Disruption triggered by false alarm, part of teething process: MTR

The disruption of the newly opened cross-harbor extension of the East Rail Line because of a problem in Admiralty during Tuesday's morning rush hour was a false alarm.

MTR Corp chief Jacob Kam Chak-pui said the train's monitoring system gave off a false signal that disrupted services for around 45 minutes, affecting thousands.

"A monitoring system on the train mistakenly went off," Kam said yesterday on his way to the MTR's annual meeting. "After further inspection we confirmed the system was working normally."

The false alarm, he added, was seen as part of the teething process in a new service.

Now the rail operator will review how the situation was handled while continuing to make improvements in the system, including passenger information and service frequency arrangements.

This incident started when an East Rail train was changing direction after reaching Admiralty and was to head for Sheung Shui when the train captain found a "malfunction" on the train and reported it.

After a preliminary check the control center arranged for the train to be removed from the main track, but before that could be done a backup train on a secondary line had to be moved to allow the other train in.

Roundtable legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun said on radio that the incident did not give people a good impression of the new service as it happened just a little over a week after the East Rail Line cross-harbor extension opened on May 15.

"The MTRC should review whether it should still place a backup train on the branch line during rush hour," said Tien, a former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp.

"It can also provide passengers with more information through its mobile app and by other means."

Kam also brushed off talk that the MTR Corp will remove first-class carriages from the East Rail Line, saying they go a long way back and meet a huge demand.

"I think we should cater to the needs of different passengers," he said.

But Kam sidestepped questions on whether the corporation will suspend permanently its intercity through-train service, which connects Hong Kong with Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. An announcement will be made, he added.

Kam said most through-train staff had been transferred to other work since the suspension of service amid the pandemic.

But the mainland's high-speed rail services will expand by the time West Kowloon Station reopens.

Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen, chairman of MTR Corp, said there will be a review with government officials of the fare-adjustment mechanism in the second half of the year.

The current mechanism is "very transparent," he added.

Auyeung said the operator had its finger on the pulse of the market when it decided to not increase fares in the past three years.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com