Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao said she is concerned about an incident on the Mass Transit Railway this morning which forced the evacuation of passengers after smoke was seen on one of the platforms.

A train from Tseung Kwan O reportedly blew a fuse when it arrived at Quarry Bay this morning, disrupting service and forcing the passengers to disembark.

Dr Liao immediately called MTRC Chief Executive Officer CK Chow and asked for a report from the company today.

Expert to review MTR's service, assets

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Mr Chow apologised for the recent series of incidents.

He said the corporation attaches great importance to the incidents, adding that there is no evidence to suggest the system has any fundamental faults.

The Mass Transit Railway has appointed an international expert, Lloyd's Register Rail, to review the MTR's service performance, the condition of its service-critical assets as well as asset management practices.

Mr Chow said the expert will fully cooperate with the Government and submit a report in three months.

Expert study timely: Dr Liao

Speaking to the media after a Legislative Council meeting this afternoon, Dr Liao said the study is timely in view of the recent spate of events.

"It is very important that we do look for professional help to see whether there is any systematic reason for such incidents and look for solutions to improve the situation," she said.

Referring to remarks that the MTRC had conducted some investigations years ago but problems persist, Dr Liao said different kinds of expertise at different periods of time are needed.

"The railway has expanded since that time. The new Tseung Kwan O Rail, for example, has added parameters to the entire system. It is a very timely thing to have an expert to look at the entire system again," she said.

On the question of whether a series of small problems may suggest a larger problem, Dr Liao said there is always accident prevention and the study will look in that direction.

Electrical fault caused today's delay

Initial investigations show that an electrical fault on the train caused a 19-minute delay during the peak period. The fault caused a "bang" and some sparking.

About 1,500 passengers on board were asked to alight the train at Quarry Bay Station and normal service resumed at 8.35am when the defective train was removed from the running line.