The MTR Corporation has announced that Airport Express trains will only run between Hong Kong and Airport stations on Sunday, after protesters made calls online to enter the airport and congest traffic.
The MTRC said the arrangements were made as requested by the Hong Kong government and Airport Authority.
Airport Express trains, running every ten minutes, will not stop at Kowloon, Olympic, Tsing Yi or AsiaWorld-Expo stations. AsiaWorld-Expo Station is temporarily closed.
The In-town Check-in service at Kowloon Station has been suspended, while the In-town Check-in service in Hong Kong Station will close 90 minutes before passengers’ scheduled flight departure time.
MTR staff and Airport Authority staff will check flight tickets and travel documents at Hong Kong Station.
Police are stopping and searching vehicles en route to the airport on Sunday afternoon, although it is unclear to what extent protesters will actually heed online calls to block the airport with traffic.
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The Airport Authority also announced E-line buses from the city into the airport will use Tung Chung as the final stop after 10:30am on Sunday. E-line buses from the airport or the AsiaWorld-Expo into the city will not be affected.
Since June, large-scale peaceful protests have morphed into sometimes violent displays of dissent over Beijing’s encroachment, democracy and alleged police brutality. Protesters have managed to distrupt flights and transport around Chek Lap Kok on several occasions during the summer.
From 11am, around 20 riot police and plain clothes officers were reportedly checking airport buses one by one at the Lantau Link Toll Plaza.
Meanwhile, a suspected petrol bomb was thrown into the MTR’s Siu Ho Wan depot at around 3am on Sunday, reported RTHK.
The Fire Services Department passed the case to the Lantau Island crime investigation team, as it was suspected to be arson.
A 52-year-old MTR staff reported the incident to the police after hearing a loud bang. A patch of grass, meausnrg 3 x 1 metres, appeared to be scorched, and a nearby overhead electric cable was damaged.
A battery, measuring around 12.7cm in length and 7.5cm in depth, was found nearby.
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