Hong Kong’s MTR makes navigating our cities smarter, more efficient, and more digital than ever
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HONG KONG’S MTR MAKES NAVIGATING OUR CITIES SMARTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND MORE DIGITAL THAN EVER WRITTEN BY
RACHAEL DAVIS PRODUCED BY
KRISTOFER PALMER
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w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
MTR
Renowned for its efficient, reliable and tech-optimised railways, MTR is making travel smarter than ever. CEO Dr Jacob Kam tells how technology enhances integrated, streamlined and sustainable public transport
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enturing into a new decade, a crucial and pertinent question in urban planning revolves around how to make our cities
smarter. A pivotal aspect of more intelligent city 04
living is public transport, ensuring residents can navigate their daily lives efficiently, reliably, and increasingly more sustainably. MTR operates Hong Kong’s railway services, and is also a key property developer and manager in the city. It additionally invests, or takes part in O&M contracts for rail services in eight other cities globally: Beijing, Hangzhou, Macao, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm and London. In Hong Kong, the railway is the backbone of the city’s transport. Public transit is the most used mode of transport: 90% of citizens use public transport in their daily lives. Train travel is the most efficient way of moving large amounts of people through the compact city, and MTR has made social and environmental friendliness a priority.
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Advanced digital technologies are enhancing MTR’s asset management and customer service. w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
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Keep Hong Kong Moving: How Thales and MTR Corporation Drive Digitalisation of Metro Systems Thales and MTR are entering their 25th year of collaboration. Since first cooperation on the Lantau Airport Railway, MTR has trusted Thales to assist in the rapid expansion and digitalisation of its metro systems. As a central contributor to this project, Thales’ systems in the OCC have played a key role in its success. Driven by data, the multiple systems control components of the MTR ranging from power supply, electromechanical equipment, and the environment facilities within the network. This helps to ensure smooth train services and optimizes power consumption, making the network greener and more efficient while consistently providing an excellent passenger experience. Through early localisation of its Hong Kong business, Thales garnered a deep understanding of the customer requirements allowing to quickly support local needs. This has been a crucial step in building trust with local partners and establishing a long-standing and robust relationship with MTR. The partnership now focuses on digitalisation. Thales has been committed to digital technology for many years and has been supporting the MTR’s transformation by advancing the rails’ connectivity and smart capabilities. The Hong Kong MTR will soon employ Thales’ predictive maintenance facilities to anticipate technical faults in trackside equipment. Leveraging Big Data and AI, this warning system can pinpoint in advance exactly when and where equipment failure will occur, enabling corrective maintenance to correct it before its failure. This is critical to the continued improvement of services. MTR is taking its expertise in railway operations worldwide. In 2019, Thales extended the scope of its partnership with MTR to the expansion of the Central Control and Communication Systems for the Sydney Metro to City & Southwest. Thales continues to be proud partners with MTR, supporting their ambitions to provide its exemplary service both at home and abroad, and keep cities across the world moving.
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Made to move you
Digitalisation is at the heart of
“We believe that the only way to
MTR’s drive to enhance public trans-
push beyond the current high perfor-
port for the masses, says CEO Dr
mance is through better digital
Jacob Kam. Utilising smart technology
technology,” says Kam, and utilising
facilitates enhanced customer ser-
this technology in asset management
vice, improved asset management,
is an important step. “One aspect is
and a more efficient and reliable ser-
discovering how best to predict fail-
vice. MTR’s trains already run at an
ure, so that we can act on that failure
on-time performance of 99.94%, but
before it happens. This predictive
customers want better. Through its
maintenance relies on image and
ongoing digital transformation, MTR
data analytics supported by artificial
aims to enhance the reliability, effi-
intelligence and helps us to regularly
ciency and integration of their
inspect our equipment and detect
services, not only in Hong Kong but
any problem early and consistently,”
in its other global cities of operation.
Kam explains.
DI D YO U K N OW?
• On-time performance is at 99.94% • 90% of Hong Kong’s residents use public transport
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E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Jacob Kam Dr Jacob Kam joined the Company in 1995 and had held various management positions in Operations, Projects and Mainland China and International Business Divisions. He was appointed as the CEO on 1 April 2019, and has been a Member of the Board since then. Before the CEO appointment, Dr Kam was the Operations Director between January 2011 and April 2016 and the Managing Director – Operations and Mainland Business from May 2016. As CEO, Dr Kam is responsible for all performances of the Company and its group companies both in and outside of Hong Kong. w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
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Roctec Technology Limited E: info@roctec.com.hk W: roctec.com.hk
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AI is also used to assist with planned construction and maintenance on MTR’s railways. Using AI to optimise planning, it is possible to maximise the usage of the line when it is not in service to minimise the disruption when unavoidable planned construction or system upgrades are
1975
Year founded
$53.9bn Revenue in HK dollars
necessary, and ensure that ongoing works do not disrupt the functional rail lines. AI-enhanced driving is a tool which goes hand-in-hand with more reliable operations. MTR’s trains already have
47,327 Number of employees
automatic operation, but sometimes the fail-safe principle will slow operations. By introducing artificial intelligence into the driving of trains,
Intelligent Inspection Robot
Big Data Studio
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“ To use public transport is, in itself, a way of making travelling more efficient and environmentally sustainable — but of course we have ongoing energy saving schemes which we invest a significant amount of money in” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
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MTR’s state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre is at the heart of Hong Kong’s heavy rail network.
