An engineering vehicle broke down at Tai Wo Station on the MTR East Rail Line yesterday (Feb. 5), causing a seven-hour disruption to East Rail Line service from the first train.

MTR Head of Operations and Maintenance, Lee Kim-hung, said on a radio program today (Feb. 6) that the engineering vehicle in question has been serving the East Rail Line for about 20 years, and there is only one such vehicle in the entire MTR network, which undergoes a basic operation test before starting every day, and also undergoes regular inspection and maintenance of its components.

Lee pointed out that the MTR had launched an in-depth investigation and contacted the equipment supplier to review the operation, design concept and maintenance requirements, and then reported the progress of the investigation and submitted a report to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), as well as reviewing the operational arrangements and maintenance work of the relevant engineering vehicles. He explained that in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the engineering vehicle involved in the incident was carrying out stone sleeper replacement works on a section of track between Fanling and Tai Wo stations. When the vehicle was about to return to the depot after completing the works, the level sensing system of the engineering vehicle malfunctioned and failed to function, resulting in one of the trucks deviating to the left a little, but the frame and the car tray were still on the track, but it was not known if this involved any loosening or breaking of the components.

Asked why the MTR took a long time to deal with this problem, Lee explained that the engineering car and the track were not in a horizontal position, and the engineers had to test the system's response and speed at the scene, and adjust it to the appropriate level before moving away from the engineering car. He also pointed out that if the engineering car was forced to be towed away, it might cause damage to other equipment. In addition, during the recovery period, the train service had to be maintained on the up line, and the safety of passengers and engineers had to be taken into consideration, and each process was carried out carefully, which resulted in certain constraints.

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