Taipei City’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems yesterday completed a preliminary inspection on a section of the Taipei MRT Xinzhuang Line between Fu Jen University Station and Huilong Station, which is scheduled to open by the end of next month.
At the department’s request, a 15-member inspection committee examined the section’s engineering, equipment installation and operations. It listed 23 flaws, including problems with disabled-friendly facilities, automatic air controllers at transformer rooms and drainage grids outside Danfeng Station.
Amid concerns about the safety of the line’s maintenance depot and ongoing disputes over the preservation of Losheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium, which was partly demolished to build the depot, department deputy commissioner Fu Shih-chih (傅式治) said the construction of the maintenance depot in Xinzhuang had yet to be completed, and the department would use part of the Zhonghe Line maintenance depot for train storage and emergency response measures.
In relation to an unstable geological fault near Danfeng Station, Fu said the inspection committee held a simulation to test the safety of the station if an earthquake or flood occurred and found no significant flaws.
He said the department would fix the flaws listed by the committee by next week and invite the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to conduct a final inspection.
“The preliminary inspection went smoothly, and we will fix the problems very soon. We want to launch the section as soon as possible, but we will respect the committee’s recommendations when finalizing the launch date,” he said.
In 2010, the department launched the Luzhou Line that connects Luzhou and Sanchong in New Taipei City (新北市) with downtown Taipei. Huilong and Danfeng stations are the two remaining stations of the Xinzhuang line to be launched.
Their opening this year comes amid protests from residents of the sanatorium and activists who expressed concern about unstable ground around the Xinzhuang depot and called for a reroute.
Taipei City’s Department of Transportation said that passengers traveling on this section of the line would enjoy discounts during the first month of operations.
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