Doraemon on board: Hong Kong’s high-speed rail gets manga makeover
- Themed carriages featuring beloved Japanese cartoon character set for service on cross-border rail, with MTR Corp hoping for tourism boost
Passengers on high-speed trains between Hong Kong and mainland China will be able to travel in style with decorated cabins featuring beloved cartoon character Doraemon from Saturday.
The MTR Corporation said on Friday the 34 themed trains could help boost the city’s tourism drive, with the playful designs on display across 14 days between Saturday and August 18.
“The cross-boundary train has become some mainland tourists’ first impression of Hong Kong,” said Paul Wong Kah-ming, the chief of the MTR Corp’s cross-boundary segment.
He added the project would “drive more visitors to the city over the summer holidays”.
“And this is the first time we pass the joy represented by Doraemon to the mainland,” he said.
AllRightsReserved, a Hong Kong creative studio, has collaborated with the MTR Corp on the project to create more than 50 designs of the famous Japanese robot cat which are scattered across the interior and exterior of cabins.
Half of the themed trains will travel from Hong Kong’s West Kowloon terminus to Guangzhou South, Shenzhen North and Futian stations, with the other half returning from these destinations to the city.
