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MTR Corporation
Hong KongTransport

MTR records drop of more than 30 per cent among September ridership figures as protest vandalism rocks Hong Kong

  • Critics warn the worst is yet to come as October damage and early closures may bring even more dismal year-on-year statistics
  • Airport Express lowest performer with patronage of only slightly more than 1 million

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A protester vandalises an MTR sign at Yau Ma Tei station. Photo: Winson Wong
Cannix Yau

Hong Kong’s embattled MTR Corporation suffered a sharp fall in September patronage with a warning of even gloomier October figures after stations were closed in the face of a vandalism campaign by protesters.

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Radicals turned their destructive fury on the railway operator after accusing it of bowing to Beijing and colluding with police. On October 5, rampaging mobs forced a shutdown of the entire network for the first time in its 40-year history.
A fire is started at the entrance of Mong Kok MTR station. Photo: Edmond So
A fire is started at the entrance of Mong Kok MTR station. Photo: Edmond So

According to latest figures from the operator, domestic ridership was nearly 127 million for September, 6.6 per cent down year on year, while figures for the Airport Express plunged by 30.6 per cent over the same period to slightly more than 1 million.

The sharp drop in Airport Express numbers reflected how it was crippled by the unrest several times in that month.

The high-speed rail link to Guangzhou was the second hardest hit, with traveller numbers tumbling 18 per cent from 1.14 million in August to 936,000 in September – the lowest since its debut a year ago.

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