MTR back on track with platform gates

Platform gates are expected to be installed at Racecourse and Tai Po Market stations by the middle of next year, MTR Corp said yesterday, a decade after promising to do so on East Rail line stations to prevent accidents.

Ahead of that, new train-stopping positions will be implemented to improve passenger distribution on carriages in the first quarter of next year.

That is aimed at adjusting trains' stopping positions along straighter lines to minimize gaps at 25 platforms in 11 stations from Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau to Mong Kok East for safety.

With the adjustment, trains will stop about one or two carriage lengths behind previous positions. That will be followed in mid-2023 by the installation of automatic platform gates at East Rail stations, starting with Racecourse and Tai Po Market, said Cheung Chi-keung, head of the cross-boundary segment.

Starting today, queuing positions and carriage labels on platform floors at the two stations will sport blue stickers - which will gradually be extended to other stations - up until the new measures are rolled out.

The stations were chosen for the pilot stage as their platforms are mostly straight and would involve less work overall.

Once the measures are put into motion, the blue stickers will be replaced by gray ones, said Allen Ding Ka-chun, general manager for project planning and development (operations).

"Passengers may follow the 'blue first, then gray' principle, which means following the blue signage for boarding from now on until the implementation of the new train stopping position next year and following the grey signage afterward," he said.

Trains stopping at Racecourse, for instance, will do so two cars back next year. In the meantime, areas on the platform for the first and second cars will be marked in blue stickers, and removed once the MTRC rolls out new stopping positions.

Carriage and door labels will also be updated. In the case of Racecourse, car seven is marked to indicate it will be for car five.

Platforms affected are one and two at Mong Kok East station; one at Kowloon Tong; one at Tai Wai; two, three and four at Sha Tin; and all platforms at Fo Tan, University, Tai Wo, Fan Ling, Sheung Shui, Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu.