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Wallis-Wang

Normal services on the Kwun Tong Line are expected to resume today after the MTR worked hard to complete a major upgrade in time for the start of the working week.

The railway company announced at 8pm yesterday that work to replace old power lines at Yau Ma Tei station is almost complete. This is the reason why MTR has suspended the Kwun Tong line from Prince Edward to Ho Man Tin during the day.

According to the MTR, only a few more tests are needed.

The hangers are used to hang electrical cables from the ceiling of the tunnel and have been in use for over 40 years.

Some passengers indicated that they understand that the MTR needs to carry out the replacement work to improve safety, despite the inconvenience.

“I hope the replacement can go smoothly so that passengers are safer,” said Liu, a woman.

Some also said that Prince Edward station was orderly and praised MTR staff for their helpfulness.

Prince Edward Station, which served as the only interchange between the Kwun Tong Line and the Tsuen Wan Line, was overcrowded and passengers were urged to avoid the station.

The railway company announced in May that it would suspend services on the Kwun Tong Line at Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Ho Man Tin stations on certain days to replace large metal hangars.

Despite the repeated announcement, some passengers were still unaware of the suspension and had to look for alternative means of transportation.

The MTR deployed more than 1,000 staff to assist passengers and also installed more than 2,500 signs. Service was running smoothly, the company said.

A Japanese tourist, Rena Yamahata, said she had planned to go shopping with friends in Mong Kok and was not aware of the service suspension. She and her friends had to get off at Prince Edward Station and walk to their destination.

But Yamahata said they received assistance from MTR staff and the agreements were clear.

Passengers could travel for free on the entire Route 8 between Yau Ma Tei and Ho Man Tin, or at designated bus stops on Route 30X between Yau Ma Tei and Whampoa.

Hu, a tourist from the mainland, took the free bus outside Ho Man Tin station to Mong Kok.

“If we take the MTR, we have to go back to Tsim Sha Tsui (to change). It was easier to take the bus,” she said.

Cheris Lee Yuen-ling, operations director of the MTR and the metro segment, said engineers were doing everything they could to carry out the replacement work.