MTR to be fined $1m minimum for eight-hour East Rail Line disruption

The delay in resuming MTR services two days ago will result in a fine of at least HK$1 million after the MTR Corporation took eight hours to resolve the issue involving a malfunctioning engineer's train near Tai Wo station.

The rail operator announced a disruption on the East Rail Line at 5.21am on Wednesday due to faulty equipment on an engineer's train, causing up to 25-minute intervals between some stations. Train service did not resume until around 1pm after the engineer's train was moved.

Speaking at a LegCo rail subcommittee meeting on Friday, Kirk Yip Hoi-ying, deputy secretary for Transport and Logistics, said the disruption triggered the Service Performance Rebate arrangement, requiring the railway firm to pay a fine of at least HK$1 million to compensate passengers. The exact amount will be confirmed after it submits the necessary information.

Jeny Yeung Mei-chun, managing director of the railway firm, said the engineer's train had passed its annual and monthly inspections and had undergone pre-trip functional checks. She added that the firm is still investigating why the vehicle malfunctioned and is looking at ways to expedite repairs in the future.

Commenting on the incident, Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun urged the government to increase penalties to prompt the railway firm to resolve issues quickly.

In response, Yip said the penalty mechanism has been updated in 2023 - a three-to-four-hour delay would incur an HK$8 million fine, and a further HK$4 million for each extra hour, with a maximum penalty of HK$40 million.

Meanwhile, the MTR said out of over 1.8 million train trips on its heavy rail network last year, there were 155 incidents of delays exceeding 8 minutes, a decrease of about 10 percent from 2023. There were 12 incidents of delays exceeding 31 minutes, a reduction of over 30 percent from 2023.