Face the music: MTR's stance on musical instruments a glitch compared with express rail link fiasco
Albert Cheng says the corporation's executives must be held to account not only for the series of public grievances but, more importantly, for the much larger problems of delays and budget overruns for the high-speed link
Opened in 1979, the MTR was once the pride of Hong Kong. It was convenient, efficient and reliable. Less than 40 years down the track, the system has degenerated into a major source of public grievance and discontent.
Despite the millions of dollars it has spent on branding itself as a responsible corporate citizen, the MTR Corporation has been repeatedly criticised for being insensitive. The latest case is its treatment of students with musical instruments. Last month, a schoolgirl was stopped by MTR staff at Tai Wai station for carrying a guzheng. They invoked a by-law which bars luggage exceeding 130cm in length. Days later, a university student carrying a cello was also turned away as the instrument was 4cm over the size limit.
Netizens were quick to point out the MTR's double standards. Photos of parallel traders and mainland tourists with mattresses, washing machines and other oversized items on the trains went viral. The company agreed to review its policy only after some 100 music lovers converged at Tai Wai station for an impromptu concert to mock it.
Such affronts to public sentiment come amid declining standards and disruptions to the service. It is only reasonable, therefore, for the public to question the diligence, if not the competence, of MTR management
A year ago, it was animal lovers who the MTR upset. The company allowed a train from Guangzhou to run through Fanling station before a stray dog could be removed from the tracks, killing the animal. As a result, more than 75,000 people signed an online petition seeking justice.
Such affronts to public sentiment come amid declining standards and disruptions to the service. It is only reasonable, therefore, for the public to question the diligence, if not the competence, of MTR management.
However, such problems are only hiccups in comparison with the delay and budget overrun of the company's project to build the local section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.
The government, which holds a 70 per cent stake in the company, entrusted the MTR Corporation to manage the construction of the 26km railway at an initial cost of HK$65 billion. That figure has now been revised to HK$85.3 billion.
