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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042935/hong-kongs-protest-battered-university-station-reopen-mtr Politics
Hong Kong’s protest-battered University station to reopen, MTR Corporation announces
- The East Rail line station has been closed since taking a beating during unrest at a nearby campus
- Some services will still be limited from Saturday
During unrest in November at University station, glass was shattered, communication facilities were destroyed and equipment was taken from the control room. Photo: Felix Wong
A railway station closed for more than a month after being badly damaged by anti-government protesters will reopen on Saturday, Hong Kong’s rail operator has said.
But University station in Sha Tin will still have limited services, with some exits, turnstiles and display screens out of action, as MTR Corporation staff need more time to return the East Rail line stop to normal.
The director behind the repair work said it was too early to estimate the bill for the work, saying only it would be “quite large”.
He did not say whether the bill would be passed on to passengers or taxpayers, but commentators believe that unlikely as railway fares are governed by a rigid formula that does not take into account the cost of maintenance and repair work.
“I hope everyone will refrain from damaging our facilities, to avoid the substantial cost and damage,” said Tony Lee Kar-yun, MTR Corp deputy operations director, on Friday.
The East Rail line, running between Hung Hom and border terminals at Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu, is a key artery connecting Kowloon with the northern New Territories.
The rail firm said last month that University station was so badly damaged that the restoration was no different to rebuilding it. During clashes between protesters and police at the nearby Chinese University campus in November, glass was shattered, communication facilities were destroyed, equipment was taken from the control room, and ticketing machines and turnstiles were trashed.
The station was closed from November 12, one of several transport links damaged during the recent months of unrest, and will be the last to reopen.
Lee said the decision to open the station came after a joint assessment with various authorities.
“Only basic services can be maintained during the initial phase of the reopening,” he said. “Please give us great tolerance.”
He said one of the station’s four exits, exit D, would remain closed on Saturday, while only some of the turnstiles at other exits would be available.
Chief of operations Sammy Wong said that, during peak hours, staff would use small Octopus card readers to take payments from passengers at those exits.
Platform screens displaying train destinations would remain unavailable, Lee said, meaning staff would hold signs instead. At least 50 staff members would be deployed to help passengers.
I will urge everyone not to damage our facilities
A lift and the nearby lobby, which had their surfaces completely burnt off, leaving only a grey layer of cement, remained cordoned off. A customer services counter at the platform was seen without its glass shield.
Lee said, however, that all the fire services facilities had been restored to comply with safety standards.
He said about 200 technicians, at one point working day and night, had made repairs over the previous weeks.
The station fell victim to vandalism and arson attacks during major clashes between protesters and police at the Chinese University campus, which ran for days.
Lee said about 200 technicians had made repairs over the previous weeks. Photo: Winson Wong
The MTR Corp has become a lightning rod for demonstrators’ fury during more than six months of anti-government unrest which has gripped the city. The protesters accuse the rail operator of colluding with police during the force’s clearance operations.
As of November 24, radicals had caused extensive damage to 85 of 94 rail stations and 62 of 68 Light Rail stops. More than 1,900 turnstiles, 1,100 ticketing and top-up machines, 1,200 surveillance cameras, 202 lifts and escalators, as well as 190 roller shutters were damaged across all train stations in Hong Kong.
Some 54 heavy railway trains and 16 Light Rail vehicles had also been damaged.
The MTR Corp revealed last week that the loss related to restoration and repair of the damaged facilities amounted to HK$500 million.
Lee said extra security measures had been added to protect the station when it was closed at night, but added there was no way to prevent people from throwing objects onto the uncovered track.
“I would urge everyone not to damage our facilities,” he said.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, whose New Territories East constituency covers the station, said it was understandable the repair work has taken time, as he was told the rail operator had run out of some of the components needed to complete the work.
“But this is definitely not what was suggested before, which was to rebuild the station,” he said.
Pro-establishment lawmaker Michael Tien said MTR’s fare adjustment adhered strictly to a mechanism, which depended on inflation, staff wages and services performance.
“MTR has no power to increase the fares,” said the former chairman of rail operator KCR, which ran the East Rail line before it merged with the MTR Corp in 2007.
Former lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu, from the Federation of Trade Unions, said the government, which receives annual dividends from the listed train operator, might pocket less because the cost of damages might hurt MTR’s profits.
Meanwhile, the MTR Corp said Yuen Long station would remain closed from 1pm on Saturday. Free shuttle bus services between Long Ping and Yuen Long stations will be arranged for passengers after 1pm. Anti-government protesters have planned a rally in Yuen Long on Saturday to commemorate the attack on train passengers by white-clad men on July 21.