The Bureau of High Speed Rail this week said that it has identified the causes of problems discovered during integrated system testing of the Airport Rail, adding that safety would determine whether the system is fit to launch.
The bureau organized a tour on Thursday afternoon — mainly for lawmakers serving on the legislature’s Transportation Committee — to inspect the Airport Rail, which is scheduled to be launched by the end of this year.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇), local government officials and reporters were invited to join legislators on the tour.
Photo: Lee Kung-ping, Taipei Times
Visitors boarded an express train to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport from New Taipei Industrial Park, or A3, station.
They disembarked at Terminal Two at the airport (A13 station) and were told how passengers can check in their luggage at the airport rail stations and how luggage would be transported to the airport.
Legislators offered suggestions during the test ride, such as adding flight information displays on the train.
The test went smoothly, without emergency stops, Chen said, adding that the ministry still aims to start service by the end of this year.
“We hope that domestic and international travelers feel proud of having such a safe system that they can take to see the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan next year,” Chen said.
The bureau further issued a statement in a bid to dismiss public concerns about the system. It said that part of the railway section was a long steep slope, which was considered in the design of the system.
The bureau also said that all brake tests have been conducted while the trains are fully loaded, with results in both slope and non-slop sections meeting safety standards.
“In the event of emergencies, the bureau would try to evacuate passengers when the train arrives at the next train station,” the bureau said. “If the situation calls for an immediate evacuation between stations, passengers would be guided to the closest emergency passages or stairs.”
Unlike the testing of the MRT system, which can be conducted during off-peak hours, the testing must be conducted on different items in different sections at different hours of the day, the bureau said, adding that the integrated system test and signal tests began in January.
The bureau emphasized that abnormal cruising of the train on the railway was addressed by enhanced rail-grinding work, and problems that appeared during testing have largely been mitigated after “root causes” were identified and debugging procedures were adjusted.
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