The Buildings Department disclosed on Saturday that substandard concrete columns were discovered at the MTR station under construction in Tung Chung West, with around 30 columns identified by the registered structural engineers (RSE) working on the project. In response to media inquiries, the department confirmed the issues were first detected during a routine quality audit on November 27th. Subsequently, upon noting the substandard concrete columns, the department instructed the RSE team and the registered contractor to conduct a thorough investigation and implement corrective measures. The MTR Corporation responded by suspending relevant construction activities. As part of the standard procedure, a further inspection was conducted after the removal of some concrete work, revealing additional defects in more columns. These findings were reported to the department on Tuesday. The department highlighted that, as the temporary supports under the floor slab had not yet been removed, the identified defects posed no immediate risk to the structural integrity of the station. The department emphasized that all procedures were conducted in accordance with the approved plans and routine inspections, and no evidence of intentional deviation from these plans was found.
The department's request for an investigation and remedial measures from the RSE highlights the critical nature of maintaining safety and quality standards in construction. This incident has prompted a closer look at MTR's construction processes and the supervision roles of registered structural engineers. Going forward, both the MTR Corporation and the Buildings Department will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that all necessary corrective actions are taken to uphold construction standards.