A public memorial concert is to be held at Taipei Main Station at 7pm on Wednesday to commemorate the victims of the 2021 Hualien Taroko Express train derailment, known locally as the “0402 accident.”
Chen Meng-hsiu (陳孟秀), an attorney representing the victims’ families, said yesterday that the concert would mark the fourth anniversary of the rail accident that killed 49 people and injured 309 — the deadliest in Taiwan Railway Co’s nearly 60-year history.
This year’s memorial theme — “Eternal Love and Remembrance” — includes a unique light beam installation designed to symbolize hope, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of Chen Meng-hsiu
The light beams would shine through the Heren (和仁), Cingshuei (清水) and Chongde (崇德) tunnels along the North-Link Line, which connects Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) and Hualien City, she said.
The 2021 crash occurred at the northern entrance to the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道).
The light installation, inspired by similar tributes to the Sept. 11 attacks in the US in 2001 and the Amagasaki derailment in Japan in 2005, is meant to transform families’ grief into “eternal love” and act as a reminder of railway safety, Chen said.
Taiwan Railways official Chien Hsin-li (簡信立) said that the lights would be activated at the moment Taroko Express train 408 — the train with the same number as the one that derailed four years ago — passes through the area on Wednesday.
The light effects would continue for seven days as part of the memorial, he added.
The light installation would not interfere with train drivers’ ability to see, as it is designed to be safe for passengers and staff, Chien said.
In addition to the concert, Taiwan Railways would distribute information cards about the memorial on all trains along the North-Link Line, Chien added.
The concert is open to the general public, he said.
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