--- title: "Transit giant CRRC redoubles Hong Kong push as sales pitch to overseas cities" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/295862442.md" description: "CRRC aims to use Hong Kong's Kai Tak waterfront as a testbed for its autonomous bus system (ART) to boost overseas expansion. Executives believe a successful local deployment will provide a compelling sales pitch for other global metropolises, despite geopolitical and data privacy concerns. Analysts note that Hong Kong's mature transport infrastructure offers valuable lessons for international growth, emphasizing the need for CRRC to compete on product quality rather than just price." datetime: "2026-08-14T00:32:08.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/295862442.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295862442.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/295862442.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Transit giant CRRC redoubles Hong Kong push as sales pitch to overseas cities Nearly 30 years after the closure of Hong Kong’s iconic Kai Tak Airport, state-owned giant China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) hopes to provide the nearby waterfront area – a narrow stretch of land that juts into Victoria Harbour – with a route to better transit connectivity. Executives from the world-leading railway vehicle manufacturer said the company aims to use the former airport site as a test bed for an autonomous bus system, and a potential runway for overseas expansion. They added that CRRC intends to use trackless, electric autonomous rapid transit (ART) buses to link Kai Tak to the wider city, at a lower cost than a metro or tram system. A successful project in Hong Kong may help the transport giant win further projects in large metropolises outside China. However, geopolitics and concerns over data and privacy may threaten to stymie the plans, with observers arguing that to win trust and orders CRRC must compete on more than just price. Earlier this week, the South China Morning Post joined a site trip to a production base in Yibin, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, where several ART lines had been operating since 2018. On board one of the vehicles crossing downtown Yibin, Yang Tao, general manager of CRRC subsidiary Zhixing, the operator of the local ART system, commented on the system’s potential. “We are confident that ART can contribute to Hong Kong, in particular, to link Kai Tak to the rest of the city … It is a viable, cost-effective urban transport solution.” If Hong Kong eventually adopts ART, we will have a compelling case … to make a better sales pitch overseas to talk to other big metropolises Yang Tao, CRRC subsidiary Zhixing While the CRRC has won deals from abroad, with ART vehicles assembled in Yibin set to be shipped to Kuching in Malaysia and Daejeon in South Korea, its ambitions go beyond the two countries. “If Hong Kong eventually adopts ART, we will have a compelling case … to make a better sales pitch overseas to talk to other big metropolises,” Yang said. Analysts said Hong Kong had an outsize role in the CRRC’s push for a global footprint. “Though the local market is small, Hong Kong as a mature city can pave the way, with highly pertinent reference and lessons for further overseas expansion,” said Qu Ke, a transport analyst at CCB International (CCBI). “The same logic applies to Chinese EV makers, as they also make a beeline to the \[special administrative region\] with their best products.” Hong Kong was known for its efficient, high-coverage transport, where a mix of public transport options – buses, the MTR, trams and minibuses – combined with complex road conditions in a hyper-developed urban environment can be both a challenge and opportunity, Qu noted. Qu said just like the redevelopment of Kai Tak, major global cities faced diverse local challenges and that there was demand for differentiated products and tailored solutions like ART. “If ART can work and seamlessly integrate into Hong Kong’s multilevel transport system, the appeal is obvious,” he said. “CRRC has to compete on a well-rounded product portfolio, not just pricing.” ART transport leverages autonomous technology, optical lidar and cameras, and its vehicles travel a predetermined route while sensors communicate with traffic lights to obtain priority, like entering a fast lane, ahead of other road users to avoid congestion and ensure high, steady speeds. The vehicles can travel at around 70km/h (43mph) and carry up to 300 passengers, according to specifications provided by CRRC. Configuration can vary from two carriages to four, while multi-axle hydraulic steering systems on individual cars ensure manoeuvrability despite their length. The vehicles require side clearance, similar to conventional buses. Partnerships with Hong Kong operators in the broader transit sector are already making headway, which may help internationalise both ART’s standards and products, said Jin Guozhong, chief engineer at the CRRC Qishuyan Institute in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, during a media event in March. This January, the MTR Corporation’s team-up with CRRC won a contract for the new Sydney Metro West project in Australia. Cooperation with Hong Kong may also address concerns over data protection, CCBI’s Qu said, due to the city’s well-rounded data and privacy laws. Considerations of convenience and ease of use may outweigh concerns over data collection in Asia Qu Ke, CCB International “In markets like Hong Kong and Singapore, public awareness of data and privacy is higher than mainland China,” he said. “Yet in general, considerations of convenience and ease of use may outweigh concerns over data collection in Asia.” The CRRC has also sought to dispel what it referred to as “misunderstandings” about its data collection. “Cameras and sensors on an ART bus do not collect excessive data … They are for navigation and communication with traffic lights for the priority to pass a crossing,” said Yang, the CRRC executive, who added that any data collected would be processed locally. Yang said, however, that geopolitics had become a roadblock, making sales to the US and western Europe unlikely, although delegations from California and elsewhere had visited plants in China back in 2017. In April, CRRC dropped its bid for a Lisbon metro deal after the EU said that its state subsidies gave it an unfair advantage. “Asia, Eastern Europe and Belt and Road Initiative countries are now our focus,” Yang said. ### Related Stocks - [01766.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/01766.HK.md) - [601766.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/601766.CN.md) - [00066.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/00066.HK.md) ## Related News & Research - [CRRC Schedules Online Briefing to Discuss 2026 Interim Results with Investors](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297647257.md) - [CRRC schedules interim results briefing](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297641477.md) - [CUTRIC Has Lost The Right To Be Treated As A Neutral Transit Authority](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297610508.md) - [Chengdu Expressway Reshapes Board as Veteran Non-Executive Director Retires](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297181076.md) - [I traded my electric motorcycle for a gasoline bike on vacation. 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