MTR Corporation has formulated a follow-up action plan for incident prevention and response, which includes a special inspection of critical railway assets and mid- to long-term measures aimed at strengthening the overall resilience of the railway network.
This came after the railway giant submitted the investigation results on the Tseung Kwan O Line incident, which took place on May 22, to the government as requested.
MTR said the investigation found that a threaded metal rod of a high-level cable tray in the Signaling Equipment Room (SER) was inadvertently in contact with the signaling cubicle after the installation works of another equipment, and resulted in unintended earthing connection, hence making the signaling equipment susceptible to power current surge.
Subsequently, the signaling equipment responsible for the Tseung Kwan O signaling control area was also affected, leading to the incident.
As for the eight follow-up actions, that included one-off targeted and special inspection of critical assets, which will cover all the overhead line spanning about 700km in length and over 600 signalling points on the mainline for reassurance of reliable equipment performance.
The inspection is set to be completed by the end of August.
MTR is also looking to strengthen daily monitoring of the existing asset condition data for critical assets, while risk-based re-assessment of critical assets or equipment will also be carried out to identify key risk areas and opportunities for stronger integration and coordination to formulate an effective follow-up action plan on the arrangement for maintenance and renewal, enhancement of drills and application of innovative technologies to assist in maintenance and recovery.
Apart from strengthening the overall resilience of the railway network, MTR said it will also formulate “last resort” measures for extreme scenarios during recovery with lessons learnt from recent incidents to enhance the composition and deployment arrangements of emergency response teams.
It will also reinforce drills and exercises with various emergency scenarios, inviting citizens and government departments to participate in targeted drills to further strengthen the decision-making and execution capabilities of MTR personnel.
MTR said it will also consider adding a shuttle bus route running between Hong Kong Island East and LOHAS Park Station on the Tseung Kwan O Line, subject to actual road conditions, when the cross-harbour service of the Tseung Kwan O Line is suspended.
It will provide more travel information to facilitate passengers’ travel decisions and minimize the inconvenience caused as far as practicable.
Taking the Tseung Kwan O area as a trial, the Corporation will explore strengthening collaboration with relevant government departments and local communities, mobilizing community support to assist passengers affected by service disruptions.
