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Sammy Wong (left), the MTR Corp’s chief of operations, and Alan Cheng, the general manager for special duties, on Friday at Tseung Kwan O MTR station. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

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.

All MTR lines, except the Airport Express, were expected to close at 10pm on Friday, three hours earlier than usual. Light rail lines and MTR-operated buses were also expected to close at 10pm.

According to the MTR Corp, 85 of the 93 heavy rail stations and 53 of the 68 light rail stations were damaged. The rail giant said more than 1,200 ticket barriers, 800 ticket and Octopus top-up machines, and 900 CCTV cameras had been vandalised by protesters. Another 50 escalators, 40 lifts and 70 entrance areas had also been damaged.

MTR and Airport Authority to offer rent cuts to retailers affected by protests

Wong said five light rail stations remained closed on Friday because of damaged signal lights, especially in Tin Shui Wai. He said repair costs would increase from the HK$30 to 40 million (US$3.8 to $5.1 million) estimated a month ago, but said he could give no exact figure because the rail company was still conducting assessments.

The MTR became a target of anti-government protesters in August after many accused the rail operator of bowing to pressures from Beijing. The central government had accused the MTR Corp of being too soft on protesters who had been using the railway to get around the city during protests.

Restoration work at Tseung Kwan O MTR station on Friday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

In the weeks that followed, protesters vandalised station facilities, smashed glass barriers and damaged ticket gates.

“We are also anxious to see services restored for our passengers, but we need to ensure their safety,” Wong said. “Some stations have been damaged repeatedly, which makes it more difficult to restore.”

He did not explain why the Tseung Kwan O station took so long to reopen or whether it had suffered the worst damage of all the stations.

Wong said much of the repairs could only be carried out after train service stopped, while special arrangements needed to be made so staff could carry out repairs on top of their regular maintenance work.

MTR confirms plain-clothes police conducted checks inside closed station

Tseung Kwan O station was largely operational on Friday, but only four of 26 ticket gates were working. Three of the seven escalators remained out of service, while only one of five ticketing machines was functional.

Alan Cheng Kwan-hing, the MTR Corp’s general manager of special duties, said only one of the three customer service counters was functional after protesters set fire to the facility, causing significant damage to the equipment.

Most of the gates at Tseung Kwan O Station were still under repair on Friday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Cheng, who led reporters on a tour of the reopened station, said 14 glass panels on the platform had to be temporarily replaced with aluminium or wood to ensure the safety of passengers.

Separately, MTR representatives declined to say if the rail operator had given police permission to enter stations after they were closed. On Wednesday, an MTR spokesperson confirmed that plain clothes police had been in Sheung Shui station on Tuesday night to “conduct checks”.

Wong said the MTR Corp, working with other government departments, had conducted risk assessments to decide when to reopen stations.

“If we open the stations and they are damaged again, we would actually be unable to make repairs with the spare parts we have now,” he said.

“Some parts will need to be imported, which means it will take an even longer time to repair.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: MTR unable to say when full services will resume
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