The companies that run the Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung MRT systems might file a joint civil claim against people who graffitied their trains this week, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC, 臺北大眾捷運) said yesterday.
Surveillance camera footage showed that at 2:54am on Thursday, two people climbed over a fence into the parking area of its Beitou Depot and spray-painted the first and second cabins of the first train, the Taipei company said.
The pair finished the graffiti and fled the area at about 3:29am, it added.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp
The graffiti, which was about 15m wide and 1.5m tall, was removed later that day, it said.
The perpetrators could face fines of up to NT$1 million (US$31,397), as well as civil claims for damages, TRTC said.
To prevent others from vandalizing and trespassing, it reported the case to the police and filed a civil claim, it said.
Photo copied by Liu Ching-ho
As MRT trains in Taichung and Kaohsiung were also graffitied on Thursday and Friday, TRTC might collaborate with the Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp (臺中捷運) and Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (高雄捷運) in filing civil claims against vandals, it added.
The Taichung company said that two people trespassed on the tracks near a terminus at the Taichung High Speed Rail Station at about 9pm on Thursday.
The pair spent about 15 minutes graffitiing a spare train car, it said.
Photo courtesy of Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp
They also damaged a fence and trespassed on rail tracks, and could face fines of up to NT$1 million, it said.
The company reported the matter to the police.
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp said it discovered that two trains had been graffitied on Friday at 4am — one at the Daliao Depot and the other at North Depot — but no mechanical damage was found.
As the offenders could have damaged the control station or other equipment, which could hinder the operations and safety of the MRT system, the company said it would also file civil claims against them.
Graffiti artists enjoy the excitement of their work being seen and showing it off to their peers, but their work is not aesthetically pleasing and ruins the appearance of the trains, it said.
The vandals also risk injury trespassing through the depot, it added.
Earlier this month, Taiwan Railways Administration trains were graffitied. The administration at the time said it would seek restitution from the culprits, who could face a fine of up to NT$10 million and seven years in prison for jeopardizing the normal operations of an important railway station, field, facility or equipment by stealing, destroying or other illegal means.
Additional reporting by Huang Hsu-le and CNA
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