The Government today received the detailed investigation report submitted by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) on the MTR Tseung Kwan O Line train incident on December 5 last year.

The detailed investigation report indicated that the energy absorption device dislodged from its coupler assembly due to the loosening of a component locking the energy absorption device and the coupler assembly at the sixth train car.

The fault-protection mechanism of the train was triggered and the emergency brake was applied.

At the request of the EMSD, the MTRC inspected all inter-car coupler assemblies on trains with the same type of energy absorption devices. No abnormality was spotted.

The original equipment manufacturer of the coupler assembly also confirmed the safety of the same type of coupler assemblies installed on operating trains.

Subsequently, the MTRC conducted a fleet check of all energy absorption devices of the same type, and confirmed that no instances of loosening were found.

To further ensure the security of the coupler assemblies, the MTRC has been implementing various improvement measures, including the installation of additional locking components on the existing energy absorption devices and a progressive fleet-wide replacement of the energy absorption devices with a more robust design.

The company will also explore various tools, including the application of technology, to step up the monitoring of the performance of the energy absorption devices for proper preventive maintenance.

The EMSD will closely follow up with the MTRC on the progress of implementing the various recommendations proposed in the report to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

The Independent Monitoring Panel established by the Government has also started its work. The panel closely monitors the MTRC's comprehensive review on its asset management and maintenance regime to ensure the maintenance and operation management work keeps pace with the times, so as to maintain the safety and reliability of railway services in Hong Kong.