The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary: The Chief Executive has accepted the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal to extend the term of office of the Right Honourable the Lo… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: The spokesperson for Castle Peak Hospital made the following announcement today (December 19): Five patients (aged 37 to 60) in a… read more
Regarding the incident of signalling system failure on MTR Island, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Tseung Kwan O Lines on October 16, 2018, the Executive Review Panel (Panel) set up by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has completed the investigation. The MTRCL today (December 19) submitted a detailed report to the Government on the Panel’s investigation on the cause of the incident, its review on the contingency and information dissemination arrangements on the day, and its recommendations for continuous improvement.
The Transport and Housing Bureau, the Transport Department (TD) and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) have looked into the report and accepted the investigation outcome of the Panel on the cause of the incident. Suggestions made by the Government on the review of the incident have also been agreed by the MTRCL and were reflected in the report.
The Government was concerned about the incident on October 16 and requested the MTRCL to conduct in-depth investigation. During the MTRCL’s investigation, the EMSD monitored the investigation work including reviewing the signalling system data records on the incident day and observing the simulation test conducted by the MTRCL and overseas experts from the signalling system suppliers. The MTRCL also arranged for overseas and local experts to assist in the investigation.
The report confirmed that the incident had no correlation with the signalling system upgrading project and its testing. That said, the EMSD has requested the MTRCL to conduct a comprehensive examination of the signalling system equipment, and to continue to closely monitor and maintain the relevant systems during the signalling system upgrading project and its testing, including deploying additional personnel when necessary to stand by in critical stations’ signalling equipment rooms to reboot the computers and expedite the recovery works.
In light of the experience gained, the TD is reviewing the existing contingency plan with the MTRCL, including the provision of free shuttle buses in affected stations, especially those with little alternative public transport when there is prolonged service delay. The review is expected to be completed by mid-2019.
The TD and the EMSD will closely monitor the MTRCL in implementing the enhancement measures of the report in order to avoid recurrence of the incident, as well as the enhancement of its contingency and information dissemination arrangements during incidents.
According to the Service Performance Arrangement under the MTR Fare Adjustment Mechanism, the MTRCL will be penalised for causing any service disruption of 31 minutes or more due to system breakdown or other human factors. As the setting of the signalling systems of Tseung Kwan O Line and part of Kwun Tong Line is different, coupled with the inter-connection among the other three lines, it is thus calculated on the basis of four incidents. The MTRCL has set aside $8 million to give concessions to passengers next year. read more
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (December 19) visited the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) to be briefed on the overall traffic diversion plan prepared b… read more
The Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section (GLTMS) of the Development Bureau (DEVB) today (December 19) published the “Street Tree Selection Guide”. It features 80 less commonly used tree species suitable for street planting in Hong Kong, providing a reference for Government departments and interested parties in selecting street tree species.
The purpose of the Guide is to improve the resilience of Hong Kong’s urban forest by maximising species diversity under the “right tree, right place” principle, with a view to improving ecological health upstream and minimising tree risks downstream.
A spokesperson for the DEVB said, “Currently, our roadside urban forest is dominated by a small range of 20 common tree species, which altogether account for about half of the trees recorded. Limited vegetation diversity makes our urban forest more vulnerable to outbreaks of pests and diseases and diminishes soil quality, consequently leading to higher maintenance efforts.
“The effects of more frequent adverse weather brought by climate change and ageing street tree assets are challenges that we need to face. We need to make our urban forest resilient, adaptable and sustainable to meet these challenges.”
In Hong Kong’s compact and dense urban environment street trees have to withstand harsh roadside conditions such as urban heat, drought, wind, pollution and waterlogging. The 80 tree species recommended are assessed against these essential criteria as well as other desirable values including their ornamental value, ecological value and canopy size. The tree species listed in the Guide are not meant to be exhaustive. Users are welcome to suggest other suitable species that meet the selection criteria set out in the Guide.
The Guide comprises a set of user-friendly and graphically presented datasheets setting out the basic information for each selected tree species, including resilience to different types of urban planting environment, distinctive character, species features and colourful photographic image.
The Guide also comes with a software application – the Street Tree Selection Matrix – for users to modify the selection criteria to suit specific sites such as microclimate or other specific requirements.
The Guide is now available on the GLTMS website as follows –
www.greening.gov.hk/en/knowledge_database/street_tree_selection_guide.html. The full Chinese version will be available by the first quarter of 2019. read more