Commuters left in dark by rush-hour MTR delays

Marcus Lum

Commuters experienced significant disruptions for around two hours yesterday morning due to a signaling problem that caused delays on three MTR lines during rush hour.

The incident, which hit the Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island lines, resulted in reduced train speeds and dimmed lights at certain stations. However, no official announcements were made regarding the issue until later in the morning.

At around 8.38 am, the MTR mobile app finally informed passengers about the delays, citing a signaling system problem.

Five minutes later, announcements were made at stations that were affected.

The repairs were completed at 12.55 pm.

The Transportation and Logistic Bureau expressed concern and demanded MTR Corp provide a detailed report on the causes, immediate action taken, improvement measures and implementation plans to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department dispatched staff to investigate and requested the MTRC to ascertain the cause and submit an investigation report.

Some commuters expressed frustration over the lack of timely information.

One, Chow, who was on the Kwun Tong line, said, "I was late for work as I didn't know about the situation until I got on the train."

Another, Chan, who took the Island line, said: "I had to endure the delay for a few minutes, but I think MTR should inform people much sooner, especially during peak hours when people are rushing to work."

It was revealed that all services, except for the South Island Line, had to switch to manual operations due to the signaling issues.

Legislative Council member Gary Zhang Xinyu, who used to work for the MTRC as an engineer, criticized it for the announcement delays and lack of transparency.

"The MTRC has always refused to provide details when incidents occur, such as what happened, how many services, and how many passengers were affected," he said.

Zhang also drew parallels between this incident and signal faults on four lines in 2018 that ensued in significant chaos.

Urban lines, he said, currently use almost identical signaling systems and suggested the MTRC explain its plans for system upgrades to the government and Legco regularly.

He expressed concern that the aging signaling system would continue to cause more failures in the future.