The safety of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) system was under scrutiny yesterday at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei following a series of incidents and abnormalities since last year.
The railway operator last year recorded 46 major accidents, including derailments on major lines, and accidents resulting in deaths and injuries, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said.
It also reported 20 smaller accidents and 443 abnormalities, he said, with the former including derailments on branch lines or suspension of operations, while the latter include delays caused by malfunctioning safety devices, electricity facilities and carriages.
This year, 16 accidents have been recorded, seven of which happened within the past 30 days, while 87 abnormalities have been reported, Lee said.
These accidents show that the TRA’s safety system has crumbled, Lee said, adding that this year is likely to see at least as many accidents as last year.
Someone in the agency’s higher management should step down if there is another major accident this year, he said.
Train switches malfunctioned frequently, and at one point, two electricity cables broke in one day, DPP Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) said, adding that these incidents were the result of either antiquated facilities or personnel errors.
The agency should replace the facilities or increase the number of people maintaining and patrolling the railways, Cheng said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) said that the Executive Yuan has approved the ministry’s proposal to hire more TRA workers, who would also fill some vacant positions.
Switches and pantographs mounted on the roofs of electric trains break down more frequently than other devices, Hochen said, adding that the TRA would address these two issues first.
TRA safety would be overseen by the agency’s operational safety committee and the soon-to-be established railway bureau, he said.
The ministry might allow the agency to adjust train schedules, particularly those operating very early and very late, to increase the amount of time available for inspections and maintenance, Hochen said.
Construction on the South Link Railway went smoothly, because similar train service adjustments were made, he said.
“We believe people understand that the move was made to ensure that the trains will operate safely,” Hochen added.
The agency is inspecting all pantographs and electricity cables, TRA Director-General Jason Lu (鹿潔身) said, adding that the task would be completed by Tuesday next week.
Problems found during the inspection would be addressed immediately, and the agency would use the results to determine if it needs more time for inspections and maintenance, Lu said.
Many senior TRA employees have chosen to retire in recent years, including experienced maintenance workers, Lu added.
The agency is considering rehiring some of the maintenance workers to teach skills to new employees, while those who switch to new positions would also undergo training, Lu said.
The TRA uses the break in operations from 12am to 5am to conduct maintenance, Lu said, adding that sometimes a longer period is needed when more serious problems are detected.
Lu also apologized for the series of accidents, saying that the agency encountered the most difficulties fixing pantographs for the push-pull Tzuchiang-class trains.
The agency would ground some of the push-pull trains if it cannot repair the pantographs quickly, he added.
Regarding the Alishan Forest Railway, Lu said that the TRA is working to the resume operations on the section from Chiayi Station to Shihzihlu Station, which has 14 safety issues.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard