A crack found on a Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) railway track is not interfering with the trial operation of the system, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday.
Taoyuan Metro Corp president Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌) said the crack was found on a steel track between Linkou (林口) and Shanbi (山鼻) stations during regular maintenance on Saturday last week.
The workers who discovered the crack — about 2mm to 5mm wide and 10cm long — immediately reported the problem to the traffic control center as the company’s standard operating procedure stipulates and fastened the railway tracks with a fishplate, Chen said.
A fishplate is a flat piece of metal used to bolt rails together.
“We [Taoyuan Metro Corp] also informed the Bureau of High Speed Rail about the problem. After assessing the crack and its location, it was determined that the defect would not interfere with the trial operation of the airport MRT line,” Chen said.
Chen said that the line’s trains began to use a different track after the crack was found.
Maintenance workers were asked to increase their inspections of all the railways used on the line on Sunday and Monday and to ensure that the fishplate was securely fastened, the company said, adding that no other crack was found.
As the railway tracks are still covered by a warranty, the company said it has asked the Bureau of High Speed Rail to investigate.
The bureau said it has prepared the parts needed to repair the damage and work was scheduled to begin last night.
This is the first time a crack has been found on the line, Chen said, adding that it might have been caused by rapid changes in temperature.
Such problems cannot be prevented and might well recur, he said, adding that the company would continue to inspect the railway tracks daily and address any problems immediately.
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