Hong Kong metro train signaling glitch sparks peak-hour chaos

[HONG KONG] A signaling system fault caused delays to Hong Kong's metro trains Tuesday morning, inconveniencing thousands of office goers rushing to work in peak hour in Asia's financial hub.

The network's Island, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines were operating at slower speeds due to the glitch, extending total journey time by 40 minutes, MTR Corp, the company that operates the city's transit rail system, said on its website.

The MTR is the backbone of the city's transportation, carrying about 5.8 million passengers on a weekday, according to the company's website. The delays resulted in jam-packed trains, forcing commuters to look for buses and taxis.

The trains were running with limited services at an interval of 12 to 15 minutes, MTR said.

At some of the stations, MTR halted escalators to curb further inflow of passengers into crowded platforms, as people waited for more than 30 minutes with umbrellas in hands and heads drooping over their cell phones.

MTR will hold a press conference on the signaling fault and train delays at 8:45am local time, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.

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