Transport officials said yesterday that the high-speed railway was safe even though a 6km section which cuts through Yunlin County sits on land that has subsided considerably in recent years.
The site where the elevated railway crosses Provincial Expressway No. 78 in the county has subsided by 55cm over the past seven years, according to data compiled by Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC), which operates the bullet train.
DIFFERENTIAL
Officials at the Bureau of Taiwan High Speed Rail under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, however, said that the “differential settlement” — the rate of uneven settling — between adjacent piers of the railway viaduct in Yunlin remains within tolerable levels, adding that the railway’s structure and operation remained sound.
The officials said the THSRC has closely monitored the subsidence of the Yunlin section’s piers and foundations since 2004.
The differential settlement for the section crossing over Provincial Expressway No. 78 stands at 1.08/1,500 at present, far lower than the maximum permissible level of 6/1,500, the officials said.
SLOWING
They said the pace of subsidence along the Yunlin section had slowed from nearly 10cm per year in the past to 6.8cm last year because a number of deep wells were closed in the area, reducing groundwater seepage.
WELLS
Though pleased by the slower pace of subsidence, the bureau said it hoped the central and local governments would collaborate to close even more wells, including those used for aquaculture, to stop further subsidence in Yunlin County, which is known for its agriculture and aquaculture.
Echoing the bureau’s safety assurances, THSRC spokesman Ted Chia (賈先德) said the high-speed railway was safe and structurally sound.
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.