More than 100 complaints but no compensation from MTR Corp for residents affected by sinking building site

None of more than 100 residents whose homes have been affected by construction of a new rail link in Hong Kong have successfully claimed compensation from the MTR, a district councillor has said.

Kowloon City district councillor Kwan Ho-yeung on Friday accused the transport operator of covering up subsidence problems caused by building work on To Kwa Wan station on the Sha Tin-Central Link.

Kwan revealed the residents’ frustrations a day after MTR Corp confirmed reports that 23 residential buildings in To Kwa Wan had sunk below the statutory limit during construction work, which began in 2012.

In a statement issued late on Thursday night, MTR Corp also admitted it had not informed Hong Kong and China Gas, known as Towngas, that three gas pipes in the area had once reached the settlement limit.

However, it said it had notified the public utility company and discussed follow-up actions for the settlement problems affecting four other pipes, which Towngas said had been repaired or replaced.

The rail company dismissed public safety concerns over the land subsidence, saying it was “a common phenomenon” resulting from piling, excavation and groundwater extraction work.