Hong Kong’s high-speed cross-border trains unveiled to public amid checkpoint concerns
Bosses say project, that will connect Hong Kong to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, is now 95 per cent complete
Hong Kong’s rail service provider, MTR Corp, is pressing ahead with tests of its first batch of high-speed trains amid an ongoing controversy to house a joint cross-border checkpoint at the terminus in West Kowloon.
The HK$84.4 billion project is now more than 95 per cent complete and is on track to meet its original commission deadline of the third quarter next year, Simon Tang, general manager of the project at the MTR said before allowing the public to see the new trains at a Shek Kong facility in Yuen Long on Saturday.
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The rail operator revealed some of the features on its orange and silver carriages to the public, such as accessible toilets, two types of sockets for Hong Kong and the mainland, reversible seats and VIP reading lights. About 4,000 people are expected to visit the facility over the weekend.
The city’s terminus is tentatively labelled as “Hong Kong West Kowloon” on LED display boards on the trains, which connect to Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the first high-speed rail link connecting Hong Kong with the mainland’s intricate rail network.
Tang said the trains were being tested at a speed of 200km/h – the speed they will travel in Hong Kong – under a joint test with their mainland counterparts. They have a maximum speed of above 300km/h by design. The tests allowed technicians to check track control, power, signalling and communication systems before the official launch, he added.
“The tests are going well. We haven’t found any major problems so far,” he said.
