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In response to media enquiries, a spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said that Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Mr Joshua Law, did not ask the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) to postpone the public announcement of the appearance of cracks at the underframe equipment of its East Rail trains at the KCRC Management Board meeting last Wednesday (January 11), as a report in Ming Pao claimed today (January 16).
"It has been the Government's stance that KCRC should make an early announcement in an appropriate manner once its materials are ready.
"Mr Law said at the January 11 meeting that the Railway Inspectorate (RI) could not meet the Corporation's request to make an immediate assessment of the issue at the meeting because the Bureau only received initial information from the Corporation on the same day.
"Mr Law pointed out that if KCRC wished to announce RI's detailed assessment together with its own assessment, it was estimated then that RI would be able to complete its inspection and make an assessment by Monday (January 16)," the spokesman said.
Ends/Monday, January 16, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:59
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