Lawmakers blast MTR’s disclosure of second case of subsidence at Hong Kong light rail stop
Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong compared government releasing information to squeezing tube of toothpaste
A second case of land subsidence at a light rail station in Hong Kong was revealed on Wednesday, with lawmakers blasting its casual disclosure and comparing the government’s approach to transparency to “squeezing a tube of toothpaste”.
Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu launched a broadside after acting secretary for transport and housing, Raymond So Wai-man, revealed Tin Wing stop had also been affected by subsidence and a developer had been told to stop building work there.
Kwong had asked the Transport and Housing Bureau a question about the Yuen Long case and So, delivering his response at a Legislative Council meeting, said: “According to The MTR Corporation, there are 64 projects under settlement monitoring within the railway protection area, of which 56 involve [heavy rail] construction work and eight involve light rail construction work.
“There have been two cases of suspension of works due to settlement, one concerning the viaduct pier of Yuen Long station and the other concerning the platform of Tin Wing stop on the light rail. The future communication and information dissemination arrangements aims to enhance transparency.”