Government Sees No Need To Expand MTR Probe

Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung said on Tuesday that reports of problems at the To Kwa Wan and Exhibition Centre station sites of the upcoming Shatin-Central Link don't necessarily warrant Commissions of Inquiry.

He said there are other ways to tackle the problems, but did not elaborate.

Cheung said the judge-led inquiry into a safety scare at Hung Hom Station should avoid "over-stretching itself" and focus on the more complex incident there. Steel bars securing a platform floor to walls were cut short at the station to make it look like they had been screwed into the coupling as specified.

But the acting CE said the panel will look into issues common to all MTR contracts, such as the supervision of building work.

Cheung also said that the government is now looking for a second person to sit on the inquiry panel, but he said the search is not easy. The government has to make sure that this person has the knowledge and status to do the job, while being free from any conflict of interest, he said.

After problems at Hung Hom were revealed around three weeks ago, reports also emerged of a wall being tampered with at the future To Kwa Wan Station, while excavation work for the Exhibition Centre Station was stopped over fear of inadequate support underground.

The latest scares have led to calls for the Commission of Inquiry to be expanded to cover the other stations as well.