Latest news with #MTRC
HKFP
19 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong police mull access to gov't departments, MTR surveillance feeds, reports say
Hong Kong police may gain access to surveillance footage from government departments and the railway operator, which would be included in its 'SmartView' CCTV programme, according to media reports. The police force is considering gaining access to video surveillance feeds from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Transport Department, and the Housing Department, as well as the MTR Corporation (MTRC) within the year, local media reported, citing unnamed sources. The SmartView programme is an initiative, implemented by the police in collaboration with government departments, to install closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in public places with high crime rates and pedestrian flow to prevent and help fight crime. In a response to enquiries from local media, including Ming Pao newspaper, the MTRC said that it would comply with the orders to hand over footage to the police for law enforcement purposes and 'to maintain public safety of the railway network.' In the case of any changes from existing arrangements, the MTRC will conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment to ensure it complies with laws and regulations, it said. According to a 2013 report published by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the city's privacy watchdog, the MTRC had 3,342 cameras in stations and 429 cameras fitted in 78 of its 347 trains. Local paper Sing Tao reported on Sunday that police officers with inspector-level authorisation would have direct access to government departments' and the MTRC's surveillance footage for investigation purposes. The police are also mulling the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to better identify suspects, with a source comparing such a policy to the UK's use of facial recognition software. HKFP has reached out to the rail operator, the police, and the government departments for comment. 7,000 cameras by 2027 The push for surveillance access comes amid a broader police drive to install up to 7,000 surveillance cameras citywide by 2027. Having installed more than 600 cameras last year, the force aims to install a total of 1,385 by the end of 2025. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in July last year that the government planned to introduce AI-powered facial identification software in the thousands of new cameras the police were setting up. With those new cameras and the ones under the three government departments, the police would have access to 20,000 more surveillance feeds by the end of the year, the force told local media. Last month, the police began a separate trial project using Transport Department surveillance footage to tackle illegal parking and other traffic violations at four intersections in Central and Causeway Bay.
RTHK
7 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
MTRC told to work on contingency planning and response
MTRC told to work on contingency planning and response The Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday the MTR Corporation has to enhance its contingency planning and responses in the wake of three service disruptions so far this year. These include the more than five-hour suspension along the entire Tseung Kwan O line on Thursday that began with the evening rush hour. Ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Lee said the stoppages show there are inadequacies in the operator's response and contingency planning. "We have been focusing on rectification, in which we have systems to impose punishment on MTRC," he said. "But I think it is more important to focus on prevention so that there will be [no more disruptions]. "And we should also focus on the responses when there are, unfortunately, such incidents." Lee said he has requested the MTRC carry out a comprehensive and systemic review to enhance operations. The subway operator, he said, also needs to strengthen its contingency capabilities and responses by conducting drills and setting up a team dedicated to coping with emergencies. Lee went on to say the MTRC has to improve on its arrangements for alternative transport during service suspensions and come up with a timely information dissemination system. The Transport and Logistics Bureau, Transport Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department have to lead and guide the operator in implementing its five-year plan in enhancing management and maintenance of its railway assets, he said. The Transport and Logistics Bureau has told the railway giant to submit a report regarding last week's incident within a month. There were two other disruptions in February and April. The operator will offer a HK$19.2 million in compensation to the public over the raft of incidents, as well as give commuters a day of half-price discounts on fares for last week's disruption.
HKFP
26-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong's MTRC fined HK$19.2 million for 5-hour service disruption on Tseung Kwan O Line
Hong Kong's railway operator, the MTR Corporation (MTRC), will have to pay HK$19.2 million in fines for the five-hour service disruption on its Tseung Kwan O Line last week, the city's transport minister has said. Mable Chan, secretary for transport and logistics, also said on Monday that the MTRC would provide 50 per cent fare concessions for a day due to the service failure on Thursday and two similar events on another line earlier this year, under a 'service performance rebate' mechanism. Train service on the Tseung Kwan O Line was severely disrupted during rush hour, including a five-hour halt in the cross-harbour section between North Point and Yau Tong stations, due to a 'power supply disruption,' according to the MTRC. The incident followed two separate service disruptions on the East Rail Line in February and April that involved malfunctioning engineering trains. During a special Legislative Council (LegCo) subcommittee meeting on Monday, Chan said the government had demanded that the MTRC conduct a 'comprehensive and systematic' review of its train systems to strengthen the risk assessment and resilience of its services. 'I hope the MTRC can be ahead of any problems instead of having to follow up and react to them after they occur,' Chan told lawmakers in Cantonese. 'The string of [service delay] incidents has shown that the MTRC's repair and maintenance systems indeed have room for improvement,' she added. Chan also said she demanded that the MTRC submit an investigative report on the Thursday incident to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department within a month. Jeny Yeung, the MTRC's managing director for Hong Kong transport services, said at the same LegCo meeting that the company's preliminary investigation suggested that failures in some components of the overhead cables were the cause of the incident. Cheris Lee, chief of operating and metro segment at the MTRC, said the company's engineers had located a misalignment of the 'jumper wire,' a device that connects electric circuits to trains, which they believed to be the cause of the power supply failure. Yeung said the company would also replace outdated information systems of four lines – the Tseung Kwan O Line, the Kwun Tong Line, the Tsuen Wan Line, and the Island Line – in the next few years. The Tseung Kwan O line was suspended at 5.14pm on Thursday. Service was partially resumed at around 8.40pm and was only fully restored at 10.33pm, according to the MTRC. Under the service performance rebate mechanism, which was revamped in 2023, the MTRC has to pay HK$9.6 million for any delay of up to four hours during rush hour, and any additional hour of delay will cost the company an extra HK$4.8 million. The money will be refunded to passengers through a fare promotion.
