The public could look forward to cheaper train ride after the MTRC-KCRC merger, as the Bills Committee on Rail Merger Bill will discuss the fare structure for the merger at LegCo today.

According to a government document submitted to the LegCo on Tuesday, there will be fare reduction on and from the first day of the merger of the two railway companies.

Train ride priced at HK$12 or above will come with a minimum 10 per cent reduction, while the ride costing HK$8.5 to HK$11.9 will get at least 5 per cent reduction.

About 2.8 million passengers are expected to benefit from the lower fare.

The government also proposed that MTRC-KCRC review its fare in the second quarter every year. If there has been an overall fare increase or decrease of over 1.5 per cent, there will be a fare raise or reduction in the middle of the year.

While the overall fare increase is expected to be stable, there might be a fare adjustment within a 10 per cent range for individual train route.

For instance, if the overall fare is raised by 2 per cent, fare for individual routes may be raised by 12 per cent or lowered by 8 per cent.

The government sources stated that the flexible fare mechanism had been designed to help the new railway company to devise a competitive market strategy.

Deputy Chairman for the Panel on Transport Andrew Cheung, however, questioned if the proposed mechanism would only meet the business needs of the railway company.

"The company could lower the fare slightly for some routes, and raise the fare for others even when it's inappropriate," said Cheung. "It may just happen at the passengers' expense."

Meanwhile, the MTR has launched a Safety Month yesterday. During the campaign, announcements in Cantonese, Putonghua and English were made in few selected stations for passengers' safety on the platforms and elevators.

With "escalator safety" being a key focus of the campaign, Wilfred Lau, head of Operations of MTR announced that the corporation was installing an audio alert system on 60 of the busiest escalators in the MTR system.

The announcements in Cantonese, English and Putonghua will serve as a reminder for the passengers to "Hold the Handrail" when they step onto escalators.

A trial on the audio alert system was introduced in July on seven escalators in the Tsuen Wan, Prince Edward, Tai Koo and Kwai Fong stations.

Results have been encouraging as four of the escalators recorded zero accidents during the trial period, while two others saw a reduction in accident rates.

"It will be installed in 10 more escalators at busiest stations, such as Causeway Bay and Central," said Lau.

Another focus of the campaign is Train Door Safety. The Corporation is now testing an extended door chime on 13 trains on the MTR Island Line.

While the normal chimes contain 9 beeps, there are 20 beeps in the extended chimes, which start when the doors are about to close and continue until the doors are fully closed.

"It should help reduce door-related incidents and minimise delays," said Lau. "The trial of the extended door chimes will last until mid-November," Lau said.

Passengers, however, are quite responsive to the extended chimes in general, as a number of passengers noted they had heard the chimes and become more aware of the doors closing.

"It does stop people from rushing into the train at times," a passenger said at the Causeway Bay station.