Hong Kong's first high-speed train rolls off assembly line

A train for Hong Kong's first high-speed rail rolled off the assembly line on Thursday in east China's coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong Province. Manufactured by Sifang Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corporation (CSR), the train is based on CSR's CRH380A model and customized according to the requirements of Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR). CSR and MTR signed a deal for nine high-speed trains in March 2012. The other eight trains will be delivered by the end of 2014. Each train has eight compartments and can run at a speed of 350 kph, according to Tao Guidong, senior engineer with CSR. The rail line, which is expected to enter service in 2015, will link Hong Kong and Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, shortening the travel time to less than 48 minutes, Tao said.