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Following is a question by the Hon Ip Wai-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, in the Legislative Council today (March 28):
Question:
It has been reported that from late last year to early this year, accidents involving escalators occurred one after another in railway premises, and passengers are concerned about the safety of MTR's lifts and escalators. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) the current numbers of lifts and escalators in railway premises, their years of service and the stations in which they are located, and whether they are covered by manufacturers' warranties;
(b) the respective numbers of accidents involving lifts and escalators in railway premises as well as the number of passengers injured in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by station and whether or not the lifts and escalators were under manufacturers' warranties; and
(c) the expenditure incurred by the MTR Corporation Limited on the maintenance of lifts and escalators in railway premises in each of the past three years?
Reply:
President,
Reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Currently, there are 979 escalators and 207 passenger lifts in the MTR network to facilitate passengers' travelling between ground level, concourse level and platform level. As at March 2012, the number of years of passenger service of these escalators and passenger lifts is set out in Annex A; the relevant maintenance arrangements are set out in Annex B.
All suppliers and maintenance contractors of escalators and passenger lifts in the MTR network are registered with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD). The design, construction, examination, testing and maintenance of escalators and passenger lifts should comply with the requirements of the Lifts and Escalators (Safety) Ordinance and the relevant codes of practice. All escalators and passenger lifts should be approved by the EMSD before they are put into service.
All escalators and passenger lifts in the MTR network have safety devices installed. In case of any irregularity, e.g. a foreign object jamming the steps of an escalator, the equipment will automatically come to a stop for maintenance personnel to carry out emergency inspection and repair. The equipment needs to be verified to be in a safe working order before it can be put into service again.
(b) From 2009 to 2011, there were around 700 incidents involving escalators and passenger lifts in the MTR network per annum. Relevant incident figures (including figures classified by maintenance arrangements) are set out in Annex C. The majority of the incidents were caused by passengers who lost their balance and fell, did not hold the handrail, stood close to the step edge, or walked on the escalators, etc. In order to enhance passengers' safety awareness, MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) organises escalator safety campaigns every year to remind passengers to hold the handrail when using escalators, stand still and stay away from the step edge.
After new escalators and passenger lifts are put into service, the equipment supplier will be responsible for maintenance during the warranty period. Upon expiry of the warranty period, depending on the terms of the procurement contract, MTRCL will consider whether to exercise an option to extend the maintenance arrangement by the equipment supplier, or to conduct an open tender for the maintenance service. All contractors bidding for these contracts must be contractors registered with the EMSD. After tendering, MTRCL will award the contract accordingly. The registered contractor shall provide registered engineers who fulfil the necessary requirements to carry out regular examinations and testings etc. for the escalators and passenger lifts concerned.
As at March 2012, the warranties of all escalators and passengers lifts in the MTR network have expired, and they are maintained by contractors appointed after open tender or by extending the maintenance options by suppliers. MTRCL has imposed stringent policies and procedures to ensure that the maintenance contractors carry out their works regularly. The contracts between MTRCL and the maintenance contractors also require that necessary performance levels of maintenance works be met. To ensure the machinery and associated equipment are in a safe working order and fulfil relevant requirements of the Lifts and Escalators (Safety) Ordinance, for all escalators, the contractor shall carry out a regular maintenance service every two weeks, and a thorough examination and testing every six months. For all passenger lifts, the contractor shall carry out a regular maintenance service every two weeks, a thorough examination every twelve months, and an on-load testing every five years.
(c) The amount of expenditure spent on the maintenance of escalators and passenger lifts by MTRCL in the past three years is set out in Annex D.
Ends/Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Issued at HKT 13:09
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