MTR Corp expects all services to resume on Kwun Tong line early Monday

MTR train services suspended on part of the Kwun Tong line are likely to be resumed by daybreak on Monday as 500 engineers and workers race to complete unprecedented equipment upgrades at four rail stations within a 28-hour window.

For much of the day on Sunday, services were suspended at Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Ho Man Tin stations on the Kwun Tong line.

Lee Kim-hung, the MTR Corporation’s chief of operations engineering and maintenance, said that 18 hours into the upgrade, work had reached an advanced stage, although testing of the signal, cables and electricity systems remained.

“We are on track to fully resume the first train service [on Monday],” he said.

The first train departing Tiu Keng Leng station for Whampoa station on the Kwun Tong line was scheduled for 6.07am Monday.

There were 500 engineers and contract employees working on the upgrade, while 1,000 MTR Corp staff members had been mobilised to provide assistance to commuters at affected stations.

Cheris Lee Yuen-ling, the MTR Corp’s chief of operating and metro segment, called on commuters who planned to take the last train of the East Rail line to the border terminus at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau to board an earlier one to avoid any delays on their journey.

She said Prince Edward station, the only interchange operating on Sunday between the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines, was busier than usual.

Earlier in the day at Prince Edward station, MTR Corp staff were seen carrying signs with information for commuters. Notices were also placed on walls and platform doors at the site.

Lee also thanked passengers for their patience and accommodating the arrangements while upgrade works were being done.

She added there were still some commuters arriving at the affected interchange stations who were unaware of the arrangements, despite the rail operator first sharing the relevant details about two months ago.

“It takes a bit longer for passengers to wait for lifts or escalators, and it’s busier than usual. But overall, the services are safe and ordered,” she said.

Among Sunday morning’s commuters was domestic helper Giselle Cadiz, who said she left home early to take a train from Admiralty to Mong Kok and meet her friends for her day off.

Cadiz said she decided to leave several hours early because of the special service arrangements.

“We usually meet in the afternoon, but today is special because [of the arrangements],” she said. “The staff are handling it well. But some people I was travelling with, like the elderly, were a bit confused.”

A retiree who was heading from Mei Foo to her son’s home in Whampoa, said she found the arrangements “slightly confusing”.

The 77-year-old said she had wandered around for a while as she tried to figure out how to get to her destination.

“I was talking to different staff members on the train platform about where to change trains,” she said. “Old people like me often need help. I feel relieved that I got the help I needed.”

Only hours before, workers began setting up metal scaffolding inside the tunnel at Yau Ma Tei station after the last train service wrapped up in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The site’s upgrade involves replacing 50 large metal hangers, which hold up power cables that run along the tunnel ceiling and have been in use for more than 40 years.

The 28-hour service suspension is part of the firm’s railway asset maintenance plan, in which it is spending HK$65 billion (US$8.3 billion) over a five-year period until 2027 to upgrade facilities and make use of technology to improve standards.

Prince Edward, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei stations remain open for trains running on the Tsuen Wan line while those on the Tuen Ma line will serve Ho Man Tin station.

The Kwun Tong line will continue to operate between Tiu Keng Leng and Prince Edward, as well as between Ho Man Tin and Whampoa.

The MTR Corp arranged free bus services with KMB on route 8 running between Ho Man Tin and Yau Ma Tei.

Passengers boarding at designated stops in Whampoa and Yau Ma Tei on bus route 30X can also enjoy free rides.

Additional reporting by Edith Lin