A man who train surfed from Taipei to Keelung on Saturday, clinging precariously between two carriages, is likely to be fined for breaking the law, railway authorities said.
The man, identified by his surname, Tsai (蔡), got off a Taitung-bound Taroko Express train at Nangang Station in Taipei to purchase something, and when he returned, the train’s doors had already closed, Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) and the Railway Police Bureau said.
In an apparent panic, the man climbed onto the coupling between the third and fourth carriages as the train was leaving the station, the authorities said.
Photo: Wu Su-wei, Taipei Times
TRC said that its personnel at Xizhi Station in New Taipei City noticed something suspicious on surveillance camera monitors, and they informed the train conductor and control center of the issue at about 8:15pm on Saturday.
According to the authorities, when the train was ordered to stop at Qidu Station in Keelung, the man went down on the track and was then pulled onto the platform by railway police.
Tsai, aged about 40, was not injured during the incident, which caused no more than a five-minute delay at Qidu Station, the railway company said.
However, Tsai now faces a fine of NT$1,500 to NT$7,500, the Railway Police Bureau said, citing Articles 57 and 71 of the Railway Act (鐵路法).
Following the incident, TRC urged passengers to adhere to safety rules and avoid putting themselves and others in danger.
In other news, a female passenger died after climbing a barrier and jumping onto the tracks at Fuzhong Station on the Taipei Metro’s Bannan Line, New Taipei City Fire Department said on Saturday evening.
Emergency responders said the woman showed no vital signs when she was pulled from the tracks and rushed to Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. The exact sequence of events is under investigation.
According to Taipei Metro, the incident occurred at 6:53pm, when the woman reportedly climbed over the platform screen doors on the Dingpu-bound platform and jumped onto the tracks as a train was approaching, which struck her.
The station manager immediately went onto the tracks to assist, and emergency services, including police and medical personnel, were dispatched to the scene.
The incident led to significant service disruptions. To maintain operations, Taipei Metro implemented a single-track, two-way service between Far Eastern Hospital Station and Jiangzicui Station, with trains running every 16 minutes.
A shuttle bus service was also activated between Haishan Station and Longshan Temple Station to accommodate affected passengers, it said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS