The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said yesterday that it has been forced to stop trial operations of its newly purchased EMU700-model commuter trains three times because of a series of problems found during the testing process.
The nation's largest railway company purchased a total of 160 EMU700-model train cars from local contractor Taiwan Rolling Stock Co (TRSC, 台灣車輛公司).
The company formed a technical partnership with the Japanese manufacturer Nippon Sharyo, the original designer of EMU series.
Twelve of the TRA-ordered trains were made by Nippon Sharyo Co, and the other 148 cars were manufactured by Taiwan Rolling Stock.
The first set of EMU700 commuter trains, consisting of four cars, began operations at the end of August and were used mainly to carry commuters between Hsinchu and Hualien.
The TRA issued a statement yesterday saying that problems emerged when the administration began testing the second set of EMU700 train carriages. The on-board broadcasting system, for example, was supposed to be automatically activated whenever the train entered a station. Likewise, the LED panels in each car should also correctly inform passengers about the train's next stop and provide other passenger information.
According to the statement, none of these systems functioned properly when tested.
Meanwhile, TRA inspectors have identified other issues, such as problems with the train's passenger seats, car doors and air-conditioning system.
The statement said the administration originally estimated that the second set of EMU carriages would begin operations last month. So far, the testing has not been completed.
The administration said that it was concerned that the delay is going to affect the service it provides. It also said there are no replacements for the first set of EMU trains if a problem develops. Without them, the administration cannot retire all the old trains that are still in use between Hsinchu and Hualien, it said.
TRA spokesperson Chang Ying-huei (張應輝) said yesterday that they will do everything they can to stick to the terms stated in the contract.
Chang said that the contract dictated that the administration is entitled to seek compensation from TRSC if the testing takes longer than 30 days.
He also said that TRSC will be asked to pay about NT$258,000 each day after the expiration date.
"The accumulated penalty has so far reached NT$17 million," he added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS