Errors generated by switches in the high speed rail system have been gradually reduced after Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) enhanced quality control this year, the Bureau of High Speed Rail said yesterday.
However, the bureau said it would let the company decide if it should seek compensation from Siemens, the railway switch manufacturer, as the malfunctioning railway switch system had resulted in train delays and financial losses.
“The company signed a contract with the contractor,” said Chen Ching-chih (陳景池), the bureau’s deputy chief engineer. “We will let them sort out the issues relating to compensation based on the terms of the contract. The bureau does not interfere in business disputes.”
Statistics from the bureau showed that a total of 67 railway switch-related incidents have occurred since the high speed rail system began operation in 2007, with 12 of them recorded this year. The repeated errors with railway switches eventually caused the railway switch manufacturer to send its representatives to the nation earlier this year to identify the root cause of the problems.
Chen said that five of 12 recorded incidents this year happened because of the problems with the micro switches within the railway switches.
“The specialists at the end of July identified that the electrical impedance of these micro-switches were not functioning properly,” he said, adding that the contractor subsequently found that the railway switches in certain batches of production presented similar issues.
The electrical impedance describes a measure of opposition to alternating current.
To address the issue, Chen said the company has managed to improve the defect-free ratio of the railway switches by adding the procedure of optical inspection in its manufacturing process.
The high speed rail operator also increased the intensity of “pre-aging” testing of the railway switches, from a frequency of once per month to every one to two weeks, he said.
Chen said THSRC further increased the number of sites equipped with emergency resources for railway switches from eight to 12, to shorten the time for repair and maintenance.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
RSS