The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) was accused of poor contingency measures after more than 30,000 commuters were stranded by a breakdown yesterday. A short circuit on an overhead line system near Fo Tan at about 8.20am cut power between Tai Wai and University stations for 22 minutes. Train services were hit for about 11/2 hours. Passengers said they were stranded on platforms and trapped in carriages with poor ventilation. 'It is a major means of transport. How can their arrangements be so poor?' asked commuter Lee Siu-wing. The KCR arranged shuttle buses between Sha Tin, Tai Po Market and the University. But commuters complained about poor management, saying signs to the buses were inadequate and that the wait was too long. A KCRC spokesman said: 'We only had a limited number of buses and arranged 40 shuttle buses running between the areas most seriously affected.' Some passengers felt sick because of insufficient ventilation while hundreds of others took other forms of transport. Ms Lee was on her way to University station but got off at Tai Wai to queue for a taxi. 'It took me 80 minutes to travel from Hunghom to here, which means an hour's delay. I got so frustrated,' she said. Francis Kwok, a regular KCR passenger, took 20 minutes to travel from Kowloon Tong to Tai Wai station.