PRESS STATEMENT

27 July 2019

Outbreak of Violence at West Rail Line Yuen Long Station on 21 July 2019
With regards to the outbreak of violence at Yuen Long Station (YUL) on 21 July 2019, there
were videos and sound recordings circulated online in the past few days claiming to berelated to the outbreak of violence. We will not comment on those as we are unable toascertain the source of the videos and sound recordings and whether they have been
modified. However, we would like to provide the following timeline which was collated fromthe station platform CCTV footages for public judgement.
In fact, during the outbreak of violence at YUL in the evening on 21 July, the station master,
station officers, train captains, as well as the staff on duty at Operations Control Centre (OCC),
had been providing railway service for passengers according to established railway operation
procedures with their best effort and information of the rapidly changing situation as far as
they could grasp at the material time. Unfortunately, they have been criticised and evenattacked personally subsequent to the incident. The MTR Corporation strongly regrets about
what the staff members have to face.
Similar incident has never happened to the MTR Corporation in the past 40 years. TheCorporation understands that our staff are concerned and worried about the situation. TheSenior Management had been meeting different staff in groups these few days andexchanged views on how to handle similar incidents in the future. The Corporation appeals toour staff to continue serving the passengers dutifully, and provide passengers with safe,
reliable and smooth railway service prudently and wholeheartedly.
The timeline collated from the station platform CCTV footages is as below:10:55pm⚫ The concerned Tuen Mun-bound train arrived at YUL.
⚫ Passengers alighted and boarded the train as usual, there was nooutbreak of violence on the platform.
⚫ After the train captain performed platform duty and prepared todepart YUL, the train captain noticed that train doors were being
obstructed by passengers and could not be closed.

10:57pm⚫ OCC arranged station staff to provide assistance on the platform, andto try to close the train door, without success.
⚫ There was no outbreak of violence on the platform. There werepassengers obstructing train doors, as well as alighting and boarding
the train.
-more-

10:59pm⚫ The train doors were still unable to be closed.
⚫ In accordance with relevant procedures, OCC authorised the train
captain to arrange detrainment according to the train service
arrangement, and arrange another train to pick up passengers on YULplatform.
⚫ The train captain made announcement of detrainment.
⚫ There was no outbreak of violence on the platform.

11:06pm⚫ Large number of people moved to the platform from the concourse
and went into the train compartment.

11:07pm⚫ The train captain received passengers’ report about fighting on theplatform.
⚫ The train captain immediately reported the situation to the OCC, andwas aware of train doors continued to be obstructed and could not
depart YUL immediately.

11:13pm⚫ Train doors were closed after several attempts.

11:14pm⚫ The train departed the platform.

As for today’s public activity which is being held near the station, the MTR Corporation willclosely monitor the stations. The Corporation has maintained close communication with thepolice, and requested the police to deploy additional manpower to patrol the stations andhandle law and order-related matters. We will also flexibly deploy manpower to maintain
service as far as possible.
- End –Annex

1. At 10:55pm on 21 July, train doors of the concerned train were being obstructed andcould not be closed after performing platform duty at YUL.

2. At 10:57pm on 21 July, station staff arrived at YUL platform to handle train door closure
issues and were being scolded.

3. At 10:59pm on 21 July, the train captain made announcement of detrainment.

4. At 11:05pm on 21 July, the train doors of the concerned train were still unable to be closed
and there was no outbreak of violence on the platform.

5. At 11:06pm on 21 July, large number of people moved to the platform from the concourse
and went into the train compartment.

6. At 11:07pm on 21 July, the train captain received passengers’ report about fighting on theplatform.

7. At 11:13pm on 21 July, train doors were closed after several attempts.