Failure to thoroughly follow standard procedures in the maintenance of railway tracks was identified as the main cause of a derailment of a train in Hualien on Wednesday afternoon, the Taiwan Railways Administration said yesterday.
The derailment of the Tzuchiang-class express train saw two passengers sustain minor injuries, while more than 6,000 passengers were affected by the incident, with the TRA not resuming normal operations until 10:37am yesterday.
It was the second derailment on the line connecting Hualien and Taitung this month after a June 4 incident, which was blamed on high temperatures warping tracks.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
A preliminary investigation of Wednesday’s derailment showed that engineers were to inspect tracks near a railway crossing the day before the incident, based on summertime railway maintenance rules.
A detailed report is to be released in 10 days, the agency said.
The engineers should have issued warnings after completing their maintenance work, it said.
The incident was a result of workers not thoroughly carrying out maintenance of the tracks near the crossing, it said.
Punishments have been meted out to six people responsible for the incident, the agency added.
TRA director-general Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said that maintaining tracks at or near crossings is important, because the tracks there are affected by constant use by motor vehicles.
Maintenance workers also have to ascertain that electric cables and tracks are in proper condition and pose no threat to safety, Chou said.
Maintenance personnel need to be aware of changes to railway infrastructure with daily or monthly inspections to prevent railway incidents, he said.
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