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Hong Kong MTR signal fault finally fixed after six hours of commuter chaos

Tseung Kwan O, Island, Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines hit by severe delays, with knock-on effect on road traffic

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Commuters try to squeeze onto packed trains at Mong Kok station. Photo: Felix Wong

More than six hours after a signalling fault on the train network sent Hong Kong into commuter chaos, the city’s rail operator announced that a temporary fix was in place and its four affected lines had resumed normal service.

At 11.45am on Tuesday, the MTR said trains were now running every four minutes.

An unprecedented four lines – the Island line, Tsuen Wan line, Kwun Tong line and Tseung Kwan O line – were hit by severe delays. The MTR called on commuters to use other forms of public transport after journey times were extended by 40 minutes on some of the routes.

MTR bracing itself for rush hour after normal service resumes

The transport operator first noticed the signalling failure at about 5.30am, affecting the Island, Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines. Train frequency was reduced, and travel times were increased, leading to large crowds of waiting commuters at stations across the city.

At 9.25am, the MTR announced that normal train service was gradually resuming on the Island line as the issue there had been resolved. But at 10.18am, it said the Tseung Kwan O line had also broken down.


Jeffie leads the Hong Kong politics team at the Post. She joined the paper in 2013 after beginning her career as a political reporter in 2009. She is the co-editor of Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire published by the Post and World Scientific, which documented the city’s anti-government protests in 2019. She has previously been a recipient of the Human Rights Press Awards, the Hong Kong News Awards and the Chinese University Journalism Award.
Elizabeth Cheung has been reporting on health for the Post's Hong Kong desk since 2014. She covers general medical news, breakthrough medical treatments and research, government policy and hospital blunders. Elizabeth has a master's in development studies.
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