As part of the MTR’s 45 th anniversary celebrations, the “Station Rail Voyage” exhibition offers a captivating glimpse into the railway stories that have shaped our collective memory—a cherished archive of moments and milestones. Launched in April 2025, the exhibition will close at the end of 2025.
The exhibition celebrates the combined heritage of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and the former Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) systems (including KCR’s Light Rail) through 3 zones:
Decoding Rail - addressing the mysteries of signalling and signalling lights (signalling is the nervous system that controls the operations of all railway systems) and train components including MTR’s Rado clock, a features for many years on MTR Station platforms.
Years on the Rail - featuring stories and railway artefacts collected by railway staff over the decades.
Retired Trains - not Thomas the Tank Engine, but Yellow Head (KCR’s first generation electric train), Trevor (a Diesel Electric locomotive), an East Rail Line Mid-Life Refurbishment (MLR) train and a KTT double decker electric cross border train that ran between Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
Since the launch of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) in 1910, Hong Kong’s railway development has spanned over a century—marking milestones station by station. The debut of the Mass Transit Railway in 1979 and the 2007 merger of MTR Corporation and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation further propelled the city’s transit evolution.
More than just a mode of transport, the railway has become a thread woven into the fabric of Hong Kong’s social and urban development—linking lives, memories, and journeys across generations. Bring back old memories, or learn some history, through the time machine that is this exhibition.
The Speakers
The Exhibition is self-guided and docents are not provided by MTR. However, Stephen and Maurice who have both been involved with MTR and KCR over many years, have agreed to share with us their personal knowledge and experiences to provide background and context, where they can, to the exhibits.
Neither Stephen or Maurice have visited the Exhibition, so their accounts will be unrehearsed, and they will welcome interaction with attendees.
Stephen Tennant is a Chartered Civil Engineering Surveyor and Quantity Surveyor and a Council Member of the RASHK. He is a practising Expert Witness in Arbitration and Litigation dealing with construction related disputes. A resident of Hong Kong since January 1980, he was involved in the construction of several sections of MTR lines and the double tracking of KCR. Whilst he never worked for MTR or KCR, he worked for contractors who undertook various construction contracts for those two companies, including stations, concourses, together with elevated, at grade and underground rail lines.
Maurice O’Brien is a Chartered Civil Engineer. He is currently a Rail and Facilities Consultant. A Resident of Hong Kong since 1977, he worked for KCR since 1983 with his last position being General Manager Infrastructure & Buildings leading a team of over 1,000 staff managing assets valued in 2005 in excess of HK$50B. Those assests included all railway engineering disciplines (except Rolling Stock) for East, West and Light Rail, includingAutomatic Revenue Collection, Building, Civil Engineering, Electircal Engineering, Signalling and Communications.
PROGRAMME
Admission: $100 for members, $150 for guests /non-members
Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration.
Please kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe’s payment links below (using your Credit Card):
Members ($100):
https://buy.stripe.com/28EfZi08Y2W4c5d6NX5EY2m
Non-member / Guest ($150):
https://buy.stripe.com/7sY14of3SeEMedlegp5EY2n
Details about the other payment option will be sent on registration. Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be confirmed by email. Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 8 September 2025.