Peak-hour glitch shuts MTR stations

A signals glitch forced MTR services in Central and Admiralty to shut down during evening peak hour yesterday, affecting about 5,000 commuters, an MTR Corp spokeswoman said. The fault occurred in a signal system at Sheung Wan at 5.40pm, closing that station. Services from Admiralty to Sheung Wan also had to be suspended. Train frequency between Chai Wan and Admiralty extended to four minutes, against the usual 21/2 minutes. The spokeswoman said the glitch was fixed at about 6.40pm and services returned to normal shortly afterwards. Hundreds of commuters had left the stations during the stoppage, jamming streets and buses.