The nation’s usually punctual high-speed rail system yesterday was hit by major disruptions after all scheduled services were canceled and replaced with three hourly trains offering only non-reserved seating, affecting more than 200,000 passengers.
Preliminary findings indicate the disruption was caused by a faulty power module in a track switch control cabinet, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said, adding that as a full system inspection could only be conducted after operations end for the day, a decision on whether normal service would resume today would be announced before the first train departs.
During a routine inspection early yesterday, a switch signal abnormality was reported on a section of track near Miaoli, THSRC said.
Photo: Hung Ting-hung, Taipei Times
Workers were sent to repair the problem, forcing both northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, it said.
As a result, the company said it had to cancel all scheduled trains, starting at 8am, and instead dispatch three southbound trains per hour from Nangang Station and three northbound trains from Zuoying Station.
The trains were departing on the hour, at 20 minutes past and at 40 minutes past, stopping at every station along the route, THSRC said, adding that only unassigned seating was being used, except in the business class cars.
Photo: CNA
Among the affected passengers yesterday were several lawmakers who were traveling from central and southern Taiwan to Taipei, as well as Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), who was traveling from Taichung. He was delayed by more than an hour on his way to a 9am legislative meeting.
THSRC said that in light of the delays, passengers who arrive at their destination 30 to 60 minutes late would be offered a 50 percent refund, while those who arrived more than an hour late or did not use their ticket could receive a full refund.
Passengers with reserved seat tickets who boarded trains yesterday would also receive a refund of the price difference at any THSRC ticket office within one year of the ticket’s departure date, it added.
The company apologized for the inconvenience and pledged to keep customers updated as the repair work proceeded.
The Railway Bureau said that the disruption was the largest equipment-related delay since the high-speed rail system began operations in 2007.
The bureau said it had been closely monitoring the situation after receiving a report from THSRC at 5:38am, although the exact cause would not be confirmed until inspections were completed after services end for the day.
The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board said THSRC also reported the incident immediately, adding that a formal investigation would be launched if the disruption was found to involve broader system safety issues.
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