Michael Tien
Michael Tien, former KCRC chairman, suggested that it was technically feasible to have the Ma On Shan line be initially extended from Tai Wai to Diamond Hill station instead of delaying the whole line, as this has the advantage of diverging the commuter traffic between Tai Wai and Kowloon Tong stations of the East Rail line, which is overcrowded during peak hours. However, the then MTRC chairman, Frederick Ma, insisted that they aimed at inaugurating the whole line in mid-2019 to avoid the extra resources required for operating the line in separate phases.