The Taipei City Government yesterday said that the Muzha-Neihu MRT Line would continue running for the duration of the Deaflympics despite a failure to fix the frequent malfunctions and system shutdowns.
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said it would increase the number of trains on the Muzha-Neihu (Brown), Blue and Red lines on Saturday in expectation of large crowds attending the opening ceremony of the Deaflympics.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said system inspections over the last two weekends had increased the stability of the line and reduced the number of system breakdowns.
The system builder, Bombardier, and TRTC agreed that it would be unnecessary to close the line again during weekends as the engineers planned to inspect the system after the line was closed at midnight.
“About 150,000 passengers depend on the line every day and suspending it would have a big impact on them,” Hau said at Taipei City Hall.
SHUTDOWNS
The line, however, experienced two new shutdowns yesterday morning.
Service was interrupted at 7:56am after the operation center detected low tire pressure in a train at Jiannan Rd Station.
The second interruption occurred at 8:56am after a false alarm was reported at Linguang Station.
Service resumed at 9:07am.
The line experienced three shutdowns on Monday.
Hau admitted yesterday that the line’s performance was “far from perfect,” but insisted that continuing the service was “the best choice under the circumstances.”
ATHLETES
In response to concerns that Deaflympics athletes could be trapped on the trains if the line broke down again, Hau said that each athlete would be allotted two volunteers to address his or her needs.
The volunteers will assist the athletes if they encounter any problems while riding on the MRT, he said.
Hau also dismissed allegations that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who was Taipei mayor when construction of the line began, had called him and asked him not to shut the line down.
“That is simply not true,” Hau said.
“The decision was made by Bombardier and the city government,” he said.
INCREASES
TRTC general manager Tsay Huei-sheng (蔡輝昇) said the company would shorten the interval between trains on the Muzha-Neihu Line to 2 minutes and the Blue Line to 3 minutes ahead of the opening ceremony of the Deaflympics on Saturday, which will be held at Taipei Track and Field Stadium at the intersection of Bade Road and Nanjing E Road.
The interval of the trains will also be shortened for the closing ceremony on Sept. 15, Tsay said.
Free MRT service guides and maps in Chinese, English, Japanese and 15 other languages are available at MRT Stations.
Free shuttle buses would be provided if the MRT service shuts down during the period of the Games, Tsay said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft