The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said that 228 apprentices and 10 driving assistants have been dispatched to assist drivers of express train services to promote passenger safety.
The initiative is part of reforms at the TRA that Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) announced on Monday after a Puyuma Express train derailment on Oct. 21 that killed 18 passengers and injured 215.
Preliminary findings by an Executive Yuan investigative team showed that the train driver, surnamed You (尤), was communicating with a train dispatcher and an inspector about a technical problem he was having for 43 minutes.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Railways Administration
The accident shows the risk of having only one driver on board, prompting the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ (MOTC) decision to have two drivers operating each train.
MOTC Deputy Minister Chi Wen-chung (祁文中) yesterday morning visited the TRA to see how it was implementing the new measure.
The TRA has 18 Puyuma Express and eight Taroko Express train services.
To implement the two-driver policy, the apprentice drivers and driving assistants yesterday started assisting the drivers of the two express train services, the TRA said.
“We will see if we need to continue implementing the two-driver policy after we have ascertained that the ATPs [automatic train protection] can function reliably,” Chi said.
The TRA has six types of trains: diesel-electric locomotives, electric locomotives, diesel hydraulic locomotives, push-pull electric locomotives, steam locomotives and electric multiple units.
It takes about 23 months to train a driver to operate one type of train, and another month of training to be able to operate a different type of train, the TRA said.
The TRA Train Drivers’ Association said that it used to be a TRA policy to have two drivers on board.
“However, as the agency began acquiring new trains and safety equipment, it began experimenting with having only one driver operate the train,” the association said.
The group said it has been urging the TRA to return to a two-driver policy for all trains after the collision at Dali Train Station (大里) in Yilan County in 2007, but the agency has rejected its proposal.
Meanwhile, the Society of Railway and National Planning said that the task force entrusted to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the TRA should take an in-depth look at the issues facing the agency.
“We absolutely understand the importance and necessity of having such a task force, but the task force should give the TRA a vision as well as strategies to achieve them before talking about reforms. It should also review how transport policies in the past have affected the TRA’s operations,” the society said.
Members of the task force should feel free to talk about what they think the problem is without fear of being punished, and all stakeholders must strive to reach a consensus on measures that the task force proposes to improve the agency, the society said.
Finally, the task force must list specific steps and timeline that the TRA must follow, which should help the agency reorganize its personnel structure, recruit workers and make budget plans, it said.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was