Hong Kong’s Central MTR station plunged into darkness for about six hours
Railway operator probes blackout after shops in concourse forced to close early, but commuters just kept going, some enjoying the unusual experience
Central MTR station was plunged into darkness for about six hours on Tuesday after a power failure hit the concourse and Island Line platform.
Most shops on the MTR concourse near World-Wide House, including a 7-Eleven store and Maxim’s Cakes, suspended business following the outage at around 3pm.
It was only at 9.10pm that power was fully restored.
Trains bound for Kennedy Town and the MTR gates were unaffected as passengers continued to get on and off trains and pass through the turnstiles, despite the darkness.
Francis Li Shing-kee, the MTR’s head of operating, said the station’s power supply partially went out because of a circuit breakout.
“There was a circuit breakout that was activated for some reason,” he said. “This affected some of the power supply system.”
He said lighting at two platforms, two escalators, one lift and 14 shops was affected.
The MTR is investigating the cause of the power failure.
At the same time, internet connections were slow or even unavailable in some areas of Central station during the power failure, but Li said he was unsure why.
The MTR sent extra staff to keep order and help passengers.
In addition, police officers, some wearing reflective vests, were seen patrolling the station.
A spokesman for Hongkong Electric, which supplies power on Hong Kong Island, said its supply was normal throughout the Central station area.
In parts of the station where the lights went out, staff placed lamps. Most travellers appeared to continue their journey without interruption. Some seized the opportunity to take photos.
At 7pm, lights were back on in parts of the station, but some platform areas remained dark.
High school student Helena Bargz, 17, travelling with her friends, thought the effect of some lights being out was “a bit cool”.
“This is new,” she said. “I love it. I don’t mind it.”
Connie Chu, a saleswoman working at Catalo, a health product shop inside the station, said electricity abruptly went out between 3 and 4pm in some parts of the station, including her store.
“It just went out but not the entire station,” she said. “If the entire station went dark, I would be very scared.” She said her business would certainly have been affected but could not yet tell how much.
On social media, photos showed passengers walking in darkness inside the station. Some internet users praised the photos as “moody”, while some criticised the MTR for still planning to raise fares later this month.
