MTR Corporation rumbles back to life amid extensive repairs – but offers no date for full restoration of Hong Kong rail services
- Chief of operations Sammy Wong says repairs to cost more than initial estimate of HK$30 to $40 million, but no exact figure given
- MTR damage toll: 1,200 ticket barriers, 800 ticket and Octopus machines, 900 CCTV cameras, 50 escalators and 40 lifts
Hong Kong’s rail operator on Friday said it had no time frame for when full transport service would be restored to the city, saying it was still racing to repair a wide range of damage inflicted by protesters.
The MTR Corporation reopened the Tseung Kwan O station on Friday after it was vandalised during citywide protests last weekend that forced the entire rail system to shut down for the first time in its 40-year history.
Transport service had only partially resumed by October 5, with a number of stations, including transport hubs Mong Kok, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Tung Chung and Tseung Kwan O, closed for nearly a week.
Many train services were closed down early, leaving some passengers trapped inside stations and forcing commuters to seek alternative transport.
“The change in service times gives the repair team more time to work on restoring services,” said Sammy Wong Kwan-wai, the MTR’s chief of operations, at a briefing on Friday.
Wong did not respond to questions about when the rail system would resume normal operating hours.