Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1557403/lightning-strikes-bring-chaos-mtrs-west-rail-line
Hong Kong

More delays for MTR passengers just hours after lightning sparked chaos on West Rail line

Services on the MTR's Kwun Tong line were delayed on Wednesday morning due to a problem with the electronic signalling system, just a day after the West Rail line was disrupted for more than six hours after lightning damaged the same system.

The problem on Wednesday affected the line between Choi Hung and Kowloon Bay after 9am and was fixed by 11am, MTR Corporation said. Train journeys between the two stations were extended by two to three minutes.

During Tuesday's major disruption, some passengers said they had to wait up to an hour for a train, while others said trains took more than an hour to pass just a few stations. They criticised the MTR for not arranging shuttle buses to help ease the situation for commuters.

It was the latest in a series of service disruptions to hit the troubled MTR Corporation in recent months.

The MTR said lightning struck the signalling system between Yuen Long and Tuen Mun at about 4.15pm, forcing services to operate more slowly than usual. Services from Hung Hom to Tin Shui Wai ran every six minutes, instead of every 3-1/2 minutes. Services from Tin Shui Wai to Tuen Mun ran only every 12 minutes.

The Observatory reported 6,207 lighting strikes between 2pm and 5pm yesterday. Photo: Hoho Lam/Facebook
The Observatory reported 6,207 lighting strikes between 2pm and 5pm yesterday. Photo: Hoho Lam/Facebook
Full service was not restored until about 10.45pm.

A spokeswoman said delays continued for so long because of the need to carry out repairs in the equipment room at the Kam Tin depot, reboot the computers and test passenger trains.

One passenger who spent 20 minutes waiting at Nam Cheong lamented MTR's 3.6 per cent fare increase last month, saying: "Call this quality service?"

Another man said shuttle buses should have been used to ease the delays.

As she struggled onto a packed train at Mei Foo during the evening rush hour, one woman shouted at passengers inside: "We've been waiting for an hour. Can you please step in a little bit?"

Long known for its reliability, the MTR Corporation has suffered a series of service disruptions in recent months. In May, the government warned that bosses at the corporation that they could face pay cuts if services continued to suffer.

The Observatory reported 6,207 lighting strikes between 2pm and 5pm as torrential rain battered the city. The amber rainstorm signal was issued at 3.50pm and remained in force until 5pm.