MTR Metro Cammell EMU (DC)

CM/CT/I/G/H/Q stock 港鐵現代化列車 – present (Disneyland Resort line) Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong 4 cars per trainset (Disneyland Resort line) Tsuen Wan Chai Wan Tseung Kwan O Siu Ho Wan

(Limited use only)

2028 (Disneyland Resort Line) 22 m 3.7 m (without pantograph) (top of air conditioner flush with crest of roof) | art-sections = 3 sets of 55 inch wide doors per side ( )

• Design:
• Service: 268 standing per car (313 passengers per car, 2504 passengers per train) 1.4 m/s2 (emergency) Current (1989–present): GTO chopper control (GEC Traction) I-Stock only: RCT chopper control (Mitsubishi Electric) (GEC Traction G313 AZ on stock except I-Stock, GEC Traction G313 BZ on Disneyland Resort line stock, Mitsubishi Electric MB-518-AR on I-Stock) Semi-permanent couplers between carriages Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company Fixed-block ATP with subsystems of ATC and ATO GoA 2 (STO), Since 1996:

1997:: GEC-Alsthom SACEM ATP and ATS, with GoA 2 ATO 2002: : Siemens Mobility SACEM with ATC : Thales SelTrac® CBTC ATC with subsystems of ATO GoA 4 (STO), ATP, NetTrac ATS, CBI

The Metro-Cammell EMU (also known as M-Train or Modernisation Train, ) is the oldest type of electric multiple unit that operates on the MTR rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. A total of 768 cars were built by Metro-Cammell in England (and its successor GEC-Alsthom, later known as Alstom) between 1977 and 1994, and refurbished from 1998 to 2001 by United Goninan (now UGL).

Features

Urban line stock

The M-Train, along with the later C-Train, TML C-train, R-train and ex-KCR stock, has five sets of double-leaf sliding doors on both sides of each car, to facilitate rapid boarding and exiting. This is opposed to the K-Train and AdTranz-CAF trains, which use plug doors. They are currently operating primarily on the Tsuen Wan line and Island line but are also operating on the Tseung Kwan O line alongside newer rolling stock. Each car is 3200 mm width over body panel, floor to rail is 1100 mm high, and roof to rail is 3910 mm high.

A service train has an acceleration of 1.0 m/s2 (3.6 km/h/s), service brake is regenerative blend with air brake at the rate of 1.0 m/s2 (3.6 km/h/s) and emergency brake is air-brake at 1.4 m/s2 (5.04 km/h/s). The maximum speed for the M-Train is 90 km/h, which is limited to 80 km/h during normal operation. Trains are also fitted for driverless operation with a single train operator in each train opening and closing doors and monitoring the route. Primary suspension is chevron springs, while the secondary suspension is air bags. Traction system is mostly through GTO chopper control. Each carriage has 45 seats and capable of holding 268 standing passengers, with space for wheelchairs, giving a total capacity of just over 2500 passengers, or approximately 3000 passengers under crush load. At the time of its introduction in 1979, the MTR M-Train EMU was believed to have the highest capacity of any metro car in the world.

Although another set of EMU trains from the same manufacturer operated on the East Rail line, there were some significant differences between the two models. The Metro Cammell EMUs of the East Rail line, which are also known as the Mid-Life Refurbishment Train, were formerly operated by the Kowloon-Canton Railway until being taken over by the MTR in 2007. However, the KCRC retained ownership of the MLR Trains. All 29 MLR trains were fully retired by May 2022 and all 93 M-Trains will be expected to be fully retired by 2029 to 2030.

Disneyland Resort line stock

The T-Stock trains (now CT-Stock trains) were the second batch of trains ordered by MTR. They were delivered from 1982 to 1985 and also had their traction systems changed to GTO chopper in 1992–1995. They now serve on the Tsuen Wan line.

A/C182's traction systems was changed from camshaft resistance control to RCT chopper control in 1983, and it was changed again to GTO chopper in 1987.

Phase 2B

The I-Stock trains, the third batch of trains, were ordered by MTRC for the planned Island line in 1981. They were delivered from 1985 to 1986 and serve on the Island line excluding set A255/A126.

B/C459 used camshaft resistance control till 1987. However, all of the other trains use Mitsubishi RCT chopper control, while B/C459's parts were from A/C182.

Phase 2C

The G-Stock trains were built for the Eastern Harbour Crossing extension of the Kwun Tong line (became part of the Tseung Kwan O line in 2002), they were delivered from 1988 to 1989 and still serve on the Kwun Tong line. However, they moved to Tsuen Wan line starting from December 2017. They were the last batch of MTR M-Trains to be made by Metro-Cammell before being acquired by GEC-Alsthom in 1989.

Phase 3

The MTRC signed a contract in March 1992 for 64 new rail cars (48 motorcars, 16 trailers) with an option for an additional 24 carriages. These were delivered by GEC-Alsthom as components, with final assembly carried out at the Kowloon Bay Depot. The H-Stock trains were delivered from 1994 to 1998 and some units were refurbished to serve on the Disneyland Resort line (the remaining units served on the Tseung Kwan O line from 2002 to 2010, and Kwun Tong line from April 2010 onwards. However, they moved to Tsuen Wan line starting from December 2017). 88 cars were assembled locally at Kowloon Bay depot.

Q-Stock

The first batch of Q-stock D-car (trailers) were ordered as part of Phase 2A trains from 1984 to 1985, cars D601-706 and D707-724; the second batch (Phase 2B, cars D725-752) were ordered from 1985 to 1986; the third batch (Phase 2C, cars D753-763) were ordered from 1988 to 1989, and the fourth and final batch (cars D764-788) were ordered from 1994 to 1998 as part of Phase 3.

