Two MTR incidents involving visually impaired people 'just coincidence' - blind union leader

Two visually impaired passengers falling onto the train tracks at Fo Tan MTR station on Saturday were merely a coincidence, according to Hong Kong Blind Union president Billy Wong Chun-hang.

Wong said the 60-year-old man and the 58-year-old woman might have mistakenly believed that the yellow line on the platform edge was the tactile guide path.

"Some of our friends use their white canes to find the edge of the guide path, and if they are not paying attention they might unintentionally follow the yellow line instead," Wong said on radio yesterday.

He said other passengers could also be vigilant and approach and help visually impaired people in dangerous situations.

To address the safety concerns, Wong called on the MTR to expedite the installation of automatic platform gates on the East Rail Line. He added: "These gates will greatly enhance safety and provide a permanent solution."

Wong's view was supported by lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu, who is a railway engineer and former MTR operations manager. But Zhang added it would be difficult for the MTR to fast-track the installation due to technology limitations and balancing the stations' daily maintenance routine at midnight.

He proposed assigning more staff to the platforms to assist passengers.

The MTR said the installation of platform doors at nine East Rail Line stations, including Fo Tan, is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and for the remaining stations, the installation work will complete by end-next year.

It assured the public that surveillance cameras at Fo Tan detected Saturday's two incidents, and staff pressed the emergency button to halt train operations.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com