MTR to offer half-fare day after Tseung Kwan O Line disruption

Transport and Logistics Secretary Mable Chan said the city’s railway operator will designate a "Special Fare Day" offering half-price rides to passengers, following penalties from the Tseung Kwan O Line disruption and those accumulated from two previous East Rail Line engineering vehicle incidents.

The "half-fare day" was introduced when the MTR revised its service performance rebate policy to make up for the train service disruptions. The scheme replaces an older rebate scheme where passengers could claim back three percent per journey.

According to the established mechanism, the railway operator has to arrange one "half-fare day" when it accumulates HK$25 million in fines for disrupted services.

Speaking to the Legco on Monday, Chan said Hong Kong's MTR Corporation will allocate HK$19.2 million in passenger rebates following last Thursday's service suspension on the Tseung Kwan O Line caused by power and signaling system failures.

She noted that because the Tseung Kwan O Line disruption occurred during evening rush hour, MTR's penalty calculation required a 20 percent surcharge to better reflect the incident's impact on commuters.

The government has expressed serious concern over multiple recent rail incidents and has ordered MTR to conduct comprehensive, system-wide risk assessments.

Authorities mandated enhancements in technology applications, predictive maintenance capabilities, and staff training programs. MTR must also review maintenance arrangements for all rail assets and develop targeted prevention measures for potential system design and component risks.

Chan revealed that MTR has been instructed to improve emergency response protocols, public communications, and incident reporting - particularly regarding repair progress updates - following lessons from last week's disruption.

Additionally, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has launched special audits examining MTR's engineering vehicle maintenance and emergency preparedness, with focus on mitigating high-consequence risks.

(Marco Lam)