Hong Kong people are like that. They'll even run for the doors when they begin to close when trains are about to depart, even though they run every 2-4 minutes depending on the time of day.

KCRC vows to prosecute East Rail shortcut users
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, April 24, 2006

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation will prosecute any passengers who try to take shortcuts across the tracks on its East Rail line as the number of such incidents continues to rise.

The company said Sunday it will enforce bylaws allowing for the prosecution of such trespassers.

The operator of the rail line from Hong Kong to the mainland attributed the rise in trespassing in part to the growing number of mainland visitors, many of whom might not know it was illegal to cross the tracks, said Alex Lau Hing-hon, the railway's safety and quality control manager. "Most of those caught crossing the tracks are taking a shortcut to get to the opposite platform, and seem to have no knowledge of the bylaw."

The company will boost its public messages about the illegality of trespassing in the coming fortnight. After that, all trespassers will be prosecuted.

The rail operator said there were 27 cases of trespassing on tracks in 2003, 35 in 2004, 37 last year, and nine in the first three months this year.

In all except the two most recent cases, offenders received verbal warnings.

Out of the nine cases so far this year, four involved tourists from the mainland.

Trespassers face a maximun penalty of up to HK$5,000 in fines and six months in prison.

The KCRC also said Sunday it is considering installing one-meter high screen doors on stations to deal with the problem more effectively.

According to government figures, six people fell accidentally on to the tracks in 2003, five each in 2004 and 2005, and two this year.

There were also three attempted suicides in 2003, and six each in 2004 and 2005.

Deaths resulting from accidental or intentional falls totaled two in 2003, five in 2004 and four in 2005.

KCRC services were disrupted, and the company severely criticized by legislators, earlier this year when an Indonesian tourist was found walking along the line between the Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui East stations.

But Lau said there remained some technical difficulties in installing the doors. "Screen doors cannot be installed too close to the edge of the platforms, because the trains from the mainland are slighter wider than KCRC trains," he said.

The curved platforms, especially those at Mong Kok and University stations, will require a bigger gap between the screen doors and the trains, which might endanger the safety of boarding and alighting passengers.

The company is learning from the experiences of rail operators in Japan and South Korea, which have installed retractable boards to fill in the gap between the platforms and the trains, a KCRC spokesman said.

But again, as the trains from the mainland are larger and the retractable boards are still on trials in Japan and Korea, the company may have to wait some time for a solution, the spokesman said.

Another reason and another way to indicate that mainland Chinese people have no respect for law and are stupid.

Not all of them are but majority are rude and foul. this is from personal experience but I'm sure I've yet to meet the ones who are nice.

From news.gov.hk:
KCRC net profit after tax drops 38.2% (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/businessandfinance/060426/html/060426en03002.htm)

RTHK News:
Welding and vibrations blamed for KCR problems 2006-05-03 HKT 15:04

An internal investigation by the KCRC has blamed welding imperfections and excessive vibration for a spate of problems on Eastrail earlier this year. In a statement, the company's chairman Michael Tien said the problems arose when trains were travelling at 70 to 90 kilometres per hour. The report did not blame anyone for the cracks found in the undercarriage of trains. The KCRC also stressed that passenger safety was never at risk.

RTHK News:
KCR to replace 36% of Eastrail track 2006-05-03 HKT 18:39

The KCRC's chief executive, James Blake, says 36 percent of the Eastrail track will have to be replaced, following the discovery earlier this year of fractures in the undercarriage of many trains. A report put together by the corporation found that sections of the track had minute undulations which contributed to the problem. Mr Blake said several remedial measures were planned - including track replacement.

From news.gov.hk:
Tracks, welding behind KCR problems: report (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/060503/html/060503en06005.htm)

Rail incident review panel formed (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/060503/html/060503en06007.htm)


The Whole Report can refer here (http://www.kcrc.com/html/eng/archives/Cracks_Report/overview_cracks_report.pdf). :|

That's what they SAY. =P

KCRC Press Release:

Liu Tung Mui's art pieces on display at KCR Art Corner (http://www.kcrc.com.hk/html/eng/corporate/news_centre/press_release/2006/may/upload/E060503A.htm)

12 developers show interest in the Tuen Mun property development project (http://www.kcrc.com.hk/html/eng/corporate/news_centre/press_release/2006/may/upload/PP_E060504A.htm)

RTHK news:
KCRC says faulty rails had complied with safety standards 2006-05-06 HKT 12:06

The KCRC's senior transport director Li Yan-tai has said the railway's flawed East rail tracks were delivered in 1998 - before more stringent international standards came into place. Speaking in a special legco meeting, he said the tiny ripples or undulations found on the rails - which may have caused welding cracks under KCR trains - had complied with safety standards at the time. He added that the flaws were so small they couldn't be detected by using normal equipment. Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of legco's transport panel Andrew Cheng has criticised the KCRC's recent report as being too technical. He also said the government should set up a special body to better monitor the rail operator in future.



