Monkey business on Hong Kong MTR tracks slows rush-hour trains

Trains ran at reduced speeds for about an hour before the animal left on its own Rail operator MTR Corporation said an animal had made its way onto the tracks near Kowloon Bay station, prompting Kwun Tong line trains to run at reduced speeds. Photo: Jelly Tse A monkey disrupted peak-hour train services in Hong Kong for nearly an hour on Thursday morning after straying onto the tracks near a busy MTR station. Rail operator MTR Corporation said an animal had made its way onto the tracks near Kowloon Bay station, prompting Kwun Tong line trains to run at reduced speeds. While train frequency was unaffected, overall journey times increased by five to eight minutes. Passengers were advised to allow extra travel time. Police said they received a report at 6.45am and later confirmed the animal was a monkey. It was also spotted on the Kwun Tong-bound platform at the station. At 7.35am, MTR said the incident had ended after the monkey left on its own, with services gradually returning to normal. It is not the first time animals have disrupted Hong Kong’s rail network. In February, a wild boar entered Wu Kai Sha station and injured five people before being put down by authorities. In a similar incident in 2016, a stray dog entered a section of the East Rail line between Hung Hom and Mong Kok East during the morning rush hour. Trains ran at reduced speeds for 55 minutes, with large crowds of passengers building up at Tai Wai station, a major stop on the line. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"}