MTR passengers can ride on a replica of the rail operator's first-generation trains from Thursday, as part of the company's 45th anniversary celebrations.

The train will run on various lines until the end of the year and will be showcased at Choi Hung Station on Saturday morning.

It has the red and white front of the first-generation trains, as well as the MTR logo from back in the day.

Inside there are the ball-shaped straphangers of old, and an orange-yellow ceiling.

Lighting has also been adjusted to a yellowish colour to give passengers a sense that they are travelling back in time.

Aaron was among hundreds of train enthusiasts who boarded the inaugural train at Choi Hung on Thursday afternoon.

"The first time we saw the train we [thought] that it is quite [similar] to what we saw [in] the historical photos," he said.

Another fan told RTHK that the ball-shaped shapehangers felt better on the hand compared to the red-coloured handles used on other trains.