A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections.
The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said.
The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating.
Photo: Hou Cheng-hsu, Taipei Times
Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top of the hour, 20 minutes past and 40 minutes past, it said.
Passengers who arrive at their destination 30 to 60 minutes late would be offered a 50 percent refund, while those who arrive more than an hour late or do not use their tickets may receive a full refund, the HSR said.
Passengers with reserved-seat tickets who board trains today could also receive a refund of the price difference at any HSR ticket office within one year of the ticket's departure date, the railway said.
Photo: CNA
At the start of a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee this morning, which was delayed due to the HSR malfunction causing officials to be late, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said that emergency response protocols had been activated and the Taiwan Railways Corp is coordinating alternative transport.
A full system inspection would not be carried out until tonight, he added.
The HSR carries up to 240,000 passengers per day and more than 300,000 on holidays, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said to emphasize the impact of the malfunction.
The disruption has not only delayed the committee meeting, but also significantly affected people’s work, daily life and schooling, Lee said.
There were 25 rail operation incidents in 2024 and 43 last year, as well as multiple delays already occurring this year, he said, highlighting the need for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to address these issues as soon as possible.
Signaling failures are rare, but pose a serious disruption, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said, urging authorities to prepare for the possibility that normal reserved-seat services may not resume today.
Passengers traveling today should be informed in advance so they can arrive at their station early or otherwise adjust their plans, Hung said.
The issue has been reported to safety authorities and is being investigated, but as the system cannot be fully shut down, repairs cannot be carried out yet, Lin said, adding that the reduced service would continue for now.
The last major HSR delay occurred on April 25, 2013. It was also the first large-scale, system-wide suspension that was not caused by a natural disaster since its opening six years prior.
At that time, a malfunction in the signaling equipment at Taichung Station prevented trains from departing for the first service of the day, leading to a suspension of services for about four hours.
Service gradually resumed on the Taipei-Hsinchu section starting at about 9:30am, and full operations were restored at 11:30am.
A total of 21 southbound and 23 northbound trains were canceled, affecting about 35,000 passengers.
Additional reporting by CNA
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