Legislative Council Visits Kwu Tung Station Construction Site to Review Progress on East Rail Line Project

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits construction site of MTR Kwu Tung Station on East Rail Line

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

The Legislative Council Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visited the construction site of MTR Kwu Tung Station on the East Rail Line today (November 26) to learn about the latest progress of the project.

At the Kwu Tung Station project site, Members received a briefing from representatives of the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) on the project's engineering features and the construction progress of the station concourse and other facilities. Members noted that Kwu Tung Station will be the first new station in Hong Kong to be built on top of an operating railway tunnel. It will be located between Lok Ma Chau and Sheung Shui stations of the East Rail Line, being a new public transport hub for the future Kwu Tung North New Development Area. The bulk excavation work at Kwu Tung Station was completed in September this year, using the "cut and cover" construction method to excavate and remove the soil covering the tunnel structure. A lateral support system was then installed to support the weight of soil on both sides, and groundwater control was being implemented to ensure the stability of the tunnel structure and maintain the daily operations of the East Rail Line.

Members then toured the construction site to understand how various smart devices and technologies such as the Common Data Environment were adopted for providing real-time updates on project planning and more effective monitoring of construction progress, aiming for completion of the entire project by 2027. During the visit, Members exchanged views with MTRCL and Government representatives on issues including the challenges of station construction, enhancing site safety, and ensuring the operations of the East Rail Line not to be affected.

Members who participated in the visit were the Chairman of the Subcommittee, Mr Gary Zhang, and Subcommittee member Mr Yang Wing-kit; as well as non-Subcommittee members Dr Junius Ho, Ms Yung Hoi-yan and Mr Lau Kwok-fan.

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits construction site of MTR Kwu Tung Station on East Rail Line Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits construction site of MTR Kwu Tung Station on East Rail Line Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits construction site of MTR Kwu Tung Station on East Rail Line Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hospital Authority's statement regarding suspected incident of patient data being leaked on third-party platform

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) made the following statement today (April 4) regarding the suspected incident of patient data being leaked on a third-party platform:

The HA's routine monitoring system detected at around 2am yesterday (April 3) a suspected case of patient data being taken without authorisation and leaked on a third-party platform. The HA promptly reported the matter to the Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in the morning, and will fully co-operate with the Police investigation and actions.

The more than 56 000 patients involved in the incident are from the Kowloon East Cluster. The leaked data contains information including patients' names, gender, Hong Kong identity card numbers, hospital file numbers, and details of surgical procedures.

The HA sincerely apologises to the affected patients and will take all practicable measures to minimise the impact on patients. The HA will notify the affected patients via the "HA Go" mobile application, mail and phone calls as soon as possible. The Kowloon East Cluster has also set up a dedicated hotline at 5215 7326 for patient enquiries. The hotline operates Monday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Patients may also leave messages outside of hotline operating hours and staff will respond as soon as possible.

The HA takes cybersecurity very seriously, and has conducted a thorough review of its internal network systems upon discovering the incident, confirming that the systems are operating normally and securely, with no indication of a cyberattack or similar factors. The HA immediately suspended the contractor's system maintenance work.

The HA has been continuously implementing various measures to strengthen its healthcare systems, including ongoing enhancements to cybersecurity safeguards, user security awareness, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, as well as network monitoring and incident response capabilities. The HA will also collaborate with law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity organisations to enhance cybersecurity, so as to ensure appropriate protection of hospital operations, patient services, and personal data security. The HA also urges affected patients to remain vigilant and be alert to whether their personal data may be used for other purposes, take steps to protect their personal data such as changing passwords, and seek police assistance if necessary.

Source: AI-found images