Whose interests did Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation have in mind when it closed half of its stations on National Day?

A day after half of Hong Kong’s train stations were shut down amid anti-government protests, questions have been raised over who the MTR Corporation served in making that decision. Tuesday’s controversial closures crippled the railway network, leaving people stranded or unable to make journeys across the city. The rail operator faces mounting public scrutiny for progressively closing half of its 94 train stations, in a move it said was taken to prevent damage to facilities, and protect passengers and staff. Some stations were closed early to thwart potential attacks by protesters determined to tarnish the National Day celebrations in Beijing, and as of Tuesday night, more than 20 stations had been subjected to vandalism and arson attacks during the unrest across the city. On Wednesday morning, the MTR Corp said all stations were opened for service but because of the damage done to some facilities, it might take longer for passengers to complete their journeys. However, at about 7.30am, the Kwun Tong line was disrupted for nearly an hour as the emergency exit of a train bound for Whampoa at Yau Tong station was activated. An MTR spokesman said the emergency door was pushed open by somebody without authorisation. “As rail staff needed to conduct checks at the affected facilities, there were some service disruptions from the direction of Yau Tong towards Kwun Tong,” he said. He warned passengers against opening the emergency door unnecessarily. “The emergency exit with its sliding door is a safety facility … Anyone who deliberately interferes, resulting in endangering other passengers could face criminal prosecution,” he said. Hong Kong’s MTR closes half of its stations to prevent damage to facilities and reduce risks to human lives Quentin Cheng Hin-kei, a spokesman for commuter concern group Public Transport Research Team, said shutting down the stations on Tuesday was “outrageous and totally unacceptable”. “I don’t agree that it was made out of safety considerations. For many stations they were shut down very early and unnecessarily when things were still very quiet. If the MTR is so afraid of being attacked, it can consider closing shop entirely,” he said. On Tuesday, long queues formed at the cross-harbour Star Ferry in Central as travellers were left with limited choices following the closure of key interchanges such as Admiralty, Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Cheng said he believed the closure of several stations was to help police crack down on protesters, adding that the MTR Corp, in which the government is a majority shareholder, had become a puppet of police. “The MTR Corp has totally disregarded the public’s need for public transport and forgotten its service pledge to the Hong Kong people,” he said. Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said he believed the rail giant had turned to serve Beijing instead of the public, after it was accused by mainland state media such as People’s Daily of helping radical demonstrators by arranging for extra trains. Hong Kong’s MTR pays the price for aiding and abetting protesters “Since the MTR was attacked by mainland state media, it has started to fully cooperate with police’s enforcement action at its stations, such as closing various stations well ahead of demonstrations,” he said. “Yesterday, I think some stations were unnecessarily closed just for carrying officers to make arrests at various locations. But if the MTR continues to take this approach of serving police, it will only trigger more public outrage and commotion.” Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Unions vice-chairman Tam Kin-chiu rejected suggestions that the rail operator was only serving police, and said it had a responsibility to conduct damage control, and ensure the continuation of services to the public on weekdays. “The closure decision was only based on safety considerations for passengers and staff, as the radical protesters have been escalating their violent acts,” he said. “If the MTR hadn’t closed these stations, I can foresee that the consequences would be much more serious and damaging. Also, the MTR might not have been able to provide a full and normal service for passengers today.”

Whose interests did Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation have in mind when it closed half of its stations on National Day?

Commuter concern group calls the closure of half of operator’s network ‘outrageous’ Rail giant says move was to prevent damage, reduce risk to lives

Commuter concern group calls the closure of half of operator’s network ‘outrageous’

Rail giant says move was to prevent damage, reduce risk to lives