The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said it would raise the overall availability of its equipment to improve train punctuality.
The railway operator issued the statement after the Chinese-language United Daily News published an investigative report on the punctuality rate of TRA trains, saying that the high-speed rail system and the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system are more punctual.
The TRA plans to maintain its average train punctuality rate, which is 94 percent, Transportation Department chief Chang Ching-song (張錦松) said, adding that its rate in May was 91.3 percent, up from 87.9 percent in October last year.
“The TRA is not a closed railway system, but is subject to external factors, such as vehicles and pedestrians trespassing on railway crossings. Another critical factor is the overall availability of equipment, including train carriages and signals,” Chang said, referring to factors affecting train punctuality.
Delays are caused by malfunctions — train carriages (18.1 percent), signals (14.9 percent), electric cables (9.4 percent), automatic train protection (ATP) systems (6.5 percent) and railway tracks (0.8 percent) — as well as natural disasters (14.5 percent), derailments (12.5 percent), construction or other reasons requiring reduced speeds (10 percent), deaths and injuries caused by vehicles and pedestrians trespassing on railway crossings (9.4 percent) and objects blocking tracks (3.9 percent), Chang said, citing TRA statistics.
Malfunctions of train carriages, signals, electric cables, ATP systems and railway tracks account for nearly 50 percent of delays, he added.
The TRA is implementing a six-year safe railway plan to improve the train punctuality rate, as well as buying 600 carriages for intercity trains and 520 carriages for local trains, Chang said, adding that the changes would upgrade the TRA’s equipment.
“We will revise the training manuals and augment the technical training for maintenance workers, standardize maintenance procedures and review the purchasing procedures for train components,” he said.
Chang said that as construction can also cause trains to slow down, the TRA would monitor building projects to ensure that there were no construction delays.
The maximum speed allowed for sections of track undergoing construction would be raised occasionally to minimize the effects on train operations, he said.
The TRA installed its train timetable on computers, which allows it to run simulations and store more data, Chang said, adding that the timetable is also linked to the TRA’s new ticketing system, which allows it to analyze demand.
The TRA in 2014 launched an awareness campaign in stations to encourage waiting passengers to yield to alighting passengers, which helped speed up the boarding process, Chang said, adding that 69 train stations have lines drawn on the platforms to show where to line up before boarding.
Slope monitors and alert systems have been installed in high-risk sections and drills are conducted to increase the TRA’s ability to respond to emergency situations, Chang added.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS