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Hong KongTransport

Leighton managers don’t remember being told workers were cutting corners when building Hong Kong’s most expensive rail link

  • Project manager and site manager deny knowing about 2015 allegations that workers were taking short cuts
  • Pair surprised to learn of non-conformance report for company working on HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central link

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Work performed by a Leighton subcontractor is at the heart of the commission of inquiry’s investigation. Photo: Dickson Lee
Cannix Yau

Two managers at Leighton Contractors (Asia) have told a commission of inquiry they do not remember hearing about allegations in 2015 of workers cutting corners during the construction of the expanded Hung Hom station.

Answering questions for the panel investigating the issues surrounding the building of the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion) Sha Tin-Central rail link, the pair also said they did not know about a non-conformance report issued to the subcontractor at the centre of the scandal.

And one of the managers, Ian Rawsthorne, who was a project manager for Leighton until November 2017, said he believed if any defective work had been found it would have been rectified immediately.

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Karl Speed, the general manager of Leighton Contractors (Asia) has already appeared before the inquiry. Photo: Edmond So
Karl Speed, the general manager of Leighton Contractors (Asia) has already appeared before the inquiry. Photo: Edmond So

Leighton, the main contractor for the project, is embroiled in allegations that workers from subcontractor Fang Sheung Construction cut corners when building a station platform, and that supporting diaphragm walls were changed without proper authorisation.

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On Wednesday, Rawsthorne said he had no recollection about the report issued in December 2015 to Fang Sheung, even though his signature is on the bottom.

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