I have exchanged several letters with Hong Kong Tramways about the work undertaken on their tracks.
I have pointed out that when they repair rails by welding overnight, which does not cause any disruption to traffic, they usually make the broken rail joint even noisier.
I wrote to these columns about broken and badly repaired tram rails, particularly along Johnston Road where I live ('No need for noisy trams', October 26). Following publication of my letter, the company undertook a lot of repairs along Johnston Road and you could hear the loud 'clunk-clunk' noise almost every nine to 18 metres.
As a passenger, you could feel this bump in your seat and it was a very unpleasant experience.
Hong Kong Tramways wrote to me to say they 'strive to maintain tram tracks at their optimal performance by conducting regular maintenance checks'. But in return I asked them if 'optimal performance means badly repaired and excessively noisy rail joints at the same frequency as along Johnston Road'.
The company did not reply to that question, but pointed out that the only way to repair rails so that they were noise-free was to completely replace the track.
This would require partial day-time road closures for which they would need the permission of the Transport Department.