HK Government Tipped Off About Singapore Subway Trains Crackings A Year Ago, Emails Reveal
MTR Corporation awarded the HK$6 billion contract for 93 new urban line trains to CSR Sifang, the price averaging HK$64 million per train. (FactWire Photo)
REPORTED BY:
Staff Reporters, FactWire
DATE:
2016-07-05
PLACE:
HONG KONG
Hong Kong’s Transport and Housing Bureau received multiple emails from January to August 2015 complaining of the “underframe cracking problem” in Singapore’s C151A trains, as well as “potential irregularities [in] procurement of XRL and new urban line trains”, FactWire has discovered
Speaking to the media yesterday, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said the Bureau was not aware of quality issues with Singapore subway operator SMRT Trains Ltd’s (SMRT) 35 C151A trains before FactWire’s report on July 5 revealed that the trains were being secretly recalled and repaired by their mainland Chinese manufacturer CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company Ltd (CSR Sifang).
However, contrary to Cheung’s statement, emails provided to FactWire by government sources show the Bureau has been aware of quality issues with Singapore’s C151A trains since early last year. On January 30, 2015, the Bureau received an email addressed to Cheung reporting “irregularities” in the MTR’s tender process for new urban line trains, which was ongoing at that time. In attached documents, the sender made reference to the “Singapore C151A train underframe sub-floor cracking problem”.
Transport and Housing Bureau recieved an email on January 30, 2015, pointing out “irregularities” in the MTR Corporation’s tender for the contract of urban line trains.
“Thousands of brackets had been added to the relevant areas, as a temporary measure to ensure the safety integrity of the underframe sub-floor member to prevent the equipment from falling down onto the track,” the sender explains. “Ultimate solution will require the fleet to be recalled back to Qingdao for replacement of the sub-floor.”
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