Train service on the East Rail line has resumed after it was suspended during rush hour due to a problem with the signal system.
The Transport Department said that the signal system has been repaired and train services gradually resumed at 11:30am.
Hundreds of passengers waited outside Fo Tan station for MTR’s free shuttle buses to Kowloon Tong during the disruption, according to RTHK.
According to the MTR Service Update, a social media service run by staff and members of the public to track disruptions to the rail service, the rail line’s train control system malfunctioned and trains could not be regulated.
MTR Service Update said that crowd control measures were put in place, and the Operations Control Centre allowed trains stalled between stations to move to the platform manually at a speed of no more than 22kph, in order to allow passengers to alight and take other transport.
Before service resumed, passengers were required to wait at least 15 minutes for the shuttle buses. “MTR staff are carrying out repair work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” MTR said on its website.
Last May, a 4.5-hour long disruption of the East Rail line caused thousands of passengers to be stranded after a cable near Hung Hom snapped.
In August 2017, the MTR Corporation was fined HK$2 million for a 10-hour-long disruption that caused service delays on the Kwun Tong Line earlier that month.
