The KCRC yesterday announced it will launch an inquiry into whether there were attempts to cover up the latest equipment blunder, as subsequent inspections found another 70 faulty mounting parts.
The 70 cracked mounting parts are part of the 800 used to hold 118 compressors on the firm's train carriages. An official yesterday revised the number of compressors up from 116, given the previous day.
Tony Lee Kar-yun, rolling stock design and system engineer manager, said: 'Most of the cracks are as thin as a hair. They pose no safety threat and security provided by the nylon belts is already more than enough.'
Before the revelation of additional faults yesterday, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun announced that an inquiry will be carried out to find out if anyone in the company is to blame for covering up the latest blunder.
But he defended the company's senior officers, saying: 'You can't just blame one executive. The upper ranks surely have to bear the responsibility, but Li Yun-tai [a senior transport director who was the first management level employee told of the blunder] doesn't know every single detail. He also depends on his subordinates as well for information, and they tell him some things while leaving out others.'
Mr Tien reiterated that he believes there has been no cover-up.
Former KCRC workers yesterday said the problems could be put down to the corporate culture. 'The middle-rank management level is the worst. They don't want their subordinates engaging in extra work. You do that and you are chided. The biggest culture in this company is, work less you make fewer mistakes, work more and you get yourself in trouble,' a former KCRC employee told the hosts of a radio phone-in show yesterday.