Hong Kong subway trains collide amid new signal system trials

[bill937ca]

Two subway trains have collided during a new signal system test in Hong Kong, halting services and threatening travel disruption for millions of commuters.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47607676

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/18/hong-kong-faces-commuter-chaos-after-rare-train-collision

 

 

 

[Socimi]

Ouch.

 

This is probably the first accident directly involving more than one train since the opening of the Hong Kong MTR, 40 years ago (other accidents before were rare, small derailments or trains hitting the buffers of non-revenue storage tracks).

 

The accident happened on the cross-tracks between Central and Admiralty stations on the Tsuen-Wan Line.

 

The trains involved are two 8-car M-stock sets, built in 1979 by Metro-Cammell and rebuilt to their present state by Gonian in 1998. 

 

The new signalling system in question is the Thales SelTrac CBTC-type moving-block signalling system wich is scheduled to replace the BREL + Mitsubishi Electric analogue ATC system in use on the three oldest lines of the MTR network: Kwun-Tong Line (1979), Tsuen-Wan Line (1979 as part of the original line, 1982 as separate line) and Island Line (1985).

 

The Tahles SelTrac was also blamed for the 2017 Joo Koon station rear-ending incident on the very similar Singapore MRT.

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by Socimi
fixed syntax and typos