Tag Archives: railway signalling

Platform gap fillers on the MTR East Rail line

The East Rail line has the widest gaps between train and platform on the MTR network, the route having opened to passengers in 1910 as the Kowloon-Canton Railway. In the years that followed and the system modernised, with attempts made […]

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A fire door for trains in the Tai Lam tunnel

I’ve written about the heavy steel gates used to protect the MTR cross harbour tunnels from flooding – but how about even bigger sets of gates used to protect them from fire? The longest railway tunnel in Hong Kong is […]

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A history of MTR train control centres

The MTR network has grown since the first train ran in 1979, and so has the systems used to control the network. The initial MTR system In 1979 the first part of the Mass Transit Railway system opened, between Kwun […]

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Public safety advertisements and the KCR Light Rail

Hong Kong’s MTR Light Rail system is something I have written about previously, due to it being one of the more interesting places for a railfan to explore. A unique feature of the Light Rail is the numerous level crossings, which unlike the slower moving Hong Kong Tramways, require motorists and pedestrians to share the road with fast moving light rail vehicles. For these reasons when the Light Rail system commenced operations in 1988, a series of public safety advertisements aired on Hong Kong television to raise awareness of the safe way to behave around the new mode of transport.

Phase 1 LRV 1019 passing 'village houses' at San Hui Continue reading

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Hong Kong railways *do* have level crossings

With the majority of Hong Kong’s railway network running either underground in tunnels or above ground on viaducts, you might be forgiven for thinking that it is a system without level crossings. However, as with anything in life there is always an exception, so let’s take a look at them.

Running along a viaduct, a northbound train arrives into Kwai Fong station Continue reading

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