In the latest debacle to hit the city's troubled rapid transit system in the past month, a crack was created yesterday in a pillar of the MRT Mucha line while subcontractors carried out maintenance work.
Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) the government body in charge of construction for the line, blamed the problem on faulty maintenance by subcontractors.
During a routine maintenance check of the lightweight Mucha line early yesterday morning, Chunghua Engineering Company, the subcontractors that built pillars for the elevated line, said they created a crack about one centimeter wide in one pillar between the Chungshan Middle School and Nanking East Road stations.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING
Following the discovery, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) stopped trains on the stretch of track north of the intersection of Chunghsiao and Fuhsing Road and ran a free bus service for commuters.
DORTS said they planned to spend 24 hours working on the line and restore operations to normal as quickly as possible.
But DORTS spokesperson Ling Chi-yao (
Consultants yesterday were examining the crack and suggesting longer-term measures for fixing the problem, but DORTS' initial assessment was that a pin between the pillar and the track was put in the wrong position when Chunghua Engineering was trying adjust a tilted connection between the pillar and the track.
Several years of wear and tear from trains travelling overhead had created the tilt, said Ling.
A spokesperson for Chunghua Engineering was at first reluctant to acknowledge that incorrect placement of the pin during construction was the cause of the crack, saying that this was definitely an "accident." But when pressed said, "Yes, the pin was in the wrong place."
Chunghua had placed temporary metal "H-pins" as support around the crack, and DORTS consultants would recommend longer-term measures, he said.
The appearance of the crack yesterday is just the latest in a long series of mishaps for the MRT.
Cracks first appeared in pillars themselves after test runs on the Mucha line began in the early 1990s -- just several years after construction by the line's many subcontractors began in 1988.
During the two years of test runs between 1992 and 1994, trains derailed twice and brakes on trains caught fire twice.
Another of the dozens of subcontractors on the Mucha line, the France-based Matra Transport Co., has been locked in years of legal battles with DORTS over cost overruns and delays during construction. Matra built several portions of the Mucha Line, including the trains themselves and large sections of stations.
The majority of recent problems with the MRT system have been on the heavy-traffic network -- the Tamshui, Chungho and Hsintien lines.
In the last month alone, the TRTC's new mainframe signal computer on that system has failed at least three times, causing major delays, near misses between trains in tunnels and inconvenience for commuters.
The TRTC is now under intense pressure less than a month before its goal of opening a section of the new Panchiao-Nankang line before the end of this year.
TRTC spokesperson Henry Chen (
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS