UpdateProblems at Sai Ying Pun's new MTR station may delay West Island Line

Sai Ying Pun's 15,000 residents could be left without a long-awaited MTR station until early next year if construction problems at one of its exits are not resolved.

The MTR Corporation revealed yesterday that the West Island Line may not meet its planned December opening unless five of the station's six exits are proven safe to run while the sixth is under construction.

This would mark the fifth major MTR project to be met with delays, effectively meaning all five of the commissioned projects have been wracked by setbacks.

The operator said excavation work at exit B3 on Ki Ling Lane had run into problems, rendering the exit unfit to open until next year.

The company has been forced to use a slower and more expensive ground-freezing process to excavate in soft soil conditions. The process involves hardening soil by freezing the water content, making it easier to drill.

MTR general manager Mark Cuzner said the problem was not likely to affect the line's opening. But if construction of the exit affected the safety of adjacent exits, the entire station's opening would be pushed back until early next year unless trains temporarily omit the stop. The holdup could also cause the entire line's opening to be deferred to the first quarter of next year, he added.