Gilgen repairs metro in record time
In September, it rained harder in Hong Kong than at any time since 1884. A typhoon flooded the MTR metro, the centrepiece of metropolitan transport: some of the stations were 1.5 metres deep under water. Without the MTR (Mass Transit Railway), the city is almost paralysed. Accordingly, the crisis had to be responded to quickly and efficiently - a job for Gilgen Door Systems. Once again, Gilgen proved its ability to keep a calm head in a crisis situation and to resolve the emergency with focused and tireless efforts as well as technical efficiency. 25 technicians travelled to the central Wong Tai Sin metro station in the brutal weather conditions to bring the situation under control.
Water and muck flooded station
Black rain is the highest warning level of Hong Kong's three-tier rainfall barometer, after the amber and red warnings. So the engineering team at Wong Tai Sin faced immense challenges. First, they had to drain the water and dry the station. Besides the masses of water, there was also a lot of dirt and rubbish in the underground station that had been washed away by the roads. After an extensive wiping action under the earth's surface, the next step was to be taken: Getting the electronics working again. Unfortunately, the water caused irreparable damage to the technology. But as a professional, Gilgen is prepared for emergencies, even if they only occur every 140 years: Spare parts were ready and the technicians were able to replace them directly with the broken components.
Masterly performance by the technicians
The pressure to get the metro up and running again as quickly as possible was almost as great as the commitment of the technical team: they worked non-stop on the repairs and, after a turbulent night shift, got the MTR up and running again in record time. The Wong Tai Sin metro station was out of service for just under two days. After that, the approximately seven and a half million inhabitants were able to use the metropolis' most important means of transport again. The management of the MTR was grateful: They addressed a thank-you directly to Gilgen. Gilgen's proactivity, expertise and dedication were praised in particular - and we are once again proud of our employees.
