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• Proposes an urban rail transit vulnerability assessment matrix. • Applies this framework to assess metro station vulnerability in Hong Kong. • Half of the metro stations had ambient roads more congested during disruptions at peak-hours. • Very highly vulnerable stations were identified for targeted resilience plans. Transport systems are confronting challenges under disruptive events. In transit-oriented cities, the heavy reliance on urban railways makes the transport system ever more vulnerable. Extant literature has paid much attention to urban rail transit vulnerability and resilience against natural disasters. Yet, less focus has been put on disturbances caused by people. In this study, by integrating the on- and off-road situations, we assess the urban rail transit vulnerability under the Anti-extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong in 2019, during which the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) services were severely disrupted. Our results show that very highly vulnerable stations are spatially concentrated in traditional urban core areas. It is also observed that roads around some new town stations became more congested during service disruption. When disruptive events occurred during non-peak hours, the level of congestion in more than half of stations' ambient roads did not show significant changes. This study sets forth a rail transit vulnerability assessment matrix and suggests that future assessments of transport vulnerability should take a more holistic approach and consider both on- and off-road traffic situations. The findings also provide directions for building resilient cities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic congestion has been a persistent problem in cities globally. Theoretically, commuting-related congestion can be relieved by promoting working from home (WFH). Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WFH arrangement has been encouraged or enforced to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Under these circumstances, it was reported that traffic congestion has been alleviated in many cities. However, changes in congestion patterns within a city have not been studied in-depth. In this study, we analysed the congestion index (CI) at peak hours, when commuting-related congestion is typically most serious, throughout different waves of the pandemic in Hong Kong. Results show that under WFH arrangement, peak-hour congestion has been alleviated. Within a day, morning peak congestion was more relieved. Spatially, significant drops in CI were found not only in the central business district and urban cores but also in some new town areas. This paper has significant implications for urban planners in creating more sustainable cities that duly consider the commuting needs of residents, and cautions against the optimism that WFH can relieve urban transport problems despite jobs-housing imbalance. While the WFH arrangement has potentials to ease commuting congestion, future e-working and transport measures need to take spatial and temporal dimensions into account. • Spatio-temporal dynamics of urban traffic congestion under COVID-19 were captured. • In Hong Kong, work from home had a bigger impact on morning than evening peak. • Morning peak congestion relief was not only limited to the CBD. • The two commuting peaks were identifiable even during work from home periods. • About 25% of planning units had lower peak-hour congestion under the "new normal". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]