Defective work uncovered at second platform at Hung Hom station, bringing rate of substandard re-bars on Hong Kong’s Sha Tin-Central Link to 40 per cent

Three samples found faulty on the north-south platform and two on the east-west, bringing the total to 28

Lawmakers warn it may be necessary to demolish at least one platform at the scandal-hit station

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Defective work has been found at a second platform at Hung Hom station on the MTR Sha Tin-Central Link. Leighton Contractors (Asia), was barred from bidding for government contracts 15 months because of its work was found to be substandard. 08OCT18 SCMP / Nora Tam

Published: 8:12pm, 11 Jan 2019Updated: 10:25pm, 11 Jan 2019

There was more bad news on Friday for Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project after a safety test revealed shoddy work which has plagued the scandal-hit Hung Hom station had afflicted another platform.

Lawmakers warned there was a high chance of at least one platform being demolished, to restore public trust in the project’s safety.

The Highways Department released inspection results for nine more reinforcement bars from two station platforms for the Sha Tin-Central Link – the east-west platform for the Tai Wai-Hung Hom section, and the north-south platform for the Hung Hom-Admiralty section.

On the north-south platform, three out of six samples were found to be substandard, with embedded lengths of 32.42mm, 32.91mm and 35.36mm into their couplers.

For the east-west platform, two out of three were found to be defectively installed, with embedded lengths of 32.97mm and 34.66mm.

Workers in uniforms and safety helmets of Leighton Contractors (Asia), the main contractor involved in the platform scandal of Sha Tin-Central rail link, were seen cutting corners. The photos, taken on 22 September 2015, showed two workers in Leighton uniforms and helmets were cutting steel bars that formed the platform framework of the Hung Hom station for Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project. Photo: SCMP

According to the supplier, 40mm of each bar should be screwed into its coupler, and anything less than 37mm is substandard.

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