The Taipei City Government yesterday announced it would suspend operations on the Muzha-Neihu Line in the morning today and tomorrow for a system inspection.
The line is to be closed from 6am to 11am today and tomorrow, with free shuttle buses running between the line’s stations until 12pm, Taipei City Secretariat Deputy Director Tan Gwa-guang (譚國光) said, in his role as director of the Neihu-Muzha Line emergency response team.
Yang Chin-shu (楊金樹), chief secretary of the Transportation Department’s public transportation division, said that free Red Line shuttle buses run between Linguang Station and Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Station, while Green Line buses run between Taipei Zoo Station and Songshan Airport Station.
Tan said the decision to shut the line was made in accordance with a first-phase system improvement plan presented by system builder Bombardier Inc.
The company asked for a longer period of time to inspect the system and solve its problems, which include an overly sensitive safety system that has caused frequent false alarms and malfunctions.
“We hope the public will support our improvement plan and be tolerant during the two days,” Tan said.
The city government chose to test the system today and tomorrow because it carries fewer passengers during those periods, he said.
The announcement was made after Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) acknowledged on Thursday that problems with the system were more serious than previously thought and that the city government would consider suspending the Muzha-Neihu MRT line for a thorough inspection.
Tan said the second-phase improvement plan would include strengthening the system’s resistance to lightning strikes.
Tan declined to comment on whether the city government would still consider halting operations on the line for a longer period of time, but said it would prioritize the interests of passengers when discussing possible solutions.
Bombardier has proposed a comprehensive improvement plan to raise the system’s reliability to 99 percent by mid-November, Tan said.
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