Key parts of the MTR’s Kwun Tong line were suspended at the height of rush hour on Monday, causing chaos for commuters.

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Photo: KaiMing Yeung‎.

A power failure occurred at around 5:30pm at Kowloon Bay station, according to the MTR.

mtr commute.
A commuter fainted at Kowloon Bay station.

Trains between Kowloon Tong and Kwun Tong were suspended, with limited services elsewhere. Replacement shuttle buses were brought online. Service disruptions continued until around 8:30pm.

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Yau Tong Station. Photo: Vincent Chong.

Two commuters fainted during the confusion inside Kowloon Bay station, Apple Daily reported.

Meanwhile, over a hundred commuters were forced to walk along train tracks between Choi Hung and Diamond Hill stations.

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Commuters walked along train tracks. Photo: Lihkg forum.

Traffic jams unfolded throughout Kowloon as passengers turned to other forms of transport.

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Traffic flow as seen on Google Maps. Photo: Googlemaps.

Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu said the public is at a critical point, in that they cannot bear any more disruptions to service.

“The fares go up every year, but the service is constantly in decline – this is unacceptable for the public,” he said. He called for a special meeting to be held at the legislature demanding the MTR Corporation and the government explain the frequent incidents and lay out improvement plans.

It is the second glitch in a day. Earlier on Monday, services were disrupted for 90 minutes after a Tung Chung line train broke down.

Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 and is the editor-in-chief. In addition to editing, he is responsible for managing the newsroom and company - including fundraising, recruitment and overseeing HKFP's web presence and ethical guidelines.

He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously led an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others.