I REFER to the letters printed in these columns on January 4 and 5, from Mr Joe Fijol and Mr A. J. Reason, which made comments on the MTR train service schedule on the night of December 31 and January 1. Two questions are raised in these letters. First, was there any connection between the tragic consequences of the New Year celebrations in Lan Kwai Fong and the train service schedule operated by the MTR Corporation? Secondly, what train service timetable is appropriate on this particular night of the year? Whilst any answer to the first question must be given with due regard to the inquiry that has been appointed, I believe that readers who are familiar with the Central district and the train timetables that night, would have difficulty in reaching the conclusions made by your correspondents. Train services on the night of December 31/January 1, ended at 1.25 am with the last train departing Central Station at 12.56 am for Tsuen Wan and 1.01 am for Chai Wan; that is almost an hour after the first incident was understood to have occurred at Lan Kwai Fong. The train service run on December 31/January 1, followed normal weekday headways up to 11 pm, after which an enhanced service at five minutes' headway was run until the end of traffic. Five spare trains were kept on standby from 3 pm on December 31, until 1.30 am on January 1, to be used in the event of any surge in passenger demand. These trains were not in fact needed and train services throughout the evening were observed to run smoothly with no abnormal periods of passenger loading. On the second question posed by these letters, as to what service should be run on New Year's Eve, any extensions to normal service have to be carefully considered in respect of the need to carry out daily track maintenance works and inspections, which have to be completed in the five-hour period available each night after traffic hours. It has been the corporation's experience that the number of people in Hongkong who celebrate New Year on December 31, has not justified running services on an extended basis in the manner that is done at festivals such as Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, when a considerable proportion of the population is engaged in family or other social engagements extending throughout the night. When considering what service should be run in future on New Year's Eve, the corporation will be taking into account all relevant information including any findings or recommendations of the Bokhary Inquiry related to transport services, whilst continuing consultation with other transport operators, relevant government departments and the Royal Hongkong police. These consultations do in fact take place every year, when transport services at holidays and festivals are discussed and I can assure your readers that in these deliberations, the corporation's standpoint is always to serve the transport needs of the city to the best of its abilities and within the limit of its resources. I would have preferred not to have written on this matter so soon after such a grievous incident, but felt that the letters referred to above could not be left unanswered. In ending this letter I would extend sincere condolences, from all members of the corporation's staff, to those who were bereaved by the tragic events on that evening and wish those still in hospital or recuperating at home the earliest recovery. MIRANDA LEUNG Public Relations Manager Mass Transit Railway Corporation
