PR041/16 11 May 2016 MTR Investing in Large-Scale Station
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PR041/16 11 May 2016 MTR Investing in Large-scale Station Chiller Replacement Programme Maintains 99.9% On-Time Performance for First Four Months of 2016 The installation of new chillers at Wan Chai Station will kick off this winter to ensure that customers can continue to enjoy a comfortable station environment. The works will be followed by a large-scale chiller replacement programme at 38 MTR stations and four railway depots. Starting from the fourth quarter of 2017, a total of 160 chillers will be replaced with more advanced and environmentally friendly systems by 2023. (See Annex 1 for details) The chiller systems adjust and maintain the temperature in enclosed and underground station areas at a comfortable level for passengers. Replacement works will be carried out during the winter months when the weather is cooler while ventilation systems will be on according to usual practice to bring fresh air into the stations to minimise any impact on passengers. “A long-term commitment to invest in the upgrading of our railway assets is essential to ensure that customers continue to enjoy safe, convenient and comfortable services. We spent and invested over HK$7 billion on maintaining and upgrading our Hong Kong railway assets in 2015 and the chiller replacement programme forms part of our investment in asset replacement in the coming years. The installation works will be challenging as they will be carried out in the operating stations. During the works in Wan Chai Station, we will install additional temporary facilities when and where appropriate to ensure proper ventilation for the travelling public during the period,” said Operations Director of MTR Corporation Mr Adi Lau at a media briefing today (11 May 2016). As part of the MTR’s ongoing station improvement programme to enhance passengers’ experience, refurbishment works have commenced at Lo Wu and Kowloon Bay stations to bring more spacious environments and an even more convenient and comfortable travel experience to passengers. (See Annex 1 for details) The Corporation also gave an update on its latest train service and safety performance. For the first four months of 2016, passenger journeys on-time were maintained at a high level of 99.9%. Safety performance in 2015 showed continuous improvement over previous years. The major signalling replacement project for seven MTR lines serving the urban area has commenced, starting with the Tsuen Wan Line from late last year, and the signalling system on the East Rail Line is also being upgraded as part of the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project. The conversion of West Rail Line 7-car trains into 8-car trains is also progressively underway which has helped to ease crowding on the West Rail Line during peak hours. The conversion of all trains is expected to be completed by 2018 to serve the future SCL East West Corridor. -more- “Our continuous efforts to increase train service frequency allow us to provide extra carrying capacity. But with over 8,000 train trips now operated every weekday, it becomes even more challenging to uphold our world-class operational standard of 99.9% on-time performance for our customers. Thanks to our customers’ cooperation and vigilance on safety and with the benefit of enhanced railway facilities, I am very pleased that we have achieved both excellent service performance as well as safety records,” said Managing Director - Operations and Mainland Business Dr Jacob Kam. “Some overseas metros may temporarily suspend service for signalling upgrades, but we will do most works during overnight non-service hours in order to maintain normal service for our customers. While the signalling replacement and upgrading works are well planned and our teams of engineers and our contractors have experience in this type of complicated work, we cannot preclude unforeseen situations and I appeal to customers for their understanding if unexpected hiccups do occur. We also pledge to do our best to minimise the impact on customers as far as possible by striving to restore service quickly while providing timely information and assistance to customers, if any delay or disruption to train service does occur.” added Dr Kam. - End - About MTR Corporation MTR Corporation is regarded as one of the world’s leading railway operators for safety, reliability, customer service and cost efficiency. In its home base of Hong Kong, the Corporation operates nine commuter railway lines, a Light Rail network and a high-speed Airport Express link on which more than 5.5 million passenger trips are made on a normal week day. Another 5 million passenger trips are made on the rail services it operates outside Hong Kong in the Mainland of China, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. In addition, the Corporation is involved in a range of railway construction projects as well as railway consultancy and contracting services around the world. Leveraging on its railway expertise, the Corporation is involved in the development of transit-related residential and commercial property projects, property management, shopping malls leasing and management, advertising media and telecommunication services. For more information about MTR Corporation, please visit www.mtr.com.hk. Photo captions: 1. Dr Jacob Kam, Managing Director - Operations and Mainland Business (left) and Mr Adi Lau, Operations Director (right) of MTR Corporation introduce the latest new initiatives under “Rail Gen 2.0”. 2. Dr Jacob Kam, Managing Director - Operations and Mainland Business announces that passenger journeys on-time were maintained at 99.9% in the first four months of 2016 and the safety performance in 2015 showed continuous improvement over previous years. 3. Mr Adi Lau, Operations Director says the MTR Corporation continues to invest in the upgrading of railway assets. The latest investment is the large-scale chiller replacement programme which will provide a more comfortable station environment for customers. Annex 1 Station Improvement Programme Programme Details Wan Chai Station Chiller Installation works for 3 chillers at Wan Chai Station will kick Replacement Programme off this winter and are targeted to be completed in the first quarter of 2017. Large-scale Station Chiller A total of 160 chillers will be replaced at 38 MTR stations on Replacement Programme seven railway lines (Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, East Rail Line, West Rail Line and Tung Chung Line) and 4 railway depots from the fourth quarter of 2017 and the whole programme is targeted to be completed in 2023. 38 MTR stations including: Island Line Sheung Wan, Sai Wan Ho, North Point, Quarry Bay, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Central, Admiralty Tseung Kwan O Line Tiu Keng Leng, Tseung Kwan O, Yau Tong, Hang Hau, Po Lam Tsuen Wan Line Cheung Sha Wan, Lai King, Tai Wo Hau Kwun Tong Line Choi Hung East Rail Line Hung Hom, Kowloon Tong, Shatin, Tai Wo, Lo Wu, Mong Kok East, Tai Po Market, Fo Tan, Fanling, Sheung Shui West Rail Line Tsuen Wan West, Kam Sheung Road, Tuen Mun, Nam Cheong, Long Ping, Siu Hong, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai Tung Chung Line Tung Chung, Olympic, Operations Control Centre (Tsing Yi) Special features of new chillers: providing a more comfortable station environment for passengers equipped with variable frequency drive (VFD) inverter technology that can adjust the power capacity based on the actual temperature of the station environment enhancing energy efficiency and reaching the new Energy Efficiency Grading Standards of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2); more environmentally friendly Programme Details Lo Wu Station Refurbish arrival concourse to enhance station environment Improvement Project Refurbish public toilet facilities Station facilities such as Customer Service Centre and ticketing machines will be rearranged to create more space for better passenger flow in the arrival concourse Kowloon Bay Station Two entry gates near Exit C have been added to enhance Improvement Project access for passengers Station facilities such as Customer Service Centre and ticketing machines will be rearranged to create more space for better passenger flow .