MTR Subcontractor Denies Role In Faulty Work

The subcontractor responsible for fixing rebars at the MTR’s Hung Hom Station project insists it should not be blamed for defective work there.

A quantity surveyor from Wing & Kwong was testifying on Monday at a government-appointed inquiry tasked with looking into flawed works and the loss of key inspection records at the station.

The surveyor, surnamed Cheung, said staff from the main contractor Leighton sent him a picture in February last year, showing that threaded rebars at one location weren’t connected with the couplers.

He said Leighton staff had learned about that after finding water leakage at the spot and cracked the concrete open. He added that he didn't know if there were more spots with similar problems at the station.

But Cheung said his company quickly sent a letter to Leighton, making it clear that they were not at fault. He explained that Wing & Kwong has no responsibility after concreting, while Leighton and other parties had to ensure the quality of steel bars work before pouring concrete.

He added that Wing & Kwong then requested a joint inspection, but it didn’t happen.