PT Demands

Recently, there was an article in the SCMP concerning an upgrade in the frequency on the Tung Chung Line (TCL), not due to increased demand, but due to increased demands from travellers. They felt that the eight minute headway on the TCL was too long.

(Also see: Tung Chung Line Train Service Enhancement.)

MTRC responded by promising to buy enough additional rolling stock to go to four minute headways during the peaks, but opined that passengers only used the centre of the trains in any case, the part near the escalators.

So why doesn't the MTR just shorten the trains from eight to six carriages to cover the bits near the escalators and provide the more frequent services without buying new rolling stock? One eight train car per eight minutes or two six train cars per eight minutes. This would require some extra drivers, but drivers are a very small fraction of the cost of operating a rail line.