Following a series of technical mishaps on the city's rapid transit system, the city government announced it is preparing to discipline 12 officials, including the chief civil servant in charge of construction on the system.
Chiang Yao-tsung (江耀宗), director of the Taipei City government's department of rapid transit systems (DORTS), which subcontracts construction on the MRT system to private companies, submitted a list of those responsible for a series of breakdowns on the line to Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday.
Chiang's own name is on the list, the city government announced.
According to the Central News Agency, 15 people from the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC), which runs and maintains the line, are also awaiting disciplinary action at the mayor's discretion. TRTC chairman Li Po-wen (
Chen acknowledged that names of officials from his corporation were also on the list, but said that he had not seen the document listing the nature of the responsibility and the disciplinary action to be taken.
DORTS declined to comment yesterday, saying it had no knowledge of who was to be punished or how.
On the evening the Panchiao-Nankang line opened -- just five days ago on Dec. 24 -- a high-voltage power connection on the line failed, stopping trains for approximately an hour.
The following morning, a signal computer on the line broke down, stopping trains for five to 10 minutes. Officials from DORTS and the TRTC have said that the incidents were unrelated.
Chin Pu-tsung (
Ma will meet with DORTS and TRTC officials today, he said.
Chen said he had no knowledge of any meeting with the mayor today.
"But I'm prepared to accept the mayor's decision, wherever he decides the responsibility lies," he said.
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