MTR's crackdown on large musical instruments will stifle Hong Kong's efforts to cultivate young talent, musicians say

The issue of "oversized" instruments being carried on MTR trains threatens to test Hong Kong's ability to accommodate and cultivate musical talent in a packed urban environment where 90 per cent of the population relies on public transport.

A series of expulsions of young musicians from MTR trains took place last month after they were accosted carrying large instruments on board, rattling the music community from students to professionals.

"This is such a joke, Hong Kong, come on!" said Elim Chan, a Hongkonger and now resident conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra, on learning of the MTR's removal of a Baptist University student for carrying a cello case.

"I played the cello, too, and I used to travel on the MTR to rehearsals. I don't even know when it all of a sudden became an issue," she said.

"Hong Kong is so far away from being a performing arts centre if ridiculous things like this keep happening."

MTR chairman-designate Frederick Ma Si-hang admitted the news "has undeniably affected the corporate image to some extent, and we've got a lot of work to do" in balancing safety with the convenience of passengers.

"We should also ask ourselves - being one of the world's best mass transit systems - why have we come to this? The MTR is something we all should be proud of, and not something we criticise every day," he said.