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Two fire incidents at Lam Tin MTR Station earlier this month were caused by insulation failure and an overheated cable, according to a document submitted to the Legislative Council by the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the MTR Corporation on Tuesday.
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The first fire broke out on the trackside on October 13. A preliminary investigation found that damaged insulating tape caused a short circuit between the train’s traction return circuit and the station’s ground.
MTR said it had inspected all similar insulating tape across its rail network and found no other abnormalities. It plans to step up routine inspections and cleaning, and is studying the use of Internet of Things sensors for continuous monitoring.
A separate incident occurred on October 14, when cables in the station’s electrical room overheated and emitted smoke. The investigation found that wear to the grounding busbar caused a cable to overheat while a portable grounding switch was closed.
MTR has reconnected the grounding busbar and replaced the damaged cables. It is also inspecting all stations equipped with portable grounding switches.
Both incidents disrupted service during peak hours and will be covered by the Service Performance Rebate mechanism, the document said. MTR will be required to contribute more to the rebate pool, which will be used to provide passengers with half-price fares on designated Special Fare Days.
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