The MTR Corporation is set to be penalized at least HK$1 million for a significant service disruption on the East Rail Line that left commuters stranded for nearly eight hours, transportation officials confirmed Friday.
The incident began early Wednesday when a malfunctioning engineer’s train near Tai Wo station halted rail services, causing unprecedented delays that stretched from 5:21 am until approximately 1 pm. Passengers experienced wait times of up to 25 minutes between stations, severely impacting morning rush hour commutes.
Kirk Yip Hoi-ying, deputy secretary for Transport and Logistics, told the Legislative Council’s rail subcommittee that the prolonged disruption automatically triggered the Service Performance Rebate arrangement, mandating financial compensation to affected passengers.
MTR’s managing director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun emphasized that the problematic train had passed all routine inspections, including annual, monthly, and pre-trip checks. The company is currently investigating the root cause of the malfunction.
Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun called for stricter penalties to incentivize faster problem resolution. Responding to these concerns, Yip outlined recent updates to the penalty mechanism, which can now impose fines up to HK$40 million for extensive service interruptions.
Despite the recent incident, MTR reports overall improvement in service reliability. The company noted a 10% reduction in delays exceeding 8 minutes and a more than 30% decrease in delays surpassing 31 minutes compared to the previous year.
The exact fine will be determined after MTR submits detailed documentation of the incident.