KCRC to spend 100 million dollars improving East rail trains 2006-05-06 HKT 14:08

The Chief Executive of the KCRC James Blake has said the railway will carry out major improvement works costing over one hundred million dollars on its East rail trains. Mr. Blake was speaking during a special legco meeting this morning into the KCRC's recent report into welding cracks on its carriages. Appearing before legislators at a special transport panel meeting - the KCRC chief James Blake pledged to upgrade all 348 of the KCR's East Rail train carriages in response to its recent internal report into how large cracks had appeared in the welding under a number of East rail trains. Mr Blake said the KCR would spend over 300 thousand dollars on overhauling each carriage, at a total cost of over 110 million dollars. He stressed however this cost wouldn't be shouldered by passengers. He added the KCRC would now seek to find staff who should be held accountable for the problems in light of the report's findings.

KCRC vows to put end to East Rail track woes
4 May 2006
South China Morning Post

The KCRC has promised that track unevenness blamed for putting excessive stress on the components of East Rail trains will be eliminated.

Track purchases for lines now follow a new, European standard that will prevent the imperfections that place stress on train components.

Senior director of capital projects Lee Kang-kuen said track unevenness such as that on East Rail was thought to have a greater impact on high-speed trains than on the medium-speed units used by the KCRC, but perceptions had changed.

"In the past 10 years, the industry has become aware that [unevenness] might actually be a problem, so back in early 2000 they worked out a draft of the standard and put some specification on undulations. As a result, an international standard based on the European standard was published in 2004," he said.

Chief executive James Blake said the problem would not recur because since 2004 all track for new projects had been required to comply with the new European standard. This could not be done earlier as the detailed requirements were not available.

Investigations into the fractures found on 258 East Rail train components blamed welding imperfections and unevenness found on 36 per cent of the rail track as the causes of the problem.

The batch of faulty track was bought in 1998 and 1999 under a track-renewal programme. Although the faulty rails had undulations of less than 1 millimetre in every 3.1-metre length, their irregular shape had created a springboard effect on the trains and imposed stresses double what the suspension system could bear.

This placed excessive stress on the trains' underframes, and this in turn affected the substandard welding.

Mr Lee said the supplier, which the KCRC has declined to identify, had provided rail tracks and rolling stock to other rail lines but the problems were encountered only on East Rail.

Senior transport director Li Yun-tai said the unevenness could appear during manufacturing or be caused by persistent interaction between train wheels and the rail track. No irregularities had been identified in the wheels.

A summary of the investigation report said that the unevenness could not be detected by conventional methods and the industry standards at the time were not set to eliminate such problems.

Mr Blake said such problems would be prevented in future by train-based and track-based instruments that would monitor the interaction between wheels and tracks.

The irregular rails will be replaced, while supporting brackets and the suspension systems on trains will be improved by 2007.

For the time being, interim measures such as metal cradles, nylon straps and welds in some train components, were enough to ensure safety. Although no fault was found with maintenance, guidelines will be issued to help detect cracks earlier.

KCRC Press Release:
“Life Review Story Exhibition” kicks off at Hung Hom Station (http://www.kcrc.com.hk/html/eng/corporate/news_centre/press_release/2006/june/upload/E060614A.htm)

凌晨二至五時 東鐵路段進行
落馬洲支線試車恐擾民
16/06/2006

【本報訊】為配合落馬洲支線於明年初通車，九鐵由前日（十四日）起至八月二十七日進行兩個半月的試車期，分階段安排落馬洲支線列車深宵於東鐵沿線行駛，測試列車的運作及與東鐵系統配合的表現。區議員關注深宵試車的噪音問題，要求九鐵做好滅音措施，減低對居民的滋擾。

九鐵已在東鐵沿線受影響車站貼出乘客通告，試車期間每晚東鐵服務收車後，就會於凌晨二時至五時進行試車。九鐵發言人表示，試車將分階段在不同路段進行，試車日子數目也因不同路段而異，其中大埔墟站至太和站一段約有二十個晚上，大埔墟往尖東的南下路線也有十五個晚上，上水站試車次數更密。他強調深夜試車是為免影響日常的列車服務，並為試車可能為市民帶來的不便致歉。

北區區議會交通及運輸委員會委員黃良喜，批評九鐵未有就試車諮詢或通報區議員，擔心深夜試車造成噪音擾人清夢。他建議九鐵在一些較少民居的路段如火炭至大學、大學至大埔墟站試行，減低對居民的影響。http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/img/endmarker.gif

post limit reached. :)