Traffic disruptions involving flight delays and closures on the nation’s railways and highways in mountainous areas due to Typhoon Dujuan yesterday affected people from eastern and southern Taiwan trying to get back from a three-day holiday weekend.
Suspension of trains along the eastern corridor after midday had the strongest impact, as rail services are at the heart of eastern Taiwan’s transportation network.
Tens of thousands of residents in the east wanting to get back to Taipei and other cities in the west for work after the Mid-Autumn Festival flocked to train stations in Taitung and Hualien counties earlier than scheduled in order to catch trains already full of travelers.
Photo: Chang Hsun-teng, Taipei Times
The same thing happened on the high-speed rail system, with stations in central and southern Taiwan reporting extremely crowded conditions late yesterday morning.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp late on Sunday announced that its services would be suspended from 3pm yesterday.
Road traffic was severely impeded as well, mainly due to the full closure from 2pm of the coastal Suhua Highway, which links Yilan and Hualien counties and is part of Provincial Highway No. 9 that stretches from northern Taipei to southern Pingtung County.
Photo: CNA
Highways that pass through mountainous areas, including east-west Provincial highways 7 and 8, were also partly closed.
After midday yesterday, cars were backed up over several kilometers on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (National Freeway No. 5), which connects Taipei with Yilan, as motorists began to head back to the capital to avoid being caught in traffic and stormy conditions expected later yesterday and today.
Disruption of the nation’s air links added to travel woes.
Photo: CNA
TransAsia Airways said all of its domestic flights departing from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) after 1pm were canceled.
As rainfall and wind became more pronounced as the day progressed, travelers were advised to check with their respective airlines before heading to the airport for any possible changes.
Meanwhile, services were suspended at 4:45pm yesterday on the Taipei MRT’s Wenshan-Neihu Line and the section between Yuanshan Station and Tamsui Station on the Tamsui-Xinyi Line due to strong gusts of wind, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
The Xinbeitou and Xiaobitan stations were also closed, the company said, adding that aboveground MRT services are to resume after weather conditions are deemed safe, while underground MRT lines are to remain operational.
From 7pm yesterday, all bus services in Taipei and New Taipei City were also suspended.
Department stores in northern Taiwan began to close as early as 5pm yesterday.
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