments.

The MTR’s director of operations, Tony Lee, welcomed the new roles retired trains will play as venues of learning.
“The corporation will continue exploring with various organisations and social partners to make good use of retired train resources,” Lee said.
Recycling decommissioned carriages also fits into the MTR’s plan to dispose of old carriages in a more environmentally friendly manner.
In 2021, the corporation came under public scrutiny when a pile of retired trains were photographed by the Post in a scrap metal yard.
That prompted a commuter concern group to urge the rail company to explore using the retired trains for community projects.

“After all, these old trains have their historical value and many people have fond memories of them,” the Public Transport Research Team said in a statement.
In response, an MTR spokesman said it was exploring the possibility of donating the trains to the community. It now seems to have followed through on that plan.
And it is not just carriages that are getting a second lease of life. More than 400 decommissioned train parts have also been upcycled into different uses.
These include passenger seats donated to senior citizen centres and schools, as well as the wider community, as recreational facilities.
Train parts have also been transformed into exercise equipment and installed into homes for the elderly.
The Ying Wa College and Primary School project is the first time MTR carriages have been sent into a school, with the spaces being used for technology, engineering, conservation and design programmes.
It is also a cunning marketing move by the MTR, with the classrooms boosting students’ understanding of Hong Kong’s railway history.
The initiative could be extended to other schools soon.
This week, the MTR announced that a fleet of vehicles will retire after more than 30 years of service.
A special trip for the general public and rail fans to mark their farewell takes place on February 26.


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People & Culture

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Old Hong Kong MTR carriages find a new station in life as centres of community learning
City’s mass transit railway corporation makes good on promise to utilise old rolling stock to benefit society


One of the most recognisable features of Hong Kong’s public transportation system - its mass transit railway carriages are being put to good use after they go off the rails as school classrooms.


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