Leaked photos of Hong Kong MTR Sha Tin-Central rail link station suggest wall made of construction waste, not concrete
Separately, subcontractor says police investigating scandal involving another station failed to open case due to insufficient information from Highways Department
Fresh controversy hit Hong Kong’s costliest rail project on Friday as leaked photos showed a staircase wall at a subway station platform suggesting it was made of construction waste instead of pure concrete.
The latest news of shoddy work on the MTR Corporation’s HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central rail link came from lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching, who obtained the images from someone claiming to be a former construction worker at the To Kwa Wan station site.
It was the second incident involving the station following a recent wave of revelations about substandard construction at two other stations along the link, at Hung Hom and Exhibition Centre.
According to the informant, Mo said, a staircase wall between the station platform’s second and third floors comprised a mixture of concrete and construction waste, such as crushed stones and steel bars.
The lawmaker explained she sought expert advice from someone who once worked on the project and was told using construction waste would reduce expenses.