Commuters left stranded as power failure stops MTR services on Kwun Tong Line
Passengers forced to walk along tracks and scramble for buses in east Kowloon as Kwun Tong Line service down for more than two hours
Road traffic in east Kowloon was plunged into chaos on Monday night after a power fault halted MTR trains for 2-1/2 hours, forcing stranded passengers to walk along rail tracks in the dark and line up with hundreds of others for shuttle buses or other public transport.
The standstill began at about 6pm when a power failure suspended services in both directions at eight stations along the Kwun Tong Line between Kowloon Tong and Kwun Tong. The problem was not rectified until 8.25pm.
MTR operations director Adi Lau Tin-shing said the shutdown was caused by a device on an overhead cable on the track linking the Kowloon Bay depot and Choi Hung station. The corporation apologised for the chaos.
A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said the MTR should submit a report on the incident to the Transport Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, which would report to the bureau if needed.
During the disruption, the frequency of trains running between Kowloon Tong and Whampoa was lengthened to 10 minutes, while services between Tiu Keng Leng and Kwun Tong were running at 12-minute intervals.
MTR staff at the eight affected stations shut the entrances and turnstiles, leaving impatient commuters waiting outside.
