Hong Kong MTR worker recounts 48 hours of toil to get derailed train back on track
- One of 1,200 staff mobilised to remove carriage and clear up crash site speaks to the Post
- Frontline staff bore the brunt of public anger and unions want MTR Corp to recognise the efforts of workers
After working for 48 hours in an airless tunnel below Central MTR station removing the wreckage of a train crash, hundreds of exhausted rail staff covered in dust and sweat heaved a sigh of relief early on Wednesday. It was the end of an unprecedented disruption to service for Hong Kong’s underground operator.
“It took a real weight off my mind, even though I’m still worn out. My head still feels very heavy and my legs are weak,” said Chan, an MTR signal system repair worker, on Wednesday night after service between Admiralty and Central on the Tsuen Wan line finally resumed earlier that day.
Chan recounted to the Post how the embattled rail operator exhausted all its available manpower, calling on more than 1,200 support staff in a desperate bid to resolve the crisis arising from Monday’s train collision. It was the first such incident in the MTR’s history to cause a two-day breakdown in service between stations.
“I would say that the MTR Corp mobilised all available staff to provide support for the repair work at the site. More than 1,200 took part in the operation, including technicians, backup staff, both off-site and on-site, and even temporary workers helped out,” he said.
“The company hoped to resolve this unprecedented service crisis as quickly as it could because over five million passengers use the MTR every day and any disruption could seriously affect them,” he said.