Chaos as MTR train derails

Several doors of an MTR train were ripped off as it derailed while entering Yau Ma Tei station yesterday morning, disrupting rail services between Lai King and Jordan,

And with engineers working throughout the night managers were unable to say if services would be back to normal today.

Trouble struck at 9.30am, with the captain of a Central-bound Tsuen Wan Line train stopping when he heard a loud noise as it entered Yau Ma Tei station. Some carriages were alongside the platform by then, and smoke was billowing as the train came to a halt.

At least four doors in carriages 6 and 7 had been ripped off and were stuck in the gap between the train and the platform screen doors, with a set of wheels, a combination known as a bogie, off the rails.

"We found the bogie of the first carriage partially derailed," said Sammy Wong Kwan-wai, a manager who head operations. And operations director Tony Lee Kar-yun said the cause was the bogie hitting metal installation near the tracks.

The line remained out of operation between Lai King and Jordan last night as engineers continued to work with the hope that people would be able to use the MTR today.

More than 750 people at the station were evacuated, including 150 passengers who had been instructed to walk to Mong Kok station from the tunnel via an exit at the back of the train known as a detrainment ramp, while 600 left from Yau Ma Tei station.

Meanwhile, A 78-year-old woman passenger who suffered arm and leg injuries was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. She was one of two known casualties.

While services between Jordan and Lai King stations were suspended, sections of the Tsuen Wan line remained in operation.

Trains continued to run between Central and Jordan at six-minute intervals while it was every eight minutes between Lai King and Tsuen Wan.

The MTR also activated contingency plans to provide commuters with alternative transportation options.

Extra buses went on 16 routes, and free shuttle bus services to and from Jordan and Lai King stations were running with one departure every three minutes.

The Fire Services Department deployed 10 fire trucks, eight ambulances with personnel involved in rescue operations.

But Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station commander Leung Kam-wah said a preliminary investigation showed there were no additional threats. It was also revealed repairs to the train, which was taken to a workshop, would take "a relatively long time."

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said it would be continuing to examine the train and the site of the accident for foreign objects and the condition of mechanical parts while calling on the MTR Corp to submit an incident report as soon as possible.

It was also expected yesterday that the MTR would be liable for a fine of HK$25 million - the maximum fine for service disruptions - as it was not able to complete repairs and restart operations by 9pm last night.

On that, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said authorities would follow existing penalty mechanisms to deal with the incident.

Speaking alongside Lam, MTR chief executive Jacob Kam Chak-pui said third party experts would assist in carrying out an in-depth investigation.

Commissioner for Transport Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said franchized bus companies had been mobilized to strengthen transportation services in the meantime, and that arrangements for today's rush hour were in place.

But legislator Gary Zhang Xinyu of New Prospect for Hong Kong worried that the rail operator would not be able to complete repair works by rush hour today, adding that he had contacted Law to ask the Transport Department to help ease today's traffic.

He also hit at the MTR for saying the bogie had "partially" derailed from the tracks.

"If it's a partial derailment it's a derailment," he said.

Legislator Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong remarked that the MTR has seen fewer accidents since the extension of the East Rail line, but aging infrastructure remains a problem.

He also said the Legislative Council's subcommittee on railway affairs' meeting on December 2 next month may have to be rescheduled to include a discussion on yesterday's incident.