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Four of HK’s train lines go down causing rush-hour chaos

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For the first time, four MTR lines break down on the same day

HONG KONG Four rail lines down. Commuters left in the lurch, trying to get into overcrowded buses or find taxis. Sound familiar?

Except that it happened in Hong Kong,and not in Singapore. Four of Hong Kong's MTR lines went down yesterday at 6.20am, and it lasted for six hours before service returned to normal.

For the first time in the MTR's history, the Island line, Tsuen Wan line, Kwun Tong line and Tseung Kwan O line were hit by severe delays, the South China Morning Post reported.

SIGNALLING ISSUE

MTR Corporation operations director Adi Lau said the company noticed the signalling issue at 5.30am, as it was preparing services for the day, reported the Hong Kong Free Press.

He said: "We realised that commands could not be sent to the trains… Because of the 'safety first' principle, our trains could only be operated manually at a slow speed."

An announcement about the delays on three lines was made at 6.45am.

At 9.25am, the MTRC announced that normal service was gradually resuming on the Island line as the issue there had been resolved.

But at 10.18am, it said the Tseung Kwan O line had also broken down, reported the South China Moring Post.

At 11.45am, more than six hours after the initial announcement, the city's rail operator announced that a temporary fix was in place and its four affected lines had resumed service.

Transport Secretary Frank Chan said yesterday that the government would be following up on the major MTR delays, The Straits Times reported.

The rail operator has apologised for the inconvenience.

"Basically, we have to know what actually happened... and then we have to appreciate whether or not it has been acting promptly to help resolve its traffic service," Mr Chan was quoted as saying by public broadcaster RTHK.

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