The Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday that it would replace all outdated batteries used in the Muzha Line's uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system this week.
The announcement came in the wake of a report yesterday by Apple Daily saying that 588, or about two-thirds, of the batteries used in the Muzha Line's UPS system had passed their expiry date years ago, leading to the two explosions at the Taipei Zoo MRT Station this month.
TRTC vice president Chang Huan-kwang (
The expired batteries had been in use for 10 years, and should have been replaced when they had been in use for eight years, he said.
"The replacement should be completed this week," he added.
Chang said that the explosions on Aug. 4 and Aug. 15 were not caused by expired batteries, but admitted that a preliminary investigation showed that the malfunctioning batteries had cracks on them even before the explosions.
Chen Chiang (陳強), chief of TRTC's medium-capacity transport division, said that it was looking into what caused the cracks.
"There might have already been problems when the batteries were purchased," Chen said. "Problems could also have occurred when the batteries were being recharged. Or, there might have been something wrong with the circuits in the machine room."
The UPS system, which provides backup power, switches on automatically in the event of a power failure. It provides power to the illuminating facilities and signals until the emergency generators are activated. The batteries need to be charged all the time, and must be able to endure high temperatures.
According to the Apple Daily report, the Muzha Line's UPS system uses 896 batteries made by several different firms.
The two battery explosions did not cause any injury.
The TRTC has also put out notices advising its employees to observe caution when entering machine rooms where batteries are placed.
The incident has once again exposed safety problems in the operation of Taipei's rapid transit system. In May 2004, maintenance crews accidentally triggered the fire alarm system while testing the emergency power generators. The gas emitted from the fire alarm system affected residents living around an MRT station. The case is still under investigation.
Another accident occurred after the celebrations on New Year's Eve last year, when crowds swarmed into the MRT's Taipei Main Station. Several people tripped and fell on the escalators, with one woman getting scalped as her hair got entangled in the escalator.
The company was fined NT$400,000 for failure to manage the crowd.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS