MTR Corporation appeals to anti-government protesters to stop ‘malicious’ destruction of stations or risk losing Hong Kong’s rail system
- Operations chief Adi Lau Tin-shing says: ‘If you want to continue to have the MTR service, which most of the Hong Kong people need, these malicious acts have to stop.’
- Lau says 83 out of 94 rail stations, or nearly 90 per cent, had been damaged by protesters, while 42 of the city’s 68 light rail stations were vandalised
Hong Kong’s struggling railway operator has appealed to protesters to end their violence at train stations, warning that transport services could be crippled if they continued their destruction.
“The most worrying part is that the amount of equipment being damaged has been escalating. These acts have severely endangered the safety of passengers as well as our staff,” Lau said.
“We would like to appeal to the protesters that if you want to continue to have the MTR service, which most of the Hong Kong people need, these malicious acts have to stop.”
He said some stations could not keep pace with the ongoing destruction, but added that the company had placed orders for new components and parts that would arrive next month.
“Just over the past few days one-third of our station facilities have been damaged. If this kind of damage continues, some station entrances cannot be used. Actually, some stations can’t be opened the next day,” he said. “This is the last thing we want to see.”
The rail giant closed three stations on Thursday – Kwun Tong, Ngau Tau Kok and Tai Po – because of vandalism and nearby disturbances.
“Some turnstiles were seriously damaged so we have staff holding a mobile device for passengers to swipe their Octopus cards. We hope to provide at least minimal service at every station,” he said.
The rail operator faces mounting public scrutiny for closing half of its 94 stations on Tuesday in a move it said was to prevent damage to its facilities and reduce risk to passengers and staff.
