Lawmaker and former railway engineer Gary Zhang on Thursday expressed concern about an incident where a girl apparently fell down the gap between a platform and an automated train at the airport.

A video circulating online appears to show passengers rescuing the girl after her fall.

The Airport Authority said it will submit a report to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) within a month.

Zhang, who chairs Legco's subcommittee on railway matters, said the incident could have been fatal.

“First of all, because the system being used at the airport, the Automated People Mover train system, is powered by power supply equipment located near the track, so if she indeed falls onto the tracks, she could likely get electrocuted. That's a very serious risk,” he told RTHK.

“If she falls onto the track, because it's an automatic system, the train might just close the door and move on and there is a high risk of this girl being hit by the moving train.”

The Airport Authority said it conducted an investigation in January after receiving an enquiry from the EMSD, but there was no record of anyone falling down the platform gap.

The incident was said to have happened in November last year, but the authority said CCTV footage of the Automated People Mover is only kept for a month and it was unable to go back that far.

"The Automated People Mover system's platform screen doors and train doors are equipped with sensors. When external objects are detected, such as a passenger trapped in the gap between the platform and the train, the platform screen doors will remain open and the train will not depart, ensuring passenger safety," it wrote in a statement.

The authority said it will look into the incident again.
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Last updated: 2024-10-03 HKT 18:21