The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said yesterday that an investigation into why the engine fell off a Tzuchiang-class express train on Sunday night would be completed within a week.
The incident occurred when the engine of the second carriage of a Tzuchiang express traveling between Taitung and Fengyuan (豐原) in Taichung County detached from the bottom of the train.
Many of the passengers were returning home after the three-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.
PHOTO: CNA
While no one was injured, the 180 passengers had to walk 2km carrying their luggage before they were picked up.
The incident also delayed the travel plans of 7,000 other passengers.
TRA deputy director general Chang Ying-huei (張應輝) said that the Tzuchiang class train was a DMU-3000 model, which the company purchased from Hitachi in 1990.
Chang said that the administration would complete checks on 78 trains of the same model within three days.
The preliminary investigation indicated that the engine fell off because two of the bolts that were supposed to keep it in place had been damaged.
Whether the engine fell off because of inadequate maintenance or metal fatigue remains to be determined, Chang said.
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