Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation accused of deceiving public over construction blunders for HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link
Lawmakers blast rail operator as company admits it failed to inform police after finding on five occasions a subcontractor had cut corners
Hong Kong’s rail operator on Friday admitted it had found five occasions where a subcontractor had cut corners on construction for a key section of the city’s most expensive railway project, but failed to report its findings to police as it was “not required”.
The MTR Corporation was accused of deceiving the public by revising the time of discovery for the first irregularity to August 2015 from the December 2015 date originally stated on Wednesday.
Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan subsequently vowed to report the matter to police if any illegal activities were uncovered relating to the construction of platforms at Hung Hom station in Kowloon for the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.38 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.
“We are still waiting for the MTR to submit a report to us within one week. Please give us some time to find out what happened first. If we discover from the report that illegal activities were committed, we won’t let it go. We must take follow-up action and report the matter to police,” Chan said.
The minister made the pledge as government officials and senior MTR executives received a grilling and a barrage of criticism from lawmakers on a railway subcommittee at Hong Kong’s legislature, which met on Friday to discuss the safety scandal.