3 days ago
MTR must take to heart its duty to minimise service disruption
Only last Sunday Hong Kong's railway operator had offered commuters half-fare rides to compensate for a serious service breakdown on a major rail line two months ago. So it was regrettable that the operation of the Tseung Kwan O line was
disrupted again during rush hour yesterday morning, leaving passengers frustrated about the repeated malfunctions and inadequate contingency plans.
MTR Corporation first confirmed the service disruption at 7.49am, saying there would be a five-to-eight-minute delay to train journeys as some signalling equipment was not functioning properly.
Train frequencies were later adjusted to one every six minutes between North Point and Po Lam, and one every eight minutes between Tiu Keng Leng and Lohas Park. The delays resulted in long queues on train platforms at some stations, with some passengers having to wait for several trains to get on board.
The disruption lasted less than three hours, not as long as the
breakdown on May 22 when services were affected for five hours. But those caught by the delays were understandably outraged. Some asked why there were apparently no shuttle bus services arranged by MTR Corp or reinforcement by other transport operators this time.
The frustration underlines the high standards expected of the rail operator. Considering the MTR's reputation as a world-class urban transport system running with clockwork precision for more than four decades, passengers may feel inconvenienced by the slightest technical glitch.
The signalling malfunction on the Tseung Kwan O line yesterday was not the first. The breakdown in May forced tens of thousands of people to scramble for alternative transport home in the evening, after a displaced overhead cable component in a tunnel section triggered problems in the power supply and the signalling system.
