Hong Kong’s MTR rides city’s bear craze with launch of panda-themed trains

Panda-themed trains will run in southern Hong Kong, to and from the airport and on the high-speed rail to Shenzhen and Guangzhou as the financial hub ramps up promotion of the bears to drive tourism.

Two trains operating on the South Island line connecting Admiralty and Ap Lei Chau and a thematic Airport Express train debuted on Thursday with the panda designs.

“I hope this encourages local passengers and tourists to travel around and brings joy and vibrancy to our city,” said Jeny Yeung Mei-chun, the managing director of the MTR Corporation.

Inside the train cabins, a row of six seats is covered with panda-themed stickers depicting various images of the bears, some wearing navy and shark hats while others are shown eating bamboo leaves.

Around the train windows, there are pandas dressed in the yellow jumpsuit similar to the one worn by late martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, complete with bamboo nunchucks.

The city is promoting the bears’ presence following the birth of twin cubs by Ocean Park’s female giant panda, Ying Ying, and male partner, Le Le, in August, as well as the arrival of another pair, male An An and female Ke Ke, gifted by Beijing in September.

The Panda Go! Fest HK exhibition, organised by design studio AllRightsReserved and which began earlier this month, showcased 2,500 panda sculptures at four tourist spots.