The operation of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT was disrupted for nearly an hour yesterday morning after the power system at one of its stations was damaged by a mobile crane mounted on a truck.
Taoyuan Metro Corp (桃園捷運) said that the incident occurred at 6:24am at Chang Kung Memorial Hospital Station (A8), which is built on an overpass in Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山).
A truck driven under the overpass broke electricity cables inside the station, which affected train operations from Taipei Main Station (A1) to Taishan Guihe Station (A6), and from National Taiwan Sport University Station (A7) to Kenkou Station (A11), the company said.
Photo: CNA
“Vehicles intending to pass under the A8 station must be less than 4.2m tall, as the station is built 4.5m above the ground. The mobile crane truck was 4.7m tall,” Taoyuan Metro president Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌) said.
The company restored power to all affected stations by 7:15am, Chen said, adding that it also dispatched shuttle buses to some of those stations to transport passengers.
The incident affected 12 trains and nearly 1,000 passengers, the company said, adding that it apologized for the inconvenience.
The company reported the incident to the Gueishan Precinct of the Taoyuan Police Department, which said it would conduct an investigation into the causes of the incident, Chen said.
To prevent similar incidents at stations similar to A8, the company is to discuss the possibility of reinforcing power facilities with the Bureau of High Speed Rail, he said.
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