Protest Leaves Morning Train Services In Tatters

The commutes of tens of thousands of people were disrupted on Tuesday morning after anti-extradition bill protesters took their action to the subway, blocking train doors at different stations and practically crippling Hong Kong's famously efficient transport network.

MTR authorities said four major lines – Island, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O and Tsuen Wan – were hit by the protest during the morning rush hour.

The trouble started just before 8am when the Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines started getting disrupted when a group of protesters began blocking train doors at Tiu Keng Leng Station.

One protester, who gave his name as Isaac, said he joined the protest to complain against the MTR Corporation's handling of the violence in Yuen Long on July 21, when a group clad in white attacked MTR passengers, sending 45 to hospital. He said the rail operator should have done better at protecting the passengers.

Some protesters also put up posters, calling for a general strike on Monday.

By 8.30am, MTR authorities announced the suspension of services on part of the Kwun Tong Line. As the knock-on effect of this started adding to the crowds on other lines, protesters hit North Point and Admiralty stations, forcing the MTR to suspend services between Taikoo and Causeway Bay on the Island Line.

MTR officials scrambled to arrange shuttle buses, but the queues for these kept growing.

Some passengers were furious with the protesters’ action. “I don’t like this situation, I don’t think this is the right thing (to do). I think they have another way to bargain with the government”, one passenger surnamed Lee, said.

There were also reports of police leading away some people who got a bit too hot under the collar. One protester who felt unwell at Tiu Keng Leng Station was taken away by paramedics.

A commuter who gave her name as Lau thought it was wrong for the protesters to block early morning traffic, saying they have directed their anger at the wrong place and the wrong people.

“They did something wrong. Sometimes they are right, they have their reasons, but sometimes really wrong … they won’t listen. They are very young, they cannot see the full picture”, she said.

But some commuters were more accommodating. Vivian Pang, who waited for a train on the Kwun Tong Line for over an hour, said while she didn't blame the protesters, she was unhappy with the MTR’s arrangements.

She told RTHK that even though nobody was blocking any train doors after 9am, it took 20 minutes before the train eventually left the station.

“I asked the staff to explain why the MTR cannot be opened, cannot go to other stations, but they have no answer. They just tried to escape my question and just tried to run away”, Pang said.

Another passenger, John Lee, said while he understands that the people want to put more pressure on the government, he thinks protesters shouldn't should disrupt train services during peak hours.

As the disruption continued into the day, tens of thousands who depend on the rail links to reach work were finding alternative means to reach their offices.

Buses were quickly arranged but passengers were still left with facing long queues to reach the free services. Many businesses were hit as workers were not able to get in on time.

The situation began to return to normal by 11am and services on all the affected lines slowly resumed.

The MTR's operations chief, Alan Cheng, said the company did everything it could to contain the situation and all services resumed soon after 11am.

The authorities said that during the three hours or so of protest action, safety buttons on station platforms were pressed 76 times and emergency buttons on trains pressed 47 times, adding to the chaos.

He appealed to protesters to express their views without harming people's livelihoods.

Transport Secretary Frank Chan also echoed the call, saying such behaviour causes great inconvenience to the public, no matter whether it comes during peak hours or not.