We refer to the letters from Wong Hok-yan of Tsing Yi (South China Morning Post, July 25) and Herbert Fong of Kowloon (Post, August 3) on the Tung Chung Line service. Given the scale and complexity of the completely new railway service for the Tung Chung Line, it is inevitable that there have been teething problems. This was anticipated by MTR, and press releases were issued advising the public that longer journey times could be expected, in the initial phase of operation. Since the opening of the Tung Chung Line, these problems have been systematically addressed and the average journey time for Hong Kong to Tung Chung is now 26 minutes for the 34 kilometres. We are continuing to introduce enhancements to equipment and systems which will reduce this journey time. Plans are also in hand to increase the frequency of services on the line in the near future. The provision of 'Next Train' departure information will be available in the very near future at all platforms on the Tung Chung Line. With regard to the sufficiency of ticket gates at Tung Chung Station, the situation is that there are a total of 12 entry gates and 16 exit gates, together with a wide gate which is good for both entry and exit purposes. Our surveys and inspections show that the number of gates is more than sufficient to cater for the needs of both incoming and outgoing passengers at the present time, but the situation will be kept under review. MIRANDA LEUNG Corporate Relations Manager MTR Corporation
