Hong Kong MTR technician wins silver at global vocational competition

Hong Kong MTR technician Gordon Tang Kwong-tai has won a silver medal in rail vehicle technology at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai. Tang, 22, has worked for the MTR Corporation for four years and was the highest-scoring member of Hong Kong’s delegation. He said the competition tested his ability to identify railway faults, carry out repairs and maintain concentration across three demanding days.

His tasks included checking and repairing train-door systems, pantographs and bogies, as well as locating deliberately concealed faults. He said malfunction checks were particularly difficult because contestants had to consider multiple possible causes before selecting a repair. Tang said he used observation and a flashlight to identify faults beneath train carriages and in welding joints.

Although these tasks resembled his daily duties, the prolonged competition created additional physical and mental pressure. He said time management and responding effectively under pressure were among his main lessons. By the final day, when he faced train-door checks, he had to overcome fatigue and focus on each detail.

Tang graduated from the MTR Corporation’s railway technical trainee scheme and undertook 18 months of additional preparation. His employer arranged practice on different carriages and components and sent him to mainland China to exchange knowledge and become familiar with the competition’s tools and scenarios. He was part of a 41-member Hong Kong team that won 15 medals, the city’s largest delegation and highest medal total at the competition.

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin praised the contestants and said their performance raised recognition of vocational education.