‘Better off walking from Admiralty to Causeway Bay’

The partial suspension of the MTR’s Island Line during rush hour after a carriage door came off turned out to be a nightmare for commuters on a chilly Thursday evening.

In Admiralty, long queues formed at taxi stands, bus stops and the tram stop as people scrambled for other transport options.

There were similar scenes elsewhere on Hong Kong Island such as Wan Chai and Causeway Bay.

A man called Felix told RTHK he was trying to return home in Shau Kei Wan from Admiralty, but had a hard time finding out how.

“I had to go up from the Admiralty [MTR] station and try to find a bus. But the street is packed with people so I couldn’t find a bus. So I changed my plan again to take the tram. But now I have been waiting for 30, 35 minutes, and I am still waiting here,” he said.

A woman who was heading to Causeway Bay also found herself not going anywhere.

“We have been stuck in Admiralty for over an hour. It’s like bad timing, but what can you do. I heard that it was a door that fell off that caused it, so I don’t think it’s the fault of anyone,” she said.

A man surnamed Fong, who was also heading to Causeway Bay from Admiralty, was less forgiving.

“I mean it’s not their first time, so what more can you expect from the MTR. Is it last year or the year before, the MTR [train] kind of went off-track, so of course, I have safety concerns,” he said.

“Normally it takes me 10 minutes or so to travel from Admiralty to Causeway Bay, but now… my friend suggested me: you’re better off just walk there,” he said.