Hong Kong MTR train captain suspended from driving after doors fail to close

Driver failed to close doors on wall side of train as passengers boarded from platform

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The incident occurred at Sha Tin station early on Wednesday morning. Photo: Elson Li

Published: 10:49pm, 25 Dec 2024Updated: 11:26pm, 25 Dec 2024

An MTR train captain has been suspended from driving duty in Hong Kong after he mistakenly kept the doors open on both sides of the vehicle as passengers boarded.

The company apologised for the inconvenience caused on Wednesday morning to the 100 passengers on the northbound East Rail line train at Sha Tin station, who were asked to take the next train. The MTR Corporation has been ordered to submit an investigation report to the government in two weeks.

The rail operator said the train captain earlier performed routine pre-departure checks, which included opening and closing doors on both sides of the train to ensure they were working properly.

At around 5.30am, the train captain opened the platform-side doors for passengers to board but was not aware the doors on the other side were not closed after the routine check.

The safety system detected the issue and prevented the train from moving. The captain immediately closed the doors, while station staff also notified the driver of the problem.

About 100 passengers on board were told to take the next train and a safety check was conducted.

“The MTR Corp is very concerned about the incident and apologises for the inconvenience caused to passengers,” the company said.