1,000 MTR staff deployed for Sunday's partial shutdown
The MTR says it will deploy 1,000 staff members on Sunday when a partial shutdown of the Kwun Tong Line takes place. Services between Prince Edward and Ho Man Tin will be suspended for the day due to a full maintenance operation. The maintenance will replace more than 50 large metal hangers used for hanging power cables on the tunnel ceiling of the crossover near Yau Ma Tei Station. The four affected stations will still be served by either the Tsuen Wan Line or the Tuen Ma Line.  Train frequencies will be changed to accommodate citizens' needs, with Kwun Tong Line waiting times lengthened to five minutes to avoid overcrowding at Prince Edward Station. Tsuen Wan Line trains will be available every 3.5 minutes, while Tuen Ma Line trains will arrive every 5.5 minutes. The rail operator suggested passengers plan their journeys ahead and make use of alternative railway routes. "Prince Edward Station will be very busy on that day because it will be the only interchange station between Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line stations on this coming Sunday. We will provide extra hands, extra staff in the affected stations to help all passengers, [and] we will provide service counters at Prince Edward Station, Whampoa, Ho Man Tin and Yau Ma Tei during peak hours this weekdays and also on the coming Saturday and Sunday for whole day," said Cheris Lee, who heads the MTR's operating and metro segment. Crowd management measures will be in place at Prince Edward Station from Sunday morning. Meanwhile, free bus services will run between Yau Ma Tei, Ho Man Tin, and Whampoa.  Bus route No.8 that runs from Kowloon Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier will be available for free to passengers for the whole journey, while passengers taking route No.30X that runs from Whampoa Gardens to Tsuen Wan Allway Gardens will not need to pay if they board at designated bus stops. Both route frequencies will be increased to every 10 minutes, and staff will be present at different bus stops to assist citizens. Lee added there will be different checkpoints along the tunnel, and the company will continuously update the maintenance progress on Sunday so citizens will be informed about traffic conditions on Monday, July 29. MTR said they are confident that the maintenance would be completed within 28 hours and citizens would be able to use train services as usual the next day. The MTR expects the Tung Chung Line to be the next to undergo maintenance that will affect train services.