RTHK
26-05-2025
- RTHK
MTR to compensate commuters HK$19m for stoppages
MTR to compensate commuters HK$19m for stoppages Mable Chan says MTR Corporation has to submit a report on Thursday's incident within a month. Photo: Screenshot from Legislative Council meeting The government said on Monday that MTR Corporation will offer the public HK$19.2 million in compensation over the latest incidents to affect the rail giant, including one last week that disrupted services on the entire Tseung Kwan O line for more than five hours. The Tseung Kwan O line stoppage began at the start of the evening rush hour, sending tens of thousands of passengers struggling to find alternative transport following an apparent short circuit in overhead cables. Speaking at a Legco subcommittee meeting focusing on railway matters, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the government is highly concerned and disappointed over the incident. The MTR Corp, she noted, would therefore give passengers a 50 percent discount on rides on a special fare day – in addition to improving its services. "The MTR is the public's main means of transportation," Chan told lawmakers. "I hope the MTR Corporation understands that the greater its capacity, the greater its responsibility. "The Transport and Logistics Bureau has already told the MTR to submit a report on Thursday's incident within a month – and to review the workings and resilience of its rail network – and how it responds to emergencies," she added. MTR managing director Jeny Yeung again apologised for the incident, saying affected passengers would get extra reward points on its app. "We will seriously review and improve our incident response capacity and enhance information dissemination... to inform passengers of the time needed for repair and to allow them to better plan their trips," she said in a response to lawmakers who had lashed out over repeated incidents in the past few months. "We'll also continue to introduce suitable innovative technologies to enhance the reliability of railway operations." Several lawmakers noted that the latest incident reflected "serious inadequacies" in the MTRC's maintenance work and emergency response capability. The fare cut came under a penalty mechanism that requires the MTRC to increase the amount of the compensation exponentially the longer the service suspension lasts. Under the mechanism, every three to four hours of service suspension brings a fine of HK$9.6 million, with each extra hour costing a further HK$4.8 million even if the disruption lasts under an hour. The MTR Corp is on track to invest a total of HK$65 billion to maintain its railway assets, while also making better use of technology to improve maintenance standards following a string of incidents. Besides the Tseung Kwan O service outage, there were two other disruptions in February and April. The latest Tseung Kwan O incident occurred just one day after the MTRC said it has entered a "very exciting growth period" with multiple investment projects amounting to over HK$100 billion to expand its services.
RTHK
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
MTR to compensate commuters HK$19m for stoppages
MTR to compensate commuters HK$19m for stoppages Mable Chan says MTR Corporation has to submit a report on Thursday's incident within a month. Photo: Screenshot from Legislative Council meeting The government said on Monday that MTR Corporation will offer the public HK$19.2 million in compensation over the latest incidents to affect the rail giant, including one last week that disrupted services on the entire Tseung Kwan O line for five hours. The Tseung Kwan O line stoppage began at the start of the evening rush hour, sending tens of thousands of passengers struggling to find alternative transport following an apparent short circuit in overhead cables. Speaking at a subcommittee meeting focusing on railway matters, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the government is highly concerned and disappointed over the incident. The MTR Corp, she noted, would therefore give passengers a 50 percent discount on rides on a special fare day – in addition to improving its services. "The MTR is the public's main means of transportation," Chan told lawmakers. "I hope the MTR Corporation understands that the greater its capacity, the greater its responsibility. "The Transport and Logistics Bureau has already told the MTR to submit a report on Thursday's incident within a month – and to review the workings and resilience of its rail network – and how it responds to emergencies," she added. MTR managing director Jeny Yeung again apologised for the incident, saying affected passengers would get extra reward points on its app. "We will seriously review and improve our incident response capacity and enhance information dissemination... to inform passengers of the time needed for repair and to allow them to better plan their trips," she said in a response to lawmakers who had lashed out over repeated incidents in the past few months. "We'll also continue to introduce suitable innovative technologies to enhance the reliability of railway operations." Several lawmakers noted that the latest incident reflected "serious inadequacies" in the MTRC's maintenance work and emergency response capability. The fare cut came under a penalty mechanism that requires the MTRC to increase the amount of the compensation exponentially the longer the service suspension lasts. The MTR Corp is on track to invest a total of HK$65 billion to maintain its railway assets, while also making better use of technology to improve maintenance standards following a string of incidents. Besides the Tseung Kwan O service outage, there were two other disruptions in February and April. The latest Tseung Kwan O incident occurred just one day after the MTRC said it has entered a "very exciting growth period" with multiple investment projects amounting to over HK$100 billion to expand its services.
