Anger after chaotic 2½-hour disruption on East Rail line as man opens train exit

Hong Kong commuters have complained about chaotic scenes after services on a section of the East Rail line were suspended for about 2½ hours on Friday when a passenger opened an emergency exit on a train and was later found injured in a tunnel. The disruption caused chaos during rush hour. Affected stations were packed with passengers who later had to wait in long queues for alternative transport. A passenger on the affected train said a sudden power cut occurred, leaving people feeling “suffocated” as the air conditioning was not working for more than 10 minutes. According to rail operator the MTR Corporation, the incident happened at 4.35pm when a passenger entered the rear driver’s cab and pushed open the emergency exit ramp while the train was travelling from Kowloon Tong to Tai Wai station. The train’s built-in safety system “triggered an emergency brake” and alerted the driver, the corporation said. Services between Mong Kok East and Tai Wai stations were later suspended, the corporation said. Free shuttle buses from Kowloon Tong to Tai Wai station were provided. East Rail services from Admiralty to Mong Kok East station and from Tai Wai to Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau station remained in operation but schedules were adjusted. At 4.38pm, police received a report about a man straying onto a railway track area, forcing the train to come to a halt. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene shortly. The man went missing before being located in the tunnel. He was found injured, possibly from an electric shock, police said. The man, 35, had burns over his whole body, the force added. Some witnesses reportedly said the man was fitted with an oxygen mask. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment. He required resuscitation and was later sent to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, police said. Sha Tin district crime squad is investigating the case. No arrests have been made. The line gradually resumed full service at 6.56pm, the corporation said. Half an hour later, a sea of stranded commuters filled Tai Wai station’s concourse. As of 7.50pm, hundreds of passengers were still queuing for buses outside Tai Wai station, with police setting out cones to maintain order. One passenger recounted on social media the “bad luck” of being trapped on the train for two hours. “We were moving along when the driver suddenly turned on the speaker and asked the person in the rear driver’s cab to get out. Less than a minute later, the train stopped,” the passenger wrote on Threads. “The driver said the power supply at the tunnel had some problems. The power cut off abruptly, a few lights went off, and the screens and air conditioning shut down. Everyone started to feel suffocated, it felt like the whole carriage was fighting for oxygen. “More than 10 minutes later the air conditioning resumed. An elderly uncle clutched the handrail with his head down … he said he almost blacked out for the lack of oxygen. “After about an hour, the captain announced that personnel would be ‘rescuing’ us from the trackside at Kowloon Tong. The whole carriage couldn’t help but laugh at that,” the user said, adding the train slowly headed back to Tai Wai station eventually. Some passengers complained on social media about the MTR’s contingency plans. “This is MTR’s contingency plan? There were zero announcements and only one staff member present at the concourse of Tai Wai station. People coming in and out crammed together. Some needed to cross fixed fences, there was almost a stampede,” one wrote on Threads. Another passenger who was apparently on the affected train said they were eventually taken back to Tai Wai but was dissatisfied with the arrangement. “The incident happened at 4.37pm. [We] arrived in Tai Wai at 6.37pm, but then no one cared about those who took this train,” the passenger said. “Only police asked if anyone had witnessed the incident. We were left to make our way through the jammed platforms all over again.” The MTR Corp said staff had been sent to provide guidance and help to passengers, and distributed water and snacks to those who had to leave the train after it arrived at Kowloon Tong station.

Anger after chaotic 2½-hour disruption on East Rail line as man opens train exit

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Injured passenger found on tracks believed to have received an electric shock

Injured passenger found on tracks believed to have received an electric shock