The people of Taipei were warned to brace themselves for sustained transportation hold-ups, as Taipei officials said yesterday it would take anything from 10 days to a matter of months before the city's mass rapid transit system would be able to resume full service.
Only limited segments of the Tamsui and Peitou lines are expected to resume service today, as several stations are still submerged by flood waters brought by Nari. By contrast, the Mucha line, constructed entirely above ground, is unaffected.
"We anticipate downtown traffic to be a mess as most of the MRT system is still down," Chen Chun-min (鄭俊明), a specialist at Taipei City's Bureau of Transportation, said.
To address the problem, the bureau has asked private bus companies to help ferry commuters to their destinations. A total of 150 buses will help transport commuters between the Hsinpu and Kunyang stations between 5:30am and midnight.
Another 70 buses will provide transportation between Shihlin and Kungkwan stations and another 45 buses are to shuttle between Nanshichiao and the Taipei Train Station during the same hours.
Still, commuters are advised to leave home earlier than usual, as it will take them longer to travel by bus than via the MRT.
"Take the travel between Hsinpu and the Taipei Train Station for example," Chen said. "It takes about 20 minutes by the MRT but about an hour by bus." Almost one million commuters take the MRT each day to jobs or schools in the city.
It remains unclear when exactly the MRT will be fully operational, though the agencies concerned have vowed to give the matter their utmost attention.
Deputy Taipei Mayor Ou Chin-der (歐晉德) estimated yesterday that it might take up to six months before the Taipei Rapid Transit Co can repair all affected stations.
For sections where damage is minimal, officials said that it would take 10 days to ensure that trains can be operated manually, rather than automatically as they are usually run.
Taiwan Railway Administration officials put the damage inflicted on railways nationwide at NT$600 million.
Officials said it was the first time that Wanhua, Sungshan and Taipei train stations had experienced waist-high flood waters.
Two days of torrential rain brought the entire west coast railway to a standstill. Services were also canceled on several segments of the east coast railway. Railway officials expected to restore normal service to the eastern line by the end of this month and to the western line by the end of October.
Several separate segments of the north-south Chungshan Highway and other main roads were closed. Highway officials said repair work is expected to take from days to weeks.
Domestic airlines said they would resume normal services today.
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