Hong Kong's MTR Corp fined HK$19.2 million and will offer half-price fares for day
Hong Kong's railway operator,
the MTR Corporation , has been ordered to offer a day of half-price fares after being hit with a HK$19.2 million (US$2.4 million) penalty over a five-hour service suspension on the Tseung Kwan O line last week, according to the transport minister.
The incident was the third traffic disruption in four months caused by technical failures, drawing strong criticism from lawmakers on Monday. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also pledged to consider reflecting incidents that may affect service and passengers with the company's remuneration.
During a legislative panel meeting, Chan confirmed that the HK$19.2 million penalty for the Tseung Kwan O line disruption would be allocated for passenger rebates.
She added that further funds would be set aside for similar incidents in February and April involving engineering trains, which the government viewed with 'grave concern'.
'The cumulative funds for such rebates will mean there will be a day with half-priced rides for people,' Chan said. 'This is to reflect the impact on people when incidents happen during those hours.'
Chan said she would 'definitely' raise lawmaker Chan Hok-fung's suggestion of performance-linked pay for management during discussions with the company's board of directors.
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