The Tai Lam Tunnel () on the MTR

Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a commuter rail / rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of 27 stations, more than a ...

, at , was previously the longest transport tunnel in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. It was completed in 2003. The tunnel was built by a joint venture between and Dragages. To its southeast are the Tsing Tsuen Tunnels and to its northeast is the Pat Heung Depot. Further northwest are station and the Kam Sheung Road–Tuen Mun Viaduct.

Major incidents

The Tai Lam Tunnel was the location of a major explosion on 14 February 2007. At 09:15 am, a West Rail SP1900 passenger train (D305/306) broke down when one of the

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

s (numbered P306) 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 tunnel's southbound track, about 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 Michael Tien Puk-sun (; born 26 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 and U2 Clothing retail chains and former ...

, 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

Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar ye ...

holiday.

References

Railway tunnels in Hong Kong Tunnels completed in 2003 2003 establishments in Hong Kong {{kCR-stub