The MTR yesterday rejected claims that its signalling system was deteriorating with age after thousands of passengers were trapped inside delayed trains for the third time in a week.
Signal failure caused delays of 20 minutes on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines during the morning rush hours, affecting over 17,000 passengers.
Seven passengers pressed alarm buttons. Many complained of poor ventilation. One was taken to hospital and later discharged.
Trains on the Kwun Tong line were cut from 26 to 23 between 8 am and 9.30 am while Tsuen Wan-line trains were cut from 32 to 25.
MTR spokesman Claudia Ho Sin-ka denied that commuters had been badly affected by the breakdown.
She said satisfactory crowd control measures had been used.
'It is not a big problem and we have done temporary repair work to save the situation,' she said.
