MTR’s ties with contractor on Sha Tin-Central link under scrutiny amid corner-cutting scandal
Close relationship could have caused city’s railway operator to be lax in enforcing standards for construction work and reporting errors, critics say
Hong Kong’s railway operator and the main contractor in a corner-cutting scandal that has rocked the city’s HK$97.1 billion (US$12.37 billion) Sha Tin-Central link have a close relationship that is coming under scrutiny as the saga deepens.
The ties could explain why the MTR Corporation has not done enough as the final gatekeeper for standards, critics have charged, an accusation the operator staunchly denies.
The MTR Corp is partnered with Leighton Contractors (Asia) and its sister company on two major Australian rail projects in Melbourne and Sydney, but the operator has dismissed suggestions the overseas venture affected how it handled the problems on Hong Kong’s most expensive railway, saying “there is absolutely no truth to it”.
On five occasions faulty steel bars were found installed on platforms in Hung Hom station during construction for the Sha Tin-Central line. The MTR Corp neither considered reporting the matter to police, its board or the government, nor kept proper records of the defective work. One engineer called that oversight “inconceivable”.
In a separate blunder also involving Leighton at a nearby north approach tunnel, the rail firm admitted it failed to sign papers to certify steel bar work had been carried out correctly before allowing concreting to begin. The faulty bars were discovered when staff removed a portion of concrete due to water seepage.