An incident at MTR Wan Chai Station last night (June 19) in which someone opened the emergency exit ramp of a train caused a service disruption on the Island Line for nearly an hour.
The MTR announced that after the train stopped at Wan Chai Station, the train doors and platform screen doors did not open automatically as usual, and while the train captain was working with the Operations Control Centre, some passengers on the train opened the emergency exit ramp at the rear of the train.
About 20 passengers left the train via the ramp and returned to the platform with the assistance of platform staff.
The remaining passengers were assisted by staff to exit the train normally through the doors and platform screen doors.
For safety reasons, the Operations Control Centre suspended the nearby trains from entering Wan Chai Station. During the incident, shuttle buses were arranged to run between Quarry Bay and Sheung Wan stations.
After ensuring safety, train service was gradually restored to normal at 9:02 p.m.
Legislative Council Member Gary Zhang, who has served in the MTR, said in a radio program today (June 20) that the train's stopping position is incorrect from time to time, speculating that those passengers probably felt nervous and then opened the ramp.
"Unless the train is unsafe, it is very undesirable to walk onto the tracks," he said.
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