Lawmakers Call For Massive Fine Over MTR Crash

Lawmakers have called on the government to impose a huge fine on the MTR over the disruption caused to the busy Central-Admiralty stretch of the network following a train crash during a trial run.

Transport panel chairman Ben Chan urged the rail operator to put HK$25 million into the penalty fund voluntarily as an apology over Monday's incident that led to disruption on the Tsuen Wan Line for two days.

Chan said although the crash may not be covered by the penalty mechanism, they should make some sort of gesture. He also suggested offering fare discounts to compensate the passengers affected.

Lawmaker Michael Luk, from the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), urged the government to take tough steps over what he called an “unprecedented event”.

He said the government had to take into account that the breakdown spanned two days.

The company must clarify penalty arrangements and slash bonuses for its top management, said the lawmaker.

Democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said the penalty mechanism for MTR delays is “flawed”, and he urged the government to impose a fine big enough to reflect the seriousness of the incident.

According to the Service Performance Arrangement, the rail operator can be fined for any disruptions lasting 31 minutes or more.