Critics were sympathetic towards the chairman of the KCRC, Michael Tien Puk-sun, who swam against the tide of the unresponsive management culture of the company in vain.
They said it was now very unlikely Mr Tien would be selected to head the proposed merged organisation with the MTR Corporation, after a series of blunders involving the KCRC.
Mr Tien once said he was willing to consider taking the top post after a merger with the MTR Corp if he was invited to by the government.
The owner of a chain of fashion stores was appointed in December 2001 as KCRC's chairman and was reappointed in 2003 and 2005. His contract expires this year.
When taking up the post, he promised to change a management culture widely seen as rigid and unresponsive.
He was said to be at odds with former chief executive Yeung Kai-yin in the incident involving an extra $100 million payment to Siemens on a signalling system for West Rail.