MTR under fire for high-speed rail disruption

MTR Corp should launch a comprehensive inspection as it is unacceptable for the high-speed rail to have two service disruptions in two months, says Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun.

Another lawmaker, Starry Lee Wai-king, said Saturday's incident may affect people's confidence in the high-speed rail service.

Lee, the sole Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, also urged the MTR to strengthen maintenance and communication with the mainland.

They spoke after thousands of passengers were stranded at West Kowloon station for almost four hours due to a signaling system failure.

On May 8, 26 trains were canceled due to a signaling system failure, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at West Kowloon station.

The latest disruption involved 14 trains - four were canceled and 10 delayed between Hong Kong and Shenzhen - and started at around 5pm, but the MTR only made an announcement at 7.30pm.

Passengers waiting at the station's departure hall were unaware the service had been disrupted.

A passenger heading to Dongguan said he was confused as mainland train service informed him the train was canceled and suggested he apply for refunds, but West Kowloon station staff said it was just delayed. Some inbound passengers spent several hundred yuan more for an overnight stay in Shenzhen and arrived in Hong Kong yesterday morning.

Services gradually recovered from 7.41pm after repair staff arrived.

MTR Corp on Saturday acknowledged the disruption was due to a system failure near West Kowloon station. It also apologized.

Affected passengers were asked to apply for refunds through the 12306 online platform or at the station within 30 days.

Some passengers were spotted seeking refunds yesterday morning at the station. Although all departing trains were "on time" on the display board, some travelers were skeptical.

"I am looking up other options of traveling to the mainland," said a Guangzhou tourist surnamed Deng.

Tien criticized the MTR for taking too long to solve the problem "because completing the investigation and replacing the faulty hardware should ideally take half an hour." He said it was unacceptable and urged the MTR to conduct an inspection soon.

Lee said: "The emergency or guidance can be further improved, such as earlier information updates or providing shuttle buses. If these incidents happen too frequently it will definitely have an impact on the public's confidence in taking the high-speed trains, and I hope this is the last time."

She expects more passengers to take high-speed trains when flexible ticketing rules take effect.

A government task force was set up earlier to study ways to allow passengers to switch between trains going to the same destination at different times.

Hong Kong Section of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers vice chairman Henry Cheung Nin-sang said a signaling system disruption may affect the track circuit.

"The train will not know which way to turn if the switch is not detected, which may cause a derailment that trains will not be allowed to drive through," Cheung explained. He said the longer repair time was understandable as the restoration work of a cross-border train involved different procedures.

"There may be some documents that need to be processed before (maintenance staff) can enter the track, including security issues."

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com