Seventy-eight-year-old Liu Shu-gen (劉樹根) may have retired from the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) 17 years ago, but his former colleagues know they can always give him a call when they have problems fixing steam locomotives.
Liu was one of the four employees recognized by the TRA for their special contributions yesterday. The other three employees started working for the railway when they were young adults and have been working there for 50 years.
Liu was employed as a mechanic at the Taipei Depot in 1951. Before retiring in 1994, he had won numerous merits and awards for his performance.
Photo: CNA/Taiwan Railway Administration
In 1998 and 2000, he was asked to lead the repair work on the CK101, CK124 and CT273 locomotives, as well as several other models of steam trains.
Liu and other senior employees have in recent years repaired many of the old steam train locomotives, which are used for special services for railway enthusiasts.
Liu’s wife supported her husband’s passion in repairing steam trains. The couple was treated by the railway to a ride on the steam train operating on the old mountain line in Miaoli last month.
Wu Shi-yin (吳世瑛), director of the TRA’s personnel department, said that in its early years the administration did not have strict regulations regarding the minimum age of employment. As a result, some of its employees entered service when they were 13 or 15 years old.
“By today’s standards, this was child labor,” Wu said, adding that the agency was able to celebrate its 124th anniversary because of the dedication of its senior employees.
Fu Rih-yuan (傅日垣), 65, another employee, is scheduled to retire in January.
Employed by the TRA in 1960, Fu’s first job was as a waiter in the catering and restaurant service department. He worked his way up the hierarchy and now serves as a train conductor.
“Back then, it took more than 10 hours to travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung by train,” Fu said. “There was no air conditioning system aboard and the train only had electric fans, but none of the passengers complained.”
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS