MTR To Start Running Shorter East Rail Line Trains

Passengers using the East Rail Line have been warned to expect shorter trains from the middle of this year, as MTR bosses prepare for the line to be extended across the harbour to Admiralty, in 2022.

The railway operator says Hong Kong Island can't handle the current 12-carriage trains in use on the East Rail Line.

So, over a period of 18 months more and more 9-carriage trains will gradually be introduced, while a new signalling system is also switched on.

Asked whether trains and platforms will inevitably become more crowded, the MTR's operating chief, Sammy Wong, said adjustments can be made to services.

"We will closely monitor the passenger demand and suitably adjust our service, not only the frequency, but also some specially run trains to cater for the specific needs of specific stations," Wong said.

The MTR Corporation also noted that the launch of part of the future Shatin-Central Link in February meant that some passengers who previously used the East Rail Line had already switched to the new link between Tai Wai and Kai Tak.

The corporation's divisional general manager, James Chow, said while the coronavirus pandemic had affected the progress of the construction of the East Rail Line extension, the situation has improved of late.

"The impact was initially quite substantial, but as time goes by we have arranged alternative sources of supplies and the factories in China are reopened now. So the material supply and the labour supply are gradually returning to normal," Chow said.