Hong Kong’s MTR Corp may face HK$19.2 million fine for 5-hour service disruption

Hong Kong’s rail giant could face a penalty of HK$19.2 million (US$2.4 million) for Thursday’s five-hour suspension caused by malfunctions in both the power supply and signalling system, with the MTR Corp under mounting pressure to overhaul its overhead cable system and speed up inspections using technology.

Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu said on Friday that a delay of more than three but less than four hours would incur a fine of HK$9.6 million, with each of the following hours costing HK$4.8 million, citing the penalty mechanism for rush hour delays after a train fault.

“This would come to about HK$19.2 million, which is my estimate,” Zhang said, adding that “part of an hour would also be charged as an hour” given the delay was just over five hours.

“I know that the engineering staff took a long time to decipher what went wrong. To improve on this, we could use more real-time data analysis and more sensors that provide real-time data to help staff identify problems faster,” he said.

Zhang added that the sensors were still being tested by the MTR and not installed network-wide yet, urging the corporation to enhance efforts in the area and have a comprehensive system designed around it.

Rail operator the MTR Corporation said on Thursday its preliminary investigation found that the breakdown was triggered by a displaced overhead cable component in a tunnel section that led to a short circuit.

The incident had caused long queues outside Tiu Keng Leng station, with hundreds of passengers waiting for shuttle services. Crowds also packed pavements outside North Point station as commuters waited for public buses and taxis.