Signalling Upgrade Woes Now Hit East Rail Line

Transport minister Frank Chan told lawmakers on Friday that onsite testing of a new signalling system on the East Rail Line has been stopped after it led to three glitches last month.

This involved a driver not following a traffic light instruction properly, and a computer monitor and system malfunction.

Chan said the government has asked the MTR to submit a report. He said it’s not ideal, but the incidents had nothing to do with the software itself.

This revelation about the rail operator’s troubles with the new signalling system came as lawmakers were grilling MTR officials over the delay in upgrading the system on various other lines.

The Tsuen Wan Line was supposed to switch to a new system last year, but this has been postponed to 2023 following a train crash during a trial run.

Two trains collided in Central MTR Station during non-service hours in March last year.

The upgrade for other railway lines will also be pushed back for a few years, with the new system expected to run on the Island Line from 2024, and the Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines from 2026.

During a Legco railways subcommittee meeting, Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting questioned whether more train delays or suspensions will occur as the MTRC has to rely on the ageing signalling system that is now in use.

But Tony Lee, the railway company’s operations director, said there was no reason for such concerns as the the existing system’s components are still in a good state.

Lee said more time is needed as they have to design a new and more detailed software development process, replace the designers, and strengthen monitoring.

The DAB’s Wilson Or said he was disappointed about the delay and asked if any of the MTR’s staff will be held accountable. But Lee did not give an answer to that.