Frank Chan: MTR Service Limited Until Vandalism Ends

Transport and Housing Secretary Frank Chan says the MTR Corporation won't be able to restore full service levels until vandalism of its stations stops completely for some time.

The rail operator has been a frequent target for vandalism by protesters, who accuse it of closing stations even during legal protests. Many stations were damaged in a weekend of violence at the start of October.

The network has been closing early ever since, with trains operating only until 11pm for most of the past week.

Chan said on Saturday that the MTR Corporation did not make decisions on services based on politics. He also defended the corporation's decision to close stations in parts of Kowloon during a banned protest last Sunday. He said the closure meant vandals were only able to target station exits.

"If we have a peaceful time, for example for the past week, over the weekend and maybe next week, I would suppose that maybe the MTR service would resume as normal fairly quickly," Chan said.

"What we have experienced in the past month is that we do suffer quite a lot from vandalism, and the system needs a lot of time to repair, checks to ensure its safety and integrity, before it can provide services."

All train services except for the Airport Express will stop at 10pm on Saturday. The Airport Express will operate as a shuttle between Hong Kong Station and the airport from 6pm, with check-in services at Kowloon Station due to stop at 5pm.