Emergency services help those affected after a passenger train derailed near Hung Hom station in Hong Kong, Sept 17, 2019. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - The East Rail Line train derailment incident in September was a result of an unexpected widening of the gap between two rails after two worn-out timber sleepers were replaced, the MTR Corporation said on Tuesday.
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Three carriages of an East Rail Line train derailed near Hung Hom station during morning commute on Sept 17 last year, injuring eight passengers and forcing hundreds to evacuate. It was seen as one of the most serious railway accidents in the past two decades.
On behalf of the corporation, I sincerely apologize again to the passengers affected by the incident. We have learnt lessons from this incident...
Adi Lau Tin-shing, managing director, MTR Corp's Operations and Mainland Business
The railway operator’s special investigation panel said maintenance workers had failed to fully understand the repair requirements and follow-up measures to strictly comply with the established procedure in inspecting and rectifying the track gauge.
A maintenance team replaced two worn-out timber sleepers with new synthetic sleepers on Aug 4. The different stiffness between new sleepers and neighboring sleepers at the turnout had directed tremendous pressure from the passing trains onto the fasteners of the two newly replaced sleepers, fracturing three fixing screws. This allowed one of the rails to move sideways, creating a rail gap that exceeded the safety limit, the investigation found.
It is also found that the signaling system was operating normally and did not contribute to the derailment. There was no external obstacle found.
In the aftermath of the accident, the MTR has replaced 2,627 timber sleepers on the East Rail Line and planned to implement new technology and data analytics to monitor track gauge and track integrity while the trains are running.
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“On behalf of the corporation, I sincerely apologize again to the passengers affected by the incident. We have learnt lessons from this incident and will spare no efforts in putting in place improvement measures to enhance track maintenance,” said Adi Lau Tin-shing, managing director of Operations and Mainland Business of MTR Corporation.
