Transportation hubs across the nation were clogged with stranded passengers yesterday after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake shut down the southern half of the nation’s high-speed rail system, forcing a scramble to mobilize additional standard trains and buses in a system already strained by people returning home for the Lunar New Year holiday.
High-speed rail lines south of Taichung were shut down early yesterday morning after a post-quake inspection found structural damage to the rail’s electricity lines near Tainan, including fractured cantilevers, and multiple points of broken contact and insulation.
After repeated repair delays, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) at midday announced that the southern half of the line would be closed for the rest of the day, urging passengers bound for southern cities to use other modes of transportation to avoid overwhelming the Taichung high-speed rail station’s transfer services.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
Special buses arranged by the Taichung City Government shuttled stranded passengers from the city’s high-speed rail station to Chaoma Station to take intercity buses, with intercity bus operators increasing departure frequency to send off buses as soon as they filled in an effort to cope with the backlog.
Thousands of stranded northbound passengers also clogged Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Station, with long lines of passengers waiting to claim ticket refunds as they called to check in with family and friends.
Despite having their itineraries delayed and transportation plans changed, many passengers said they had nothing to complain about, because they knew the changes were unavoidable.
Photo: CNA
The THSRC has announced that tickets for canceled trains can be refunded any time within a year.
With ordinary train lines through the Zuoying Station continuing to operate, THSRC employees used signs to direct passengers to Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) trains, with the company arranging for THRSC ticket holders to directly board the trains to expedite passenger transfers.
The TRA’s Taichung Station also had long lines yesterday following news of the high-speed rail’s closure, requiring increased police presence to maintain order.
Photo: AP
Taichung Station Master Yeh Jen-ho (葉仁和) said that the TRA had arranged for 80 additional trains on top of extra trains already planned for the Lunar New Year rush.
Puyuma Express tilting trains were deployed along the full length of western routes for the first time as part of the effort, previously operating almost exclusively in the nation’s east.
The TRA said track inspections delayed trains along stretches of its southern track by up to 50 minutes early yesterday morning, but operations had resumed by 9am after the agency verified that there was no substantial track damage.
The National Freeway Bureau denied rumors of major damage to southern stretches of several major highways, saying that inspections had found little damage.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration said that no airport operations have been affected by the earthquake.
The THSRC last night announced that high-speed train services south of Chiayi are to remain suspended before noon today, with intercity buses available to transport passengers from high-speed rail station in Chiayi to both Zuoying and Tainan stations. Whether high-speed rail services south of Chiayi are to resume this afternoon is to be announced this morning, it said.
Additional reporting by Kan Chih-chi, Yan Hung-jun, Lin Yan-tung, Chen Wen-chan and Hung Jui-chin
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS