Well - remember the days while KCR and MTR are two separate companies?

KCR shut down the train services within 1 hour while the number 8 typhoon signal is hoisted. While MTR tried to sustain the East-rail (Ex-KCR) service after number 9 or number 10 typhoon singal is hoisted. While large portion of KCR rails are outdoor, there are certain issues to run train services in adverse weather conditions. Passengers just framed MTR everything after the service breakdown... If complains keep coming in and if I was in the management, I would simply suspend the service in bad conditions like KCR did. Unlike other public transport (Taxi/Minibuses) which runs in adverse weather, MTR does not charge you extra ridiculous fees. In Hong Kong, CSR does not matter. So why the heck do I need to run the services and get all the blames?

This is one of the best solutions that can come out with.

Problem was that they did nOt tell people the train get suspended until quite late and people were just waiting there without any info and thought the service would assume until no other alternatives. In the past trains still operated at t8 so people did assume it will resume service.

Find problem here is that it is fine when you all have an office
Job and get to go home, there r many people with no such option

really? Well, I'm a design engineer and we weren't allowed to leave until T8 was hoisted. I wouldn't be surprised if some other jobs they arent allowed to leave earlier (FWIW, I've been to Maxim's at T8 before. and there are also medical staff(not just doctors or nurses, but the lower grade jobs too) and many jobs that require to stay until end of shift. Yes, some ppl were being silly and stay around in the evening, but many ppl don't actually have the benefit of leaving at 4pm (2 hours before hoisting T8). and there are ppl who were landed at T8 and ought to go home(at rare times you'd really hope there's a diversion).

TBH, I would first point my fingers at HKO, because their forecast was totally off whilst Macau had forecasted it much better. then it would be the total lack of crisis management at MTR. Telling passengers to leave the station is just laughable -whoever that made such decision.

I don't think there were many alternatives by the time the trains did get suspended.

My +1 did stay behind in the office quite late. She only agreed to do so when I assured her I'm able and willing to swing the car around and pick her up. Otherwise she would take the MTR.

Both our cos have staff who are not allowed to go home - guards, emergency repair crews and the like. They have to stay at work even if their shift has ended - just like black rainstorm.

Assuming the MTR (esp externally-exposed lines like East Rail) will still run no matter what the weather is like is unrealistic.

Nobody is blaming MTR for service interruption. It is great they tried to run the trains as late as they could. What we are saying is that they are horrible in communicating to those stranded and helping them. That is a widespread issue in HK. Employees won't take charge to do 'the right thing' unless they are instructed to, lest they got blamed.

Hence, no one would tell the passengers the tracks were blocked, and service would unlikely to be resumed until the morning. Nobody at the Sha Tin station would decide it's the best thing to just tell the stranded that they would just keep the A/C on the trains and let people rest and stayed until storm is over. Or that they would gather as much supplies as possible to pass out to those stranded, until hours later, and so on...

As for the HKO, it's been a joke for a while. Its sole purpose now is to tell people if they can get off work and need to go to work. Their guy still goes on the TV with horrible English using a telescopic pointer. Only thing that has changed is now he uses a monitor - I wouldn't be surprised if he uses a hand drawn chart.

Now, people actually find out when he storm will hit by checking if the container port will suspend operations. This time, they announced ceasing of operation at around 4 or 5pm, which was at least 2 hours before Signal 8. That says it's going to be pretty serious.

A medium market TV station in Kansas or Oklahoma has meteorologists who can tell their viewers much better what's going on with the weather.

Hko is a joke? Really? I think they are alright. they rarely underestimate cyclone, which to me it's a good prudent approach.

If the meterologists in the states are so good like you said. Shouldn't there been zero lives loss from the natural disasters hitting the states?

U been berating the mtr through this thread. U mind to enlighten us how much better are the rail/ underground are run elsewhere especially when there's a hit of such scale and at a short space of time? Especially in the states? ( a country that has very good met, I supposed train service too? )

The problem is the the rail service HK have been operated so efficiently over the past 2-3 decades that the expectation of people are quite high.

Sure when comapre to overseas I think MTR is definitely the best. However you also have to consider the complexity and geographical spread of the network.

I am not blaming MTR not offering connection bus etc...

I think the problem is the the management there is not good at handling the communication and PR front.

Even when there were no alternatives to the passengers they need to let them know instead of just keep on dragging it out and running around like headless chicken.

Commercial Radio actually carried the downed power cable news article at 12:36am with MTR's explanations:

http://www.881903.com/Page/ZH-TW/new...6&csid=261_341

Along with updates at 2:12, 3:18, 3:22, 3:58, 4:54, 5:26, 7:24, 7:26 and 7:36

http://www.881903.com/Page/ZH-TW/New...61_341&page=12

Sure the MTR staff at various stations could have made a better job propagating the company line, but the updates were there for all to see (if passengers had an iPhone) and/or hear (radio).

its not the passenger's duty to find out why the train is broken down, is it?
in airline terms, is it our duty to find whether CX delayed a flight due to tech, weather, or ATC, then go hunt for compensation?

it cost MTRC hardly anything to give such notice.

kaka - if you're not DM on CX, you do

dang... what a terrible company CX is. gotta fly someone else.

As I said before, go and get yourself an AMEX Centurion card or fly F or J enough to get DM so that you won't be disappointed.

If Centurion membership is condition precedent to a pleasant CX experience, any CX co-branded Centurion card ?

Well get yourself one and find out

If you are one of their big customers, I bet AMEX is very happy to make one card just for you.

Like I have said on HK Card Forum, they gave almost no service to small potatoes and they can kiss your shoes (a Hong Kong slang yay) if you pay them enough.