An equipment fault involving an engineer’s train near the Tai Wo station disrupted East Rail Line services on Wednesday morning.

Train services were delayed, with passengers in some stations on the East Rail Line waiting for up to 24 minutes before a train arrived, after the engineer’s train broke down near the Tai Wo station around 5:21 am, the MTR said.

The Transport Department (TD) urged the MTR to finish the repairs as soon as possible and coordinated with bus operators to provide support for affected commuters. 

The MTR said after 1 pm that the train had been moved away and services were going back to normal.

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At the height of the disruption in the morning, the MTR said train services between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau stations were at 20-minute intervals while those between Tai Po Market and Lo Wu stations were at 16-minute intervals.

Services between Fo Tan and Tai Market stations also had to be adjusted to eight-minute intervals while those between Admiralty and Fo Tan stations were at four to eight-minute intervals.

“Crowd management measures are now in place in individual stations on East Rail Line and longer waiting times are expected,” the TD said.

It urged members of the public to consider other modes of transportation and to plan their journeys early with more time for travel.

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The department added that bus operators also increased their services in affected areas to help commuters, particularly KMB Route No. 270A (from Sheung Shui to Tsim Sha Tsui East), KMB Route No. 978 (from Fanling to Exhibition Centre MTR Station), and Citybus Route No. 79 (Queen's Hill to Tai Wai Station).