- Chairman dismisses conspiracy theory of incident being an inside job
- He vows to give the public a full account of what happened and learn from mistakes
Hong Kong's embattled MTR Corporation will get help from overseas experts to find out how a train derailed near the Hung Hom terminus on Tuesday, its chairman has vowed.
MTR Corp chairman Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen made the pledge during an interview with the Post on Thursday, as the mystery surrounding the accident continued to grow with several possibilities ruled out by both the rail operator and the government.
One source said the government had been investigating whether the city's most serious rail accident in more than two decades had been an inside job.
But Auyeung said he would not entertain such a conspiracy theory.
"Many people ask whether this was a man-made incident. I don't want to speculate as this is not fair. We've decided to set up a panel to thoroughly investigate the incident. We are now looking for overseas experts with the relevant experience to help us trace the cause," he said.
The derailment happened when a 12-carriage train was entering Hung Hom station at about 8.30am. Three carriages veered off the tracks at a junction, leaving five passengers in hospital and 500 others on board in shock. Services on the East Rail line, the city's only line that connects to the border with mainland China, were disrupted for most of the day.
By Thursday evening, four cracks had been found on the affected section of track, with three about 30mm wide. But both the rail operator and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department confirmed that no foreign objects had been found on the track.
Auyeung said the cracks could be either the cause or a consequence of the derailment.
"We'll wait for the experts to make the analysis and ascertain the cause, like peeling back the layers of an onion," he said.
He vowed to give the public a full account to address concerns over railway safety and learn from any mistakes.
"The investigation may take three to six months but I hope they will dig out the cause quickly," he said.
The MTR Corp said its trains were designed in accordance with fail-safe principles and tested to comply with relevant international safety standards.
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"The corporation has a robust asset management and maintenance regime in place. Regular preventive train maintenance is conducted every month and an overhaul is done every three to four years under a risk-based approach to upkeep the condition of the equipment and renew or replace consumable parts," it said.
The department would also conduct its own investigation, including on the mechanical parts of the train, track and associated devices, as well as the possibility of obstruction by foreign objects.
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