Govt Demands MTR Look Into Exam Cheating Claims

Government officials said on Wednesday that they had asked the MTR Corporation to investigate reports of examination cheating by some of the railway operator's employees.

Apple Daily quoted unnamed staff members who had taken an exam for the post of "Engineer Person-In-Charge" as saying that supervisors had given them the answers in advance and adjudicators allowed them to re-do answers that weren't correct.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said it was very concerned about the report and it wants an explanation from MTR officials.

The department said it is important to ensure that the railway system is safe and reliable and it will carry out routine checks on the MTR's training and qualification programmes.

Transport Secretary Frank Chan said it is too early to judge if there are any regulation loopholes. He stressed that there should be no compromise when it comes to public safety.

The MTR Corporation has been dogged by controversy in recent days, accused of changing its story about a safety scare at Hung Hom Station and of lacking transparency over concerns about the high-speed rail line project.