MTR disrupted yet again with train on Hong Kong’s Island line halted after emergency door is opened mid-service and passengers step onto tracks

Incident occurs when train is stalled by power supply problems between Chai Wan and Heng Fa Chuen stations

Rail operator warns of dangers after passenger pushes open emergency door on end carriage and several passengers encroach on tracks

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The incident occurred in a tunnel section of track near Chai Wan MTR station. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 5:47pm, 14 Aug 2019Updated: 10:45pm, 14 Aug 2019

Hong Kong’s MTR was hit by a fresh service disruption on Wednesday morning after the emergency door of a train on the Island line was pushed open, with passengers leaving the halted train in the middle of a tunnel.

The disruption, which occurred between Chai Wan and Heng Fa Chuen stations, came after a group of anti-government protesters declared on Tuesday night that they were ending their non-cooperation movement, which had seen train services on major lines blocked on numerous occasions over the past month.

The incident, which the rail operator described as “major”, happened at around 11.30am when a passenger pulled the emergency door release on the end carriage and pushed the door open, according to Tam Kin-chiu, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions. He said the service was suspended for about an hour.

Services were disrupted after a passenger pulled the emergency door release on the end carriage and pushed the door open. Photo: Winson Wong

“As far as we know, someone pushed open the door and some passengers intentionally left the train and walked on the tracks. Rail staff had to seal off the affected section, and inspect the scene to see if there were any passengers left in the tunnel,” he told the Post.

The rail company later said that the westbound train had stopped at 11.30am on its way to Heng Fa Chuen due to problems with the power supply, which passengers were notified of via public address announcements.