The earth is sinking under the nation’s high-speed rail line, New Public Construction Commission (PCC) Minister Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) said yesterday, warning that it could become inoperable in 10 years if nothing is done.
The soil has subsided because of excessive draining of ground water on a stretch of the line in Yunlin County and the limit of what is considered safe is fast approaching, Lee said.
“The high-speed rail can safely operate for a maximum of 10 years if the problem is kept under control,” Lee said.
“However, the area affected has expanded this year because of the water shortage problem. With more ground water being lost, 10 years has become a conservative estimate,” added Lee, who on Monday traveled to Yunlin with other government officials to inspect the high-speed rail line.
The Executive Yuan has scheduled a cross-departmental meeting on Friday to discuss the subsidence problem in Yunlin County.
Lee told a press conference yesterday that areas along the high-speed rail line have suffered the worst of the subsidence problem and while the Bureau of High Speed Rail — the agency oversees the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp's operator of the 345km line that runs the length of the nation’s western corridor — has managed to keep the difference in the angle of the line’s piers under the safety limit, the problem must be solved within 10 years or the rail system will be facing a major crisis.
Approximately 1,400km2 in Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties also have the same problems, about a 10th of the plains area on the west coast, he added.
Not only will the subsidence create safety issues on the high-speed rail line, but it will also impact on food supply and drainage if the problem is not addressed immediately, Lee said.
Lee said the government is considering imposing weight controls on about 3km of the high-speed rail line in Yunlin County as excessive weight could cause the land to subside further. The zones near the entrance to the Central Science Park also reportedly have problems with subsidence, he said.
The Central Science Park Administration said that it does not draw on ground water and the government needs to find out what is causing the land in these areas to subside, he said.
When asked if the problem meant the government would not build a high-speed rail station in Yunlin, Lee said that was a separate matter.
“The station would be useless if the high-speed rail line is unsafe,” Lee said. “If the station is to be built, we have to take into consideration the materials used for its construction and the weight of the buildings.”
At a separate setting yesterday, Chang Kuang-chih (張廣智), director of the Water Resources Agency’s hydrology division, said Changhua County’s Dacheng Township (大城) suffered the worst subsidence in 2001, with the average subsidence standing at 17.6cm, while last year the worst effects were felt in Chang-hua County’s Sijhou Township (溪州) and Yunlin County’s Tuku Township (土庫), where the average was 6.4cm.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia and AFP
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS