The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said it would spend two days inspecting platforms and railway routes around the nation, after a new tilting train got stuck in a platform at the Keelung Railway Station.
The new tilting train, also known as the “Puyuma Express,” arrived at Keelung Port from Japan on Thursday.
The 16 train carriages were scheduled to be taken to the TRA’s maintenance depot in Cidu (七堵) for testing, via the Keelung Railway Station.
However, the train became wedged in the station’s second platform as it was about to pass through a curve on the southbound route, causing scratching on the protection case of the undercarriages on train cars No. 2 and No. 4.
TRA crew had to make an incision 3cm to 5cm deep into the platform to help move the train.
Four TRA officials received warnings or demerits over the incident.
Asked about the cause of the incident, the administration said that it had failed to measure the gap between the platform and the railway track, which was narrowed during a construction project of the Railway Reconstruction Bureau.
The protection case of the train’s undercarriage hit the platform as a result of the narrower gap, the administration said.
Despite the rather embarrassing incident, the administration said the incident would not affect the scheduled functioning of any of the trains.
The administration added that it would inspect railway routes and platforms throughout the nation to ensure that the same incident would not happen again.
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