Hong Kong’s MTR Corp works with coupler supplier to investigate mechanical fault behind evacuation of passengers
- Technical team for European coupler supplier has arrived in Hong Kong to investigate cause of incident, MTR Corporation says
- Rail operator admits shortage of maintenance workers, says it will allocate more resources and manpower to ensure upkeep services
Hong Kong’s rail operator has pledged to work with its European coupler supplier to get to the bottom of what caused the mechanical failure which forced 1,500 passengers to evacuate through a tunnel earlier this week.
Tony Lee Kar-yun, operations director for the MTR Corporation, on Thursday apologised again for the fault, which he said was caused by the loosening of a buffer connecting two carriages that automatically triggered the emergency brake.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, we’ve identified that at the time of the incident, the fail-safe protection system was triggered and stopped the train,” he said.
“And the gangway [between the carriages] was found extended due to an energy absorption device inside the couplers being found loosened. But the gangway and the couplers remained intact and connected to the carriages.”
Lee’s apology came after the rail giant submitted an interim report on Monday’s incident to the government, covering the initial cause of the failure and its follow-up action. It is expected to deliver the results of a full investigation in two months’ time.