MTR will be able to mitigate this risk
meet a customer demand. Furthermore,
when every second counts in train
MTR is providing real-time service
operations.
information to their customers, such
At the heart of these applications
as when the next train is due to arrive,
of technology is the drive to improve
and plans to expand its offerings to
the customer experience. Advanced
include how crowded trains will be and
data analytics are being used by MTR
which carriages have space available.
to predict customer movements and
This real-time information is even
demands to better plan its service – in
available for very frequent services,
due course, the same technology will
Kam explains. “On many of our lines,
be used even to respond in real-time to
our train service frequency is already w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
FOR BETTER RAIL TRANSPORTATION Traffic Control Technology (“TCT”) is the most innovative and customer centric player in the rail transit industry, formed a close partnership with HK MTR – the world’s leading transit rail service provider to develop state-of-the-art systems, including big data analytics in supporting real time track side equipment performance monitoring and analysis, intelligent detection system as “the independent and additional robotic intelligent driver’s eye” to improve operation safety under manual or degraded modes.
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MTR Global Brand Video CLICK TO WATCH
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3:30
17 at a few minute intervals. However,
accessible on demand. By investing
our customers still want to know
its assets into the concept of MaaS,
when the next train is coming,” he
MTR is subscribing to the cohesive
says. This use of data not only allows
concept of a door-to-door transport
MTR to help its customers plan their
system, aiming to provide a “total
journeys, but also allows the opera-
solution” to its customers’ transport
tor to assess demand and improve
needs, Kam says.
availability, frequency and reliability in the long term. Reliability and maximum conveni-
In practice, this would mean that when customers need to use a variety of modes of transport — for example
ence are two of the core values of
taking a taxi to a train station, taking
Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an
an MTR train, then taking a bus to
industry-wide initiative which aims to
their final destination — MTR can
integrate various modes of transport
have a hand in arranging every aspect
into a single mobility service,
of this service to make it as consistent w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
MTR
C OM PA NY PARTNERS
Kone “The new Kone escalators and lifts are equipped with a digital controller to view a status and fault log for troubleshooting, and to remotely control ON/OFF to pave for smart station operation.”
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Roctec “Roctec is an Information & Communications Technology solution provider for MTR. They provide Integrated Speed and Position Supervision System (iSPS) in Light Rail, Smart Tunnel for location tracking, and Infotainment & Advertising Systems.”
Traffic Control Technology Co.,Ltd “TCT provide advanced
technological alternatives to enable a wider spectrum for smart metro operation options in MTR, including the trial of a Train Intelligent Detection System on one of our metro lines.”
Hyundai Rotem “Rotem is currently working on the incorporation of a digital track inspection system onto the new FAO train for a new line, and they are also actively working on the technical proposal on automatic wheelset maintenance centre using robots.”
Siemens “There are several asset condition monitoring data analytics projects which MTR is conducting Proof of Concepts together with Siemens. These systems include Platform Screen Doors, Signalling system, Main Control System, etc.”
OTIS
Arup
“OTIS has provided strong support to MTRCL in conducting studies on innovation initiatives for escalators, including Escalator Comb Object Identification, Escalator Step Vibration Monitoring and Automatic Speed Change Systems. These aim to enhance passenger safety, escalator reliability and customer service.”
“We have worked with Arup on some initial concepts of applying technologies to our Smart City initiatives, focusing on sustainability initiatives such as driverless modes of transport, use of drones and innovations in operation of shopping malls and initiatives on energy saving concepts. We are also looking at possible collaboration on applying more digital technologies for project and construction management.”
Thales “Thales started early collaboration with MTR on smart operation in pilot implementation of full automatic control in Disneyland Resort Line. They continued various provision of advanced train control systems in our network for both greenfield and brownfield application.”
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“ Our on-time performance is already one of the highest in the world — but our customers want even better” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
as possible. Its analysts will gain access to enhanced user and demand data, leading to new opportunities to serve unmet demand. MTR is able to take this concept a step further, as its ventures include a property business run under the same umbrella as its railway. MTR properties, which incorporate not only railway stations but residential and commercial buildings as well as luxury, regional and neighbourhood shopping malls, “creates a better, 21
MTR has achieved financial and environmental sustainability by integrating rail and property. w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
more integrated living and travelling
together. Consolidating the supply
environment for our customers,”
chain of multiple industries, and
Kam says.
thinking macroscopically about soci-
“Theoretically, customers could
ety as a whole gives MTR an edge
travel from their home — a property
in building customer trust and retain-
managed by us, to an MTR railway,
ing loyalty across different markets.
to their office block which is man-
Naturally, the various innovations
aged by us, have lunch or meet
and initiatives are supported by a
friends in a shopping mall managed
range of partnerships. MTR works
by us,” he expands. This synergy
closely with Kone, Rotec, Beijing
not only retains custom and builds
Traffic Control Technology, Hyundai
trust within the market, but creates
Rotem, Siemens, OTIS, Thales and
an integrated society where loosely-
Arup to deliver its services efficiently
related aspects of daily life are
and sustainably by employing pio-
connected to run seamlessly
neering technology.
“ The only way to push beyond the current high performance is through better digital technology” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
MTR actively encourages the use
analytics to push efficiency to a new
of public transport by making the
level, MTR fulfills its mission to “Keep
process streamlined, efficient and high-
Cities Moving” with a sustainable finan-
functioning: an essential stance not
cial model, upgraded assets, and an
only as the world’s cities become more
intelligent approach to public transport.
populated, but also as a defence against unsustainable, environmentallyhazardous travel habits. Using electric trains and energy-saving schemes, reducing waste and employing data w w w. m t r. c o m . hk
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MTR Corporation Limited MTR Headquarters Building Telford Plaza 33 Wai Yip Street Kowloon Bay Kowloon Hong Kong www.mtr.com.hk