Blocked train tracks spur tourists to take cabs

Tourists had to resort to taxis and buses to visit Victoria Peak as the Peak Tram has been out of service since an uprooted tree fell onto its tracks during the heavy Sunday rain.

The Peak Tram company said yesterday that services remained suspended to allow government departments to clear the slope of the fallen tree.

It promised to keep people updated "on when our tram service can be resumed soonest."

The tree, measuring at least one meter in diameter, fell onto the Peak Tram tracks on Barker Road in Mid-Levels at noon on Sunday when the Amber Rainstorm Warning was hoisted. It blocked an area measuring 10 meters by 20 meters, prompting the whole-day suspension of tram services that day.

Due to the suspension, Citybus route 15C - which travels between Central Pier and the tram terminus - was also out of service yesterday.

Citybus route 15, which travels between Central Pier and The Peak, added a bus stop at the tram terminus yesterday to help visitors and residents.

At one time about 100 people were waiting for the bus amid the rain, including an Indian tourist Gaurav, who said they were unhappy they couldn't experience the tram ride.

Another tourist, a mainland woman surnamed Huang, said: "We walked quite a long way to get here and then there was no [Peak Tram]. But it's still nice to be able to experience the bus ride!"

The Development Bureau said yesterday that government departments and contractors had immediately deployed staff to remove collapsed trees after the rainstorms. "In cases where it takes time to clear or prune the trees, the departments have fenced off potentially dangerous trees to keep the public safe," it said.