Hong Kong's pride, the Mass Transit Railway system, is struggling through the worst year in its 40-year history. The system that has earned worldwide plaudits for its efficiency finds itself at the center of the city's current political storm. Today, the MTR is grasping for strategies to weather the storm and keep the standard of services for the city's commuters. It's been called the biggest challenge ever faced by the corporation.

"MTR Corp is struggling to strike a balance between safety and service delivery," a senior MTR manager who refused to be named told China Daily.

The manager recalled that at 4 am on Oct 5, when rioters finally ended their rampage hours after the city's anti-mask law came into effect, staff members at different stations were called out to inspect the stations and make arrangements for repairs. The city continued to reel amid the citywide chaos that saw hundreds of shops and banks vandalized, in addition to many metro stations.

The first three stations the manager inspected had sustained fire damage, smashed turnstiles and ticket vending machines, and surfaces defaced by graffiti. The damage was unprecedented and the manager had to report that repairs could not be completed early in the morning.

Over the past two months, Hong Kong's metro system has been attacked by violent mobs almost every week. The system had managed to complete repairs and clean-up in time for the resumption of services at 6 am.