All seven-carriage trains serving the MTR West Rail Line will be converted to eight-carriage by the end of next year to meet the rising transport demand in the northwest New Territories.
Secretary for Transport & Housing Prof Anthony Cheung told legislators today the move will boost the line's overall capacity by 14%.
It presently operates 20 one-way trains per hour during peak times.
Carriage conversion started in phases in January last year to dovetail with the construction of the Sha Tin-Central Link to connect with the West Rail to form the East-West Corridor.
A total of 11 eight-carriage trains had been put into service by the end of last year, increasing the line's hourly capacity by 7.5% during peak hours.
As part of the Sha Tin-Central Link project, the MTR Corporation is upgrading the line's signalling system to prepare for the increase in train frequency.
The corporation is also procuring new train cars and retrofitting existing ones.
When all the new and revamped trains are put into service by mid-2019, the line will be able operate 24 one-way trains at full capacity per hour, boosting overall passenger volume by 37% compared to 2015.
On Light Rail service, the corporation has deployed extra single-carriage trains to run short-haul distances during peak hours to complement the existing service provided by two-carriage trains.
Prof Cheung added the corporation will buy 10 more Light Rail trains, which will be delivered from 2019 to 2023.
On long-term railway development, he said the Government will launch a transport infrastructure study in line with the Hong Kong 2030+ development strategy, which will cover Lantau Island, the northwest New Territories and northern New Territories.
Funding will be sought from the Legislative Council to start the study.
