Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday apologized after a fire broke out on the MRT Wenhu Line on Monday, promising to replace the high-voltage cable between Neihu and Wende stations within two weeks to ensure the line’s safety.
“Taipei Rapid Transit Corp [TRTC] followed standard procedures in handling the incident, but we still owe the public an apology for the inconvenience. We will examine the situation to find administrative mistakes if there are any,” Hau said in a report on the fire to the Taipei City Council.
The fire occurred near Wende Station at 1:38pm on Monday, interrupting service for about 40 minutes. The TRTC later blamed the fire on a circuit malfunction, which the corporation said caused sparks and burned the rubber surrounding the cable.
TRTC general manager Tsai Huei-sheng (蔡輝昇) said no passengers were trapped between stations when the fire occurred. After a thorough inspection with the system’s builder, the TRTC will replace the cable between the two stations, which is about 4,000m long, as one of the safety measures.
The TRTC will present an investigation report on the incident and look into who was responsible within 40 days, Hau said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors yesterday lashed out at Hau and the TRTC for once again putting MRT passengers at risk and demanded that the company complete the report earlier.
“The city government and the TRTC always blame the Wenhu Line’s problems on the contractor and system builder. This shows the arrogance of government officials. We want the TRTC to present the investigation report as soon as possible,” DPP Taipei City Councilor Lee Chien-chan (李建昌) said.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) said the Wenhu Line had experienced more than 100 malfunctions and system breakdowns since it was opened in July last year, while the older Muzha Line only experienced two fires since it opened 13 years ago.
“How many more mishaps will occur on the Wenhu Line? Who will take the administrative responsibility and step down if another major accident occurs?” Chou asked.
Hau declined to comment on whether any officials would step down to take responsibility for the problem-plagued line, but said the city government would not shield officials who were found to be negligent in their duties.
The Wenhu Line was inaugurated on July 4 last year but has suffered repeated glitches, including trains suddenly stopping and doors failing to open.
The first major incident occurred on July 10, when a power outage brought the line to a stop, leaving approximately 700 passengers stranded on trains that stopped between stations and forcing them to walk to nearby stations along the tracks.
The numerous malfunctions since then have prompted the city government to offer a 36 percent discount to passengers who take the line.
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