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First it was track, then water in the tunnel, now the wheels on the trains for Hong Kong’s new high-speed rail link are causing the problems

MTR Corporation chief calls wear and tear ‘natural’ and says problem was solved after adjusting lubricants

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Li (right) discusses the latest issue to hit the high-speed rail link, alongside MTR general manager Lee Tsz-man. Photo: Sam Tsang

The city’s HK$84.4-billion cross-border high-speed rail link has been hit by another hiccup following two glitches in less than two months of its trial run – this time its newly arrived wheels are wearing away more quickly than expected.

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Francis Li Shing-kee, MTR Corporation’s chief of operations, admitted on Thursday there had been some natural wear and tear with the wheels of the express trains since the rail link’s trial run started on April 1.

It has been reported that the disintegration of the wheels was faster than expected.

However, Li stopped short of confirming how many wheels were involved, the extent of the wear and tear, and which rail section caused the problems.

General view of the construction site of West Kowloon Terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section in the West Kowloon district. 22DEC17 SCMP / Winson Wong
General view of the construction site of West Kowloon Terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section in the West Kowloon district. 22DEC17 SCMP / Winson Wong
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“As you understand, the wheels and the rail are made of steel. As the steel wheels run on the steel rail, there must be some kind of wear and tear, which is very natural,” he said.

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