The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is to step up inspections of tracks and double down on compliance with railway repair standard operating procedures (SOPs) to maximize railway safety, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
The comments came after TRA personnel reported three separate instances of cracked rails since Thursday, when a cold air mass reached Taiwan.
Cracked rails were found on Thursday between Yunlin County’s Douliou City (斗六) and Dounan Township (斗南), and on Friday on the Hualien-Taitung line, and between Taitung County’s Chihshang Township (池上) and Hualien County’s Fuli Township (富里), the TRA said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Railways Administration
Yesterday, cracked rails were found between Hualien County’s Heping Township (和平) and Yilan County’s Hanben (漢本), it said.
The TRA said that it fixed Thursday’s and Friday’s cracked rails by replacing the tracks, and that it planned to replace yesterday’s cracked rails last night.
It said that the rails were likely damaged by the rapid drop in temperatures, but added that investigations are being conducted.
Photo courtesy of the Luodong Forest District Office
TRA personnel are to be lauded for reporting the damaged lines and observing SOPs so that trains could continue their routes at a decreased speed when passing through the area, Lin said, adding that the TRA’s rapid rail repairs — within 24 hours — were also to be commended.
Yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said that the cold surge would continue to affect the nation’s weather through today, when temperatures are forecast to rise slightly.
Temperatures would remain below 12°C for 24 hours, the bureau said, adding that cold warnings had been issued for most regions, with ground-level temperatures either falling below 6°C, an “orange” alert, or below 10°C, a “yellow” alert.
There is likely to be less moisture, and showers could be limited to the eastern and mountainous areas of Taiwan, it added.
Another cold front could hit Taiwan tomorrow, resulting in overnight temperatures of 8°C in low-lying areas of northern Taiwan, said Daniel Wu (吳德榮), a meteorologist and adjunct associate professor of atmospheric science at National Central University.
That could bring more snow to Yilan County’s Taipingshan (太平山), he added.
A traffic jam occurred yesterday on Taipingshan, as people flocked to the mountain to see snow.
Beginning to arrive early in the morning, tourists lined up at the gate to the area, until there was a line 6km long, or 1,000 vehicles, and the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area blocked any more from approaching, recreation area official Huang Hsin-wei (黃信偉) said.
The 1,900m mountain had an accumulation of 15cm of snow by yesterday morning amid the drop in temperature, Huang said.
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