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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Yau Shing-mu, in the Legislative Council today (February 22):
Question:
Recently, there were disputes among MTR passengers caused by passengers eating in the MTR train compartment. It has been reported that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) is negligent in enforcing the Mass Transit Railway By-laws (Cap. 556B) (the By-laws), and has neither provided adequate support for its frontline enforcement staff, nor put in sufficient publicity efforts in educating passengers to comply with the By-laws. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) besides reporting to MTR staff in person by passengers, whether other reporting means are available to enable passengers to notify MTR staff of incidents happened within MTR's paid areas which jeopardise passengers' safety or affect public hygiene; and
(b) the daily aggregate train trips made by passenger trains on all MTR lines; MTRCL's work on publicising and educating passengers about compliance with the By-laws at present; whether the authorities will consider urging MTRCL to step up its publicity and education efforts in future; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Should passengers find other passengers' inappropriate or nuisance behaviour affecting passenger safety and public hygiene, apart from contacting station staff directly, passengers can also call the MTR Hotline or respective station to promptly report the situation. The station telephone numbers are marked on the station entry gates and ticket issuing machines, and are uploaded to the MTR website. Moreover, passengers can also use the help lines located at platforms for direct contact with station staff. In case of emergencies, passengers can also dial "999" to reach Government departments such as the Police and Fire Services Department.
(b) Currently, the MTRCL operates more than 7,000 train trips every day on all its railway lines including Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, Tung Chung Line, West Rail Line, East Rail Line, Ma On Shan Line, Airport Express, Disneyland Resort Line and Light Rail.
The MTRCL reminds passengers to be considerate and not to cause any inconvenience to other passengers through regular passenger education and promotional activities such as conducting courtesy and safety campaigns, as well as through the media, in-train public announcements, passenger publications and promotional leaflets. The Government will continue to encourage the MTRCL to carry out relevant passenger education and promotional activities on a regular basis, with a view to reminding passengers to abide by the Mass Transit Railway By-laws.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:07
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