Govt vows ‘thorough investigation’ into MTR’s Sha Tin-Central Link

The Hong Kong SAR Government is “highly concerned” and will “thoroughly investigate” alleged faulty construction practices reported along the Sha TinCentral Link, the special administrative region’s No 2 official vowed on Monday.

Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung made the remarks after the Exhibition Centre Station and To Kwa Wan Station of the city’s most expensive metro link managed by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) were reported to have irregular construction practices. This has occurred less than a month after the corner-cutting scandal at Hung Hom Station became public.

Cheung reiterated that the government won’t compromise on personal or construction safety. He said the Development Bureau (DB) has notified all relevant government departments to strictly monitor and review government projects undertaken by Leighton Contractors (Asia) — the building contractor of the Hung Hom Station and the Exhibition Centre Station.

The Exhibition Centre Station is being built by a joint venture of Leighton and China State Construction Engineering Corporation.

Cheung said the DB has also set up an inter-departmental group to investigate the scandal at Hung Hom Station; a report from Leighton is expected on June 26.

“If the DB is unsatisfied (with the report) or any malpractices are found, they can take regulatory action, including suspension of bids for government projects or delisting the company, in serious cases,” Cheung said.

Also on Monday, Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun said there are seven government projects being undertaken by Leighton. These include the Passenger Clearance Building at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link. “So far no structural or quality issues were spotted,” Wong said, adding that a report will be made public immediately if new details about the investigation emerge.

On Sunday, legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun said he was notified by workers at the Exhibition Centre Station that at one point the project was suspended by the MTR. This was because the building contractor used fewer materials than requested when building temporary supporting structures for excavation work to speed things up.