300 Hong Kong commuters trapped on broken Tai Po train for two hours
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 12:06am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 12:33am
Clifford Lo [email protected]
A cross-border train broke down in Tai Po.
Passengers were not allowed to leave the train during the incident.
More than 300 Guangzhou-bound commuters were trapped on a cross-border train for more than two hours yesterday after it broke down in Tai Po.
The train's electricity was cut off, shutting down the lighting and air-conditioning, and its standby battery immediately went into operation to provide emergency lighting and ventilation for passengers, according to the MTR Corporation.
But a message reading "dizzy, call of nature, lack of oxygen, help" was displayed on a piece of paper by a girl and stuck on the window of the train which halted near Tai Po Market MTR station shortly before 1.45pm.
The MTR spokeswoman said the situation lasted for more than an hour, until a second engine arrived and pushed the train to a nearby platform at the station at about 3pm.
After spending about an hour repairing the train and carrying out tests, the through train was allowed to continue its journey to Guangzhou East Station at about 4pm.
The spokeswoman said passengers were not allowed to leave the train during the incident because they had gone through immigration clearance before they boarded the train at Hung Hom station.
"During the incident, train attendants offered snacks and bottles of water to passengers," she said, adding that no one complained of feeling unwell or needed hospital treatment.
She said the MTR Corporation issued an apology to the passengers for the inconvenience.
The spokeswoman said an initial investigation indicated the breakdown was caused by the train's braking system and they would continue to examine the train to determine the cause.
The breakdown also disrupted the East Rail train service for more than an hour.
According to the MTR, the total journey time of East Rail trains running between Hung Hom and Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations was extended by 15 minutes to 20 minutes.
The spokeswoman said Hung Hom-bound East Rail passengers were required to change trains at Tai Po Market station while Lo Wu-bound commuters changed trains at Fo Tan MTR station.
After the through train was removed from the track at about 3pm, the East Rail service gradually resumed.
