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Tram safety inspection
Following is a question by the Hon John Tse Wing-ling and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Haider Barma, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In view of the frequent occurrence of tram accidents recently, will the Government inform this Council:
Reply:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Mr President,
given that the authorities concerned at present do not conduct periodic checks on trams, whether the Government will consider changing the existing mechanism for inspecting tram safety and conducting periodic checks on trams in the near future;
of the training period which tram drivers are currently required to undergo before they are permitted to drive trams; and whether the Government will consider introducing legislation to regulate the training of tram drivers; and
in regard to the review being undertaken jointly by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Hong Kong Tramways Limited on the maintenance programme of trams, of the items covered in the review, the progress of the review and when it is expected to complete?
Hong Kong Tramways has full responsibility for the maintenance and inspection of its tram cars and, indeed, all tram cars are subject to functional checks daily both before they leave the depot and on their return. The Government does not conduct any periodic checks. The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services (DEMS) investigates each accident to ascertain whether it has been caused by equipment faults. Should the company subsequently seek to modify tram cars, the approval of DEMS must first be sought.
Following the recent accidents, DEMS has suggested that Hong Kong Tramways should review the wiring system and electrical equipment. These aspects have been included in the scope of a consultancy study which the company intends to commission very soon. The company expects that the consultant will need ten weeks to make available his preliminary findings. The Government will be consulted on the findings and will then decide whether additional regulations for maintenance and safety of tram cars need be introduced.
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