Eight people were injured yesterday in the derailment of a flat-deck railway car during which overhead lines were broken, affecting more than 1,000 passengers.
The car was scheduled to install overhead electricity lines for the railway route between Hualien and Taitung Counties, which has yet to be electrified.
The Railway Reconstruction Bureau, which oversees the construction project, said that the derailment occurred at the section between Rueisuei (瑞穗) and Fuyuan (富源) in Hualien at about 4am.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
The workers injured in the accident had been hired by the contractor and were sent to hospitals in Fonglin (鳳林), Yuli (玉里) and Yuli for treatment.
Only one worker remained hospitalized, as he suffered a fractured pelvis.
The bureau said that the overhead line installation project had been conducted mostly at night, adding that it would review the work procedures following the accident.
The Railway Police has begun investigating the cause of the accident and intends to interview the driver operating the construction car.
The Taiwan Railways Administration said that the accident had disrupted the operations of nine trains on the route as of 9:30am, adding up to a total delay of 393 minutes. A total of 1,278 passengers were affected.
The operator said passengers whose trains were delayed for more than 45 minutes would be entitled to a full refund, which can be claimed in any station within a year after the accident occurred.
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