Cracks on MTR tracks that caused rush-hour disruption twice in three weeks were much more serious than initially believed, the government says. It ordered further reports from the MTR Corporation on the incidents and action to ensure safety.
On Thursday, a crack found between Admiralty and Tsim Sha Tsui disrupted services for four hours. On January 19, a crack was found in a rail near Sunny Bay, Lantau. Services were also disrupted for four hours.
Yesterday, the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Department said it had found the cracks were not just on the rails' surface, but ran right through them from top to bottom. 'We have demanded the MTR Corporation hand in an investigation report over the incident,' a spokesman for the department said. 'We also urge the company to implement improvements works.'
He said the department had employed independent experts to perform tests and give their opinion on the rails' failure in a bid to find out their cause.
When the rail operator announced the two delays to train services because of 'track problems', it did not tell the public the full extent of the damage.
Yesterday, Morris Cheung Siu-wa, the MTR's head of engineering, said the crack found last week was about a millimetre wide - similar to the thickness of a toothpick.