Thousands hit in five hours of travel chaos after MTR power blackout
Thousands suffer as loose cable halts trains, leaving six stations shut and bus terminals jammed
A power failure on the Tseung Kwan O line halted MTR services for nearly five hours yesterday, plunging the city's transport network into chaos.
A Yau Ma Tei-bound train broke down in a tunnel at 12.40pm, forcing about 150 passengers to walk on the track to Yau Tong station.
The train slowed down after an explosion … then there were two more explosions
Cross-harbour services were also halted for more than an hour in what was the worst disruption on the line in a decade.
Six MTR stations were forced to close, leaving thousands of passengers in limbo and causing a rush to bus stations, which were quickly jammed.
Commuters were angered by the failure of the MTR Corp's contingency plans. Services did not resume until 5.35pm.
An inspection found that a 30-metre section of an overhead power line had come loose and dangled as low as one metre from the tunnel ceiling between Yau Tong and Tiu Keng Leng stations. Lo Chi-ho, divisional commander of Kowloon East's Fire Services Department, said: "We suspect a train was travelling in this section of the tunnel and was in contact with the overhead power cable, causing a power failure."