The team has been conducting trials since April 1, putting the exit gates, systems for signalling and ticketing, and emergency drills and exercises through their paces.
Hong Kong’s recent summer monsoon rains have tested the delayed US$10.7 billion (HK$84.4 billion) cross border high-speed rail link and it has been found wanting, according to MTR Corporation’s operations director Adi Lau.
He noticed the glass roof of the HK$9-billion West Kowloon terminus was leaking and has acknowledged that it may not be fixed before the opening.
The team has been conducting trials since April 1, putting the exit gates, systems for signalling and ticketing, and emergency drills and exercises through their paces.
“During the trials, I observed seepage in some locations,” Lau said. “We are working closely with project colleagues and contractors to fix these problems before the first day of operation.
“It is a very large-scale and complex rail project,” he added. “Now the seepage problems have been improving. There are only very minor seepages at the West Kowloon terminus. We’ll make sure they won’t affect our daily operation.”
Gammon Construction and Leighton Contractors (Asia) are the companies responsible for the construction of the West Kowloon terminus, which includes 4,000 glass panels.
This is one in a series of hiccups in the testing of the rail link, with a derailment, underground water leaks and premature wear and tear on train wheels.
These issues have been solved according to Lau, who said that a large-scale project such as this inevitably runs into issues.
Not everyone is so sanguine. Tanya Chan, Civic Party lawmaker said, “The whole thing is so ridiculous. This project has been delayed for a long time with so much money being spent. And still the MTR Corp dares to say that these leaks are unavoidable? It is so irresponsible.”