Each car is 3200 mm wide over body panel, floor to rail is 1100 mm high and roof to rail is 3910 mm high.

Surplus / retired cars

The surplus cars are B/C493, B/C445, A/C112 and A/C126, D736, D737 and D784. Some useful parts on these trains have been cannibalised for other carriages, so they may no longer be used. Some of these cars were scrapped in August 2022.

The retired / written off cars are A/C131, A/C255 B/C451, B/C459 and D652. B/C459 was taken out of service in 2008 due to motor part issues from A/C254 and lack of Phase 2B parts, so a backup unit B/C404 took over B/C459 on A/C227 - A/C170 (now A/C227 with A/C214 on the Tsuen Wan line). Additionally, D652 and B/C451 were severely damaged in 2019 during CBTC testing between Admiralty Station and Central Station. 3 cars (A/C187 and D659) no longer paired with them and linked with B/C402, D706 and A/C218, to create a new 8-car set (A187/A218) and re-entered service on 4 December 2019.

A255/A126 was taken out of service due to A255/C255 being damaged due to the October 6th Lai King crash. The train was towed to Tsuen Wan Depot and was emptied of passengers on the way, but A255/C255’s bogies were too faulty. Therefore, MTR had A255/C255 scrapped in Tsuen Wan Depot.

The original surplus cars used to be A/C115, A/C145, A/C273, B/C404 and D784.

Train configurations

Replacement

All 93 sets will be retired from service around 2022–2030 and will be sent to River Trade Terminal Scrapyard in Pillar Point like the MLRs. MTR had originally planned to replace 78 sets. However, in July 2015, MTR announced that CRRC Qingdao Sifang had won an order to build 93 sets of Q-trains that is set to replace all M-trains by 2027, on grounds that it was "better value for money". In addition, the current signalling system will be phased out in favour of a communications-based train control (CBTC) system. In the meantime, 36 of the M-Trains have been equipped with CBTC equipment, all of which are in service on the Tsuen Wan Line, supplied by Thales, for use on the Tsuen Wan Line as an interim measure while their replacement trains are being delivered.

The Disneyland Resort Line trains will also be replaced by 2028, with MTR announcing that the replacement trains would also be manufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

The first sets to be withdrawn were involved in incidents in 2019. Full withdrawal began the night of 10 September 2022, and retired trains were brought to Siu Ho Wan Depot for cutting and transporting away to scrapyards in River Trade Terminal near Tuen Mun. Since January 2023, a withdrawal has been made roughly every month with a Q-train entering service simultaneously until June 2025. After a six month hiatus, the process resumed with the withdrawal of set A101/A166 (A101-C101+D649+B430-C430+D778+C166-A166) which was brought to Tsuen Wan Depot for scrapping.

Planned export to Singapore

In the early-1980s, Metro Cammell and GEC Traction proposed a version of the MTR M-Train EMU for Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) metro system (which eventually opened in 1987), alongside several other bidders from France, Canada, West Germany, Sweden and Japan. Although Metro Cammell was shortlisted along with the Swedish ASEA and the Japanese Kawasaki Heavy Industries-led consortium, its eventual loss to the aforementioned Kawasaki consortium in winning what later became Contract 151 for Singapore's first metro rolling stock type was reported to be the relative energy inefficiency of the GEC Traction camshaft traction system then used by all MTR M-trains. Another factor was a measuring error involving the London Underground 1983 Stock during the evaluation phase for Contract 151. The loss of said contract was a massive financial blow to Metro Cammell, who was forced to reduce their workforce by half in August 1984, and was eventually acquired by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) in 1989.

References

References

1. Phase 3 (H-Stock) trainsets only
2. "First Class Bogies".
3. (7 November 2019). "Hong Kong Metro – 40 Years on".
4. Refers to the upgrade from the original [[Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company. Westinghouse]] signalling system to [[Système d'aide à la conduite, à l'exploitation et à la maintenance. SACEM]] in 1996.
5. "Train Refurbishment Project (Contract No.: C1066-13E)".
6. (22 August 2024). "Hong Kong's MTR Corp marks 45th anniversary by launching train in retro design". South China Morning Post.
7. The train unit is A195-C195-B455-C455-B477-C477-C200-A200
8. (6 July 1976). "MTR trains contract goes to UK firm". [[South China Morning Post]].
9. (2 August 1979). "How strategy brought success to UK company". South China Morning Post.
10. (16 September 2020). "Testing MTR trains in the green fields of England".
11. (20 December 1981). "MTR awards stock contract". South China Morning Post.
12. (20 March 1992). "MTRC to buy 64 rail cars from UK". South China Morning Post.
13. (4 March 2021). "A255/C255 廢車離開荃灣車廠".
14. (23 July 2015). "MTR ditches UK-made trains to spend HK$6 billion with mainland Chinese manufacturer". South China Morning Post.
15. (2017-11-15). "港鐵"換腦" 荃灣線朝早隨時受阻".
16. "MTR Initiates Asset Renewal for the Disneyland Resort Line - New Battery-driven Trains Equipped with New Signalling System Collaborating with HK Disneyland on Train Design".
17. (12 May 1983). "World Trade News: Singapore short-lists UK company for metro". Factiva.
18. (14 November 1983). "Financial Times Survey: Singapore — Speeding into the 1990s — The mass rapid transit project". Factiva.
19. (12 January 1984). "Train fault may hinder Singapore metro bid". Factiva.
20. (12 January 1984). "New coaches built by Metro-Cammell for London Transport have been returned because they are 18mm too wide.". Factiva.
21. (22 August 1984). "More Metro-Cammell jobs go as orders drop". Factiva.