The government was scrambling yesterday to explain how it regulates the safety of the Alishan Forest Railway, after Wednesday’s derailment that killed five Chinese tourists.
The train was struck by a branch that fell from a ring-cupped oak tree while it was traveling between the Sacred Tree stop and Alishan Station, derailing four cars and injuring 109 passengers.
Forestry Bureau Deputy Director Lee Tao-sheng (李桃生) defended the bureau’s inspection practices.
Photo: CNA
The bureau is responsible for the Alishan Forest Railway and Lee said its inspectors check 5m on both the left and right sides of the rail — a mark established by observing where fallen trees that affect the line are typically found. Within this range, they walk and check the tracks every day before the train begins operation.
“The most important thing [in a check] is to examine along the way whether there are dead trees or diseased trees,” Lee said.
Officials said two to three inspectors walked the section where the accident took place on Wednesday morning and did not find any abnormalities.
The base of the tree that lost the branch was 8.5m away from the rail, the Council of Agriculture said. Critics to question whether the 5m standard was adequate to ensure the safety of train passengers.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Hu Sing-hwa (胡興華) acknowledged that safety inspections policy for the railway need to be reviewed.
The bureau said investigators were at the scene yesterday to determine why the tree branch snapped, and whether its railway inspectors could have spotted the problematic tree before the accident.
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