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    Following is a question by the Hon Ho Chung-tai and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 16) :

Question:

    It has been reported that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC) would introduce fully automated train service in two to three years.  By then, all of its trains would not be manned by train operators.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a) which countries are already using fully automated operation systems for their railways and whether such systems have ever had any train incidents;

(b) how MTRC will ensure that, in the event of an incident involving a fully automated train, the passengers inside the train can receive prompt assistance; and

(c) the MTRC's estimated amount of savings achieved by the use of a fully automated train system and the annual maintenance cost for such a system?

Reply:

Madam President,

    The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has no plan to implement Fully Automatic Operation (FAO) on its existing railway system, except for the Disneyland Resort Line (DRL), which is a 3.5-km resort line running between two stations.  In Hong Kong, the Automated People Mover operating in the Hong Kong International Airport also adopts FAO.

    We understand that a number of overseas countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore have adopted FAO for some of their metros since the 1980s.  Cases in point are the Metro Line 14 of Paris, the North East MRT Line of Singapore, and the Sky Train Millennium Line of Vancouver.  We have no information on the incident statistics of these metros.  However, these fully automated railway lines are known to have satisfactory performance in terms of safety and reliability.

    The Government and MTRCL consider passenger safety the most important criterion when assessing the introduction of new railway facilities and technologies.  The Corporation is required to meet stringent safety requirements before commencing operation on any new part of the railway or bringing into use any additional or modified major facilities, equipment, systems, trains or new technologies.

    In the case of DRL, train-borne communications equipment and a public address system will be provided in train compartments to enable direct communication between passengers on train and the train controller at the control centre.  Apart from station staff, additional staff will also be deployed by MTRCL to provide assistance to passengers on board when needed.  The Corporation will develop a set of robust operational procedures to the satisfaction of Government departments concerned for the operation of DRL train and ensure that its staff is fully conversant with the operation.

    Regular drills and exercises will be conducted to ensure and review the adequacy of the procedures and staff competence.

    Since MTRCL has no plan to introduce FAO on its existing railway system, the Corporation does not have the estimated savings or maintenance cost for such.

Ends/Wednesday, March 16, 2005

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