Veteran engineer Morris Cheung has been named Managing Director of the Mass Transit Railway subsidiary company that has taken over the management and operation of the Ngong Ping 360 cable-car system.

Other members of the new management team include Cable-Car Operations Head Markus Sigrist, Cable-Car Operations Deputy Head Raymond Leung, and Commercial & Business Development Head Wilson Shao.

The team will be supported by four cableway operators and engineers from Europe as well as an MTR Safety & Quality Manager to enhance daily operations and maintenance.

Confidence priority

With 24 years' experience in electrical and mechanical engineering Mr Cheung was the MTR Rolling Stock Manager responsible for the maintenance, reliability and safe operations of the entire train fleet.

Mr Cheung said the new team will do everything to re-establish public confidence in the cable-car system's reliability and efficiency.

He said the team's top priorities are:

* to ensure full implementation of the Government Expert Panel's recommended improvements;

* to strengthen overall management and raise the technical competency of staff; and,

* to build mutually-beneficial partnerships with stakeholders including tenants, the tourism industry and the Lantau Island community to re-establish Ngong Ping 360 and and the island as must-visit tourist destinations.

Additional training

Hoping the cable-car system can be re-opened by year's-end, Mr Cheung said a number of tasks have to be completed before a re-opening date can be determined. These include additional training and re-assessment of staff as well as putting the system through intensive inspection, re-testing and re-certification.

All operation and maintenance staff have completed the revision training, he said, adding the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department will re-assess their professional level.

To enhance the system's safety, international standards including OHSAS-18001 and ISO-9001 will be adopted and revised maintenance manuals will be issued.