The SP1900 EMU / SP1950 EMU or IKK Train is a model of train that runs on Hong Kong's East Rail Line, West Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line. It was the second model of electric multiple unitrolling stock of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation . The trains were delivered in several phases. The phases have different model numbers but an identical appearance. The models numbers include: SP1900, SP1950, KRS991 and 1151. Unless specified, the name SP1900 would apply to describe all the model numbers in this article. Another model, 1141A, is similar in design to the SP1900, but was built by a different manufacturer and has a slightly different appearance. After the rail merger, the KCR logos on the SP1900 EMU were replaced with those of MTR, and a revised route map was introduced in the train interiors.
History
On 8 March 1999, a Japanese consortium comprising Itochu, Kinki Sharyo and Kawasaki Heavy Industries won a HK$3.1-billion contract to build a new model of commuter train for the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The contract code of these trains is SP1900, based on the technology of JR EastE231 series. KCRC has arranged ninety-six cars of 250, in twelve-car configuration, 8 sets of train joining the train fleet of East Rail Line with the existing Metro Cammell EMU. The SP1900 trains started service on the East Rail Line in 2001. It is known for its quiet design compared to former EMUs. The remaining 154 cars were reserved until the inauguration of West Rail Line in December 2003. They had been arranged in seven-car configuration, with 22 sets of trains running on the system. In December 2000, KCRC reordered 72 cars of the same model, with different contract code, SP1950, prepared for the inauguration of Ma On Shan Line in December 2004, totalling 18 sets of train in four-car configuration. In January 2006, another contract KRS991 was signed by the KCRC, ordering an additional 34 compartments of the same model, in preparation for the Kowloon Southern Link, which was opened in 2009. Twenty-eight of them were formed into four seven-car trains, and the remaining six compartments joined eight existing ones from two trains on Ma On Shan Line to form another two seven-car trains. The new trains arrived from October 2007 and now serve the West Rail Line.
Design and capacity
The SP1900 trains feature a completely difference appearance from the older Metro-Cammell EMU on the East Rail Line. Most notably, the "head" car, D car, presents a slight bullet train-shaped head for better acceleration against air drag at high speeds. Its exterior livery is almost identical to the older trains following refurbishment, with five sliding doors on each side of the standard compartment and two on each side of the first class compartment, of which one is normally unused. The interior of SP1900 is yellowish with blue flooring, with fully longitudinal seating akin to the M-Trains on the urban lines and a wider gangway connection than the refurbished Metro Cammell EMUs. Each car has six 15-inch LCD monitors mounted on stanchions and broadcasting looping daily TV news provided by Cable TV Hong Kong, advertisements and safety guidelines when announcements are being broadcast. Two small video cameras are mounted in opposite positions on each car for driver to keep the train under surveillance. Whereas manufacturer Kinki Sharyo listed capacity upward of 430 for D-cars and 452 for others, as well as 72 seats for first-class carriages, MTR's corporate publications specifies that car capacities in the three lines as "52 seated and up to 286 standing", with first-class compartment allowing "72 seated and up to 144 standing". In 2007, KCRC introduced customized "Art Unlimited" exterior wraps on one East Rail set and one West Rail set, featuring pro-modern plane art exhibitions dedicated by public volunteers on both the exterior and interior of the train compartments. The wraps were removed right before the operator's merger with MTRC by the end of that year. Signalling variance on the individual lines resulted in trains on the East Rail Line being installed with TBL. Trains on the other two routes has been installed the SelTrac. The control and monitor panel inside the driver cab is different between the two controlling systems, in spite of the fact that they're mounted on the same model of train.
Conversion
In 24 January 2014, the MTRC, now operating the West Rail Line on KCRC's behalf, ordered another 36 new cars to convert the SP1900 sets on all three lines to 8-car configurations for the futureEast West Corridor. The newly converted SP1900 trains are also retrofitted with dynamic route map displays that replace the existing plastic maps above the doorways, and will receive larger 22-inch LCD TVs in the near future. They retain the KCR livery with blue bodies and red doors, and will operate solely on the East West Corridor. Until the opening of the East West Corridor in 2019, the converted trains continue to serve separately on the West Rail and Ma On Shan Lines, but will be withdrawn from the East Rail Line and be replaced with new Hyundai Rotem EMUs. A separate order was also made for 136 carriages from Changchun Railway Vehicles to form several new 8-car sets for the East West Corridor, operating alongside the SP1900 sets. Unlike the IKK trains, these new trains have the same livery as the SIL C-Trains and R-Trains on the North South Corridor, and are essentially facelifted versions of the SP1900 design, with major differences being the cab ends and electrical equipment. These trains are called the EWL C-Train and entered service on the Ma On Shan Line in 12 March 2017.
Major incidents
At 09:15 on February 14, 2007, a passenger train of West Rail SP1900 broke down when one of the transformers mounted on the train roof exploded. It is suspected that the overheated transformer caused its insulating oil to vaporise, thus causing the explosion. In addition, the circuit breaker of the transformer apparently failed to cut the power supply to the transformer. The scene was in the Tai Lam Tunnel southbound track, about 2 km from Tsuen Wan West Station. Around 650 passengers had to evacuate through the dark tunnel to the station, and around 340 people returned to the ground through a ventilation shaft at Chai Wan Kok. 11 passengers were sent to the hospital. Train services returned to normal after four hours. As a gesture of apology, Mr Michael Tien, the KCRC chairman, announced that the West Rail would be opened for free rides on 9am to 1pm at February 21, 2007, the first working day after the Chinese New Year holiday.
Train configurations
The configuration of a SP1900 train on East Rail Line in revenue service is D-P-M-H-C-H-M-P-F-M-P-D. For West Rail Line, 7-car trains have revenue service of D-P-M-C-M-P-D and 8-car trains have revenue service of D-P-M-H-C-M-P-D. On Ma On Shan Line, 4-car SP1950 trains have revenue service of D-P-M-D and 8-car SP1900/SP1950/C1151 trains have revenue service of D-P-M-H-C-M-P-D. Quiet cars on East Rail Line are cars 1, 4, 11 and cars 2, 9, 12. For West Rail Line, quiet cars are in cars 1, 4, cars 4, 7, all D cars. For 4-car trains on Ma On Shan Line, all M cars are quiet cars while 8-car trains have quiet cars on cars 1 and 8 respectively. The English letter prefix indicates the type of car.
