Hong Kong’s MTRC to be fined at least HK$1 million for 7 hour metro disruption
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation (MTRC) will be fined at least HK$1 million after a disruption on the East Rail Line that lasted for more than seven hours, including during the morning rush hour, on Wednesday.
The deputy secretary for transport and logistics, Kirk Yip, said at the Legislative Council’s Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways meeting on Friday that the malfunction triggered the rail operator’s Service Performance Rebate arrangement.
Under the arrangement, the MTRC must pay a fine for all train service disruptions exceeding 31 minutes. The fines are rebated to passengers in the form of discounted fares on selected days.
On Wednesday, train services along the East Rail Line were disrupted from around 5.30am, when the first rain began, to 1pm. In a media statement, the MTRC said the car of an engineering vehicle was “unable to leave the main track as usual after completing its work duties near Tai Wo Station.”
Only one platform was operational at Tai Wo Station, and the disruption resulted in delays causing up to 24-minute intervals between trains.
The MTRC’s transport services managing director Jeny Yeung said at the meeting that an engineering train carrying out work on the main tracks that morning became stuck, meaning the passenger trains could not use the tracks.
“More than 100 workers tried to repair [the engineer train] and remove it as soon as possible… but the train weighed 80 metric tonnes, the equivalent of around two passenger trains on the urban lines.”
“We couldn’t actually tow [the engineer train] away, so we had to repair the train so it could move.”
The MTRC mobilised around 100 workers to move the engineer train off the track, but the train weighed 80 metric tons – the equivalent of around two passenger trains on the MTR’s urban lines, Yeung said at the Legislative Council.
Fewer delays in 2024
The incident on the East Rail Line on Wednesday marked the first major disruption on the MTR in 2025.
Reviewing the train company’s operations over the past year, Yeung said on Friday that there were 79 delays of eight minutes or more, a drop of around 10 per cent compared to 2023. Delays of 31 minutes or more fell by around 30 per cent. There were no delays exceeding an hour last year.
Yeung apologised to the passengers affected by the Wednesday disruption. She said that services on the East Rail Line were never suspended, but that northbound passengers had to wait on average of 10 minutes per train, and southbound passengers around four minutes.
“Because there were a lot of people and fewer trains, the wait time was longer. Again, we apologise to passengers who were affected that day,” Yeung said in Cantonese.
She added that the engineering train had passed inspections, and that the train operator was investigating the reason for the malfunction.
As part of the Service Performance Rebate, the MTRC’s fine depends on the duration of the disruption and whether it occurred during peak or non-peak hours. For example, a disruption between one and two hours during peak hours incurs a fine of HK$2.4 million.
Once the fines accumulate to HK$25 million, the train operator must arrange a “Thank You Day” where passengers can enjoy 50 per cent off fares. Four “Thank You Days” were arranged in 2023, while there was one in 2024.
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