Commentary Questions MTR Pay Amid Repeated Rail Failures
HK01 · 1 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
A commentary published on September 18 said repeated MTR rail incidents in the first three quarters of the year have undermined public confidence, while management has continued to stress a 99.9% punctuality rate. It argued that a stricter mechanism linking train service performance to executive pay is needed so the company prioritises railway operations over property earnings.
Key Points
- The article said MTR recorded several serious incidents this year, including a Kwun Tong line overhead power trip in January, a signal box damaged by an engineering vehicle in February, and a major Tseung Kwan O line disruption in May.
- It also cited a July incident in which a train skipped Kwai Hing station, saying MTR confirmed the event only after media inquiries following social media posts.
- According to the commentary, MTR's interim results said heavy rail services had three delays of 31 minutes or more in the first half caused by factors under the company's control, but did not detail the incidents or remedies.
- The piece said MTR carried about 5.18 million passenger trips a day under Hong Kong's rail-led transport policy, while the government holds more than 70% of the company and also has regulatory responsibility.
- It cited MTR's annual report as saying total staff costs in 2025 were about HK$22.7 billion, while board members and the executive directorate received HK$146.5 million in remuneration and share awards combined.
Why It Matters
The commentary argues that official warnings and lawmakers' letters have not produced visible improvements in rail operations, even after the government asked MTR management in May to conduct a full network risk assessment and improve emergency response and passenger information arrangements. It says a tougher pay-for-performance system could become the most direct lever to pressure senior management to focus on service reliability for the millions of passengers who depend on the railway each day.