While travelling on one of the new KCR trains fitted out with the television screens, I noticed that a taller-than-average passenger bumped his head against the support frame as he turned around to exit a crowded train. This incident led me to assess the height of the metal supports and I estimated that the lowest point of the forked support to be around 1.70 metres and that passengers over this height could be in danger of injuring themselves because of the presence of these hard metal supports placed so close to the doors. I decided to bring this matter to the attention of the KCRC and made a report at its passenger relations office at Hunghom, followed by an e-mail message a few days later. A KCR staff member called me and advised me that the company was aware of a potential problem, but the metal supports posed a danger to only those over 1.86 metres in height, or around five per cent of its passengers. However, I was informed that because the metal was painted in yellow there should be no problem. I cannot be the only commuter to question the acceptability of this premise. The KCR carries around 800,000 passengers per day. This means that 40,000 of them are being put at risk, a not insignificant number. The claim that the metal supports are painted in yellow, and are, therefore, quite visible, completely ignores the fact that on our crowded trains we have to watch out for all sorts of large bags, boxes and trolleys, especially on the Lowu services. Also, anybody who travels by rail knows trains can suddenly stop and start, so passengers can easily lose their balance and injure themselves on the metal bars. It appears to me that, once again, the comfort and safety of commuters is being sacrificed at the altar of advertising revenue, and this time with the full support of our own government. The KCR is a fully owned public corporation and, as such, its primary responsibility should be to ensure that any measures it introduces are beneficial to the residents of Hong Kong. Could our Transport Department, therefore, enlighten us as to why it has allowed the KCR to install these metal supports that put the safety of 40,000 passengers per day at risk? KAREN GREENE, Tsim Sha Tsui
