Burst water pipe causes further delays as MTR scrambles to restore services before peak hour
Travel time was nearly doubled for many rail passengers on Thursday morning, with many opting to use bus or taxi services instead, while a Water Services Department spokesman said a government unit was still investigating the cause of the burst pipe
Tens of thousands of passengers on the East Rail line had their trips disrupted for about five hours on Thursday after train services were delayed between Fanling and Sheung Shui stations by a rare burst of 2.1 metre-diametre cross-border trunk water main.
Train services between the Hung Hom terminus and and Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau terminus, were extended by 15-20 minutes between 11am and nearly 4pm on Thursday as the underground section of the trunk water main on Sun Wan Road in Sheung Shui bursted.
The rushing water washed off rail ballast, which forced a 20 metre -30 metre section of the south-bound rail between Sheung Shui and Fanling to be suspended and leave the other rail track on a two-way traffic.
The trunk water main, which imports fresh water from Dongjiang River bursted for the second time this year after March when a section in Tai Po bursted on ageing pipeline. And the last time it bursted was in 2007, according to a Water Services Department spokesman.
“We are still investigating why it happened,” he said. “It is a rare case in terms of having water spilled into the rail track.”
He added that repair work is still underway on the section of the pipeline in question last night, but water supply will not be affected.