Safety first as installation of more MTR gates expedited

Stacy Shi

Tai Po Market, Sheung Shui, Tai Wai and Sha Tin stations will have automatic platform gates operating in the first half of the year.

MTR Corp said platform gates will also be installed at Fan Ling, Fo Tan, Tai Wo and Kowloon Tong stations within six months.

The installation of automatic platform gates has moved progressively at 13 stations on the East Rail Line since May last year, with Racecourse and Lok Ma Chau stations already equipped with them.

The installation of the gates will make passengers' journeys safer and prevent accidents, said Tim Leung Chi-tim, the MTRC's general manager of electrical and mechanical construction.

Most work is done during two hours of non-traffic hours from 2am to 4am, while installation work on backup platforms will be carried out during daytime in a bid to finish all installations by next year, he added.

Installation of the gates are currently in progress at Tai Po Market, Sheng Shui, Tai Wai and Sha Tin stations, with a target to complete the installation in the first half of the year.

The installations at Racecourse started on May 1 last year and was completed in August, making it the first station on the East Rail Line to be equipped with automatic platform gates under the MTR network improvement project.

It was followed by Lok Ma Chau, where the gates are in operation since November 18.

After almost nine months' work from May 18 last year, three platforms at Tai Po Market have been completed, with the remaining platform 1 still under retrofitting.

Sheung Shui station had its platform 1 finished by January 27, while the installation at Tai Wai and Sha Tin stations started two months ago.

Starting this month, work will commence at Fan Ling, Fo Tan, Tai Wo and Kowloon Tong stations, while installations at Lo Wu, University and Mong Kok East stations start in the fourth quarter.

Leung said work at Lo Wu, University and Mong Kok East stations was left until last as the curvature of the three made them the most challenging among all stations.

More detailed arrangements and tests are also required in accordance with features at different stations.

"For example, before the installation MTR had to complete key preparatory works such as enhancement of the platform structure to support the installation of 45 pairs of automatic gates each weighing half a tonne," Leung said.

After installing a gate, Leung said more than 100 wires and cables and 12 key systems - such as power, signaling and control systems - need to be connected and various tests conducted to ensure smooth operations.

After clearing the site and restoring platforms and tracks to operational conditions there are inspections before commencement of train services and checks on the progress of subsequent work, Leung added.

Legislator Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong praised the MTRC's efficiency for advancing the retrofitting of automatic platform gates ahead of schedule and urged the corporation to continue to provide the public with more comfortable and safe railroad facilities.

It is a complicated project for the MTRC to install automatic platform gates on the East Rail Line, which operates around the clock throughout the year, Chan said, and he hopes the work at the remaining stations would be done before the end of 2025.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com