Yuen Long Councillors Blast MTR For 'silence'

New Territories West legislators on Friday blasted the MTR Corporation for keeping them in the dark over the sinking of two viaduct pillars by two centimetres near Yuen Long Station.

The railway operator was aware of the problem back in 2012 after construction began nearby for a residential project.

The Democratic Party’s Roy Kwong, who is also a district councillor for Yuen Long, said it is unacceptable that the MTR did not make the subsidence public. He said he will raise an urgent question in Legco due to the seriousness of the issue.

Leung Che-cheung from the DAB, who is also a district councillor for the area, said he was shocked by the incident, adding that the district council was not briefed about the matter. He said MTR bosses need to explain to the council how remedial measures being taken will be sufficient.

But Roundtable lawmaker and former KCR chairman Michael Tien said the pillars would have to sink more than twice as much – by 4.5 centimetres – before it becomes dangerous for trains to continue using the viaduct.

He added, however, that with subsidence of two centimetres having already occurred, it was right for the development nearby to be stopped.

Tien said he believes the government was made aware of the issue by 2013 and he doesn't think any guidelines were breached.