The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months.
BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake.
The pot bearings on the design should have been 40mm thick, with the slope control board only 5mm thick, New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems Director Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
However, inspections found that the total height of the slope control board and the pot bearings amounted to 41mm, meaning the pot bearings lost their functions due to excess space, resulting in the shifting of the box girder under the railway, Lee said.
New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday said that the cause of the line being out of commission was “clearly the fault of the construction company” and said the New Taipei City Government would be suing the company for NT$1.93 billion.
The two cities had signed the contract with BES Engineering, and the New Taipei City Government would press charges alongside the Taipei City Government, Lee said.
Asked whether the New Taipei City Government is worried it could not receive full compensation from BES Engineering due to Core Pacific Group being embroiled in a corruption lawsuit, Lee said that BES Engineering is a listed company with capital totaling NT$10 billion and should be able to pay the amount in full.
For the group’s construction project, Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心), it allegedly lobbied officials to increase the floor area ratio from 560 percent to 840 percent under former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) tenure.
More than 20 others, including Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) and group founder and chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), are also defendants in the case.
Deputy New Taipei City Mayor Chen Chun-ching (陳純敬) and New Taipei City Metro Corp chairman Lin You-hsien (林祐賢) said the New Taipei City Government had thoroughly inspected the entire rail line and had reinforced all supports and components in the affected sections.
Saying it would not have allowed the resumption of operations if not 100 percent sure it was safe, the city assured riders that there have been no incidents since the resumption of operations last month.
As for BES Engineering being blacklisted by the New Taipei City Government, Chen said all affairs would be handled in line with the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法).
BES Engineering said that it respects the professional opinion of the third-party reviewers and would examine the content in detail to clarify responsibility.
Regarding compensation, it said it would communicate with the city governments through legal channels to properly resolve the matter.
The company in the statement also said that the design was difficult, but was executed fully in accordance with the plans.
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