Train service on the Yuli Township (玉里) to Fuli Township (富里) section of the Eastern Trunk Line in Hualien County is to resume on Dec. 28 after repairs to the line after it was damaged by earthquakes in September are completed, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said on Monday.
Service is to resume 20 days ahead of the previously anticipated completion date of Jan. 18 next year, the state-run train operator said in a statement.
Service between Hualien and Taitung had been suspended from Sept. 18 after a series of earthquakes — the strongest one a magnitude 6.8 temblor — damaged overhead power lines, tracks, several railway bridges and other equipment.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Service between Hualien and Fenglin Township (鳳林) and Fuli and Taitung on the Eastern Trunk Line resumed on Sept. 22, but infrastructure between Yuli and Fuli were more seriously affected and remained closed.
The Lele River Bridge (樂樂溪橋) in Yuli and the New Siouguluan River Bridge (新秀姑巒溪橋) in Fuli, just north of Dongli Railway Station, were severely damaged by the earthquakes and were among the main focus of recent repairs, the TRA said.
Sections of the Fuli bridge’s decks were displaced, which required jacking the decks up using hydraulic equipment to realign them, it said.
It was the first time the method was used to repair a railway in Taiwan, it added.
The final displaced deck of the New Siouguluan River Bridge was realigned on Saturday last week, the TRA said.
After service resumes, trains would initially be limited to speeds of 60kph while traveling over the bridge as a safety precaution, it said.
Reservations for seats on trains traveling from Taipei to Taitung from Dec. 28 are to reopen on Wednesday next week, it said.
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