INTRO: One of 23 seven-car trains for Hong Kong’s airport line is to be shipped from Germany this month
TEN WEEKS of trials with one of the first trains for Hong Kong MTR Corp’s airport line culminated in a media presentation on July 2 at the Adtranz works in Hennigsdorf near Berlin. The train had previously undergone static tests in Spain following assembly by CAF and is due to be shipped this month to Hong Kong for final trials and commissioning. Other units have already been delivered directly from Spain to Hong Kong.
The set on display was one of 12 seven-car units for the Tung Chung line, which will carry commuters from Lantau island into Hong Kong. They form part of an order for 23 trains, the other 11 being Airport Express line sets destined to carry airline passengers when Chek Lap Kok airport opens in the middle of next year.
The two types of train have the same performance characteristics with a maximum speed of 135 km/h, although the air-conditioned interiors are quite different. The AEL sets have 64 seats per car with room for 84 standees and plenty of luggage space, but in the high-density TCL cars there are only 48 bench seats, leaving room for 327 passengers to stand. Provision is made for disabled passengers on both designs. The TCL sets have five pairs of double-leaf sliding plug doors on each side, while the AEL trains have two doorways per side.
In the Adtranz-led joint venture that won the job to build the trains in 1994 the German company is responsible for the 1·5 kV DC traction package and control equipment, while CAF is supplying aluminium bodyshells, bogies, interiors and auxiliaries. On each of the five power cars all four axles are motored. Self-ventilated three-phase motors with a nominal rating of 265 kW power the axles through a flexible drive.
The contract is worth DM437m, of which DM136m is the Adtranz share. Subcontractors include Sepsa, supplier of the fault diagnosis equipment and air-conditioning, SAB-Wabco (brakes), Ikusi (passenger information) and Woodville Polymers (gangways). CAF is supplying doors, with Bode of Germany providing the mechanisms and Bemag of Düsseldorf the door control software. Marconi is providing two driving simulators.
According to Project Manager David Barry, the trials have not revealed any serious problems, although some work will be necessary to reduce noise levels. Noise is one of several demanding areas in MTR Corp’s specification: safety, electromagnetic compatibility, ease of maintenance, reliability, and fire protection are others. These are addressed in a ’System Assurance Plan’ that provides for the performance of individual components and the whole train to be monitored and checked continuously during design and commissioning.
MTR Corp envisages that as demand rises in the longer term, the AEL trains will be lengthened to 10-car sets and the TCL units to eight cars. o
CAPTION: Above and centre: One of 12 seven-car TCL trains destined to carry commuters from Lantau island to Hong Kong has spent 10 weeks undergoing trials on the Adtranz test track at Hennigsdorf
Above right: The spartan interior of the TCL trains contrasts with the luxurious seating for airline passengers in the AEL units
